EXCLUSIVE STORY: THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY CATCH IN GAME-FISHING

WIN H A R DY I A
PED THE VOICE OF GAME-FISHING SINCE 1955
CA S CA R E E L S
L M O N
SA
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WORT

THE BEAST
TUSSLE
OF BODMIN ON THE
Big brownies on a
stunning moorland
reservoir on the famous
Cathedral Stream

“Fishing for
salmon is
bonkers”
Interview with TV's
Matthew Wright

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E DI T OR ’ S L ET T E R
Another
talking shop
Andrew Flitcroft reports on
Scottish Government’s latest attempt
to protect polluting fish farmers
I
N THE MAY ISSUE I WAS PLEASED TO
report – at long last – progress in the perennial
“salmon farming debacle”. Politicians were starting
to “get it”, that salmon farming is far from a shining
beacon of excellence. The Scottish Parliament’s
Environment Committee had just issued a truly
damning report, unanimously signed off by MSPs from all
parties, on the industry’s environmental impact and record.
This report concluded the industry is largely incapable of
addressing sea-lice and disease, that if current issues are not
addressed, then any expansion will be unsustainable and
may cause irrecoverable damage, that “the status quo is not
an option”, that farms should be relocated away from wild
fish migration routes and that there should be a mandatory
requirement for farms to keep lice numbers within those of
the industry’s own Code of Good Practice.
This report was the first part of the Parliament’s Inquiry
into salmon farming. The second part is being conducted by
the Rural Economy Committee, with its wider remit. It’s due
to issue its report, with recommendations, in “early autumn”.
In what is clearly a desperately cynical move designed to
head off calls for real action, which the Committee is likely to
advocate, the Scottish Government, employing the classic
politicians’ get-out-of-jail-free card, has announced the
setting up of a working group “to examine… the interactions
between farmed and wild salmon, and make
recommendations on how any associated impacts can be
minimised”. In other words, another talking shop, aimed at
kicking issues deep into the long grass; over the years there
have been several such initiatives (eg, the Tripartite Working
Group), all of which have made zero progress. Meanwhile,
the industry continues to expand, decimating Highlands
and Islands’ populations of wild salmon and sea-trout.
So, who are the worthies on the working group? They
include Marine Scotland, SEPA and Scottish Natural
Heritage, all of whom have been complicit (in deference
to their Government masters) in prevaricating about the
deadly consequences of open-cage salmon farming, thus
supporting the status quo. Then there are representatives
from aquaculture, with their glib tobacco industry-style
assertions that there is no evidence of any damage
to wild stocks.
Scottish Government trumpets that the group will be
“chaired independently”. One would hope that he or she
would have impeccable credentials. However, search
engines reveal that the chairman-designate, John Goodlad,
was a director and subsequently chairman of Shetland
Catch, when over a three-year period it knowingly handled
black fish (fish which are caught, retained and sold illegally,
usually in excess of permitted quotas) worth some £47
million, believed to be the UK’s biggest-ever such scam. After
it was busted, the company was ordered, under the Proceeds
of Crime Act, to pay back £1.5 million in profits and the
Solicitor General said that the company “sought to make
huge financial gain with total disregard for the law… in a
web of deceit with their sole motivation being greed”.
It gets worse – Mr Goodlad used to own and operate
several salmon farms! Just how can a former salmon farmer
be deemed in this context to be genuinely “independent”, let
alone impartial? We have no doubt that Mr Goodlad was the
preferred choice of the Minister for salmon farming – Fergus
Ewing MSP, whose support for the industry is recklessly
blind. At the recent Seafood Expo in Brussels, Mr Ewing is
reported to have told Scotland’s salmon farmers that “I’m
“A desperately cynical move
designed to head off calls for
real action”
determined to give what leadership I can to make sure that
no matter what challenges are thrown at it you double
growth… Let’s do it… Let’s go, Scotland!” Clearly that includes
the setting up of glorified talking shops.
The best we can hope is that those representing fishery
boards and trusts on the working group have the nous to get
up and walk as soon as it is apparent that the initiative is
indeed a charade. That is the very least we should expect.
I WAS IN IRELAND at the end of June. Would you believe
the weather on Corrib was the same as the rest of the UK.
Temperatures in the high twenties, flat calm and trout as
fussy as I’ve ever experienced. I fished the challenging
caenis hatch. To tempt a trout I had to fish a single size 20 fly
on a 20ft leader and 7X tippet. To land fish on 2.2lb tippet,
you need a rod with a soft action. Nail-biting stuff when a 3lb
trout tears off with the whole fly-line and backing.
Tourists were enjoying the heatwave, in contrast to local
anglers, who’ve a battle on their hands. Their fight is with
Inland Fisheries Ireland, whose top brass have decided to
step away from the hands-on conservation of fisheries and
have passed the buck to clubs and individuals. In effect, cost-
cutting. T&S contributor Dennis Moss brought me up to
speed on this serious concern in a letter, published on p75.
He’s also started a petition, which I encourage you to sign.
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 5
 THE VOICE OF
GAME-FISHING SINCE 1955

