Celebrating Burrator - Fly Fishers take a Stand

Peter, Linda and Mrs. McCoy on the Stand

On Sunday 6th July the South West Lakes Trust held a Burrator 'Celebration Day' at the lake. It was intended to mark in style the official opening of the Iron Store (the big green corrugated building) as the centre of Burrator's conservation, industrial archeology and educational activities. This project, which is now fully operational, has been brought about with help from Lottery funding and the tireless efforts of SWLT staff and volunteers. The day certainly succeeded in its aim of setting the project off in a positive way, because there were hundreds of people in attendance, there was lots to see, from traditional crafts, music and dance, ponies, boat rides and orienteering, to say nothing our own modest contribution.  There was also lots to eat and drink.

The atmosphere was really positive and fun. We were very pleased to be invited to put on a Burrator Fly Fishers' Stand within the large Marquee that housed almost all of the invited activity and conservation groups. Additionally we were asked to put on a couple of demonstration/taster sessions for those visitors who might be interested in fly fishing. This we did. They were done by Peter Macconnell between 12.00 and 1.00pm and by Mark Clark between 2.00 and 3.30pm.

Below the Lodge - Peter demonstrating casting, and catching! 

The Stand was very well attended. Some visitors had fly fished before, some had done other kinds of fishing and some were keen to know how to start from scratch. All were a real pleasure to deal with. Peter, to his own shock and embarrassment, managed to hook three rainbow trout (and actually land two of them - without a net or waders) while really doing nothing other than demonstrate the basics of fly casting to complete novices who gasped 'Is it always that easy?! They were assured that it wasn't.

Two 'accidental' fish - note the shoes!

At the end of the day we had given away almost all the club leaflets and application forms we had taken and had had many interesting, amusing and useful conversations with people of all sorts, whether interested in angling or not. I think we made some new and potentially useful friends and tried our best to show the club in a positive light. I think we suceeded.

Many thanks to Linda James, Tony and Mrs. McCoy and Mark Clark for giving their time so generously to represent us, and to Emily Cannon and Rosie Vine from SWLT who did so much to make it a really excellent day.

Where is Linda? - taking the picture

Thanks to James Bird, Emily Cannon and Linda James for the photographs.