Paul guiding ITV News West Country reporter Bob Cruwys, July 2019
"The sheer joy of catching a wild trout… a must-watch and a lovely snippet into how much the West Country Passport Scheme offers. Fair play to all involved. It brightened up my day big time." Garrett Fallon founder of the print magazine Fallon's Angler
We hope the monthly Video Diary, numerous written catch reports, comments and pointers to successful tactics on this page help you enjoy your trip.
Check out the Fly Library
Tight lines, enjoy your fishing. Paul Kenyon & Russell Weston
The Upper Yealm Fishery is part of the Westcountry Angling Passport scheme.
27th July 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:"Yes a bit different from last week when I had 22 fish! Unfortunately the water is so low now that fishing is probably not a very good idea until we have some rain. The Avon FA have restricted visitors and the Arundell Arms have stopped fishing. "
20th July 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:"A strange day, first hour or so absolutely nothing rising and no offers to my possum emerger. Above the weir I noticed that the water level had risen a tad, was quite coloured and a lot of debris. Presumably a heavy shower up stream. Put on GRHE nymph below a possum and bingo! 22 fish mostly in slower water above the weir. Apart from a couple, all took the nymph, best 11 inches, one 9 inches and a couple of 8 inches."
15th July 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:" Excellent day, eight fish, one of 11 inches, another slipped from my hands back into the water before I could measure, a touch bigger I think and certainly fought hard. Two of 8 inches and four smaller ones. All taken on the lower beat with a possum emerger. I also tried a red McMurray ant which quickly rose four fish, three of them hooked but all came off. The hooks were small and debarbed. I have started using Fulling Mill barbless hooks which have the point turned in slightly and am losing less fish."
13th July 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:"Five fish , two of ten inches on a Possum emerger. As always hooked and lost numerous fish. An enormous fish launched itself into the air a few feet in one of the flats above a pool I was fishing. Presumably a sea trout? Too early for salmon? May have a go tomorrow, Friday if no one else is fishing. Think that will be it for awhile as the weather looks as if it will be very hot and windy next week. "
11th July 2022
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor caught one brown trout, and one 17 inch sea trout.
8th July 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Ten small fish on Friday, best 7 1/2 inches, two on the upper beat in the pool by the upper bridge, the rest on the lower beat. River low and clear again now. Very little obvious fly life but a few fish rising which refused my best efforts with duo. Changed to dry fly, Possum emerger which brought up the fish. As usual quite a number lost/missed including two very good fish, one by the wall and the other in the weir pool. "
1st July 2022
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor caught 6 brown trout, best 8 inches.
30th June 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:"Good day with twelve small fish to hand, best 8 1/2 inches, lost count of the fish I missed/lost. The recent rain has improved the river enormously so slightly coloured. Mostly caught in the slower waters, tails of the pools below the weir on a GBHE nymph fished below sparkle dun. Several along the wall and a few in the weir pool which is unusual. Not much in the way of hatching flies but a few rises. Only fished the lower beat. "
21st June 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:"Just five small fish yesterday, best 7 inches. Two on lower beat and three on upper. All on Sparkle Dun. Quite a few very small fish rising in the flat water. Conditions still challenging with low clear water but enjoyable as always."
14th June 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:"Lovely day yesterday, five small fish to hand, best 8 inches all on the lower beat. I started with Klinkhammer and GRHE duo without an offer. There were a few trout rising so switched to Sparkle Dun on its own and immediately had two fish and a couple of missed ones. Water very low and clear so with bright sunshine challenging conditions."
6th June 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:"Eight fish to hand and some which got off, including the only one to take the Klinkhammer. The rest taken on gold bead hares ear nymph. Best fish 10 inches on the lower beat. Having had some success on the upper beat earlier on in the season, the last two visits have yielded very little, yesterday just one small fish."
1st June 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:"Four fish to hand, three on lower beat and one on upper. I fished the lower beat first and landed one fish of ten inches and one of six inches. I then tried the upper beat which was very quiet and managed one brownie of eight inches. It was only 3pm so back to a few pools on the lower beat where there were quiet a few fish rising. One more fish of eight inches but two very nice fish, probably 10-12 inches lost when they were almost in the net. The largest taken along the wall below the weir where I have never taken fish before. All taken on a size 16 gold bead hares ear fished below a Sparkle Dun Antron Caddis. I don’t think I had a single offer to the dry fly. Last week I had some fish to a Klinkhammer but find it more difficult to see in the faster water. Think I will tie some with pink or orange posts.
Spotted one large sea trout above the weir. No interest in my offering’s!
28th May 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:"Five fish to hand today, four 8 inch on the lower beat and one of 9 inch on the upper beat. Lost count of the number of self released fish, particularly on the lower beat. Klinkhammer and gold bead hares ear. Very few fish rising and water still very low."
23rd May 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "I think that with the water being as low as it is the pocket waters on the upper beat seem to be holding up better. On the last two outings I have taken good fish at the very top of the pool opposite the wooden decking. I had some success last year on the two pools below the wooden decking but are now very low. Also the bottom pool of those three is very overgrown and almost unfishable. Last year I always caught fish on the flats above the weir on the lower beat but none at all this year, again because the water is so low. The Upper Yealm is such a gem. Hope that helps."
22nd May 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:" Conditions Cloudy, Cool, Water Level Low , Not Running To Fast, Clear.Catch 1. 8" 2. 6" 3. 5" Fly Used Adams/ Pheasant Tail Remarks Had To Change Flies Several Times To Get Takes Fish Taken On Adams. A Lot Of Fish Especially On Lower Stretch On Corner A Lot Insect Life Several Fish Rising Fish Caught On Bottom Strech In Faster Moving Water, Could'nt Get Any Takes From Rising Fish
21st May 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:"Todays highlight has to be this pair of Canada Geese with chicks. Six fish to hand, two on lower beat and four on upper, two of which were 10 inches. Unfortunately one was foul hooked but returned unharmed. I think two took the PTN and the others a small Klinkhammer. Quite a few fish rising and more fly life than I have seen so far this year. Water still on the low side but quite clear."
20th May 2022
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor caught 2 brown trout; best 10 inches.
14th May 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:"Conditions Sunny, Cool, Water Level Low , Not Running To Fast, Clear. Catch 1. 6" 2. 4" Fly Used Small Dry White Indicator/ Small Black Midget. Remarks Fish Taken On Black Midget. A Few Small Fish Around Five Trees A Little Insect Life Several Fish Rising Nothing Seen Or Caught Below Weir Fish Caught Above 5 Trees "
14th May 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Pleasant day as always on this lovely little stream. Three fish, 6,7 and 8 inches, two on upper beat and one on lower. Gold bead hares ear and gold bead PTN"
9th May 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Water still very low so hopefully the rain forecast for Wednesday will freshen up the river. Four fish on the upper beat, best nice brownie ten inches. As usual a few self released. Lovely bluebells still.”
7th May 2022
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor caught one 20 cm trout.
30th April 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:" Fished on Saturday, three small brownies to hand, two on lower beat and one on upper. About ten further fish hooked and self released. Gold bead hares ear nymph. Water very low now. Quiet a lot of fly life and a very few rises. Bluebells absolutely stunning."
24th April 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: Conditions : sunny, cool, water level average, not running too fast, clear. Caught three trout: 8, 6 and 4 inches. Fly used:
small dry white indicator. Remarks:
Fish taken on dry, very quick takes nothing missed.
Lots of small fish around five trees.
No insect life.
Several fish rising .
Nothing seen or caught below weir.
13th April 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: Conditions: cloudy, cool, water level average, not running too fast.Caught one 7 inch trout. Remarks:
fish taken on small nymph;
very few fish seen;
no insect life;
nothing rising ;
bit early in the season!
13th April 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Just one small brownie today, another unhooked itself and a few missed. Gold bead hares ear and one missed rise to the March Brown. Just fished the lower beat. Water level quite low now. "
12th April 2022
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor caught 3 brown trout, biggest 22 cm.
9th April 2022
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor commented: "hard at first no rising fish worked out they would take nymphs fished deep." Caught 10 brown trout, biggest 8 in
9th April 2022
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor commented:"lovely day fishing with my 7yr old son"
27th March 2022
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: Nil
24th March 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: Lovely afternoon on the lower beat with daffodils still in bloom. Less water than last week and a few fish rising above the weir. Six small fish, 6-7 inches to hand and a few lost. All taken on Gold bead hares ear nymph. All in good condition but noticed all but one very pale silver, not as colourful as I remember.
Comment: Sea trout smolts
Some young trout of 1 to 3 years old and 5 to7 inches long change to a
silver colour before migrating to the sea.
These small silver trout are called smolts. Smolts shoal together before
migrating to sea, usually in late March / April. They are often caught
by anglers and should be handled carefully and released. After all they
may be parent of many of the brown trout you catch in the future
15th March 2022
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: Beautiful afternoon on the lower beat, daffodils absolutely stunning. There was plenty of water, bit coloured above the weir but clear below. Couple of March Browns but not a fish to be seen. Pretty much as I expected but just great to be on the river.
Summary of 2021 brown trout catch
number caught
number returned
number of days fished for brown trout
Catch Per Unit Effort
= [total number of fish caught] / [total number of days fished]
220
220
68
3.24
Monthly catches
This diagram shows the monthly Catch Per Unit Effort in 2021 on the Upper Yealm.
Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) measurements are widely used in fisheries management and are generally
seen as a better indicator of true abundance than catches alone. CPUE is calculated as follows CPUE = [total number of trout caught] / [total number
of days fished for trout]
Notes:
The fishery is restricted to two rods per day
There were 12 Nil returns in 2021
29th September 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor caught 3 brown trout, best fish 10 in.
24th September 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Bit dull today and very little activity. In fact I didn't see any fish rising at all. Just three small fish, one on the lower beat and two on the upper. Two on Antron Caddis and one Gold Bead Hares Ear Nymph."
For the record I caught 123 brown trout in 21 outings.
24th September 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: caught 2 brown trout.
22nd September 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: Nil
20th September 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Good day, lovely weather. Eight fish, seven on lower beat, and one, best fish 11 inches upper beat. Fifty fifty on Antrum Caddis/Gold Bead Hares Ear with a bit of partridge feather. Quite a few fish rising to the dry fly for a change."
19th September 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: Nil
14th September 2021
It's always a pleasure to be present when a beginner has their first brown trout to hand.
This Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor caught two brown trout under challenging low slow moving water conditions; one on a size 20 Black Midge, and the other on a Klinkhamer.
14th September 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Lovely afternoon. Five fish on the upper beat, two good fish 10 and 11 inches. The latter took the Antron Cadis as did one of the small fish. The others the Gold Bead Hares Ear nymph. Also had one very strong fish on for a while but alas the one that got away."
