www.riveraxe.co.uk RSS feed

July 13th

Fished a very quiet, weedy river axe last friday, one tentative pull in a favourite spot was it for 4 hours fishing. The rain over the weekend only made a small rise and coloured the river and it was clear enough to fish a fly last evening (sunday) and caught a single trout with nothing else seen. I hope the extra water might encourage a few more fish into the river it does seem desperately quiet at the moment.

Fished with Mr Rudsdale last week and caught some trout. The sea trout were more difficult though hooked and lost one. A good sized fished lept out a few times to keep us interested until 3 am! Caught some smaller sea trout lately, best 2.5lb bright silver and covered with spots! Bit of rain today so hope it shakes things up a bit.

June 10th

Mr Ovenell and friend fished the Axe last week after a full days trouting on the Frome! A decent fish showed at dusk as we started in the first pool. They were experienced trout fishers but had fun trying to get a line out in the darkness downstream particularly after a day casting for trout upstream with light rods and lines! However Mr Ovenell had one pull and later tried a surface lure but sadly had no response. They left at 11.30pm so I stayed on a little to try a few spots and found a mint 2lb sea trout. Also met up with Jon and Pete who I understand caught a beauty of about 5lb or so. Bit of rain lately but now cleared and decent tides just gone through. Hope some people enjoying some good fishing, I've a few days off so off chasing a salmon somewhere! Tightlines.

Mr Harwood enjoyed a beautiful evening on the Axe last week. After showing him the beat he had a few practise casts and caught a very decent beautifully marked brown trout. At dusk we sat down by a good pool and a nice sea trout leapt out infront of us while we were waiting. Unfortunately the sky cleared and temperature dropped and the sea trout did not oblidge but despite this he enjoyed "an excellent evening" . I did battle with a good fish last night and eventually hooked and landed it about 4lbs but a bit stale.

Alison makes it a double!

Had a quick trip last evening with my girlfriend after a birthday weekend away but just had to report this one! It was nice to find a few fish about and Alison landed her first ever sea trout about 2.5lb after a good scrap, tail walking etc rather fortunately I managed to net it before the hook fell out! Pleased as punch it was quickly released but not content with one she handed the rod back to me in the next pool and I hooked another and she did a superb job at controlling it despite the rushes, tree roots etc another mint fish about 3lb firmly hooked in the scissors and also released. Rather fittingly these first fish were caught where her grand father a former chairman of AVRA used to take water from the river for holding tanks which he used for stocking the river with sea trout and salmon some years back. Alison remembers seeing these little fish in tanks with her grand father as a small girl!

Sea Trout 1 - Me 1!!

Conditions did not seem ideal for a good night sea trouting last evening - clear, half moon loads of stars and very still, but first real chance to get at them after a busy few days so I went anyway! Despite being clear fortunately it stayed quite warm. Fished a small "dolly parton tube" and soon hooked a very good fish, some serious head shaking then long diving run which straightened out a size 14 kamsan salmon tube treble brand new out the box! Totally gutted and feeling seriously roughed up I contemplated going home, particularly as I did not have a light to tie one anything else! However moon was so bright I managed to tie on another tube, bigger salar hook and glad I did cos made contact and landed a fish about 3 1/2lb! First of the year for me and very pleased but liked to have seen that other one!!! Hope some others are having fun and getting some good fishing in! Alex.

Spent several days so far this season chasing an English springer but not even seen a fin. Not fished the Axe yet but hope to sometime soon. Seen plenty of mullet in since early April, just need a quiet evening to get down there! Good luck for that first fish hope to hear of one soon!

Fishing Tackle Review Site

Hi,

I'm looking for people who might want to contribute to a new fishing tackle review site i'm starting. You can write what ever you want about any tackle you've used - rod, reels, lures etc etc. Its still under development at the moment - any ideas appreciated.

thanks

julian

Yarty

Rain on saturday and sunday am and the rivers are up in spate. Yarty was filthy but managed an hour on the axe before that came up more and went chocolate with loads of debris. Fished a quieter pool tail with a sinker and large fly and hooked a coloured sea trout about 3lbs on for a minute then a few acrobatics and it came off.

Autumn

Had a few hours yesterday afternoon. The banks looking very dead and leaves in the water, very blustery with showers in all typical autumnal conditions! The one sea trout about 2 lb which did take hold which was very stale with horrendous scarring on its flanks and quickly returned.

