Despite a long summer of extreme heat and no rain, Endsleigh’s first salmon was a magnificent 16lb fish caught on a No 10 red Ally Shrimp by a member’s son at Underhill on Beat 5. Sea trout were caught regularly throughout the season including one of four pounds at Bush. Although the river height was always low, the Tamar never looked more beautiful and the visibility was excellent until September. Then the rain arrived and coloured the water for the rest of the season, but the fish remained and the final total caught was twelve salmon with countless stories of ‘the one that got away.’ John Dennis, the river keeper, made sure that in spite of the low water all visitors fished hopefully on every beat. Barbecues were the flavour of the summer and happy memories of idyllic days remain with us all.
Memoirs of a first salmon
After years of practice at Endsleigh, Ed Woolley struck lucky at the very end of the 2025 season. Here he recalls that exhilarating moment........