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An introduction to the Camel Fisheries Association (page 1 of 3)
by Jon Evans - Secretary:
The River Camel rises on Bodmin Moor and reaches the sea about thirty miles later at Padstow on the North Cornwall coast. The Camel has been fished for salmon and sea trout for centuries and the first royal charter was granted in 1199. Records show that in 1750 rights were available on payment of a fee to the Duke of Cornwall to take salmon by use of barbed spears. Needless to say, these rights have now been revoked. There are four main tributaries, the Allen, the Ruthern, the de Lank and the Stannon and these provide wonderful nursery and spawning water. There are also countless small streams offering safe havens for sea trout and occasionally salmon. The Bodmin Anglers Association has worked extremely hard over the years to ensure that the upper reaches of this beautiful river are largely designated as sanctuary areas which should not be fished. Other improvements consist of removing large infiltrations of Hemlock Water Dropwort (Oenanthe crocata) whose roots have bound the spawning gravels with clay and sand and this prevents the salmon and sea trout from spawning naturally. We have also built some new spawning beds on the Stannon Stream and this project won conservation awards from the Wild Trout Trust and the Association of Rivers Trusts.
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