Category: DAA News

The Association will be liaising with the Angling Trust to monitor Cormorant and Goosander numbers on the river. Members cooperation would be appreciated in making a note of sightings of the birds. Please report details of location, date and numbers seen and send the information to DAA member Chris Tozer [christophertozer(at)yahoo.co.uk]

Orvis on Cathedral Green in Exeter are offering DAA members a 10% discount on any fishing related articles.

The DFA AGM takes place on Friday 10th at the Dartmoor Lodge. Starts 6.30 and  for those who wish  to make an evening of it , there is a buffet at 8.15.
Our members are encouraged to attend:  it’s a great way to catch up with others as well as  the latest river news.

The Wild Trout Trust annual online auction is now live.

There are 304 fabulous lots, catering for pretty much every purse and every taste in trout fishing, other fishing opportunities, tackle, tuition, art, literature and shooting.

The money raised will be spent to benefit our rivers and their trout and sea trout.

Details of the lots on offer are available on the Wild Trout Trust’s website, with a link to the auction hosted by eBay or go straight to the auction listing here.

The sunday work group did an amazing job of rebuilding the fence at Kilbury.  It, as well as a general tidy up,  has improved things a lot. Efforts appreciated.

 

During January, six fish  were detected ascending the ladder by the counter as well as an otter. A few kelts descended, also about 20 kayaks.

In the first week of February seven fish ascended, including a couple of salmon around the 15lb mark. Although it is difficult to distinguish salmon from sea trout in overhead pictures, it looks like some of the fish were sea trout, earlier perhaps than we might have expected.

Below is a selection of grabs from the overhead camera. To remind readers, the horizontal strips, which are the counter’s electrodes are 45cm apart.

After more analysis of last years counter data and video, Fishtek (the counter’s operator) have estimated that, although about 700 fish were counted electronically, approx 3500 fish migrated up-river. The counter was undergoing much testing and modification during the year and it has been determined that for most of this time only the larger fish were being counted. A large majority of smaller fish, school peal in particular, were missed by the counter, but their number was able to be estimated by laborious analysis of video footage.  More detail on the method of estimation and assumptions made to follow. The modifications to the counter should now make it possible to detect the smaller fish in future.

Sunday 5th:  Haliwells

Sunday 12th:  Kilbury

Sunday 19th:  Hembury Woods

Sunday 26th:  Staverton Weir.

Subject to weather conditions and water levels.

Here are some of the fish that passed through the counter during December and were captured on the overhead camera. It is hoped to improve the quality of the night time pictures in future by installing an infrared camera.

The fish in the second and third photos from the top are ascending the fish pass, all other fish are descending. Several of the latter are facing up-current while ‘reversing’ down the pass and most can clearly be seen to be kelts as they are so thin. (Flow is from top to bottom of photo).

In the second picture from the bottom (23:27:19), although it is hard to see, is an otter, rather than a fish. Apparently its movement in the video from which this was taken shows it up for what it is.

Some of these are big fish. To give an idea of size, the counter’s electrodes, seen as horizontal strips are 450mm (approx 18″) apart. Let’s hope they manage to avoid the seals in the weir pool and estuary and survive to spawn again.

 

Generally reports of spawning activity have been sketchy, but some made it to the top of the system. These two grilse redds were located some way above Powder Mills on the Cherrybrook in mid December. Apologies for the poor picture quality.

A year or two ago, one of our members, Bush, gave his time to plant some hedge whips at Kilbury. Various holes had been made by canoeists accessing the river. It’s disheartening to see that some of them have been flattened and trashed, and although we have no evidence, we think it likely to be the same again.

If anyone sees canoes being pushed through the hedge or unloaded at that layby it would be worth noting number plates and car descriptions.