Latest news from Butterwell Farm Fishery on the River Camel.
As featured in Trout and Salmon magazine Fishing Reports.
1st August 2026:
July has proven challenging but rewarding, with low, clear water and warm daytime temperatures keeping fish firmly in the depths during daylight hours. temperatures have mercifully stayed between 16–18°C, and despite the difficult conditions, night fly-fishing has delivered consistent action.
The heat of the early part of the month saw fewer opportunities, but as temperatures dropped over the past week and a light rain fell, we’ve witnessed increased activity—fish have been jumping more regularly and the evening fishing has come alive.
Alan Dimmock landed a lovely 4lb sea-trout towards the end of his final session, while Rob and Ben Taylor both enjoyed success with peals during their stay. I managed a night out myself and was pleased to land a very fresh peal. Felix Griffin took a neat 2lb sea-trout, though Byron Griffin and Nick Phizackerley both had memorable encounters—Byron was agonizingly close to netting his first sea-trout before it threw the hook, and Nick lost a great fish early in his evening’s fishing.
With cooler nights establishing themselves and some rain finally touching the river, conditions are shifting in our favour. A few more inches of water would certainly encourage a stronger run, but all signs point to steady momentum into August. There are still large fish to be had on the Butterwell beats.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
1st July 2026:
June fishing at Butterwell has been challenging due to the heat and low water. The temperature of the water reached 20 degrees at times and fishing was curtailed. When conditions cooled we had quite a bit of action from large fish.
Two guests hooked large salmon on night fly but unfortunately both came unstuck after quite spectacular tussles. Sam Hamilton caught a very fresh Sea trout of 8lb on night fly and Rick Garrard caught a 5lb Sea trout also on night fly. Several guests also hooked smaller sea trout but they all seemed to throw the hook.
As I write we are seeing several large salmon and small groups of Sea trout entering the Butterwell beats on each tide and we are having some action each night, although a little extra water and cooler weather would probably help.
ssuming conditions don’t get too hot we should see the runs increasing over the next few weeks.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
1st June 2026:
Now into June, the River Camel at Butterwell is beginning to show more signs of seasonal activity. Water levels have remained low for much of the month, and the last week of May was very dry and warm. Clarity remains excellent, and the river continues to look in fine condition.
Encouragingly, the first signs of sea-trout activity are beginning to appear with a few decent fish being seen, along with a few mullet! We have also heard rumours of a good sized salmon elsewhere on the system, with expectations building for the weeks ahead. While catches on our stretch have remained limited so far, conditions are typical for early summer and we remain hopeful that some sustained rainfall will encourage fresh fish into the river.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
4th May 2026:
With the 2026 season now underway on the Camel, conditions at Butterwell have settled into a typically early-season pattern. River levels are currently low and, over the last week or so, the water has remained exceptionally clear. While it is still very early in the season, the river is looking in fine condition and we remain hopeful for the weeks ahead.
Encouragingly, small shoals of smolts have continued to be seen making their way downstream towards the estuary, always a welcome sight and a positive indication for the future health of the river. Although no sea-trout have yet been spotted on our stretch, a couple of mullet have already been seen moving through on the tide, reminding us that the river is beginning to wake up after the winter months.
Wildlife along the riverbank has been particularly active. Kingfishers are frequently being seen travelling up and down the river, adding a flash of colour to early morning and evening walks along the banks. Perhaps most notably, we now appear to have a resident beaver in the area, which is proving to be a real talking point locally and an interesting addition to the river environment.
The banks themselves are looking beautiful at present, with the bluebells now fully in bloom and adding plenty of spring colour around the valley. Preparations for the main sea-trout season continue, with a couple of fishing positions being readied this week ahead of what we hope will be the arrival of fresh fish later in the month.
Although catches have understandably been quiet so far, expectations remain positive as we move towards June and the traditional start of the main sea trout runs. With a little rain and rising water levels, we look forward to hopefully sighting the first sea trout of the season very soon.