11th September 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Pleasant day as always. Five fish, best ten inches on the upper beat. Quite a few rises to a Antron Caddis but only one handed, the others Gold Bead Hares Ear. Water still low and clear so quite challenging. As usual many fish missed or hooked and lost. "
11th September 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: One brown trout
8th September 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:
Conditions: cloudy, water coloured due to heavy rain, water level average, not running too fast
Catch:
6 between 8" and 5"
Many takes
No insect life
No fish rising
Fly used
Beaded hares ear/small elk caddis then changed to a pheasant tail
Remarks
Fish were taking both dry and nymph
Lots of takes, but you had to be very quick and alert.
No insect life
Nothing rising
Water started to clear after an hour.
Fly fishing roll cast - Peter Hayes
As you can see I had a very good afternoon, fish were taking both wet and dry flies, but you had to be very quick and alert, several splashy rises and many half hearted takes.
Geoff, I put the Peter Hayes roll cast video into practice, I think I have got it now. Much better presentation, lower trajectory and more power. Perhaps that is were some of my success from!!!! Still have'nt mastered the single haul yet, work for the winter months!!!
Look after yourselves.
Best wishes and tight lines,
8th September 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: Nil
7th September 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor caught 2 brown trout
6th September 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor : Nil
3rd September 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association day permit visitor reported: "Just to let you know that my roll casting has improved with accuracy from your last instruction. Practice, practice,practice. I was at Upper Yealm today and netted 6 with 2 lovely brownies roughly 9-10” close to the opposite bank by 5 trees pool , the largest I’ve netted on this stretch. They took my Griffith’s gnat after a short drift."
31st August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Challenging today, water very low, nothing happening above the weir. A couple of small fish below the weir and a few missed/lost. One nice ten inch fish on the upper beat to Antron caddis."
30th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association day permit visitor caught these 2 brown trout, largest 30 cm. and reported: "water level very low and clear, difficult fishing. saw a few sea trout in a pool"
27th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Just two small fish to hand on Friday. Hooked and lost quite a few that took the Balloon Cadis. Eventually I checked the fly and found the leader wrapped around the fly!!"
Note added by Paul Kenyon: There are several ways that may help avoid this problem when using the Dry-Dropper duo technique , described here
23rd August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported on the Upper Beat: "A few tangles but five fish and as many missed/lost. More rises and activity for quite a while. Having netted best fish I was trying to measure it on my wading staff and it slipped back into the water. Certainly the best fish to date and around twelve inches plus. Gold bead hares ear nymph and taken in a tiny run under the bank. A couple taken on balloon caddis."
22nd August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association day permit visitor reported: One 6 inch brown trout to hand. Ten other small fish hooked and lost. Fly used: Tup's Indispensable. Hooks sizes 14's down to 20's; still lost fish on 2.5 lb mono.
22nd August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association day permit visitor reported one brown trout caught on a brown Klinkhamer.
19th August 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor caught 2 brown trout, best fish 10 inches.
17th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:
Conditions: light breeze, cloudy but warm.
Generally good conditions, water level low, few fish rising.
Catch:
Three 5"
Many takes
Fly used:
Small black midget buzzer/ small Adams
Remarks:
Few fish rising,
Takes were instant when casting into fast moving water, no interest at all on slow running stretches. All fish taken on buzzer, again fish caught below the weir, little interest above.
17th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association day permit visitor: Nil
14th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:Three fish today, best nine inches which took a Balloon Caddis, the others to a Guides Choice Hares Ear Nymph. Looks like some rain at the end of the week which will freshen up the stream.
13th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:
Conditions Light Breeze, Cloudy But Warm.
Generally Good Conditions, Water Level Low, No Fish Rising.
Catch
One 5"
One Take
Fly Used
Small Beaded Hares Ear/ Small Elk Caddis
Remarks
Very Few Fish Rising, The Ones That Did Were Very Small.
Takes Were Instant When Casting Into Fast Moving Water, No Interest At All On Slow Running Stretches. No Interest At All Above Weir.
12th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: Three fish 7", 5", 4". Caught on small hares ear nymph.
Few fish rising, all fish caught below weir, a few takes above weir but nothing to hand
Water level quite low and very clear.
A very enjoyable day in lovely surroundings.
11th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Enjoyable day on the river as always on Tuesday. Very little activity, no trout rising and nothing hatching. Just one nice nine inch fish on the lower beat. Hooked and lost a couple on the upper beat. Hares ear nymph as usual. Water is very clear and quite low now."
9th August 2021
Geoff and Paul's annual 'Guides' Day Out' is characterized by lots of good-natured banter about our experiences encountered as fly-fishing guides and instructors. This year we covered several topics including: reliance on received wisdom about drag and fishing dry flies downstream; tackle choice - the decision to upgrade to the latest innovation, or stick with an old favorite; the apparent size of trout in published photographs, and finally the role of 'tension' both mental and physical in bringing a fish to hand.
3rd August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Really enjoyed the fishing today. Four fish on the lower beat, best 10 inches and five on the upper beat, best lovely fish of 11 inches. A couple on Antron Caddis the rest on Gold Bead Hares Ear Nymph. Water was noticeably colder today but very clear"
3rd August 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor caught one brown trout of 15 cm
3rd August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: One fish 5", caught on small beaded hares ear.
Lots of very small fish seen, few fish rising, not much insect life.
Hard work today, not sure why.
29th July 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: Five fish 2 x 8", 3 x 5" all caught on small beaded hares ear.
A few fish gently rising, but no splashy rises.
Fish upper seection for an hour, nothing seen, no takes.
Water low and a bit cloudy.
28th July 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor commented: "Novice fly Fisher but lovely day."
27th July 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Good fishing today in between the showers, water very coloured after the rain but it did bring the fish out. Hardly any fish rising. Eighteen fish, mostly small but a couple 8-9 inches. Nearly all took the Gold bead Hares Ear nymph but two or three on an Antrim Caddis. As usual quite a few self released and I missed quite a number which rose to the dry fly."
27th July 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor commented:"A lovely smallish beat. Casting is challenging due to lots of tree cover."
20th July 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Lovely day on the river, beautifully cool. Six fish, best 9 inches. Five on gold bead hares ear, and one on stimulator. Not much surface activity and virtually no hatching flies."
16th July 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor submitted this image and commented:
Caught 6 brown trout, best 15cm on his Antron klinkhammer and PDQ caddis fly.
"Excellent day with good number of lovely wild browns."
15th July 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: Six small fish, five on the lower beat and one on the upper beat. One on a Antron Caddis and the others Gold Bead Hares Ear. All in excellent condition. There is plenty of water in the river at the moment.
14th July 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor commented: "Scenic beat with easy access to banks. Lots of rises.". He caught 2 brown trout, largest 15 cm.
10th July 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor. Nil return.
7th July 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: Three Fish 8", 7", 5".
Small green hare's ear/Small Elk caddis, caught on Hare's ear.
All fish caught in fast moving water on lower stretch below the weir.
Another enjoyable day.
5th July 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor (report from Paul Kenyon). Fished from c 11am to 2pm. River height 0.45m. Overcast, v.light wind. Many rising fish, a few small upwing, stonefly, caddis and midges seen. Two fish to hand; two 'long-range-releases'. Successful flies: unweighted Hare's Ear nymph with Krystal Flash tail, and Comparadun (black thorax, grey abdomen).
30th June 2021
Paul Kenyon fished 11am-3pm. River level 0.30m. Temp c 19C. Overcast with sunny intervals. Occasional slight breeze. Water slightly coloured due to recent rain. 5 small Brown trout to hand, 3 long-range releases. Many rising small fish. No obvious duns, rises appear to be sub-surface, all fish caught on an unweighted Hare's Ear nymph with Krystal Flash tail, suspended below an Antron Caddis. Some fish slashed at the dry fly. The Dry-Dropper technique was effective fished up- or downstream. I rigged the flies on a 9-foot tapered leader, using a simple knot described by Stephen Cheetham. It aligns the flies 'in-line' to eliminate droppers tangling around the leader, and avoids the dropper obstructing the hook of the indicator fly - a recognised problem with the New Zealand attachment method.
I think I made a mistake in having too long a distance (20 inches) between the dry fly and nymph. This introduces the possibility that movement of the dry fly in response to strikes on the nymph is delayed, due to the slack line between the dry-fly indicator and the nymph. It is reported that salmonids can rapidly spit out non-food objects that have been accidentally ingested.
19th June 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: 3 brown trout, best fish 12 inches.
15th June 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member: Seven small fish on lower beat and one on upper beat. Two on Antron caddis the rest on gold bead hares ear nymph. I tried the upper beat and it is quite challenging!
The river is quite low now so the rain over the next week will be welcome.
11th June 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member: Pleasant day on the lower beat today, nine fish mostly small except for one nice ten inch fish. All but one took the gold bead hares ear nymph. As usual hooked and lost more than I brought to hand.
11th June 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: 3 brown trout, best 6 inches.
11th June 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: one brown trout of 15 cm
11th June 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: One Fish 10" caught just above weir.
Taken on small Black Nymph.
No fish rising, water level dropping but still fast moving.
Great mornings fishing with best fish I've caught on the Yealm.
5th June 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: one brown trout of 10 inches
5th June 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: 7 fish all around 6"
Caught on Dawl Bach, Sparkling Dun floating fly.
Cloudy with light drizzle, few fish rising.
1st June 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: 2 brown trout
31st May 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: Nothing Caught
29th May 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member:Not so successful on Saturday, just two small fish caught but about a dozen self released before I could get them to hand including one very good brownie, probably ten inches or more. “The one that got away”!!! There was quite a stiff easterly breeze which always seems to keep the fish down. Gold bead hares ear nymph and sparkle dun.
27th May 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member: Nine fish caught and returned , best six and half inches.[In the afternoon] As the rise had subsided I changed to a duo of Black magic nymph and sparkle dun. Two of the fish took the nymph. I walked back down to just above the pool with overhanging branches where there was a fish steadily rising but showed no interest in my duo. It was time to go home otherwise I might have tried an ant or Griffiths Gnat.
19th May
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: river in spate fishing not really possible had a go but river was fast and rising
Comment : Latest Yealm river levels available here
18th May
Challenging conditions ... with the lower beat running very fast. Four fish above the weir, three about six inches and one lovely ten inch brownie. Black magic nymph and sparkle elk hair caddis. Quite a few fish rising in the slower water in the afternoon.
Paul, you mentioned that the riparian owner had someone who could tidy up where necessary. The pool fifty yards up from the fence at the bottom of the beat now has a tree/branch collapsed over it.
10th May 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association visitor: 2 brown trout 6" long, both returned. Caught on Klinkhamer & F Fly. Both returned. Loved the lower section in the field. The upper woodland section needs some seious gardening to make it enjoyable. Also recommend using a VERY short rod for that section. Had a great day thanks.