Normality?

River back down to something like normal and clear. Decent fish coming out too so get down there asap!

Canoes

Ok if you like trolling from your canoe over the fields.

perfect evening...

Seemed a perfect evening, very warm and cloudy. Me, my brother and a friend fished last night different beats then met up, all a bit quiet really just a few peel showing occassionally and one decent fish probably very stale. Even the trout were not co operating.

Salmon

Good conditions Wed evening river back down and reasonably clear. Mr Knapman had a first sea trout and a friend caught one too, school peel under a lb. Try as I might just could not touch a thing although one was caught on my rod! My purple patch with the salmon is holding out though, fished lower Exe for a few hours yesterday afternoon and returned an 8lb fish on fly a bit stale but very welcome!

showers

Had a few minutes on the axe yesterday it strong win and showers just deperate to wet a line. It was very high but clear enough for a fly at 2pm and had trout attacking my peter ross and a small waddington. Just as I got into it by 2.30pm the serious rain/ showers brought lots more colour in and up it came again! Sod this I'm off to SW Scotland.

Yoyo

River up and down like a yoyo! Had some fun well upstream with the fly during a slightly clearer spell sunday afternoon. Difficult to predict with these showers and torrential down pours. Some serious sea trout caught in wales this week, perhaps we might get a chance when it settles?

Soca

Been to Slovenia, sadly not fishing though one road trip enabled a stop by a bridge over the Soca and did the old peep over and saw the biggest trout I've ever seen, more like spotting a salmon in the Lyn! Beautiful clear green water but a bit cold for swimming, despite the 35 degree heat! Back to the little old Axe last night, which was clear despite the regular showers and quickly back into the routine of losing fish. One good pull and one hooked for a while and then off! Driving me knuts doing nothing different from the beginning of the season landed first 10 now last 4 all off! Fair bit of rain overnight in Lyme, should think some colour got into it by now. Anyone seen it today?

Moon

Started well last evening with fish moving about then the moon got up! One pull, one trout slashed then a decent fish on for a few seconds and off. The little bit of cloud cleared and the huge moon illuminated the valley. Late on found a spot with some "shade" but all had gone cold and quiet by then. Strange been doing well landing all fish hooked so far this season then last three have all come unstuck!

Peel

Had an evening fishing the Taw on tuesday, still very high after last weeks flood, no salmon but several peel. Fished the Axe last night for an hour and several small fish showing and stirring up the residents! Returned 2 beautiful bright muscular peel very good to see them after bit of an absence the last few years.

Recent Spate

Axe was still high but clear enough for the fly yesterday morning, quite breezy and cloudy perfect conditions. Fished with a guest and neither of us saw or touched a fish. Mr Tyas went back later with a spinner and returned a 2lb fish which was a bit stale. Did anyone else fish?

Mayfly

The Axe had dropped and cleared well by last evening fished a fly by day with a guest on the boat building course in Lyme. A nice sea trout jumped around chasing a Mayfly off the water but nothing else seen. Despite the colour in the water we fished on into darkness and hooked and lost a good sea trout. Torrential rain over night river must be coming back up for a few days.

Spate

Went for a walk around last evening river was coming up after the recent showers and at times decent rain. Not that coloured last evening and fished a fly for nothing but looking at the puddles this morning must have come up a bit more and coloured. Anyone seen it?

Electrical storms

River was fishable last evening despite showers recently. Started well, fish jumped out and caught it 3rd cast nice cock fish. Electrical storms started about 11pm and all seemed to go quite, left by 12.30am. A few showers about will try to see river later. Off for a few days - its all yours!

A different river

Encouraged by Tuesdays action a friend and I fished hard but very little was moving. Nothing jumped out and only had a few tentative knocks on the lure.

Perfect evening?

Conditions were perfect last night, good tides just gone through little bit of fresh water sunday, very warm and cloudy night just had to go!. Got fishing about 10.45pm and a decent ST launched out in the tail of the pool. Fished on to the tail and had a solid take drawing up the bank but was a huge trout about 1lb! Fished down my new favourite pool and had a positive tap, left it for a few minutes then fished over again - nothing. Chop and change, try as I might just could not catch it. Then the pool lit up with fish cartwheeling about as if to spite me!