Wishing everyone good fishing for the weeks ahead.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
6th April 2026:
By the time you are reading this report the season at Butterwell and on the Camel will be upon us. Water levels have now fallen to more normal levels after the very wet winter. The banks and pools came through their very severe test well! So we look set for good fishing conditions for the opening on 1 May. With its proximity to tidal influences, the advantage of the night fly fishing at Butterwell is that fresh fish are present even in the lowest of water. So absent a summer washout we get consistent sport throughout the summer. In recent years there have a few large sea-trout running in early May with some lucky anglers catching a real prize. So May is always worth a try. The main sea-trout runs will get going in June, peaking in late June, July and August. Salmon will also be present from May onwards, peaking in the Autumn and are an added bonus during the day if water levels rise above normal summer levels.
The Camel Bylaw covering fishing methods, hook sizes and catch and release restrictions, remains unchanged from 2025.
Shoals of smolts have been seen running to sea this spring reflecting the good juvenile survey results of recent years and no doubt a direct result of the all the great work from the volunteers of Bodmin and Wadbrige angling associations effort in clearing the spawning grounds every year. Let’s hope we see plenty of them retuning in the future.
Wishing you all good fishing in 2026.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
9th March 2026:
With fishing still closed until 1 May, attention at Butterwell remains on the river and the steady change of season along its banks. After the exceptionally wet start to the year, the past month has been slightly drier than the previous, allowing the Camel to begin settling after the heavy winter flows.
Earlier in the winter the river reached some of the highest levels seen in many years, even threatening the footbridge here at Butterwell. Since then conditions have moderated, and over the past week the river has been holding a very pleasing level. At the time of writing the water is running clear at roughly two feet above our usual summertime low.
Spring now feels as though it has properly arrived. Grass is beginning to grow again along the meadows and the first buds are appearing on the trees that line the river. After a long spell of grey weather we were also treated to a rare day of blue skies and sunshine last week — a welcome reminder that the new season is not too far away.
We have still not seen any final reports for the results of the 2025 Camel electro fishing juvenile surveys from West Country Rivers Trust and the Environment Agency. We have seen the results of their testing of each site in 2025. Trout numbers appear to be in good health, which is consistent with the good sea-trout runs we have been experiencing in recent seasons. On the salmon front, the survey sites were not focused on the areas which have historically been the main nursery areas for salmon. Testing in both 2024 and 2023 was more heavily focused on the main nursery areas and demonstrated reasonable densities of salmon in most of the 15-20 sites which have historically been good nursery areas. So the Camel salmon seem so be hanging in there in many parts of the catchment!
We have seen the results of the water quality surveys undertaken by the Environment Agency on the Camel over 2025. In general phosphate levels have been within target ranges set by Natural England with a few notable exceptions. It is noteworthy that there appears to have been no testing by the Environment Agency of the outflow from local water treatment works in 2025.
Hopefully the winter water has done the river good, flushing the gravels and refreshing the system after a long season. With a little more settled weather through the spring, we look forward to the river continuing to fine down ahead of the opening.
We look forward to welcoming anglers back when the 2026 season opens on 1 May.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
3rd February 2026:
With fishing closed until 1 May, attention at Butterwell has been on the river itself. The winter of 2026 has brought exceptionally heavy rainfall, producing some of the highest water levels on the Camel in the last 20 years. The river has been running very high and fast, causing damage in places — including a near-loss of the footbridge at Butterwell. These conditions remind us of the river’s power and the care needed around the banks.
While the high water is currently putting pressure on the banks and access points, it may still play a crucial role in supporting salmon spawning, flushing the river and creating good conditions for eggs and juvenile fish. We are hopeful that, despite the intensity of the flows, the salmon will find suitable areas to spawn successfully this season and the redds will not be washed out.
Preliminary results from the 2025 juvenile electrofishing surveys continue to show healthy trout densities, though salmon juveniles remain an area of concern. The river’s recovery over the next few months will be vital for the 2026 runs.
We look forward to welcoming anglers back when the 2026 season opens on 1 May, once the river has calmed and conditions are safer.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
12th January 2026:
With fishing at Butterwell and the Camel generally closed now till 1 May, it’s time to take stock of 2025. As I write Storm Goretti is ripping through Cornwall adding to the high water experienced at the end of the 2025 season. Having experienced very low water and high temperatures consistently during the season until October, we eventually got solid rains and some very cold weather at the turn of the year. In fact the water level reached a record 2.75 meters at the Dunmere counter on 15 December, covering the fields and flood plain at Butterwell. Let’s hope we have a successful spawning season.