7th May 2021
Paul Kenyon reported: Not so successful today, just a couple of small fish and a couple more self released. Bit of a cold wind but some surface activity.
7th May 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association reported: "2 fish 1 x 8" one x 5" All caught on Black midget buzzer, dropper used was a Adams.
River quite high and very fast moving.
No fish rising.
Highlight was seeing a Stoat on the bank less than two metres from me."
3rd May 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor "Nothing Caught"
2nd May 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor "saw a beautiful 8” brownie leap clean out the water. nothing on the hook though. "
28th April 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor caught one 10 inch trout, and commented: "lovely beat - well maintained fences and gates. cold stiff wind and low level and flow after dry april didnt deter sporadic olive hatch but fish not looking up much yet."
27th April 2021
Pleasant few hours on the lower beat. Twelve fish and as many unhooked themselves. 5-7 inches with one 8 1/2 inches. Nearly all caught on hares ear nymph with gold bead and a couple took the elk hair sparkle dun on the dropper.
20th April 2021
Early season fly-fishing on the Upper Yealm, starring the duckling!
Bright sunlight, gentle breeze, river low (0.28m), but not at summer low level (0.2m)
One trout to hand, one 'close-range-release', another at long range. Splashy rises to Black Sparle Dun. Plenty of rising fish - to midge ? Grannom and a few small upwing flies seen.
14th April 2021
Pleasant few hours on lower beat. One small brown trout hooked but unhooked itself after a few jumps. Either Partridge and Orange or Beaded Hares Ear nymph.
17th March 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: Nil return
Summary of 2020 brown trout catch
number caught
number returned
number of days fished for brown trout
Catch Per Unit Effort
= [total number of fish caught] / [total number of days fished]
173
173
42
4.1
Monthly catches
This diagram shows the monthly Catch Per Unit Effort in 2020 on the Upper Yealm.
Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) measurements are widely used in fisheries management and are generally
seen as a better indicator of true abundance than catches alone. CPUE is calculated as follows CPUE = [total number of trout caught] / [total number
of days fished for trout]
Notes:
Due to COVID-19 lockdown the fishery was closed in March and April
The fishery is restricted to two rods per day
There were 7 Nil returns in September
13th November
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: Nil
9th October
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: 5 fish, one was approx. 9 inches
29th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: Nil caught, a couple of takes on nymph gold head and small dry.
26th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported:1 fish of 5 inches in great condition. Great day.
Paul Kenyon fished 2-6pm. Sunny with occassional light breeze, temp. c 16 degrees. River level: 0.28m. No fish to hand, 3 brief encounters, and a few splashy rises to X-Caddis. No offers to flymph fished below dry fly. V. few rises or insect activity before 5pm, last hour more above surface insect activity - midge and caddis and fish rising.
25th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: No catch. Small number of small brownies seen in shallower wide ares. No takes on eithe dry or nymphs.
22nd September
Upper beat access point
James Christoforou (Westcountry Angling Trust, Angling Development Officer) reported "By the time I arrived at the Upper Yealm, the evening was drawing in quickly, the air has a cold bite and leaves were falling relentlessly. Coupled with low waters from a long dry spell, the Upper Beat felt as if it's going to be tricky. Tree cover masked the evening light and the deeper pockets and runs became indistinguishable in the broken reflections. Surface feeding fish were non-existent, however, on my walk to the river I observed a few Sedge fly fluttering about.
I was intent on fishing the dry, I felt that (due to the low water) the fish were held between 1-2.5 ft deep, meaning most of them would (by their position in the water) at least see my dry fly, fingers were crossed for a feeding response. I kept a low profile and moved slowly upstream along the pebbly river margins, casting up and across I managed to keep the fly line off the feeding lanes, whilst allowing my small Cdc sedge/stone fly imitation to glide freely over the fishes heads.
Each pocket and run I cast into provoked at least one response from a fish, the takes were very quick and gentle, the surface was barley broken as the fly was sipped under. Many of these fish were missed, perhaps my fly was subject to drag which elicited a sudden change of heart from the fish? Maybe I was just too slow to react? Who knows, either way it was great to get a response on the dry.
Working my way upstream I picked up a couple of small trout in the 4-6" bracket, and landed a very appealing Salmon Parr. The Salmon 5" and revealed some beautiful markings, clusters of small red spots were dotted along its flank, similar to a small brown trout. Soon after this, the light faded, and I called it a day. Top notch fishing in difficult conditions. "
20th September
Paul Kenyon fished 2-5:30pm. River level 0.27m and clear. Bright susnshine, warm, light easterly breeze. No fish rising or to hand, several splashy rises from probably small fish to an Antron Caddis.
Three sea trout spotted in front of the "Minack Theatre" seating area. One sea trout entered 'stage right' crossed the centre stage, and took up a resting position in the wings at 'stage left' about 4 feet in front of the stalls. Luckily I was sitting in the cheap seats - 'the gods' and managed to capture some video.
At least a further 5 sea trout spotted in Five Trees pool, but they were mostly close to the far bank.
Today was a good example of what Tony Andrews (CEO 2008 to 2016 at Atlantic Salmon Trust) describes as how the "community of living things slip back into their normality after the rude intrusion of our arrival." This does happen in daylight and is an example of the benefits of stealth. It can help fish and angler to simply sit still for a few moments and "let nature come back to you". It will, and you'll see little and larger fish within a few feet and maybe a fish rising a short distance away.
15th September
Two Westcountry Angling Passport visitors reported: Nil, Nil.
11th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported:3 to hand, 3 takes, 2 splashy rises. All caught on Elk Caddis. No sea trout seen.
11th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: Nil
10th September
Paul Kenyon fished the upper beat from 3-5:30pm. River height 0.31m. Sunshine & cloud, temp c 18 degrees. Three fish to hand, 2 of which were v. small. A few additional splashy rises. All on Antron Caddis. No sea trout seen or rising fish.
9th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor had 5 splashy rises to an Antron caddis. Several sea trout seen above the weir.
8th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: One trout of 6 inches. Caught on Copper bead head nymph black. 3 Hours fishing. Missed a lot (8). First time this year and rusty.
5th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: Four to hand on a Black midge buzzer (left in Flybrary). 8 takes. No sea trout seen. Not many fish rising.
4th September
Paul Kenyon fished 3:15-5:30pm. River height 0.41m, clear. Weather: overcast, c. 18 C, light wind. Four trout to hand, one lost all on Antron Caddis, fly left in Fly Library ammunition box in parking area. No interest shown to Glister Bug. Occasional fish rising. Immediate response to Antron Caddis by small fish who responded with splashy rises.
Tying instructions for the Antron Caddis
on this page ...
30th August
Paul Kenyon fished 3-5:30pm. Seven fish of various sizes to hand, one lost, all caught on Glister Bug nymph left in the Fly Library (Flybrary) ammunition box. River height 0.41m clearing after recent high water. Weather sunny about 19C. A few sedges seen. No sea trout in the usual lies. This short video opens and closes with shots of a new gate on the public path that gives easy access to the river below the weir.
Tying instructions for the Glister Bug
on this page ...
23rd August
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: "Fished for ST first around 5 trees and the stretch you caught yours, not a thing, fished down and across with a dawl Bach and large Adams, 2 fish sighted, but not interested.
Walked downstream and fished up, 3 browns to hand all in lower section, before small gate on bank. Several takes and a few splashy pulls. Nothing rising.
All caught on a grey duster.
Went on then to the upper section, which I had never fished before, interesting how two sections a few hundred yards apart can be so different.
Nothing at all, no risings, takes or splashes, it was raining quite hard, not sure if that makes any difference.
Nevertheless, another really enjoyable day on the river, I can't understand why more people don't use it."
Catching sea trout during the day
Note added by Paul Kenyon.
Local angler Jeff Pearce (Snowbee, UK) posted this video on Facebook. It nicely illustrates the tactics for catching sea trout during the day that are discussed on this page.
Posted by Jeff Pearce on Sunday, 23 August 2020
During daylight sea trout favour lying in slower water beneath overhanging trees
Jeff uses a roll cast to cope with vegetation on his bank
He casts upstream and allows several seconds for the fly to sink. Roy Buckingham advocates this tactic.
Jeff attaches a Snowbee polycore fast sink trout leader to assist sinking the fly.
Then he retrieves line to move the fly faster than the current. Robert Mountjoy's Two Zone theory explains why this works especially well in coloured water.
Note that at 30 seconds into the video, Jeff increases the speed of his retrieve and shortly afterwards, at 40 seconds, a sea trout takes the fly. In the early part of the video the fly line is clearly upstream of the rod tip. Then there is a subtle change in the position of the fly line. Just before the fish takes the fly, Jeffs fly line is slightly downstream of the tip of his rod. This may cause the fly to change direction - initially moving towards and then moving away - as it approached the sea trout. This is a technique - swinging a fly or spinner in an arc in front of a salmon or sea trout - that can elicit a fish to strike. The technique (developed by Reg Righyni in 'Advanced Salmon Fishing' is discussed in more detail on this page.
The Dry-Dropper duo method
Note added by Paul Kenyon. On relatively shallow South Devon rivers, when trout are feeding on or just below the surface, I fish with two flies on my leader - one dry the other wet - and use the dry fly to indicate when the wet fly has been taken.
There's a temptation to think that fishing a nymph beneath a dry fly is a recent development. This is not so. An effective Dry-Dropper method was described in a book published in 1847 by Plymouth-based angler G. W. Soltau (1801-1884). Soltau fished on the River Yealm.
The significance of Soltau's book is described in detail in this online essay: Early Roots of Fly Fishing in South Devon .
Nearly a century later, the Dry-Dropper duo method was mentioned by William Lawrie in 1939, but described in greater detail in his book published in 1947. Keith Rollo was an early advocate :“If trout are nymphing, a nymph or wet fly could be mounted on the point, whilst a dry fly could be mounted on the dropper.” (cited by Rob Smith) Rollo recommended this technique for fast-running streams in Devonshire (Rollo, 1944)
Both authors were probably influenced by Dr William Baigent's Two Dry Fly Technique. In his book In Search of Wild Trout (Ward Lock 1992)
Nicholas Fitton gives a detailed description of the history, and his experience using, this almost-forgotten technique. And of course going back even further, North Country spiders were - and continue to be - fished as a team of three flies or more, with close attention paid to the position of the top fly (Rob Smith personal communication, 2020).
There are several popular ways of attaching the dropper to the dry fly: e.g. tying the dropper to the hook bend on the indicator fly - the New Zealand Style, or hooks with a tippet ring on the bend. In this video Stephen Cheetham describes a simple knot used by anglers fishing with a team of North Country spiders. It aligns the flies 'in-line' to eliminate droppers tangling around the leader, and avoids the dropper obstructing the hook of the indicator fly - a recognised problem with the New Zealand attachment method.
