 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
An introduction to the Camel Fisheries Association (page 3 of 3)
by Jon Evans - Secretary:
Most of the Camel runs through wooded valleys and farmland and this conditions the ways in which the river can be fished. Below Polbrock, the river is tidal and can be fished as far downstream as Wadebridge. Below this, you need a boat or an interest in fly fishing for Bass.
Most people fish the river with a spinner or worm, although both clubs have beats which are suitable for fly fishing and many sea trout are taken at night. There are also a number of salmon taken on fly on club and private beats and on the tidal water where the trees have thinned out.
A local rule is that when worming for salmon after September, circle hooks only are permitted. We have found that this is particularly valuable in protecting juvenile fish which are very greedy and sometimes have eyes bigger than their stomachs. The season opens on May 1st. This began many years ago so that kelts were not caught during the early weeks. A few spring fish are taken in May and June but the real sport at this time of year is with the early sea trout. Most seasons, one or two fish of eight or nine pounds, as well as a number in the 3 to 4lb class, will be caught in late May or June either on spinner or a worm or fly at night. The main run of sea trout, school peal, will come in early July, but there will always be a number of good peal mixed in with the smaller fish of three quarters to a pound.
There is an agreement that all peal will be returned after the end of August for conservation reasons. The salmon run tends to get under way in late August or September. Grilse around the five pound mark start to come off the tidal water and if there is rain, they push on up through the lower stretches to Tresarrett and beyond. The best of the season, and the bigger fish, comes in October and the season ends on December 15th. Throughout the winter months, fish of any size from a 4lb grilse to a 25 lb. multi sea winter fish can be taken.
The catch and release rates for both salmon and sea trout are rising each year, and although the river is currently reaching its spawning target there is a lot of local effort to ensure that we do not endanger the future of our sport. We have concentrated on habitat improvement and the restocking programme and hope to use chemical and genetic markers, as well as fin clipping to allow us to demonstrate the success of our work.
-~-