The 2025 sea-trout season kicked off very early with a 7lb beauty caught by Sam Hamilton. Water levels then fell quickly in record hot weather, which persisted throughout the summer and into the autumn. The sea trout nevertheless ran consistently from late June and we finished the season with 66 sea trout in the book. Fairly consistent with 2024, and a testament to the resilience of night fly fishing at Butterwell in drought conditions. There were a lot of fish in the 2-3lb range and a few to 5lb. We had quite a few first time night fishers, most catching their first Butterwell sea-trout on night fly. Unfortunately a sizeable number of very large fish, seen on daily beat walks, passed by unhindered and will hopefully be heading back to the salt by now.
Salmon fishing was very light from September onwards, partly because of the drought, which went into late September. Those that fished generally had some action and five Salmon were caught from late September to the end of October. The tail end of the season was washed out by the storms. A lot of salmon were seen by those on the river and I have no doubt more salmon would have been caught with more fishing effort.
We have just received the preliminary results of the 2025 Juvenile electro fishing surveys. At cursory glance, the trout densities continue to be good but the salmon continue to be a worry. We hope to have more detail next month.
We are still awaiting the results of the EA’s water quality surveys.
Anglers also enjoyed seeing the diverse nature of Butterwell, including our resident otters as well as visiting ospreys. There has also been evidence of beaver activity on the Camel below Butterwell.
Wishing all out guests good fishing in 2026.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
16th November 2025:
November has delivered a mixed bag of weather on the River Camel. Several bands of heavy rain pushed the river up sharply at times, bringing with them heavily coloured water and challenging conditions. These spates were punctuated by drier spells, allowing levels to drop back and providing short windows of excellent salmon fishing water.
Falling leaf has caused frustration, though the worst now seems past with most of the foliage down. Angling pressure has been very light once again, with only a few rods venturing out through the month. Although no salmon were landed, those who did fish reported seeing and moving fresh fish throughout the Butterwell beat — encouraging signs as we move deeper into the late season.
At the time of writing, the river is running high following recent rainfall, but with a couple of dry days forecast the levels should fine down into prime order over the coming week. With fresh fish still showing and the Camel remaining open for salmon until 15th December, there is every chance of a late-season silver reward for those able to take advantage of the improving conditions.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
17th October 2025:
The River Camel held a little extra water for a few days following the rainfall mentioned in last month’s report, but levels soon dropped back. With little to no further rain, the river has spent most of the past few weeks running low and clear.
Angling pressure has been light, with just a handful of rods throughout the last 5 weeks, though those who ventured onto the water have been rewarded. Four salmon and a sea-trout were caught during the month. Early on, Phil Templeton landed a small sea-trout in daylight, and the following day added a fine 26-inch cock salmon. As the river fined down further, Chris Jefford enjoyed a productive week towards the end of September taking three salmon the largest being 8–9lb. As the last of the colour dropped out at the end of the month several fresh, larger sea-trout were spotted moving through the Butterwell pools.
At the time of writing, the river remains low and clear, with a little more rain in the forecast. A good spate would be very welcome to bring in the next run of salmon. Temperatures remain mild and the trees still hold plenty of leaf, but whispers among anglers suggest hope for a stronger winter run of fish this year.
With the Camel open for salmon until 15th December, there’s still ample time for fresh silver fish to appear and for rods to make the most of the late season opportunities ahead.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
18th September 2025:
Butterwell Remembers Tyson Jackson
It is with great sadness that all of us at Butterwell mark the passing of Tyson Jackson.
Tyson owned Butterwell for more than 30 years, until his retirement in 2014, and played a central role in shaping it into the place it is today. His deep passion for nature—especially for the River Camel’s sea-trout and salmon—left a lasting mark on countless conservationists and fly fishers. His dedication and love for the river will never be forgotten.
We will always be grateful for the legacy Tyson left at Butterwell, and for the inspiration he gave to so many.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to Tyson’s family and friends.
———————–
The past few weeks here at Butterwell have brought a welcome change to conditions here on the River Camel. After a long spell of low water, the weather has turned more unsettled, giving us some much-needed lifts in the river. A few heavy freshets coloured things up, but once the water cleared, we were treated to some ideal conditions for daytime fishing.
The tail end of August still produced a bit of classic night sport, with Rob Fidgen managing a couple of sea-trout on the fly in the dark. Overall, angling pressure hasn’t been particularly high this past month, but those who have made the effort to get out have often been rewarded with action.