23rd August
Paul Kenyon fished 3:30-6pm. One fish to hand, splashy rises in faster water at head of pools. Three sea trout seen, lying in shallow water. River height 0.31m running clear. V. little insect or fish activity. Overcast with sunny intervals, breezy.
22nd August.
Two Westcountry Angling Passport visitors reported: (1) 20 brown trout on dry fly. Small to 1/4lb. (2) 6 brown trout, small,4 on dry fly, 2 on wet.
18th August
Paul Kenyon fished 2:30-5:30. Two fish to hand, one lost. One caught on beadhead Glister Bug, the other on Antron Caddis (indicator fly) . Both fished Down and Across. Water height 0.29m, water stained above weir, colour of weak tea with milk. Weather: overcast with sunny interval, temp c.20C. Very few rising fish.
15th August
Paul Kenyon fished 2-6pm. River height 0.31m. Clearing after recent rise, colour of weak tea. Overcast with gentle breeze, about 20 degrees C. Caught and returned 4 trout of various sizes and one sea trout. All fish taken on a goldhead Glister Bug fished downstream beneath an Antron Caddis - successful fly left in the Fly Library housed in the old ammunition box by the Westcountry Angling Passport Token box.
11th August
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported one brown trout of 6 inces caught on a Greenwell's Spider. Two sea trout seen. Not many rises but lots of fish.
9th August
Each year on Paul's birthday, Geoff and Paul fish together. This year we shared a rod on the Upper Yealm under "Ghillie's Rules" - a compex arrangement governing when an angler hands over the rod to his fishing companion. Rules so complex that they can be added to, or discarded, without a moment's thought.
As usual an unsuccussful attempt was made to remember the number of fish brought to hand, long-range-releases, failures by the fish to progress closer than a splashy inspection of our flies, and sheer incompetence - called operator error in more polite circles.
This year was unusual in that Geoff was allowed to use Paul's Orvis Superfine 7'9" Far & Fine unsanded graphite rod and Battenkill 5/6 reel (stamped made in England). To borrow from Charlton Heston: "I'll give you my rod and reel when you pry them from my cold, dead hands"
Geoff's younger eyes counted 9 sea trout lying in the usual places above the weir. A kingfisher made an appearance; Paul only saw its backside !
27th July
2020 Wild Trout Trust auction winners fishing on the Upper Yealm (Devon UK) guided by Geoff Stephens and Paul Kenyon of Fly Fishing Devon. Eight brown trout to hand under difficult conditions. Weather forecast: 40 mph winds, 80% chance of rain. V. few fish rising. 2 sea trout seen. Successful flies included Antron Caddis and pheasant tail 'flymph' fished duo-style.
Here is a description of the day from one of the auction winners.
26th July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported ".. went down to the Yealm again yesterday, 8 fish caught with about 6 missed takes all on black midget buzzer, one sea trout spotted under tree in far bank opposite 5 trees, several roe deer in field other side of the river at the left hand bend where I left you the other day. A very pleasant afternoon.
21st July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported 2 trout to hand on gold beadhead. 8 splasy rises to Elk Hair Caddis . Paul Kenyon reported 1 trout to hand on dry midge pattern, 1 long range release, 7 splashy rises to Antron Caddis. Water height 0.24m. Warm sunshine + occasional cloud. Caddis, stoneflies, midge and a few upwings. Fish rising.
17th July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported 4 brown trout to 7 inches
15th July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported 2 good fish, a great day.
14th July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported "Had a great afternoon on the Yealm fishery today, not many fish rising, but had 14 fish to hand with only 4 missed.
Fished with a Black midget buzzer (12 fish), floating fly was a pink indicator (2 fish)
Size ranged from 5” to 8 “."
11th July
Paul Kenyon fished 3:30-6pm. Water 0.28m. Sunshine and clouds. V. little surface activity. Midges swarms at head of pools. 2 fish caught- 1 to hand 1 lost.About 4 splashy rises to Antron Caddis, none to flymph.
10th July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported catching 2 brown trout, best 8 inches.
8th July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported catching 10 very small brown trout on a nymph
8th July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported catching approximately 10 small brown trout and loosing a 1/2 lb fish.
1st July 2020
Paul Kenyon fished 3-6pm. River falling back after rain, height 0.28 m still retaining a little colour. Overcast, temp about 18 C. Two true Mayflies seen, a few smaller upwings, some caddis and midge. Relatively few rising fish. Three to hand on Antron caddis and 'flymph'.
26th June 2020
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor Graeme Webster fished 10am to 4pm. Three trout to hand 5-9 inches. Graeme reported seeing two sea trout - the first sightings this season. Weather overcast. Occasional fish rising.
20th June 2020
Paul Kenyon fished 2:45-5:30pm. River falling back after rain, height 0.3m still retaining a fair bit of colour due to suspended solids, noticeably grey colour on right hand side - due to input from R. Piall - middle and left side colour of milky tea. Sunshine & clouds, temp about 18 C. Four true Mayflies seen, a few smaller upwings, some caddis and midge. Relatively few rising fish. Five to hand on Antron caddis and 'flymph'. About 4 long range releases. Fish were eager - splashy rises to Antron caddis by small fish.
14th June 2020
Paul Kenyon fished 3-6pm. River falling back after rain, still retaining a slight bit of colour. Weather: sunshine & clouds, about 19 degrees C. Three true mayflies seen, small upwings, a few stonefly, several small brown caddis. An increasing number of rising fish - the most this season to date. Eight fish to hand on an Antron caddis as an indicator and pheasant tail nymph / flymph fished as a duo. About the same number of fish hooked but lost after various intervals. Several splashy rises to dry fly.
There's a temptation to think that fishing a nymph beneath a dry fly is a recent development. In fact the Dry-Dropper duo method was first described in 1939 in a book by William Lawrie (Border River Angling, Oliver and Boyd). And of course going back even further, North Country spiders were fished as a team of three flies or more. There are several ways of attaching the dropper to the dry fly: e.g. New Zealand Style or hooks with a tippet ring on the bend. Today's video illustrates my method of rigging the Dry-Dropper duo, but it is very fiddly if you have to replace the dropper. In this video Stephen Cheetham describes a knot that avoids this problem.
8th June 2020
Paul Kenyon fished 2-5:30pm. River low c 0.21m and clear. Overcast. 18 degrees C. Four true Mayflies seen. Midge clouds in places. Upwinged spinners seen from 4:30 pm. More rising fish seen than on previous visits this year. Seven fish to hand, caught on Antron Caddis and pheasant tail 'flymph'. Several splashy rises to dry fly.
2nd June 2020
Water height c. 0.21m, bright sunlight.
A guest reported "4 brown trout ranging from 5 - 9 inches.
2 others got off the hooks and tons of missed strikes.
The fish were going for Klinkhammers, Wickhams Fancy and big Mayfly.
Dry flies all session. "
26st May 2020
Paul Kenyon fished 2:30 to 5:30 pm. River low (0.22m) and clear. Bright sunshine v. little breeze. Two true mayflies seen, and v. few other insects about. Midge clouds in places at head of pools. Some small glossosoma caddis cases on stones on bed of river. About 6 fish of various sizes to hand, 2 lost to extreme operator error !. I used a wet fly suspended about 1 foot below a dry deer hair and antron winged dry fly. V. difficult to rise fish in slow sections, best chance in faster popply water at head of pools.
21st May 2020
Paul Kenyon fished 3 to 4:30pm. River level 0.22m running with slight discolouration. A few sedges and stoneflies seen. Occassional fish rose. 3 trout in good condition to hand caught on Grey & Black Comparadun cast downstream in very slow flow. Several splashy rises from small fish.
Summary of 2019 brown trout catch
number caught
number returned
number of days fished for brown trout
Catch Per Unit Effort
= [total number of fish caught] / [total number of days fished])
180
180
67
2.69
“
Catch per unit effort (CPUE) measurements are widely used in fisheries management and are generally
seen as a better indicator of true abundance than catches alone. CPUE worked
out as for trout = [total number of trout caught] / [total number
of days fished for trout]”
October 2019
Video Diary for October 2019
The Video Diary consists of a Playlist of YouTube videos taken
whilst fishing on the Upper Yealm this month
Click the Playlist icon on the top right of the video
to reveal a list of all this month's videos
Mike Weaver reported in November's Trout & Salmon magazine that:
"An angler who fished the Yealm at the Upper Yealm Fishery, one of the
beats in the Westcountry Angling Passport, enjoyed a good day with the
brown trout. He caught over 10 fish up to 12in and lost many more. He was
fishing New Zealand-style with a sedge on the top and a variety of beadhead
nymphs on the point and found trout moving throughout the beat. He saw
one large fish of over 3lb, rather dark and almost certainly a sea-trout."
29th October
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor: Nil return
24th October
Paul Kenyon fished for salmon from 3-5pm. River height 0.47m clearing
after recent rain. No fish caught.But the very short video in the October
Video Diary has a tale with a message about 4 old boots
20th October
A Westcountry Angling Passport officer reported:" I managed to cast a
fly about on the Upper Yealm this past weekend. I tempted an enormous salmon
in the pool bellow “5 trees”, panicked by the sheer size of this fish I
believe I struck early and missed the take. I will be back another day
for that one! "
Paul Kenyon fished for salmon in the afternoon. River height 0.64. One
small trout released.
15th October
Paul Kenyon fished for salmon 2:30-to 5:30pm. No salmon seen, 2 trout
released. Water height 0.63m Weather: Overclouded with sunny intervals.
Temp 16 degrees C. Leaf fall starting. Video diary entry shows river falling
back after recent rain.
11th October
Westcountry Rivers Trust staff. Nil return
10th October
A short video in the October Video Diary playlist shows how overhanging
tree branches on the Upper Yealm have been trimmed back to improve the
fishability of the upper section. The work was carried out by James Christoforou
(Westcountry Rivers Trust Fishing Development Officer) and Paul Kenyon
(Fly Fishing Devon instructor and guide) on the 10th October 2019.
6th October
Paul Kenyon fished 2:30-4:30 pm. One fine brown trout and one sea trout
(school peal) to hand.
Short video added to October's Upper Yealm Video Diary. Water height;
0.45m. Sunny with light breeze.
Tackle: rod 9 foot with AFTM #7 floating line. To get the fly down I attached
a 1 foot long Orvis Mini Lead Head and 3 feet of Maxima leader. Both fish
caught on a red and black salmon fly tied on a double debarbed hook.
Tactic: The S-Mend technique was used to deal with the overhanging vegation
above the pool where the sea trout was caught. A video describing this
technique has been added to October's Upper Yealm Video Diary.
