The Bottom Line

There's a certain mystique about fishing a real "bottomless pit" of a lake. Temple Trout Fishery is a breed apart in this respect; whilst some fisheries are sneeringly referred to as "puddles" and as shallow as Peter Andre, Temple is a beautiful chasm of a place. The pools here are centuries old ex china clay workings, plunging a spectacular descent into Bodmin Moor. The "no wading" signs are no laughing matter when you consider that the depth quickly reaches 20ft, as much as 40ft further out. And in the chill of winter may the Lord have mercy on any fly flinger who forgot to bring a sinking line.
The fishing itself was refreshingly challenging, presenting small lures at great depth to persuade the trout to grab hold. Indeed, it was only after counting to twenty with a fast sink line that the first plucks ensued. The cliches state that fish fight better in shallow water, but I'm not so sure. After doing more countdowns than Carol Vorderman, I finally got a proper wallop on the line, as delicate as a cricket bat to the face. No gentle ceremony for the residents of this Temple then.

It was bright offerings the fish wanted, and with the morning slow in these peaty waters I also resorted to adding a blob on a dropper- a bright attractor proving a nice catalyst for some violence in the depths.
There's an irresitable draw to this fishery, which has a grand setting and a good deal more "soul" than some of the tamer places. The sensation of a sudden presence on the line and something thumping way, way down below is quite magical. My father also enjoyed a testing but satisfying day- we got our kicks with a few on the main lake before some catch and release antics on the "shallow" upper lake, which is a mere 20ft or so!

Otherwise, my other angling exploits have been only semi successful. No further big perch and prebaiting efforts for the pike resulted in only one very well fed looking seven pounder- but hopefully something a little bigger and more sinister is come!