Salmon have been showing themselves more readily—several have been seen jumping and a few moved to the fly as well. We’re pleased to report that Michael Lochland landed the first salmon of the season from the Butterwell beats, a fine start to what we hope will be a productive autumn run.
At the time of writing, the river is sitting in perfect ply and with word of fish being caught and seen elsewhere in the river system spirits are high. With fresh fish moving and the water looking just right, there’s plenty to look forward to on the rods in the weeks ahead.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
21st August 2025:
Over the past month, water levels at Butterwell have remained low due to extremely little rainfall, giving our stretch of the river classic summer low water conditions. Fortunately, the River Camel’s water temperatures have stayed cooler than those of many other rivers in the South West, which has allowed fishing to continue throughout this dry spell.
We’ve continued to see fish running since late July, right through to the time of writing in mid/late August. Sea-trout (peal) are still being caught, and encouragingly, a good number of larger sea-trout have been spotted holding in the Butterwell pools—though they’ve proven elusive so far.
Several anglers, both residents and day guests, have had near-misses with these larger fish. Wayne Heard had a dramatic encounter, losing a 5lb sea-trout after it threw the hook mid-leap—missing him by barely a foot as it soared from the river! Peter Cherry was also left haunted by a substantial fish that broke him off at the leader, although he did go on to land a surprisingly large brown trout—often referred to as a “slob trout.” Dr Johann McGavin staying in one of our cottages was rewarded with his first sea-trout and 2 brown trout on his first nights fishing here.
It’s been an exciting month of action on the water, but frustratingly, the biggest fish have managed to evade the net every time.
We’ve also seen more grey mullet than ever before in our stretch of the Camel. With the continued low water and slightly elevated temperatures, these fish appear to be venturing further upstream to feed on algae. Last week, I also had the pleasure of spotting a salmon grilse in the 7–8lb range.
To date, we’ve recorded 62 sea-trout in the catch return, and with just over 10 days left in the official sea-trout season, we’re hopeful of a few more exciting encounters before shifting to daytime salmon fishing.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
24th July 2025:
Good numbers of fresh sea-trout ran the last spring tides in late June and the first spring tides in July at Butterwell. The water has been low but kept stable by patches of drizzle and light rain. Some very large fish, some in double figures, were seen on daily beat walks but have so far eluded capture. The fish have run fast upstream, perhaps a sign that the numbers are lower than 2024, with a lot of reports of sightings and catches upstream. Butterwell has had plenty of visiting anglers with some having their first go at night fly. Overall we had 46 sea-trout in the book for the month to mid-July, the best 5lb and a good number of larger peal in the 2-3lb range. Mike Hogben caught a good sea-trout of 2.5lb and his daughter Maddie landed her first Butterwell sea-trout. Harvey Osborne made his first visit to Butterwell and caught 6 for his week, largest 3lb. Tig(James) Thorp and Ben Few Brown both had a brace for their first experience of night fly fishing, largest 2.75 lb. Toby Humphreys caught three on his second visit, best 2.5lb. William Ramsay made a visit after a few years absence and caught 3, best 2.75 lb. Other successful anglers included regular rods Alan Dimmock, Sam Hamilton, Wayne Heard and Rick Garrard. Phil Templeton also caught 2 sea trout on his first visit and also made use of the recently laddered wooded section of Butterwell, below the main night fly fishing beats, to catch brown trout during the day on upstream dry fly and nymphs.
It’s been encouraging to see fresh sea-trout consistently running in such low water with the heatwaves we have experienced across the UK. There have also been some fresh salmon sneaking through and reports of catches upstream earlier in June after a bit of extra water. As I write the weather is looking more unsettled and we expect there will be the first substantial lift in water after the extended dry period. This should continue to bring fresh sea-trout and salmon into the system. We do have quite a few bookings for night time sea-trout fishing but there are still spaces.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
26th June 2025:
It’s been a frustrating few weeks here on the Camel at Butterwell. Two significant rises in water levels over the past month have stirred things up, with fish moving through quickly during both spates. A handful of anglers have put in the time and effort on the water, and while a few fish have been hooked, none have made it to the net. There’s been no shortage of activity though — fish have been seen and heard jumping, keeping hopes high.
