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Post by sandy on Jan 19, 2009 18:31:53 GMT
I fish this water regularly and it produces well to both Wet Fly and Dry Fly tactics. It is regularly stocked with rainbow trout(of excellent quality) throughout the Season between 1-4LB.
The water is run by the Burrator Fly Fishing Assoc' in partnership with SWLT. The club arrange all the stocking and are responsible for the fishing.
We have been carrying out an additional stocking program of small brown trout over the past few years which is continuing and +8,000 fingerlings will go in as part of this program again in the spring.
All brown trout are naturalised and are Catch and Release only as the plan is to raise the numbers to a self sustaining level over the years and provide a more traditional element to the sport.
The Season runs from 1 March to 31 October each year and up to 4 rainbow trout can be retained for the pot if required - most club members fish mainly C&R.
Last season 2008 saw some good fish caught and some healthy brownies returns. Best Rainbow was 6Lb1oz and the best Brown was estimated 5Lb8oz.
It is a lovely setting and I would recommend it for a days fishing when the rivers are problematic.
Day Tickets are £13.00 and are available at: Paul the Fishermans in Tavistock / The petrol Station Yelverton / Rods & Sods Billacombe Bridge, Plymstock. Season permits and full club memberships are available from John Marman Tel: 01752 561832(Committee Member) for £185.00 which includes Club Membership for the season.
A few river guys had a go last season when the Tavy was not playing the game over their holiday period. They had mixed results with one C&R of a 2Lb brown and a 4Lb Rainbow.
There is an active club scene for those interested and the Club has regular competitions on the water and against other Clubs in both Devon and Cornwall.
Hopefully this isn't too much of an advert - that's not really my intention it is really just to open up the options if water levels are poor next season.
The Club is hopefully going to have some limited small river fishing this coming Season but that still has to be confirmed I'll let that one wait for another Thread.
Sandy.
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loopy
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Post by loopy on May 18, 2009 15:02:56 GMT
I managed to get down last week and fished at Burrator for the first time. I thought it was a lovely looking fishery and the wife and I enjoyed our walk around the reservoir. Here is a picture of some nice Spring fauna The reservoir was surrounded by trees in most places apart from the two dams. There were numerous walks through the woods to reach the banks where one could cast from. I saw a good deal of rises but none close enough to reach. I went last Wednesday and fished from lunchtime till tea time the temperature went from 12oC down to 9oC which is why the fish went down. I did fish from the dam but I guess those fish have seen just about everything especially with no ripple for 100 yards or more. Here is another picture of someone waving a stick at the rezzie. I saw two other anglers and manged to speak to one other who was fishing a different bay to me on the North side and he explained that it was hard fishing. He was fishing with a team of hairs ears and for me a team of wets. I got my ticket from the Texaco garage in Yelverton but the books all advised me to but from the Esso garage. I think that Sandy put it better when he said buy from the garage. Staying at the Forest Inn in Hexworthy I met up with a retired Colonel who I think was a Sir into the bargain. He was fishing the salmon pots on the West Dart half way along between Hexworthy and Princes Hall and switched from trying for Sea Trout to fishing for the Brownies but had no success. Another guy who stays at the Forrest Inn had been the previous week and had caught four from Totnes. He is a really nice guy but suffers with being deaf and dumb and when I do bump into him there we get through reams of paper in communicating. I have waffled on a bit and I apologise. I got up to Fernworthy the following day but that is another story another time.
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Post by Pete Tyjas on May 18, 2009 15:28:28 GMT
Great report Loopy, can't wait to see the Fernworthy one too!
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Post by troutbum on May 19, 2009 17:15:18 GMT
Hey loopy
Great report. I always forget about Burrator and its almost on my doorstep!! I have put it in the back of my diary where I put places not to forget this season. thanks for the reminder and great photos.
Mark
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Post by troutbum on May 29, 2009 20:46:12 GMT
Hi Again Loopy
Going to try Burrator on Monday I`ll let you know how it goes.
I'm going to try with the old dry fly and see what happens.
Mark
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loopy
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Post by loopy on Jun 1, 2009 18:08:17 GMT
Hopefully it will have warmed a bi mor e for you and you should have some good fishing. Look forward to hearing more soon. Best of luck.
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Post by sandy on Jul 7, 2009 9:51:46 GMT
There have been some changes to the running of Burrator now.
After three years of the Club running it and since the begining of 2009 Season it has reverted back to SWLT. This basically came about because South West Lakes Ltd the commercial arm of the Trust were not prepared to offer a longer term lease arrangement to the Club.
The Club had felt that for them to continue with the longterm Brown trout program and other maintenance and improvements for Anglers at the water a term of 5 years and eventually 7 would be advisable. This was to allow some benefit of the time and money being expended to be seen by club members. Also funding bodies required 7-10 years tenure before bids could be considered for other improvement grants.