September 2019
Video Diary for September 2019
The Video Diary consists of a Playlist of YouTube videos taken
whilst fishing on the Upper Yealm this month
Click the Playlist icon on the top right of the video
to reveal a list of all this month's videos
13th September
Geoff Stephens and Paul Kenyon fished 3-5pm. Geoff had 4 trout to hand,
rose many others, and long-range-released several more. Several of Geoff's
fish were caught on an ex-X Caddis (i.e. an X-Caddis minus its deer hair
wing as a result of Paul's sloppy fly-tying). The less said about Paul's
performance the better! Water height 0.25m. Bright, warm, no wind. Several
sea trout seen - mostly school peal.
10th September
Westcountry Rivers Trust staff member commented:
The fishing was great, I landed at least 10 Brown Trout and lost countless
more. They ranged from 10-30cm in length. There was fish activity in nearly
every swim. I also witnessed a large fish, located in the 1st or 2nd pool
bellow "5 trees", the fish was easily over 3lb, dark in colour, I couldn't
make out any distinguishing features, but I believe it to be a Sea Trout.
The most appealing aspect of the Upper Yealm Beat is that the two separate
stretches have a large habitat variation between them, this allows a variety
of fly techniques to be applied. I used a 7ft 2wt Greys grxi with a Rio
Gold floating wt foward line. I used the Dry Dropper technique, 7ft leader,
with a dry Deer Hair Sedge pattern and a mix of different beaded nymphs
size 14-18.
Beat Rating 5
Photo by James Christoforou
Photo by James Christoforou
Photo by James Christoforou
Photo by James Christoforou
Photo by James Christoforou
River level on 10th September
10th September
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor rose 3 trout to an Antron Caddis
7th September
Paul Kenyon fished 3-5pm. No fish caught. Two splashy rises to Antron
Caddis. No interest shown to Krystal Flash midge or Pheasant Tail Nymph
fished as dropper. Sunny, water height 0.23m and clear. V. Few rising fish
or obvious insect activity. Spent more time observing sea trout. At first
I thought they were absent from the usual lies. But then - after I remained
in one spot for a few minutes - I spotted two or three sea trout lying
virtually motionless. Their movements (flashing and repositioning) confirmed
their presence. Two fish were lying side-by-side, and moved together along
an elliptical route. Is this a courship / pairing behaviour prior to spawning?
I don't know. Video added to September 2019 video diary
7th September
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor caught 3 brown trout. Best fish:
7 inches
Ist September
Paul Kenyon fished upper beat from 3-5:30pm. Two trout to hand, one lost,
several splashy rises. Trout in this section tend to be dark. All to Antron
Caddis.Water height 0.22m. River very clear. Temp about 19 C. A few midge
and caddis seen. V. few rising fish.
Ist September
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor: Nil return. He commented "Sea Trout
everywhere. Ignoring everything I sent their way. Wet, dry, buzzers. Everything.
Jumping for real flies and at one point has a couple of bumps but nothing
meaningful."
August 2019
Video Diary for August 2019
The Video Diary consists of a Playlist of YouTube videos taken
whilst fishing on the Upper Yealm this month
Click the Playlist icon on the top right of the video
to reveal a list of all this month's videos
27th August
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor: reported "Nothing caught"
Paul Kenyon fished 3:30-5:45pm. One small fish to hand, 2 others risen
but not hooked on a soft hackled Pheaseant Tail Nymph cast upstream into
faster water. No response to Glister Nymph suspended below Antron Caddis.
No rising trout seen. Overcast with very light rain. River height 0.24m.
Two sea trout seen. One larger (coloured) salmonid, possibly a salmon filmed:
video added to August video diary
26th August
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor: Nil return
21st August
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor returned one trout and wrote
"Hooked a good size sea trout too but slipped the hook before I could
net it. :(
Thanks for submitting this photo Graeme.
I'm delighted that you have shown that sea trout can be caught during
daylight on the Upper Yealm - well done.
Kenneth Dawson in his book "Successful Fishing for Salmon and Sea Trout
(1951)" remarked that "... in the Yealm good sea trout up to 4-5 lbs. can
be taken by day on very small flies ..."
20th August
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor checked in shortly after 10am. Awaiting
confirmation and Catch Report from Westcountry Angling Passport.
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor commented: "hard at first no rising fish worked out they would take nymphs fished deep." Caught 10 brown trout, biggest 8 in
Comment: Sea trout smolts
Some young trout of 1 to 3 years old and 5 to7 inches long change to a silver colour before migrating to the sea.
These small silver trout are called smolts. Smolts shoal together before migrating to sea, usually in late March / April. They are often caught by anglers and should be handled carefully and released. After all they may be parent of many of the brown trout you catch in the future
Summary of 2021 brown trout catch
number caught |
number returned |
number of days fished for brown trout |
Catch Per Unit Effort
|
220 |
220 |
68 |
3.24 |
Monthly catches
This diagram shows the monthly Catch Per Unit Effort in 2021 on the Upper Yealm. Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) measurements are widely used in fisheries management and are generally seen as a better indicator of true abundance than catches alone. CPUE is calculated as follows CPUE = [total number of trout caught] / [total number of days fished for trout]
Notes:
Catch: 6 between 8" and 5" Many takes No insect life No fish rising
Fly used Beaded hares ear/small elk caddis then changed to a pheasant tail
Remarks Fish were taking both dry and nymph Lots of takes, but you had to be very quick and alert. No insect life Nothing rising Water started to clear after an hour.
Upper Yealm Fishing Association day permit visitor reported: "Just to let you know that my roll casting has improved with accuracy from your last instruction. Practice, practice,practice. I was at Upper Yealm today and netted 6 with 2 lovely brownies roughly 9-10” close to the opposite bank by 5 trees pool , the largest I’ve netted on this stretch. They took my Griffith’s gnat after a short drift."
31st August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Challenging today, water very low, nothing happening above the weir. A couple of small fish below the weir and a few missed/lost. One nice ten inch fish on the upper beat to Antron caddis."
30th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association day permit visitor caught these 2 brown trout, largest 30 cm. and reported: "water level very low and clear, difficult fishing. saw a few sea trout in a pool"
27th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Just two small fish to hand on Friday. Hooked and lost quite a few that took the Balloon Cadis. Eventually I checked the fly and found the leader wrapped around the fly!!"
Note added by Paul Kenyon: There are several ways that may help avoid this problem when using the Dry-Dropper duo technique , described here
23rd August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported on the Upper Beat: "A few tangles but five fish and as many missed/lost. More rises and activity for quite a while. Having netted best fish I was trying to measure it on my wading staff and it slipped back into the water. Certainly the best fish to date and around twelve inches plus. Gold bead hares ear nymph and taken in a tiny run under the bank. A couple taken on balloon caddis."
22nd August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association day permit visitor reported: One 6 inch brown trout to hand. Ten other small fish hooked and lost. Fly used: Tup's Indispensable. Hooks sizes 14's down to 20's; still lost fish on 2.5 lb mono.
22nd August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association day permit visitor reported one brown trout caught on a brown Klinkhamer.
19th August 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor caught 2 brown trout, best fish 10 inches.
17th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:
Conditions: light breeze, cloudy but warm.
Generally good conditions, water level low, few fish rising.
Catch:
Three 5"
Many takes
Fly used:
Small black midget buzzer/ small Adams
Remarks:
Few fish rising,
Takes were instant when casting into fast moving water, no interest at all on slow running stretches. All fish taken on buzzer, again fish caught below the weir, little interest above.
17th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association day permit visitor: Nil
14th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:Three fish today, best nine inches which took a Balloon Caddis, the others to a Guides Choice Hares Ear Nymph. Looks like some rain at the end of the week which will freshen up the stream.
13th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported:
Conditions Light Breeze, Cloudy But Warm.
Generally Good Conditions, Water Level Low, No Fish Rising.
Catch
One 5"
One Take
Fly Used
Small Beaded Hares Ear/ Small Elk Caddis
Remarks
Very Few Fish Rising, The Ones That Did Were Very Small.
Takes Were Instant When Casting Into Fast Moving Water, No Interest At All On Slow Running Stretches. No Interest At All Above Weir.
12th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: Three fish 7", 5", 4". Caught on small hares ear nymph. Few fish rising, all fish caught below weir, a few takes above weir but nothing to hand Water level quite low and very clear. A very enjoyable day in lovely surroundings.
11th August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Enjoyable day on the river as always on Tuesday. Very little activity, no trout rising and nothing hatching. Just one nice nine inch fish on the lower beat. Hooked and lost a couple on the upper beat. Hares ear nymph as usual. Water is very clear and quite low now."
9th August 2021
Geoff and Paul's annual 'Guides' Day Out' is characterized by lots of good-natured banter about our experiences encountered as fly-fishing guides and instructors. This year we covered several topics including: reliance on received wisdom about drag and fishing dry flies downstream; tackle choice - the decision to upgrade to the latest innovation, or stick with an old favorite; the apparent size of trout in published photographs, and finally the role of 'tension' both mental and physical in bringing a fish to hand.
3rd August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Really enjoyed the fishing today. Four fish on the lower beat, best 10 inches and five on the upper beat, best lovely fish of 11 inches. A couple on Antron Caddis the rest on Gold Bead Hares Ear Nymph. Water was noticeably colder today but very clear"
3rd August 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor caught one brown trout of 15 cm
3rd August 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: One fish 5", caught on small beaded hares ear. Lots of very small fish seen, few fish rising, not much insect life. Hard work today, not sure why.
29th July 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: Five fish 2 x 8", 3 x 5" all caught on small beaded hares ear. A few fish gently rising, but no splashy rises. Fish upper seection for an hour, nothing seen, no takes. Water low and a bit cloudy.
28th July 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor commented: "Novice fly Fisher but lovely day."
27th July 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Good fishing today in between the showers, water very coloured after the rain but it did bring the fish out. Hardly any fish rising. Eighteen fish, mostly small but a couple 8-9 inches. Nearly all took the Gold bead Hares Ear nymph but two or three on an Antrim Caddis. As usual quite a few self released and I missed quite a number which rose to the dry fly."
27th July 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor commented:"A lovely smallish beat. Casting is challenging due to lots of tree cover."
20th July 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: "Lovely day on the river, beautifully cool. Six fish, best 9 inches. Five on gold bead hares ear, and one on stimulator. Not much surface activity and virtually no hatching flies."
16th July 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor submitted this image and commented:
Caught 6 brown trout, best 15cm on his Antron klinkhammer and PDQ caddis fly.
"Excellent day with good number of lovely wild browns."
15th July 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: Six small fish, five on the lower beat and one on the upper beat. One on a Antron Caddis and the others Gold Bead Hares Ear. All in excellent condition. There is plenty of water in the river at the moment.