Upstream reports have been more encouraging, with a couple of cracking sea-trout and a decent-sized salmon caught during the last rise. That news sparked some concern that a good number of fish may have already pushed past us, but after speaking with fellow anglers, I’m holding out hope that the main sea-trout run is still to come as fish normally start to run in numbers on the last spring tide in June.
Conditions are lining up, with low water favouring Butterwell, and spirits remain high as we look ahead to July — fingers crossed it brings the sport we’ve all been waiting for!
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
29th May 2025:
The Butterwell season opened on 1 May. It is usually well into June before the sea trout start to run in any number. There are always a few larger fish running early, which are typically difficult to intercept. We have spotted a few large early fish sneaking through in low water and for the second year we had a good first week sea trout. The lucky angler spotted the fish on a daily beat walk and was rewarded with a very fresh 7lb sea trout on night fly. We hope this is a sign of things to come. Although water levels are low
we are now seeing small lifts in water. Ideal conditions at Butterwell.
The 2024 Camel electro fishing juvenile surveys turned out to be fairly consistent with recent years when fully analysed. A relatively low number of sites were tested, mainly by West Country Rivers Trust. Relatively few sites on the upper main river Camel were tested, which is where Salmon densities tend to be consistently good. So unsurprisingly the raw count was poor for salmon, but hardly any difference when compared to past testing of the sites actually tested in 2024. Trout numbers continue to be good in most areas.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
20th December 2024:
Another fishing season has come to an end at Butterwell Farm. The last month was pretty well washed out by very heavy water but overall, it has been an encouraging season for the sea-trout. We had just under seventy sea-trout caught and returned. All these were on night fly. The run started in early June as usual and provided fresh fish most days till the end of August. We lacked a few of the really big specimens this year but made up for this with many good fish to 5lb, which were spread around a good number of visiting anglers. Stoats tail variants proved to be most popular flies as usual but there was quite a bit of interest shown in surface lures. The salmon season started with the lowest water of the season in September but as soon as we had some freshwater anglers started catching. We had fewer salmon anglers this year but most who visited managed to move a fish or two. Six salmon were caught and returned. The best being a 14lb hen by Chris Jefford.
Regulations & Salmon Stocks
As expected, we have just heard that the Camel Bylaw has been extended for another five-year period. The restrictions on fishing methods and fish retention remain as they were, representing a big conservation effort by the angling fraternity. We are waiting for the juvenile survey results for 2024, but we hear on the grapevine that trout results are much the same as recent years and remain in a healthy state. We have much greater concern for salmon stocks, which are under huge pressure across England and Wales, and have been at risk on the Camel for several years. Regular water testing, which was established after much lobbying, consistently shows water quality to be of the greatest concern for the future of our migratory fish. It seems high time that the treatment of discharges from waterworks start to reverse the declining water quality on the Camel.
A big thank you to all our visiting anglers in 2024 and tight lines in 2025!
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or info@butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
18th November 2024:
Butterwell has had a fairly dry October and early November after the rains in late September and is now running very clear at 30cm on the gauge. A good fishing height for Summer sea-trout. Unfortunately not for salmon, although at Butterwell fresh salmon often sneak into the stretch on low water in the Autumn.
High pressure in the North Atlantic has been blocking the fronts which have been such an Autumn feature at Butterwell in recent years, when there has often been too much water. Butterwell has been lightly fished during the period but those who have fished have generally had some action. Chris Jefford had a successful visit, landing a brace of hen fish of 14lb and a very bright 7lb from Burrows and Oak Tree. He also lost another fish. Andy Norton also landed a 8lb hen from Burrows. Hugh Taylor turned a couple of salmon but unfortunately they didn’t stick.
The first frost arrived a couple of days ago and the forecast suggests colder weather is on the way.
Visitors were recently treated to a great spectacle of an osprey diving low over Butterwell taking great interest in resident salmon and sea-trout. Fortunately it was soon on its way South.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or email info@butterwellfarm.com. www.butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
25th September 2024:
We now near the end of September here on the Butterwell stretch of the River Camel. The sea-trout run seems to be dwindling with the cooler temperatures. We have seen one or two fresh fish daily over the last few weeks, but fishing for them has been tricky. Over the weekend, with the warmer temperatures, we have noticed large numbers of peel in the river below the Butterwell beats, which suggests there will be good spawning for trout this year. This week could be the last good night fishing until next year. We end the sea-trout season at time of writing with just under seventy sea-trout in the catch record, the largest being 5lb.