Unfortunately for the club but more fortunately for the Anglers the club had already expended about 3.5k on stocking which was lost. This was a combination of brown trout fingerlings and winter Rainbow stocking.
South West Lakes Ltd now run the lake to maximise their profits as with their other lakes and I should imagine will continue to do so into the future.
It seems a shame for the club but who knows maybe South West Lakes Ltd will continue to make bumper returns from their water. The permit sales at Burrator Reservoir this year so far have been amazing with almost a whole seasons day tickets sold in the first month of the Season.
The Club had put a lot of effort in over the three years with some bank clearing and improved stocking policies. A few benevolent club members had put a lot of money into stocking brown trout for future anglers and were set on doing this for some time. The club was run purely as a non profit water with all monies going back into additonal stocking.
It will be interesting to see what happens with this beautiful water over the coming years. Still a nice location for a cast or two when the rivers are too high.
Sandy.
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Post by pusser on Feb 1, 2016 12:40:36 GMT
Are there maps of Burrator at the lodge, that list the fishing spots etc? I have yet to fish Burrator but am planning to soon. I have seen the Burrator fishing website.
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Post by kevzim on Feb 4, 2016 9:11:46 GMT
In my experience where you fish is dictated by water levels and vegetation... easiest fishing (casting) is from the peninsula opposite the lodge - parking by the gate to Beechcroft plantation. This area always features highly in catch reports though, as is often the case, that's possibly because it's where most people choose to fish! The bank immediately below the lodge (slightly to the "left" if looking at the lake from the lodge) has a decent drop off a few yards out when the lake is full and fishes well. The "grass" dam wall (eastern one - not that with the road running over it) is often also worth trying, and offers some shelter from the prevailing winds if it's blowy.
There are often fish rising at the inlet (north) end of the reservoir - though the wading there can be treacherous, particularly when water levels are low (i.e. you sink in the mud!).
Beacause of the shallow slope to many of the banks it can be quite easy to spook fish with repeated or indelicate casts - they tend to be a bit flightier than the rainbows in many other SWLT waters. There is also a good head of browns, which must be released.
Fly choice is up to you. Lots of regulars claim success with lures. Never worked for me there really, I 've had more success when I fish it as I would one of the brown trout waters - small, dark, naturals on or near the surface.
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Post by boisker on Feb 4, 2016 10:35:06 GMT
If water levels are currently low... they've got a major leak
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Post by boisker on Feb 15, 2016 17:59:25 GMT
I'm getting bored with no fishing and the rivers consistently blown out... So depending on how long my meeting lasts in the morning I may try a couple of hours at burrator... First time Stillwater flyfishing.... Thought I'd wait until the water was nice and cold to wade about in... So on the off chance I may get to Burrator tomorrow I picked up a 7w cortland 444 sinking line for the 2nd hand snowbee diamond picked up ages ago and have never got around to fishing with.... Had a quick cast on the grass with the line, I never usually cast anything heavier than a 4w and always a floater, quite fun to cast, easy it is to send it to over 60'. The snowbee is quite a sloppy, noodle action compared to my go to 4w, with a faster, cleaner action is would really disappear. Obviously, thats without a zonker (or something similar) whizzing past the side of my head.... Will probably dial it in a bit I know absolutely nothing about Stillwater resi fishing... So I will be sticking with the very basic, sinking line, on the bottom, very slow twitching retrieve, something like the aforementioned Zonker (only got black and white) and will slowly work around the reservoir covering the water... Trouble is unlike river fishing I haven't got a plan B or C to turn to.... I can see a blank on the horizon.... At the very least it will be nice to cast over water...
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Post by paul on Feb 15, 2016 19:55:26 GMT
Hi Boisker,
Many far better equipped than I to advise- I have fished Kennewick a few times.
If you are going with a sinker, a 4'leader with a booby on the end can work. Lots or roll cast to get the line up before recasting.
If I were to go there tomorrow, I'd star with a floater in the shallower areas. Even in a normal winter the fish aren't necessarily deep.
With some parallels to all this indictor (float) fishing with nymphs, I would set up a leader with three nymphs at c 6' , 12' and 18' with the heaviest on the point and alter my retrieve speed to just avoid snagging the bottom.
Please let someone give some proper advice!