Heavy showers

Axe has dropped a bit is 0.5m and a bit of colour in it, ok for fly now but probably not tonight. A few people out fishing this afternoon hope to hear how they got on.

Beauty & The Beast

A foul evening last night horrendous wind and at times rain too but keen to try before a busy few days this weekend. So wrapped up in chesties, wading jacket with hod up and hat pulled down well over the top I went out on the notion that at least the moon was covered and it was nice and dark ??!!! - and it made the difference. Had a beauty about 7lbs and went straight home very happy, in bed by midnight!

Probably not that much rain, should be ok hope to let you know later today.

quiet river

Fished a very quiet river axe last night. Reasonably warm than of late, but a huge moon till nearly 1am probably did'nt help or the halogen spotlights of the security at the Axminster show on the opposite bank! Threw everything at them but not even a trout pulled. May water is clearing perhaps time to switch to the salt!

a good pod

Guided Mr Tyre last night in aid of the appeal. Met up at 9pm and showed a few pools where to get in, stand and cast etc. As we were setting up by a riffle about 10pm we heard a good fish move up through, then a few minutes later a good pod of 5/6 sea trout charged up the riffle seeming intent on reaching Chard by midnight, the front fish was as least 5lbs. We started with great expectation which was heightened when we heard a good fish leap out in the pool below. Unfortunately by 11.30 the temperature plummeted and fish movement slowed. However, Mr Tyre tried a surface lure which was a new technique to him and was immediately taken when a sea trout gently nudged it second cast but sadly did not hooked it. I left at 2.30am leaving Mr Tyre the dawn shift with a few ideas and pools to try.

little colour

Last nights rain put a little colour into the Axe and more the Yarty but both very fishable tonight.

bow waves!

Stood by the tail of a pool last night setting up at 10.30pm and an otter swam down the pool, suddenly quite a comotion in front of me as it chased about sending bow waves of fish and otter in all directions - at least I knew some fish were infront of me! Bright moon hampered things a bit but a few fish fish started jumping including one pavement slab! Moon went down 1am and no interest to usual flies switched to surface lure, instantly got some interest with follows and gentle plucks but no solid hook ups. Any fish anybody?

May water

Locally the sea is coloured from the "May water", very difficult to spin or fly fish with this soupey mess and also seems devoid of fish anyway.

good brown trout

Disturbed a sizeable fish last night which moved off with waves washing the bank! Also heard a few fish jumping one I covered and was immediately rewarded with a really good brown trout of 14".

annual sea trout effort

Had the annual sea trout effort with my brother Charles last night and fished well upstream. Clear night but relatively warm and did'nt start till 11pm after a long family curry! Made up for time with a 3lb bar of silver 2nd cast, had about 2-3 yards of fly line out so the most amazing wrenching take! Fished on till 2am but only 1 trout and nothing showed all night. Isn't it all so weird!

no sea trout

I had to go to the Ballet last night but my brother Charles fished. The river was high but clear and caught trout but no sea trout. Hope to get out over the weekend.

caught a nice salmon of about 8lb

Glad to hear some others been out and enjoying good fishing on the river. Not seen the river today though should be good for the fly. Been away fishing the Exe and dodging the torrential showers managed to get in the right place for a change and caught a nice salmon of about 8lb on a small cascade my first of the year. Put in over 20 hrs in 2 days for that fish in perfect water so looking forward to a rest - back to the night fishing!

Axe is 0.5m and clearing well!

Axe is 0.5m and clearing well, perhaps a bit much colour for night fishing tonight but its so hot and muggy I might be tempted to have a go! Tomorrow - with no more rain should be perfect! Please feel welcome to leave reports or comments, good to hear from others their thoughts and how they are doing. Tightlines a few should be caught this week!

Welcome to the blog!

Welcome to the blog. Do feel free to add comments or reports/ pics here under each new entry. Serious flooding high up in the catchment last night, cars afloat in crewkerne and people stranded by flood water all around pub at the Howely Inn yarcombe (at least till closing time!) not seen the river today but suppose its horrendously flooded. Shame had two people wanting to sea trout fish for charity this week and not been able to go all week. Hope to take a look later and leave a report. Best wishes alex.

Axe is 1.2m..

May 26th Axe is 1.2m and heavily coloured, hold fire for a day or two.

3lb sea liced May fish.