Two salmon have been caught and returned in the latter half of the month by Mike Laughlin and Jake Dodge, of 6.5lb and 9lb respectively, and a close encounter with a third fish that managed to evade capture. This brings optimism that this could be a better year for the salmon fishing. The river has just dropped back down after heavy rainfall over the weekend brought it up approximately two foot.
Given the forecast it seems we got a lot less rain than predicted, but hopefully enough to entice some salmon into the system.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or email info@butterwellfarm.com. www.butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
26th August 2024:
We are now coming to the end of our sea-trout season here at Butterwell, August is the last official month of purely night fly-fishing for sea-trout, before we switch to daytime fishing targeting salmon.
We often encourage rods to try for both during the earlier September days if the run of sea-trout appears to still be strong, so the night fly-fishing does sometimes continues into September for a few weeks. The last month here has been steady and consistent, with mostly settled warm weather, the river has remained clear and low giving anglers near perfect conditions. Another 30 sea-trout in the book this month, with a fair number of “the one that got away” too!
Successful anglers include Mark Pennington, Trevor Hatt, Andy Hawkins, Will Miller, Andrew Kennedy, Ian Armstrong, Scott Tomkinson and Steve Brown who had 3 good fish all 2.5-3.5lb in one evening.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or email info@butterwellfarm.com. www.butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
29th July 2024:
The night fly fishing at Butterwell continued into late June and most of July much as reported in June. There has been a good run of sea-trout on the Camel this year and when conditions have been settled anglers have caught steadily.
We now have over 40 fish in the book the best being 5lb and a good number of 2lb plus fish. A fair number of sea-trout have also been hooked and lost by other visiting anglers.
In July Mike Hogben managed 3 for his visit and Sam Jones had a brace including a fish of 3lb and some near misses with much larger fish. Sam Hamilton also had several fish of 3lb and Rick Garrard had several to 5lb. All caught on night fly using stoats tail variants and all fish returned.
Sport has been interrupted by rain at times during July, causing colouration and keeping fish on the move, but conditions seem to be settling nicely as I write and should give good sport until the end of August.
There are still rods available for night fly until the 31 August and daytime salmon fishing from 1 September.
To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or email info@butterwellfarm.com. www.butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
5th July 2024:
After an early sea-trout of 3lb on night fly at the season’s opening in early May, Butterwell wasn’t fished again until well into June. During this time, with no appreciable rain, the Camel dropped to quite low water, but still cool, clear and a decent flow. Sea-trout started to be seen in small numbers from mid-June, including some fish in the 8lb range. The fish were moving through quite quickly in small groups.
After a few near misses we finally started catching steadily in the last week of June. So far, we have 30 sea-trout in the book with the best 5lb and so far it’s shaping up to be a good year for Camel sea-trout. There were some schoolies in the catches along with roughly half over the 2lb mark.
As we move into mid-July it looks like the normal pattern of large runs of school fish with fewer larger fish is prevailing.
Successful anglers include Toby Humphreys who managed two sea-trout and several near misses on his first go at night fly, including a good fish of 3lb. Sam Hamilton has also had fish of 3lb and 2lb and Rick Garrard had several to 5lb. All caught on night fly using stoats tail variants and all fish returned. There have also been a number of salmon running through earlier in June, which were not fished at Butterwell, and reports of some catches further up the Camel.
As I write the first wet spell for over a month is upon us and the river is rising and colouring. It will be interesting to see how many salmon have been waiting patiently in the estuary and just how strong the sea-trout run is this year.
There are a lot of spare rods available for the rest of the sea-trout season, which finishes on 31 August, when our attention turns to salmon.
We continue to have monthly testing of the river water quality by the EA on the Camel at Butterwell and the results remain reasonably encouraging.
To book fishing and accommodation in 2024 call Sam on 07766224258 or email info@butterwellfarm.com. www.butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
4th June 2024:
The season got underway at Butterwell Farm on 1 May being the voluntary delayed opening date from the official Camel opening date of 1 April. Usually we don’t see any fishermen or migratory fish until early June. However due to the lack of success on the River Fowey one visiting angler tried for an early sea trout at night and was rewarded with a fresh fish of 3lb on a stoats tail variant from Drogue. Under the current Camel Bylaw the fish was carefully returned. The water is now gradually falling to good fishing conditions as we enter the main sea trout night fly fishing period and the fishery is in good order. So fingers are crossed for a good season.