14th July 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor commented: "Scenic beat with easy access to banks. Lots of rises.". He caught 2 brown trout, largest 15 cm.
10th July 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor. Nil return.
7th July 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: Three Fish 8", 7", 5". Small green hare's ear/Small Elk caddis, caught on Hare's ear. All fish caught in fast moving water on lower stretch below the weir. Another enjoyable day.
5th July 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor (report from Paul Kenyon). Fished from c 11am to 2pm. River height 0.45m. Overcast, v.light wind. Many rising fish, a few small upwing, stonefly, caddis and midges seen. Two fish to hand; two 'long-range-releases'. Successful flies: unweighted Hare's Ear nymph with Krystal Flash tail, and Comparadun (black thorax, grey abdomen).
30th June 2021
Paul Kenyon fished 11am-3pm. River level 0.30m. Temp c 19C. Overcast with sunny intervals. Occasional slight breeze. Water slightly coloured due to recent rain. 5 small Brown trout to hand, 3 long-range releases. Many rising small fish. No obvious duns, rises appear to be sub-surface, all fish caught on an unweighted Hare's Ear nymph with Krystal Flash tail, suspended below an Antron Caddis. Some fish slashed at the dry fly. The Dry-Dropper technique was effective fished up- or downstream. I rigged the flies on a 9-foot tapered leader, using a simple knot described by Stephen Cheetham. It aligns the flies 'in-line' to eliminate droppers tangling around the leader, and avoids the dropper obstructing the hook of the indicator fly - a recognised problem with the New Zealand attachment method.
I think I made a mistake in having too long a distance (20 inches) between the dry fly and nymph. This introduces the possibility that movement of the dry fly in response to strikes on the nymph is delayed, due to the slack line between the dry-fly indicator and the nymph. It is reported that salmonids can rapidly spit out non-food objects that have been accidentally ingested.
19th June 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: 3 brown trout, best fish 12 inches.
15th June 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member: Seven small fish on lower beat and one on upper beat. Two on Antron caddis the rest on gold bead hares ear nymph. I tried the upper beat and it is quite challenging! The river is quite low now so the rain over the next week will be welcome.
11th June 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member: Pleasant day on the lower beat today, nine fish mostly small except for one nice ten inch fish. All but one took the gold bead hares ear nymph. As usual hooked and lost more than I brought to hand.
11th June 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: 3 brown trout, best 6 inches.
11th June 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: one brown trout of 15 cm
11th June 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: One Fish 10" caught just above weir. Taken on small Black Nymph. No fish rising, water level dropping but still fast moving. Great mornings fishing with best fish I've caught on the Yealm.
5th June 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: one brown trout of 10 inches
5th June 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member reported: 7 fish all around 6" Caught on Dawl Bach, Sparkling Dun floating fly. Cloudy with light drizzle, few fish rising.
1st June 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: 2 brown trout
31st May 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: Nothing Caught
29th May 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member:Not so successful on Saturday, just two small fish caught but about a dozen self released before I could get them to hand including one very good brownie, probably ten inches or more. “The one that got away”!!! There was quite a stiff easterly breeze which always seems to keep the fish down. Gold bead hares ear nymph and sparkle dun.
27th May 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association member: Nine fish caught and returned , best six and half inches.[In the afternoon] As the rise had subsided I changed to a duo of Black magic nymph and sparkle dun. Two of the fish took the nymph. I walked back down to just above the pool with overhanging branches where there was a fish steadily rising but showed no interest in my duo. It was time to go home otherwise I might have tried an ant or Griffiths Gnat.
19th May
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: river in spate fishing not really possible had a go but river was fast and rising Comment : Latest Yealm river levels available here
18th May
Challenging conditions ... with the lower beat running very fast. Four fish above the weir, three about six inches and one lovely ten inch brownie. Black magic nymph and sparkle elk hair caddis. Quite a few fish rising in the slower water in the afternoon. Paul, you mentioned that the riparian owner had someone who could tidy up where necessary. The pool fifty yards up from the fence at the bottom of the beat now has a tree/branch collapsed over it.
10th May 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association visitor: 2 brown trout 6" long, both returned. Caught on Klinkhamer & F Fly. Both returned. Loved the lower section in the field. The upper woodland section needs some seious gardening to make it enjoyable. Also recommend using a VERY short rod for that section. Had a great day thanks.
7th May 2021
Paul Kenyon reported: Not so successful today, just a couple of small fish and a couple more self released. Bit of a cold wind but some surface activity.
7th May 2021
Upper Yealm Fishing Association reported: "2 fish 1 x 8" one x 5" All caught on Black midget buzzer, dropper used was a Adams. River quite high and very fast moving. No fish rising. Highlight was seeing a Stoat on the bank less than two metres from me."
3rd May 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor "Nothing Caught"
2nd May 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor "saw a beautiful 8” brownie leap clean out the water. nothing on the hook though. "
28th April 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor caught one 10 inch trout, and commented: "lovely beat - well maintained fences and gates. cold stiff wind and low level and flow after dry april didnt deter sporadic olive hatch but fish not looking up much yet."
27th April 2021
Pleasant few hours on the lower beat. Twelve fish and as many unhooked themselves. 5-7 inches with one 8 1/2 inches. Nearly all caught on hares ear nymph with gold bead and a couple took the elk hair sparkle dun on the dropper.
20th April 2021
Early season fly-fishing on the Upper Yealm, starring the duckling! Bright sunlight, gentle breeze, river low (0.28m), but not at summer low level (0.2m) One trout to hand, one 'close-range-release', another at long range. Splashy rises to Black Sparle Dun. Plenty of rising fish - to midge ? Grannom and a few small upwing flies seen.
14th April 2021
Pleasant few hours on lower beat. One small brown trout hooked but unhooked itself after a few jumps. Either Partridge and Orange or Beaded Hares Ear nymph.
17th March 2021
Westcountry Angling Fish Pass visitor: Nil return
Summary of 2020 brown trout catch
number caught |
number returned |
number of days fished for brown trout |
Catch Per Unit Effort
|
173 |
173 |
42 |
4.1 |
Monthly catches
This diagram shows the monthly Catch Per Unit Effort in 2020 on the Upper Yealm. Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) measurements are widely used in fisheries management and are generally seen as a better indicator of true abundance than catches alone. CPUE is calculated as follows CPUE = [total number of trout caught] / [total number of days fished for trout]
Notes:
13th November
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: Nil
9th October
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: 5 fish, one was approx. 9 inches
29th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: Nil caught, a couple of takes on nymph gold head and small dry.
26th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported:1 fish of 5 inches in great condition. Great day.
Paul Kenyon fished 2-6pm. Sunny with occassional light breeze, temp. c 16 degrees. River level: 0.28m. No fish to hand, 3 brief encounters, and a few splashy rises to X-Caddis. No offers to flymph fished below dry fly. V. few rises or insect activity before 5pm, last hour more above surface insect activity - midge and caddis and fish rising.
25th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: No catch. Small number of small brownies seen in shallower wide ares. No takes on eithe dry or nymphs.
22nd September
Upper beat access point
James Christoforou (Westcountry Angling Trust, Angling Development Officer) reported "By the time I arrived at the Upper Yealm, the evening was drawing in quickly, the air has a cold bite and leaves were falling relentlessly. Coupled with low waters from a long dry spell, the Upper Beat felt as if it's going to be tricky. Tree cover masked the evening light and the deeper pockets and runs became indistinguishable in the broken reflections. Surface feeding fish were non-existent, however, on my walk to the river I observed a few Sedge fly fluttering about.
I was intent on fishing the dry, I felt that (due to the low water) the fish were held between 1-2.5 ft deep, meaning most of them would (by their position in the water) at least see my dry fly, fingers were crossed for a feeding response. I kept a low profile and moved slowly upstream along the pebbly river margins, casting up and across I managed to keep the fly line off the feeding lanes, whilst allowing my small Cdc sedge/stone fly imitation to glide freely over the fishes heads.
Each pocket and run I cast into provoked at least one response from a fish, the takes were very quick and gentle, the surface was barley broken as the fly was sipped under. Many of these fish were missed, perhaps my fly was subject to drag which elicited a sudden change of heart from the fish? Maybe I was just too slow to react? Who knows, either way it was great to get a response on the dry.
Working my way upstream I picked up a couple of small trout in the 4-6" bracket, and landed a very appealing Salmon Parr. The Salmon 5" and revealed some beautiful markings, clusters of small red spots were dotted along its flank, similar to a small brown trout. Soon after this, the light faded, and I called it a day. Top notch fishing in difficult conditions. "
20th September
Paul Kenyon fished 2-5:30pm. River level 0.27m and clear. Bright susnshine, warm, light easterly breeze. No fish rising or to hand, several splashy rises from probably small fish to an Antron Caddis.
Three sea trout spotted in front of the "Minack Theatre" seating area. One sea trout entered 'stage right' crossed the centre stage, and took up a resting position in the wings at 'stage left' about 4 feet in front of the stalls. Luckily I was sitting in the cheap seats - 'the gods' and managed to capture some video.
At least a further 5 sea trout spotted in Five Trees pool, but they were mostly close to the far bank.
Today was a good example of what Tony Andrews (CEO 2008 to 2016 at Atlantic Salmon Trust) describes as how the "community of living things slip back into their normality after the rude intrusion of our arrival." This does happen in daylight and is an example of the benefits of stealth. It can help fish and angler to simply sit still for a few moments and "let nature come back to you". It will, and you'll see little and larger fish within a few feet and maybe a fish rising a short distance away.
15th September
Two Westcountry Angling Passport visitors reported: Nil, Nil.
11th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported:3 to hand, 3 takes, 2 splashy rises. All caught on Elk Caddis. No sea trout seen.
11th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: Nil
10th September
Paul Kenyon fished the upper beat from 3-5:30pm. River height 0.31m. Sunshine & cloud, temp c 18 degrees. Three fish to hand, 2 of which were v. small. A few additional splashy rises. All on Antron Caddis. No sea trout seen or rising fish.
9th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor had 5 splashy rises to an Antron caddis. Several sea trout seen above the weir.
8th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: One trout of 6 inches. Caught on Copper bead head nymph black. 3 Hours fishing. Missed a lot (8). First time this year and rusty.
5th September
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: Four to hand on a Black midge buzzer (left in Flybrary). 8 takes. No sea trout seen. Not many fish rising.
4th September
Paul Kenyon fished 3:15-5:30pm. River height 0.41m, clear. Weather: overcast, c. 18 C, light wind. Four trout to hand, one lost all on Antron Caddis, fly left in Fly Library ammunition box in parking area. No interest shown to Glister Bug. Occasional fish rising. Immediate response to Antron Caddis by small fish who responded with splashy rises.