SEPTEMBER 2018
COV ER PH OTO G R A PH : C A STI N G TO TRO U T U N D ER TR EES .
BY J O N ATH A N TO M LI N SO N

COV ER
HIGHLIGHTS
26 First cast
News of a remarkable 10
catch and an interview
with Matthew Wright
The beast of Bodmin
Toby Coe and friends hunt big 20
trout at Colliford Lake in Cornwall
F E AT U R E S
Fabulous flies
for the Usk 26 36 Trout fly of the month
85 Paul Slaney offers four patterns
for summer trout

Avoid a blank
Jim Coates suggests ways to
tempt a salmon when a blank
3
Dibble the Gorgeous Georgina
in late summer, recommends
Rob Denson

42 Fly-fishing luminaries
Major J. P. Traherne profiled by
stares you in the face Crawford Little

Some like it hot

Tips for catching fish lying
under trees in hot weather,
3 49 Long-tailed Shrimps
Stuart Foxall's pick for
autumn salmon
with Don Stazicker

Tussle on the Tay

Hair-raising sport for 66
Andrew Flitcroft on the
beat above the bridge
54 Hoggin' the rainbows
Stan Headley tackles bad
behaviour and pin-fry feeders
on Pitsford Water

59 Salmon fly of the month

Queen's Killer is introduced by
Ross Macdonald

60 I see triangles
66
A simple way to read a river,
suggested by Andrew Ralph

64 Ten tips
AAPGAI guide Hartmut Kloss's
salmon-fishing wisdom

72 Trout Surgery
Make the most of September
rivers with Ronnie Glass

78 Make the switch

A lightweight switch rod is the
ideal tool for the multi-discipline
travelling angler, argues
Andy Bowman