As anticipated in our last report, the EA have proposed an extension of the current River Camel Salmon and Sea trout Protection Bylaw for a further 5 years from 3 October 2024, with a formal review after 3 years. Objections are being requested by 24 June. The proposed Bylaw has identical restrictions to the existing Bylaw; full catch and release of salmon and large sea trout (50cm/3lb) and bag limits for smaller sea trout, bait restrictions, and maximum hook types and sizes. The EA’s proposals are supported by a detailed Technical Case which includes summaries of the results of recent and historic electro fishing juvenile surveys. In general these show healthy and stable trout numbers but the UK wide pattern of declining salmon numbers in many areas of the Camel, but particularly the Allen and Ruthern tributaries. The reduced but still substantial presence of juvenile salmon and sustained trout juvenile numbers has undoubtedly been assisted by the fishing restrictions and the considerable improvements in habitat and fish passage undertaken by the local fishing associations (BAA & WAA) and West Country Rivers Trust, together with the water quality and agricultural monitoring, in consultation with the EA and NE. The fact all these local measures have not reversed the plight of our salmon points strongly to the main problems for our returning migratory fish being at sea. A conclusion which is becoming almost universal in the UK and raises the question of what other steps should be considered to support the survival of the salmon?
To book fishing and accommodation in 2024 call Sam on 07766224258 or email info@butterwellfarm.com. www.butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
4th May 2024:
The Camel season has officially commenced this month, and with slightly more settled weather recently than the last 8 months and the river holding a lower level than it has for a substantial time we’re feeling hopeful that the dryer weather will continue and result in a fruitful sea-trout season for us here at Butterwell.
It’s still very early days as things don’t really get going until towards the end of May, having said that I optimistically will have a cast on the first day of the season every year, partly as a celebration of the start, but also hopeful of that early monster fish. I’ve had a few casts so far, but only managed to intecept a couple of very small brown trout. The river is looking fantastic at the time of writing (5th May), 1ft up from our summer low level and running clear, the leaves are nearly all out, and the greens are at their most vivid.
No sign of any sea-trout yet, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything, the multi sea run fish are masters of evasion and will slip through before the main runs.
To book fishing and accommodation in 2024 call Sam on 07766224258 or email info@butterwellfarm.com. www.butterwellfarm.com | Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam | Facebook: butterwellfarm
4th April 2024:
By the time you read this report the 2024 fishing season will be upon us at Butterwell Farm. The Camel opens on the 1 May but we don’t expect much fishing activity until early June. By then the first runs of larger sea trout will be heading in and usually make their presence felt in the second half of the month, followed by the smaller fish in July and August. As usual in a wet spring, we can expect a few salmon to be in the Butterwell pools from late May and are worth a shot by day before we go into full night fly fishing mode. I don’t have to tell anyone it’s been the wettest six month period we have experienced in our time at Butterwell, starting in mid-September and there hasn’t been low water since! As I write the river is high and rain still comes down with Storm Kathleen threatening the UK this weekend. The good news is there doesn’t seem to be any serious damage to the fishery and we are hoping the river might settle down enough for someone to have an early cast in May. Although the weather is always impossible to predict we can hope this season will be less wet as the impact of El Nino comes to an end. The 2023 electro fishing surveys were a little down on recent years but overall the juvenile numbers are holding up well given the problems we now know their parents face a sea. Considerable efforts have been made by the Angling Associations, West Country Rivers Trust and EA to improve the habitat for migratory fish on the Camel. Regular independent monitoring of water quality is also now being undertaken. This indicates the authorities were wise to stop all phosphate enriching agricultural and construction activity in the Camel catchment, before the Camel faced the industrial scale problems of many other UK rivers. The Camel Bylaw is due to expire later this year but we expect similar levels of restrictions to continue. These measures, while sufficient to ensure anglers do not exacerbate the plight of our migratory fish, do not address the critical issue of sea mortality, which indisputably needs to be tackled by either direct measures internationally or compensatory intervention measures at local level, to secure the survival of our migratory fish species. We look forward to seeing all our visiting guests this season and wish you all good fishing in 2024. To book fishing and accommodation call Sam on 07766224258 or email info@butterwellfarm.com. Instagram: @butterwellfarm & @butterwell_sam
15th December 2023:
Well that’s the end of another season at Butterwell and probably our most challenging to date! The night fly sea-trout fishing started slowly with very low water and was then almost wiped out from mid-July with persistent coloured water until the end of August. So a total of 24 sea-trout was very disappointing. Equally disappointing was the lack of large specimens. The largest sea-trout at 2lb 8oz caught by Sam. Obviously we can speculate that the conditions and lack of rods played a big part and hopefully 2024 will be more normal. Just when rain was needed, as we switch to salmon fishing on September 1, we were hit by a drought and very low water. When the weather broke in mid-September conditions were favourable until mid-October. Anglers managed six salmon with the largest being a brace of 10lb fish caught by Chris Jefford and Peter Ayton. There is little doubt from the observations of our guests that the Camel had a better head of salmon than in recent years. As I write the river is charging through bank high, as it has been since storm Babet in mid-October, effectively bringing to an end the salmon fishing somewhat prematurely. Butterwell has fared much better than many rivers, with Kiran at the beginning of November, causing little damage to the watercourse and surrounding habitat. We just have to hope the persistent high water will not wash out too many redds in the upper river, tributaries and leats.