Tying instructions for the Antron Caddis on this page ...
30th August
Paul Kenyon fished 3-5:30pm. Seven fish of various sizes to hand, one lost, all caught on Glister Bug nymph left in the Fly Library (Flybrary) ammunition box. River height 0.41m clearing after recent high water. Weather sunny about 19C. A few sedges seen. No sea trout in the usual lies. This short video opens and closes with shots of a new gate on the public path that gives easy access to the river below the weir.
Tying instructions for the Glister Bug on this page ...
23rd August
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported: "Fished for ST first around 5 trees and the stretch you caught yours, not a thing, fished down and across with a dawl Bach and large Adams, 2 fish sighted, but not interested. Walked downstream and fished up, 3 browns to hand all in lower section, before small gate on bank. Several takes and a few splashy pulls. Nothing rising. All caught on a grey duster. Went on then to the upper section, which I had never fished before, interesting how two sections a few hundred yards apart can be so different. Nothing at all, no risings, takes or splashes, it was raining quite hard, not sure if that makes any difference. Nevertheless, another really enjoyable day on the river, I can't understand why more people don't use it."
Catching sea trout during the day
Note added by Paul Kenyon. Local angler Jeff Pearce (Snowbee, UK) posted this video on Facebook. It nicely illustrates the tactics for catching sea trout during the day that are discussed on this page.
Posted by Jeff Pearce on Sunday, 23 August 2020
The Dry-Dropper duo method
Note added by Paul Kenyon. On relatively shallow South Devon rivers, when trout are feeding on or just below the surface, I fish with two flies on my leader - one dry the other wet - and use the dry fly to indicate when the wet fly has been taken.
There's a temptation to think that fishing a nymph beneath a dry fly is a recent development. This is not so. An effective Dry-Dropper method was described in a book published in 1847 by Plymouth-based angler G. W. Soltau (1801-1884). Soltau fished on the River Yealm.
The significance of Soltau's book is described in detail in this online essay: Early Roots of Fly Fishing in South Devon .
Nearly a century later, the Dry-Dropper duo method was mentioned by William Lawrie in 1939, but described in greater detail in his book published in 1947. Keith Rollo was an early advocate :“If trout are nymphing, a nymph or wet fly could be mounted on the point, whilst a dry fly could be mounted on the dropper.” (cited by Rob Smith) Rollo recommended this technique for fast-running streams in Devonshire (Rollo, 1944)
Both authors were probably influenced by Dr William Baigent's Two Dry Fly Technique. In his book In Search of Wild Trout (Ward Lock 1992) Nicholas Fitton gives a detailed description of the history, and his experience using, this almost-forgotten technique. And of course going back even further, North Country spiders were - and continue to be - fished as a team of three flies or more, with close attention paid to the position of the top fly (Rob Smith personal communication, 2020).
There are several popular ways of attaching the dropper to the dry fly: e.g. tying the dropper to the hook bend on the indicator fly - the New Zealand Style, or hooks with a tippet ring on the bend. In this video Stephen Cheetham describes a simple knot used by anglers fishing with a team of North Country spiders. It aligns the flies 'in-line' to eliminate droppers tangling around the leader, and avoids the dropper obstructing the hook of the indicator fly - a recognised problem with the New Zealand attachment method.
23rd August
Paul Kenyon fished 3:30-6pm. One fish to hand, splashy rises in faster water at head of pools. Three sea trout seen, lying in shallow water. River height 0.31m running clear. V. little insect or fish activity. Overcast with sunny intervals, breezy.
22nd August.
Two Westcountry Angling Passport visitors reported: (1) 20 brown trout on dry fly. Small to 1/4lb. (2) 6 brown trout, small,4 on dry fly, 2 on wet.
18th August
Paul Kenyon fished 2:30-5:30. Two fish to hand, one lost. One caught on beadhead Glister Bug, the other on Antron Caddis (indicator fly) . Both fished Down and Across. Water height 0.29m, water stained above weir, colour of weak tea with milk. Weather: overcast with sunny interval, temp c.20C. Very few rising fish.
15th August
Paul Kenyon fished 2-6pm. River height 0.31m. Clearing after recent rise, colour of weak tea. Overcast with gentle breeze, about 20 degrees C. Caught and returned 4 trout of various sizes and one sea trout. All fish taken on a goldhead Glister Bug fished downstream beneath an Antron Caddis - successful fly left in the Fly Library housed in the old ammunition box by the Westcountry Angling Passport Token box.
11th August
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported one brown trout of 6 inces caught on a Greenwell's Spider. Two sea trout seen. Not many rises but lots of fish.
9th August
Each year on Paul's birthday, Geoff and Paul fish together. This year we shared a rod on the Upper Yealm under "Ghillie's Rules" - a compex arrangement governing when an angler hands over the rod to his fishing companion. Rules so complex that they can be added to, or discarded, without a moment's thought. As usual an unsuccussful attempt was made to remember the number of fish brought to hand, long-range-releases, failures by the fish to progress closer than a splashy inspection of our flies, and sheer incompetence - called operator error in more polite circles. This year was unusual in that Geoff was allowed to use Paul's Orvis Superfine 7'9" Far & Fine unsanded graphite rod and Battenkill 5/6 reel (stamped made in England). To borrow from Charlton Heston: "I'll give you my rod and reel when you pry them from my cold, dead hands" Geoff's younger eyes counted 9 sea trout lying in the usual places above the weir. A kingfisher made an appearance; Paul only saw its backside !
27th July
2020 Wild Trout Trust auction winners fishing on the Upper Yealm (Devon UK) guided by Geoff Stephens and Paul Kenyon of Fly Fishing Devon. Eight brown trout to hand under difficult conditions. Weather forecast: 40 mph winds, 80% chance of rain. V. few fish rising. 2 sea trout seen. Successful flies included Antron Caddis and pheasant tail 'flymph' fished duo-style.
Here is a description of the day from one of the auction winners.
26th July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported ".. went down to the Yealm again yesterday, 8 fish caught with about 6 missed takes all on black midget buzzer, one sea trout spotted under tree in far bank opposite 5 trees, several roe deer in field other side of the river at the left hand bend where I left you the other day. A very pleasant afternoon.
21st July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported 2 trout to hand on gold beadhead. 8 splasy rises to Elk Hair Caddis . Paul Kenyon reported 1 trout to hand on dry midge pattern, 1 long range release, 7 splashy rises to Antron Caddis. Water height 0.24m. Warm sunshine + occasional cloud. Caddis, stoneflies, midge and a few upwings. Fish rising.
17th July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported 4 brown trout to 7 inches
15th July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported 2 good fish, a great day.
14th July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported "Had a great afternoon on the Yealm fishery today, not many fish rising, but had 14 fish to hand with only 4 missed. Fished with a Black midget buzzer (12 fish), floating fly was a pink indicator (2 fish) Size ranged from 5” to 8 “."
11th July
Paul Kenyon fished 3:30-6pm. Water 0.28m. Sunshine and clouds. V. little surface activity. Midges swarms at head of pools. 2 fish caught- 1 to hand 1 lost.About 4 splashy rises to Antron Caddis, none to flymph.
10th July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported catching 2 brown trout, best 8 inches.
8th July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported catching 10 very small brown trout on a nymph
8th July
A Westcountry Angling Passport visitor reported catching approximately 10 small brown trout and loosing a 1/2 lb fish.
1st July 2020
Paul Kenyon fished 3-6pm. River falling back after rain, height 0.28 m still retaining a little colour. Overcast, temp about 18 C. Two true Mayflies seen, a few smaller upwings, some caddis and midge. Relatively few rising fish. Three to hand on Antron caddis and 'flymph'.
26th June 2020
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor Graeme Webster fished 10am to 4pm. Three trout to hand 5-9 inches. Graeme reported seeing two sea trout - the first sightings this season. Weather overcast. Occasional fish rising.
20th June 2020
Paul Kenyon fished 2:45-5:30pm. River falling back after rain, height 0.3m still retaining a fair bit of colour due to suspended solids, noticeably grey colour on right hand side - due to input from R. Piall - middle and left side colour of milky tea. Sunshine & clouds, temp about 18 C. Four true Mayflies seen, a few smaller upwings, some caddis and midge. Relatively few rising fish. Five to hand on Antron caddis and 'flymph'. About 4 long range releases. Fish were eager - splashy rises to Antron caddis by small fish.
14th June 2020
Paul Kenyon fished 3-6pm. River falling back after rain, still retaining a slight bit of colour. Weather: sunshine & clouds, about 19 degrees C. Three true mayflies seen, small upwings, a few stonefly, several small brown caddis. An increasing number of rising fish - the most this season to date. Eight fish to hand on an Antron caddis as an indicator and pheasant tail nymph / flymph fished as a duo. About the same number of fish hooked but lost after various intervals. Several splashy rises to dry fly.
There's a temptation to think that fishing a nymph beneath a dry fly is a recent development. In fact the Dry-Dropper duo method was first described in 1939 in a book by William Lawrie (Border River Angling, Oliver and Boyd). And of course going back even further, North Country spiders were fished as a team of three flies or more. There are several ways of attaching the dropper to the dry fly: e.g. New Zealand Style or hooks with a tippet ring on the bend. Today's video illustrates my method of rigging the Dry-Dropper duo, but it is very fiddly if you have to replace the dropper. In this video Stephen Cheetham describes a knot that avoids this problem.
8th June 2020
Paul Kenyon fished 2-5:30pm. River low c 0.21m and clear. Overcast. 18 degrees C. Four true Mayflies seen. Midge clouds in places. Upwinged spinners seen from 4:30 pm. More rising fish seen than on previous visits this year. Seven fish to hand, caught on Antron Caddis and pheasant tail 'flymph'. Several splashy rises to dry fly.
2nd June 2020
Water height c. 0.21m, bright sunlight.
A guest reported "4 brown trout ranging from 5 - 9 inches.
2 others got off the hooks and tons of missed strikes.
The fish were going for Klinkhammers, Wickhams Fancy and big Mayfly. Dry flies all session. "
26st May 2020
Paul Kenyon fished 2:30 to 5:30 pm. River low (0.22m) and clear. Bright sunshine v. little breeze. Two true mayflies seen, and v. few other insects about. Midge clouds in places at head of pools. Some small glossosoma caddis cases on stones on bed of river. About 6 fish of various sizes to hand, 2 lost to extreme operator error !. I used a wet fly suspended about 1 foot below a dry deer hair and antron winged dry fly. V. difficult to rise fish in slow sections, best chance in faster popply water at head of pools.
21st May 2020
Paul Kenyon fished 3 to 4:30pm. River level 0.22m running with slight discolouration. A few sedges and stoneflies seen. Occassional fish rose. 3 trout in good condition to hand caught on Grey & Black Comparadun cast downstream in very slow flow. Several splashy rises from small fish.