Cheers, Paul
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Post by pusser on Feb 15, 2016 20:04:07 GMT
I am considering going to Burrator on Sunday, if anyone is interested
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Post by boisker on Feb 15, 2016 20:40:55 GMT
Cheers Paul... Useful info... I read somewhere ages ago about the joy, or perhaps it should be danger, of a sunken line.... Not lifting it up the water column enough so it comes back at you just below head height... I'll take my time and get used to it working fairly close for a bit..... Forecast is sunny tomorrow and the wind not to bad... So ever the optimist and pint half full.... I haven't given up hope of some olives/midge around lunch time, so will be taking my 4 w along for any dry action.... It will be nice just to 'splash' about in the shallows for an hour or two
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2016 21:13:39 GMT
Having never fished Burrator I cannot advise on specifics for that water, however, having never fished Burrator I would approach it as I would any unknown stillwater. I would take two rods, simply so as not to have to keep changing lines, and on one I would fish a floater or short midge tip, 18ft tapered fluorocarbon leader with three diawl bachs. On the other I would have a slow intermediate and to this I would attach a 12 ft level fluorocarbon leader and to start with a black tadpole/small humongous/nomad. After an hour of this I would change to a team of three diawl bachs on this line too but maybe try different depths by attaching a faster sinking polyleader (and shortening the flourocarbon leader).
If none of the above work I would look for deeper areas and put on a faster sinking line.
If you did fish a fast sinker, there should be no need to do any roll casting to get the line to the surface (unless fishing a booby on a short leader as Paul says, where it is basically fished static) as it is worth retrieving right in to a point where there is too little line out to warrant such a manoeuvre. Often, if the water is cold (and I have no idea if it is or isn't) the fish will follow right in. If this happens it is worth slowing down the retrieve to give them chance to catch up!
I don't know how much accessible bank there is at Burrator, but it is usually the case that one has to find the fish and so it doesn't do to dwell too long in one spot. Keep moving until you get a take as unlike small still waters, the reservoirs are big enough that the fish can swim around all day and never enter your taking zone if you stand stock still. If there is some sun to warm the water then the fish might be in the margins where it is warmer, but again, not knowing the venue, I can only speculate.
Personally I wouldn't bother with the 4wt.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2016 21:18:04 GMT
Personally I wouldn't bother with the 4wt. .......but come to think of it, I don't own one! 10ft #7 for sunk line and 10ft #6 for floater.
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Post by paul on Feb 15, 2016 21:24:52 GMT
Ignore my advice- Mark's words of wisdom are much more soundly based!
But I do feel he is after some pretty large beasts with the weight of rods- I'd look to a 3/4 weight with the flatter and a 6 with he sinkersunless there was a lot of wind about!
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Post by boisker on Feb 15, 2016 21:40:37 GMT
Cheers Mark... Great info... Although I'm not really kitted out to do most of it Seems like our gear is at opposite ends of the spectrum... Apart from the 9' 7w all my kit is for river fishing, 4w or below and 9' or below... I'll see how I get on, if I like it I'll invest in a bit more kit or at least another spool and line for the 7w. From looking at past catch records The 9' 4w will handle the vast majority of fish at burrator... Seems like a lot in the 1-3lb bracket (largest in 2015 5lb 10oz) up to 51lb would be fine after that backing could be a problem... But can't see that being an issues tomorrow I'll probably start with the black zonker along the bottom... I have a couple of mates swear by it.... If that doesn't work a white one!... And then a team of three along the lines you describe above... But on a sinker and probably a bit of a random three compared to the usual reservoir set up, but if the fish are there and feeding I'm sure they'd work.... After all the above... If miraculously the Tone has dropped back below 0.3 m I'll hit the river instead.... But seeing as it was still at 0.41m at 04.00 this morning I think Burrator is the more likely...
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Post by boisker on Feb 16, 2016 15:56:06 GMT
Popped in to Burrator for 2.5-3hrs.... Nice spot. I got chatting to a fella who fishes there in the summer (or more accurately gives the winter extension months a miss)... Supposedly you get a really good rise some evenings, no boats allowed and you need to wade due to bankside trees.... I'll definitely go back for a session early summer, nice spot to spend a few hours. Didn't catch anything.... Wading with sinking line is a pain in the arse.... I'll post another thread for some pointers...
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Post by halfstoned on Feb 16, 2016 17:39:59 GMT
For what it worth boisker I can give you the dressing for my favourite pattern when I used to fish kennick , fernworthy and burrator years ago. Apart from the standard patterns like invicta, diawl back, pheasant tail etc there was a certain nymph based on Gordon Frasers bp nymph that was always my first choice ( either leaded early season , unleaded and smaller sizes in the summer). If this pattern didn't work I would fish hard on the bottom with a couple of suspender buzzers on a short leader ( booby nymph style, really slow retrieve). Black nymph Tail : any black feather but if you can find one there is a type of black feather from a crow or raven or some such bird that looks black but if you twist it in the light it sort of flashes iridescent green ( sorry not explained very well but you will know when you see it) Body and thorax: A 50/50 mix of black seal fur or substitute and hairs fur including plenty of long guard hairs ( easier to harvest this from the body than the mask just don't include to much underfur). Rib : pearl mylar to suit hook size ( I tied them on 10 s 12 s and 14s ) Thorax cover : as for tail. Hope this gives some food for thought.
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