News

WTT returns for its annual gathering to the Dartmoor Training Centre, near Yelverton in Devon on the weekend of 18 & 19 May 2019. We are absolutely delighted that our Saturday of talks is headlined by WTT founder and genuine wild trout legend, Mike Weaver, reflecting on 70-odd years of trout fishing, including in his beloved westcountry rivers. Mike is supported by an excellent line-up, including Bruce Stockley and Bruno Vincent of Westcountry Rivers Trust (on some of their projects), Jamie Stevens of Exeter University (on amazing trout population research), Nicky Green (on crayfish), Chris Williams of the EA (on fish disease) and WTT’s own Mike Blackmore and Andy Thomas, on what they’ve been up to down south. In the afternoon, Ben Fitch, Bruno Vincent, Pete Tyjas, Snowbee & Paul Gaskell will look at aquatic bugs, tie flies and demonstrate angling techniques. The near-final draft programme is HERE.

Sunday 19 May will give our guests a chance to fish the Dartmoor rivers and streams and trial the Westcountry Rivers Trust’s FishApp digital booking system.

The early birds will gather at the Training Centre from the Friday evening (17 May) to enjoy a bite to eat and a beer – please let us know if you can join us. We’ll do the same on the Saturday night – more information on that to follow.

The Grayling Research Trust has released its excellent Practical Conservation Guide as electronic copy, available HERE as a free download. It’s a very readable overview of the biology, ecology and management for grayling.

The Cheriton Stream is widely recognised as the primary headwater of the River Itchen in Hampshire. This section of river was one of the country’s first ever Wild Fishery Protection Zones, where no stocking is permitted by the Environment Agency. It is crucial therefore, that habitat quality is good enough to support a healthy and vibrant wild trout population. Unfortunately, historic channel modifications, coupled with excessive grazing pressures, has left a wide, uniform and very shallow river channel.

Following a successful project delivered by the WTT further downstream last year, the Environment Agency have funded a further phase of work at the very top of the Tichborne fishery. This fishery is managed by the Tichborne Fly Fishers and volunteers from the club, led by WTT Conservation Officer Andy Thomas, have been busy improving a 100m section of channel to create enhanced habitat for all the life stages of brown trout, as well as providing improved cover for native white clawed crayfish.

The Haddon Estate, through its Peacock Fly Fishing Club, has kindly offered access to its fisheries again as a fundraising and social event for WTT, on 20th and 21st July 2019. This is an excellent opportunity to fish for wild brown, wild rainbow and grayling across four rivers including areas usually only available to club members. The Estate ceased stocking its waters on the Wye, Lathkill and Bradford in 2004 and since then, has operated a thriving, catch & release wild fishery. The Lathkill, Wye and Bradford are strictly bankside fishing and dry-fly only, but on the River Derwent, nymph fishing and wading are permitted. Local advice will be available to help you get the best out of your day. To find out more about the Peacock Fly Fishing Club, how the Estate’s fisheries are managed and what they offer, you are invited to meet the river keepers for a chat and BBQ (at no extra cost).

A limited number of rods are available to WTT members at a cost of £50 per rod per day, so do book soon. Contact Christina in the WTT office via: office@​wildtrout.​org / 023 9257 0985. 

Not a member ? You can join here.

In effort to maximise the number of salmon smolts that reach the sea, the Tweed Foundation will be using acoustic tracking to answer some key questions:  

• How many smolts make it to sea
• How barriers in the river prevent smolts from completing their journey downstream
• Where smolts get lost in our river system
• How river levels affect the smooth passage of our smolts’ journey out to sea

If you would like to support this research by sponsoring an acoustic tracker, contact the Tweed Foundation. 

There is a consultation underway regarding net fishing management along the south coast from the Devon/Dorset border to the Hampshire/Sussex border including the Isle of Wight. The proposals will potentially affect sea trout and salmon which may be caught as a ‘by-catch’ in nets targeting other fish such as mullet and sea bass. WTT has responded to the consultation and we would urge others to do so in order to protect our valuable fish stocks.

The consultation is being run by the Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) and it closes on 7 December.

UPDATE: The Angling Trust have produced a good, robust response to this consultation and a press release.