80 Fishing and factor 50

Trout-fisher Dr Frank Conroy
sends us to the pharmacy

6 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
81

37
TAC K L E
Tackleshop
The Ross Evolution R reel drops
jaws, Greys Jacket makes sense
and Columbia shirt is enviable
Fly-tying
Straggly string, goose feathers
and bug bodies for your
vice work
Readers' offer
A quality, shrewdly designed
waistcoat for only £29.99
60
20
REGUL ARS
5 Editor's letter
Andrew Flitcroft reports on
another Scottish Government
fudge
10 First cast
What's happening in game-fishing
this month, including an
interview with chat show
host Matthew Wright
81 75 Letters
Have your say on the big issues
and share your stories
84 88 Property
Dream houses with fishing for sale
90 Crossword competition
Solve the clues for a chance to win
a Hardy Cascapedia
85 91 Fishing reports
News from major fisheries around
the UK and Ireland
112 Sharpe's Fish of the
month competition
Celebrating large and
memorable catches
114 Last Cast
Giles Catchpole and the
GRBG discuss luck
49
SUBSCRIBE
and receive a 7/8-weight reel
SE E PAGE 74
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 7
 THE VOICE OF GAME FISHING SINCE 1955
W H AT O U R C O N T R I B U T O R S
ARE DOING THIS MONTH
RICHARD
FA U L K S
T&S photographer Richard has
just returned from a trip to the
River Helmsdale, where he lost
what would have been his first
salmon. He is planning to keep
things local for a while, fishing
Rutland's small streams for
wild brown trout.
A L E D D AV I E S
Although his season has been a
bit slower than usual due to the
dry weather, river reporter Aled
has plenty of fishing planned on
the Llandeilo club water of the
Tywi. He often fishes a team of
wee doubles in the faster runs at
dusk for sea-trout and possibly
grilse, before fishing slower
pools in full darkness.
M I K E W E AV E R
The heat has brought Mike’s
fishing to a temporary standstill,
but he has a couple of fly-tying
demonstrations planned,
including one at the Countryman’s
Fair at Werrington Park near
Launceston in early August. If we
don't get rain soon, he’s thinking
of fishing for carp with a dry-fly
on a nearby pool.
8 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
JON BEER
Jon is taking his camper van – and
Philip – to the waters of Dumfries
and Galloway, somewhere he's
always driven past and never
really explored. On the way they'll
have a night's bustard fishing on
the Eden, with a morning's char
fishing on Coniston to break
the journey home.
C H R I S M C C U L LY
Contributor Chris McCully will be
grumpily fishing for mullet on the
fly, and as he’s not succeeded
before, he’s sure he will fail as
usual. He will also be travelling to
Donegal to fish for sea-trout and
salmon, having tied plenty of flies,
including the Donegal Blue,
the Raymond and the
Silver Daddy.
RONNIE GLASS
Trout Surgery author Ronnie is
recovering from a back injury.
Owing to the low water conditions
on his home rivers he has been
relying on small, local stillwaters,
Chatton and Thrunton, for sport.
He is looking forward to fishing
the Scottish National Final in
September and dry-fly fishing
at Coldingham Loch.
Bauer Media, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA
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 First cast
What’s happening in game-fishing this month
GLYN SATTERLEY

10 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
Wish you
were here?
BEAT FOUR,
BALLYNAHINCH,
CONNEMARA

September is a grand time to fish

at Ballynahinch, when typically the
river receives a significant run of
big salmon.
The angler (pictured) playing a fish
on Beat Four has been rowed across
from the opposite bank. The river is in
flood and at an ideal height. An almost
square cast is ideal from the platform
and then let the fly swing in that
inviting stream.
Fishery manager Greg Reidy
recommends Silver Badger, Collie Dog,
Silver Rat and Lemon-and-Grey flies for
salmon, fished on a short double-
hander. For sea-trout, the usual
suspects: Butcher, Pennell, Bibio and
Connemara Black.
Ballynahinch is spectacular, seven
beats, loch and river, and a luxury
castle hotel in which to be nourished
when the water is rested. However, you
don’t have to be a hotel guest to fish.
In the background, lost in cloud,
is Ben Lettery, one of the Twelve
Pins mountains.
The fish was landed.

Booking
Season: February 1-September 30.
Tickets: salmon fishing with a gillie is
200 euros; 270 euros for two people.
Without a gillie, it’s 85 euros; 130 euros
for two people. The hotel can arrange
Government salmon licences.
Contact: Ballynahinch Castle. Tel: + 353
95 31006. Web: ballynahinch-castle.com ›
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 11
First cast
The ultimate catch brownie on the top dropper. The middle
dropper was free and there was a heavier
fish on the point. As I played the fish, the
brownie hung out of the water at times.”
Three species hooked and landed on one Suddenly, there was another flash and
amazing cast at Carrowmore Lake more pressure on the rod. A fresh sea-trout
had taken the middle dropper.
Sean said, “With three fish pulling in

