HOW THE FISHERY BEGAN - COARSE FISHING AND TACKLE SHOP - MILEMEAD FISHERIES - TAVISTOCK

Mill Hill Tavistock West Devon PL19 8NP
Angling Enquiries ~ Contact Harry ~ Tel / Fax : 01822 610888

Stock Enquiries ~ Contact Andrew or Paul ~ Tel / Fax 01822 618788

VARIOUS PLANNING PERMISSIONS WERE APPROVED AND IN JULY 1987 THEY BOUGHT THEIR FIRST DIGGER, A STONE TRACK WAS LAID AND THEN A FEW SMALL PONDS WERE DUG OUT TO FARM TROUT IN AND A START
WAS MADE ON THE CARP LAKE.
DIGGING WAS SLOW AND DONE AT EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS AS BOTH ANDREW AND PAUL HAD TO WORK FULL TIME ELSEWHERE TO PAY THEIR MONTHLY BANK LOAN ON THE LAND.

PAUL BROUGHT FISH HUSBANDRY EXPERIENCE TO THE FISHERY THROUGH A ONE YEAR DIPLOMA COURSE AT SPARSHOLT COLLEGE, HAMPSHIRE
AND SEVERAL YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING AT
ROADWATER FISHERY, SOMERSET.
PAUL IN TURN PASSED THIS VALUABLE KNOWLEDGE ON TO ANDREW.

HOW A DREAM BECAME A REALITY

MILEMEAD FISHERIES IS OWNED AND RUN BY BROTHERS
ANDREW AND PAUL EVENDEN AND HAS BEEN BOUGHT AND BUILT UP FROM SCRATCH BY THEM WHICH IS NO MEAN FEAT WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT WHEN THEY STARTED THEIR DREAM IN 1986 THEY WERE JUST 22 AND 18 YEARS OLD.

ANDREW AND PAUL BOTH STARTED THEIR PASSION FOR FISHING AT A YOUNG AGE ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER TAVY. THEY REGULARLY FLY FISHED ON DARTMOOR AT FERNWORTHY AND KENNICK RESERVOIRS
PLUS MANY OTHER PRIVATELY OWNED LAKES.

SOON REALIZING THAT A LOT OF THESE PRIVATE WATERS WEREN’T VERY GOOD AND FEELING THAT THEY COULD DO BETTER THEMSELVES,
ANDREW AND PAUL SET ABOUT TRYING TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN TROUT FARM AND FISHERY WITH A FIRM EMPHASIZE ON TOP QUALITY FISH.

THE START OF THEIR DREAM BECAME A REALITY WHEN IN NOVEMBER 1986 THE 22 ACRES OF VERY ROUGH GRAZING AND MARSH LAND KNOWN AS MILEMEAD CAME UP FOR AUCTION. THE PAIR DULY GOT TOGETHER ENOUGH MONEY FOR A DEPOSIT AND SUCCESSFULLY BID FOR THE LAND.

THEIR DREAM HAD STARTED BUT YEARS OF HARD WORK LAY AHEAD........

BY AUGUST 1991 ANDREW WAS WORKING FULL TIME AT THE FISHERY FOLLOWED A FEW MONTHS LATER BY PAUL.

WORK CONTINUED IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE FISHERY, MORE EXCAVATION TO BUILD TROUT STOCK PONDS TOGETHER WITH THE LAYING OF LARGE QUANTITIES OF BLOCKS, CONCRETE AND PIPE WORK IN ORDER TO ENSURE A CONTINUAL RUNNING WATER SOURCE TO THEIR TROUT.

FROM EARLY ON THEY ATTAINED AN EXCELLENT REPUTATION FOR THEIR TOP QUALITY TROUT, AND PRODUCE UP TO 20 TONS OF RAINBOW, BLUE AND BROWN TROUT EVERY YEAR WHICH ARE SOLD TO RESTOCK RESERVOIRS, FISHERIES, LAKES AND PONDS THROUGHOUT DEVON AND CORNWALL.

MOST OF THE FISHERY HAS BEEN HAND PLANTED BY ANDREW, PAUL AND VARIOUS MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILY EVERYTHING FROM REEDS TO TREES RESULTING IN THE ATTRACTIVE MATURE SITE THAT YOU SEE TODAY.

THE FISHERY IS A CONSTANT WORK IN PROGRESS, OVER THE YEARS THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO TRY AND IMPROVE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE FISHERY AS AND WHEN TIME, MONEY AND WEATHER ALLOWED, EXTENDING THE FISHERY WATERS WITH THE SMALLER CANAL STRETCH AND A 2 ACRE COARSE STOCK LAKE, THAT WENT ON TO BECOME THE TROUT LAKE AND HAS LATTERLY
BEEN RE-OPENED AS THE SPECIMEN CARP LAKE

THEIR LATEST ACHIEVEMENT BEING THE BUILDING OF A NEW TACKLE SHOP AND TOILETS OF WHICH THEY ARE EXTREMELY PROUD.

EVEN NOW 21 YEARS ON THE FISHERY IS STILL EVOLVING
AND ANDREW AND PAUL STILL PRIDE THEMSELVES ON THE QUALITY OF
BOTH THEIR TROUT AND COARSE FISH AND ON THE HAPPY RELAXED ATMOSPHERE THAT THEIR FISHERY PROVIDES.