I have always had a love of Cornwall enjoying many holidays to the county over the years and have recently returned from a very enjoyable week staying at Mixtow near Fowey.
The house we stayed in had a rich history the author Kenneth Graham once stayed within and was inspired to write his classic children’s book “The Wind In the Willows”. Pauline and I hired a boat and enjoyed several excursions out onto the river.
We were fortunate to have a pontoon on the river where I was able to fish for grey mullet. We shared the pontoon with a good natured angler called Tim who also had a passion mullet. Tim was fishing with a twenty-foot match rod and told me that he could only catch mullet fishing within inches of the riverbed. Listening to this I set up with quiver tip rod and fished bread flake on the bottom. My first session saw the rod tip rattle but I failed to connect.
Early next morning I set up with my standard float fishing gear and introduced a few handfuls of ground up bread. Several mullet were present and I was hopeful of success. Tim came down to jetty to launch his boat and while we chatted I landed a brace of mullet the best close to 3lb.
The early morning sessions were a joy with the river calm and still and the cooing of doves reverberating through the valley.
Fowey and the surrounding area have a rich angling history and I was fascinated to be staying opposite the China Clay Jetties were previous generations of anglers had enjoyed success with large conger. Whenever I visit Cornwall I take along my old copy of Sea Fishing In Cornwall by Hugh Stoker.These fascinating angling guides are excellent reads giving glimpses of fishing history and also illustrating how times have changed.
I addition to the Fowey estuary we were also close to some spectacular rock rocks where I had a few casts for wrasse using soft plastics. On my second cast I had one lure bitten clean in half but failed to actually hook the fish.
A return visit will need to be made as there is so much fishing potential around this beautiful Cornish coastline.