We were very pleased to complete the renovation of Cobnuts Stable in August. With two separate double/twin bedrooms, in addition to the original bedroom/lounge, the property is ideal for small groups of anglers who don’t want to take one of our larger properties.
Looking ahead to 2024, we can expect the first runs of sea-trout to start in June with the larger fish making an early appearance followed by smaller fish throughout the summer. We are hoping conditions will be better for our night fly anglers in 2024. With reasonable flows we can also expect salmon to occupy the Butterwell pools from June to add to the sport by day in high water and then build up for the commencement of daytime salmon fishing from 1 September.
By the time the Camel season starts on 1 May we will hopefully have news of the 2023 juvenile surveys and the EA’s plans for safeguarding the future of Camel salmon and sea-trout going forward, including an update on water quality measures for the Camel catchment.
We would like to thank all the anglers who visited Butterwell in 2023, and wish you all a very merry Christmas and tight lines for 2024!
To book fishing and/or accommodation in 2024 please call Sam on 07766 224 258 or email info@butterwellfarm.com
18th November 2023:
After relatively good conditions to mid-October and some reasonable results at Butterwell the deluge predicted in the last report materialised in the form of Storm Kiran at the beginning of November and has been followed by several other deep depressions bringing rain and floods to Cornwall. The conditions have been far from ideal for most of the Butterwell fishing but this did provide the opportunity to fish areas which are more fishable in high water. Peter Ayton managed to land a nice 10lb hen fish from his persistence in the wooded area. Several other bright looking salmon and lots of sea trout have been seen running late but have been on the move due to conditions. As I write the river is nearly bank high and coloured but there is some hope in the forecast for the final month of the season to 15 December that the South may get dryer conditions which will enable the river to settle to a good fishable height and provide a good opportunity in what undoubtedly has been a year with better numbers of salmon in the Camel. Rods are still available all the way to 15th December. To book fishing and/or accommodation this year or in 2024 please call Sam on 07766 224 258 or email info@butterwellfarm.com
19th October 2023:
After the slow start to salmon fishing at Butterwell Farm in September the dry conditions were replaced by good water heights for the latter half of September and the first half of October. Visiting anglers were a little thin on the ground but had success. Mike Laughlin managed another salmon of 8lb, the second of his visit. Chris Jefford also had a brace for his visit, the largest a fresh hen fish of 10lb. Finally Jake Dodge had a hen of 5lb. As I write in mid-October the river is about to get another dousing from Storm Babet so we can expect conditions to remain favourable. Rods are still available all the way to 15th December. To book fishing and/or accommodation call Sam on 07766 224 258 or email info@butterwellfarm.com
22nd September 2023:
Butterwell Salmon fishing got off to a slow start with the start of September coinciding with the driest two week spell of the entire summer. So a very difficult time for Sea Trout in high water and then finally settled conditions when we switched to Salmon fishing by day on the 1st September. When the weather broke in mid-September Salmon began to run and a fresh cock fish of 5lb was taken in the Denbys by Mike Laughlin and others were seen. As I write the Camel is now in good order and we are hopeful for some more action. Rods are still available all the way to 15th December.