Summary of 2019 brown trout catch
number caught |
number returned |
number of days fished for brown trout |
Catch Per Unit Effort
|
180 |
180 |
67 |
2.69 |
“ Catch per unit effort (CPUE) measurements are widely used in fisheries management and are generally seen as a better indicator of true abundance than catches alone. CPUE worked out as for trout = [total number of trout caught] / [total number of days fished for trout]”
October 2019
Video Diary for October 2019
The Video Diary consists of a Playlist of YouTube videos taken
whilst fishing on the Upper Yealm this month
Click the Playlist icon on the top right of the video to reveal a list of all this month's videos
Mike Weaver reported in November's Trout & Salmon magazine that:
"An angler who fished the Yealm at the Upper Yealm Fishery, one of the beats in the Westcountry Angling Passport, enjoyed a good day with the brown trout. He caught over 10 fish up to 12in and lost many more. He was fishing New Zealand-style with a sedge on the top and a variety of beadhead nymphs on the point and found trout moving throughout the beat. He saw one large fish of over 3lb, rather dark and almost certainly a sea-trout."
29th October
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor: Nil return
24th October
Paul Kenyon fished for salmon from 3-5pm. River height 0.47m clearing after recent rain. No fish caught.But the very short video in the October Video Diary has a tale with a message about 4 old boots
20th October
A Westcountry Angling Passport officer reported:" I managed to cast a fly about on the Upper Yealm this past weekend. I tempted an enormous salmon in the pool bellow “5 trees”, panicked by the sheer size of this fish I believe I struck early and missed the take. I will be back another day for that one! "
Paul Kenyon fished for salmon in the afternoon. River height 0.64. One small trout released.
15th October
Paul Kenyon fished for salmon 2:30-to 5:30pm. No salmon seen, 2 trout released. Water height 0.63m Weather: Overclouded with sunny intervals. Temp 16 degrees C. Leaf fall starting. Video diary entry shows river falling back after recent rain.
11th October
Westcountry Rivers Trust staff. Nil return
10th October
A short video in the October Video Diary playlist shows how overhanging tree branches on the Upper Yealm have been trimmed back to improve the fishability of the upper section. The work was carried out by James Christoforou (Westcountry Rivers Trust Fishing Development Officer) and Paul Kenyon (Fly Fishing Devon instructor and guide) on the 10th October 2019.
6th October
Paul Kenyon fished 2:30-4:30 pm. One fine brown trout and one sea trout (school peal) to hand.
Short video added to October's Upper Yealm Video Diary. Water height; 0.45m. Sunny with light breeze.
Tackle: rod 9 foot with AFTM #7 floating line. To get the fly down I attached a 1 foot long Orvis Mini Lead Head and 3 feet of Maxima leader. Both fish caught on a red and black salmon fly tied on a double debarbed hook.
Tactic: The S-Mend technique was used to deal with the overhanging vegation above the pool where the sea trout was caught. A video describing this technique has been added to October's Upper Yealm Video Diary.
September 2019
Video Diary for September 2019
The Video Diary consists of a Playlist of YouTube videos taken
whilst fishing on the Upper Yealm this month
Click the Playlist icon on the top right of the video to reveal a list of all this month's videos
13th September
Geoff Stephens and Paul Kenyon fished 3-5pm. Geoff had 4 trout to hand, rose many others, and long-range-released several more. Several of Geoff's fish were caught on an ex-X Caddis (i.e. an X-Caddis minus its deer hair wing as a result of Paul's sloppy fly-tying). The less said about Paul's performance the better! Water height 0.25m. Bright, warm, no wind. Several sea trout seen - mostly school peal.
10th September
Westcountry Rivers Trust staff member commented:
The fishing was great, I landed at least 10 Brown Trout and lost countless
more. They ranged from 10-30cm in length. There was fish activity in nearly
every swim. I also witnessed a large fish, located in the 1st or 2nd pool
bellow "5 trees", the fish was easily over 3lb, dark in colour, I couldn't
make out any distinguishing features, but I believe it to be a Sea Trout.
The most appealing aspect of the Upper Yealm Beat is that the two separate
stretches have a large habitat variation between them, this allows a variety
of fly techniques to be applied. I used a 7ft 2wt Greys grxi with a Rio
Gold floating wt foward line. I used the Dry Dropper technique, 7ft leader,
with a dry Deer Hair Sedge pattern and a mix of different beaded nymphs
size 14-18.
Beat Rating 5
Photo by James Christoforou
Photo by James Christoforou
Photo by James Christoforou
Photo by James Christoforou
Photo by James Christoforou
River level on 10th September
10th September
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor rose 3 trout to an Antron Caddis
7th September
Paul Kenyon fished 3-5pm. No fish caught. Two splashy rises to Antron Caddis. No interest shown to Krystal Flash midge or Pheasant Tail Nymph fished as dropper. Sunny, water height 0.23m and clear. V. Few rising fish or obvious insect activity. Spent more time observing sea trout. At first I thought they were absent from the usual lies. But then - after I remained in one spot for a few minutes - I spotted two or three sea trout lying virtually motionless. Their movements (flashing and repositioning) confirmed their presence. Two fish were lying side-by-side, and moved together along an elliptical route. Is this a courship / pairing behaviour prior to spawning? I don't know. Video added to September 2019 video diary
7th September
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor caught 3 brown trout. Best fish: 7 inches
Ist September
Paul Kenyon fished upper beat from 3-5:30pm. Two trout to hand, one lost, several splashy rises. Trout in this section tend to be dark. All to Antron Caddis.Water height 0.22m. River very clear. Temp about 19 C. A few midge and caddis seen. V. few rising fish.
Ist September
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor: Nil return. He commented "Sea Trout everywhere. Ignoring everything I sent their way. Wet, dry, buzzers. Everything. Jumping for real flies and at one point has a couple of bumps but nothing meaningful."
August 2019
Video Diary for August 2019
The Video Diary consists of a Playlist of YouTube videos taken
whilst fishing on the Upper Yealm this month
Click the Playlist icon on the top right of the video to reveal a list of all this month's videos
27th August
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor: reported "Nothing caught"
Paul Kenyon fished 3:30-5:45pm. One small fish to hand, 2 others risen but not hooked on a soft hackled Pheaseant Tail Nymph cast upstream into faster water. No response to Glister Nymph suspended below Antron Caddis. No rising trout seen. Overcast with very light rain. River height 0.24m. Two sea trout seen. One larger (coloured) salmonid, possibly a salmon filmed: video added to August video diary
26th August
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor: Nil return
21st August
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor returned one trout and wrote "Hooked a good size sea trout too but slipped the hook before I could net it. :(
Thanks for submitting this photo Graeme.
I'm delighted that you have shown that sea trout can be caught during daylight on the Upper Yealm - well done.
Kenneth Dawson in his book "Successful Fishing for Salmon and Sea Trout (1951)" remarked that "... in the Yealm good sea trout up to 4-5 lbs. can be taken by day on very small flies ..."
20th August
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor checked in shortly after 10am. Awaiting confirmation and Catch Report from Westcountry Angling Passport.
18th August
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor fished in the morning and caught this beautiful 5in trout. Thanks for submitting this photo Graeme.
18th August
Paul Kenyon fished 3-5 pm. Five small trout to hand, caught on soft hackled Pheasant Tail Nymph. Cold blustery wind, water level 0.33m clearing after recent rain. Very few rises or flying insects
15th August
Two visitors fished from 7-11pm. Two trout to hand. Both caught after dark on Pilk's Bumble sea trout fly. One sea trout jumped at dusk.
12th August
Westcountry Angling Passport angler: Nil return
11th August
Westcountry Angling Passport angler fished in the morning and reported 2 trout of 6 inches caught on an F Fly - thanks for adding it to the Flybrary Collection in the ammunition box beside the Token Box.He added "I got a big knock on the buzzer [ Glister nymph] you gave me too but I took too long to get my act together so missed it.
Paul Kenyon fished in the afternoon. Two small brown trout on a Gister Nymph. Water height: 0.24m. Water clearing after rain - colour of weak tea. V. little fly life or rising fish. Gusty wind, sunny intervals. Saw a kingfisher for first time this year.
7th August
Geoff Stephens & Paul Kenyon fished on annual 'Guides Day Off' two trout to hand. Usual leg-pulling. Video available on request
3rd August
Two Westcountry Angling Passport anglers: Nil return
2nd August
Today Paul Kenyon was helping a friend who has recently taken up fly fishing sort out some casting problems. We polished Graeme's roll and overhead casts before turning upstream to put his new skills into practice. There is a good stock of sea trout in the Upper Yealm this summer. This provided an opportunity for him to focus on fishing rather than the mechanics of casting - which can become overwhelming - and instead think about moving with extreme stealth to avoid spooking sea trout which are notoriously difficult to approach in daylight, let alone cast a fly line anywhere near them.
The technique adopted is based on Nick Hart's advice
Lifting nymphs in an induced take style, just as if fishing for brown
trout, is highly successful, especially when several fish are grouped together
read more ...
Nick's advice is shared by Pete Tyjas
"Sea trout seem to like an induced fly so try this and lift your rod to
raise the nymph, or even try a slightly more aggressive twitch of your
fly line - this will make the nymph kick up a little which is usually irresistible
to sea trout."
Read more ...
Graeme wrote: Yesterday was absolutely amazing. Thanks so much! I've downloaded the app and added some credits so I'll be fishing Upper Yealm. Beautiful spot! Really feeling a lot more confident. Thanks for the flies too!
1st August
Paul Kenyon fished 2:30-4:30 pm. Five brown trout of various sizes brought to hand, caught on Elk Hair Caddis and Glister Nymph. One fish lost and several splashy rises to Elk Hair Caddis. Water level 0.23m but still carrying suspended solids after recent rain. Weather warm (21 degrees C ) cloudy with sunny intervals. Very little fly life or rising trout. One sea trout jumped but imposible to count sea trout due to cloudy water.
July 2019
Video Diary for July 2019
The Video Diary consists of a Playlist of YouTube videos taken
whilst fishing on the Upper Yealm this month
Click the Playlist icon on the top right of the video to reveal a list of all this month's videos
25th July
Westcountry Angling Passport visitor: Nil return
24th July
An accomplished coarse angler on his first experience of fly fishing (from 2-5pm) landed one brown trout on a Tups Sparkle Dun and had a brief encounter with a sea trout hooked on a Glister Nymph that also elicited numerous follows by trout of various sizes. Wading upstream with extreme care enabled him to see a number of sea trout of various sizes. Water level: 0.20 m. Weather warm with sunny intervals. Several sea trout jumped clear of the water during the afternoon. Relatively sparse numbers of upwings, some sedges and terrestrials.