SEAN KEENAN
different directions I thought I was bound
to lose one if not all, or the line might
break. The fish on the point was definitely
the heaviest. I didn't know what it was
because it was staying deep in the peaty
water. I suspected a good sea-trout.
“I picked up the net and thought,
‘In what way will this work?’ The brownie
was spending time out of the water. Trying
to lift the rod with his weight meant I had
little ver the other fish.”
Imagine playing this grilse,
Se to the conclusion he'd have to
brown trout and sea-trout hand ish. The point fly was 7ft-8ft
at the same time. under the water so he lifted the rod back
and grabbed the line with his left hand.
It was now or never.

C
OULD IT BE the ultimate
fly-fishing achievement?
On July 1, Sean Keenan caught
a brown trout, sea-trout and
salmon on a three-fly cast at Carrowmore
Lake in County Mayo.
Making this feat more impressive, Sean
was alone. His friends had thought there
was little chance of a fish in a heatwave.
That morning there was cloud cover with
a 20mph-plus north-westerly wind.
Sean takes up the story, “I was enjoying
good fishing, hooking small sea-trout and
brownies in shallow water, usually in the
thought I had hooked two fish: on the top
dropper and one of the other two flies.”
Sean was fishing with a Scientific
Anglers intermediate sink-tip line with a
dark-winged Bibio on point, a Stimulator
in the middle and a Green Peter on top.
He continued, “I shuffled across to get
the engine st while trying to keep
control of the . Waves were breaking in
the shallows making it more awkward.
The fish went on a run parallel to the shore.
I tried to turn the boat into the wind and
hold neutral in the water as the fish took
spare line off the floor of the boat.”
SEAN KEENAN
Sean, “The pressure on the line was
erratic and I tried to absorb this as much as
possible as I pulled the line in hand over
hand. I pulled the first fish on board and
then within a few seconds got the sea-trout
in the boat. Then I got a glimpse of the fish
on the point: a beautiful fresh grilse.
“I grabbed the net and the fish turned
on its side just long enough to scoop the net
under him and bring him into the boat.”
All three fish were returned.
Later that day, Sean landed two
sea-trout on the same cast.

last four to five casts before manoeuvring
from the middle seat to start the engine
before I was blown on to the rocky shore.
“At 2pm I was thinking about firing up
the Kelly kettle as I drifted near the shore,
when there was a boil and a deeper, bright
flash in the area of my flies, the line went
tight and I lifted into resistance. I was in. I
Then line got caught under Sean's feet
and the wind started pulling the boat in
different directions as he was drawn ever
closer to the shore.
Eventually, after fraught moments,
he got line and boat under control and
throttled away to safer, deeper water. Sean's deadly cast, from left: Bibio (point), Stimulator
Sean said, “I could now see a small (middle dropper) and Red-arsed Green Peter (top dropper).

Long, warm summer days are
not the best conditions for
fly-fishing but if you venture
out to streams and rivers
across the country you may
well encounter the caperer
(Halesus digitatus/radiatus).
This impressive fly is one
BUG OF of the cinnamon sedges but
unlike the smaller species, the
THE caperer is often active during
MON T H the day, particularly in the
early evening.
The larvae build a rough
Caperer case out of fragments of
dead vegetation, often
incorporating much longer late afternoon through into the
sticks on either side. The case evening between mid-August
often exceeds 30mm in length and late October. After
and the sticks can be longer breaking out of its pupal case
still. The reason for including the pharate adult swims to the
these outsized outriders has surface of the water where it
been debated for some time. emerges and quickly flies to
One theory is that they protect hide in vegetation on the river
the larvae from predation by bank. It is during this ascent
trout, while an equally that many will be picked off
plausible theory is that by hungry trout.
they can be wedged between The adults have a
stones to prevent the greenish-brown body and
larvae being swept cinnamon-orange wings with
away during high flows. darkened markings that
Adults emerge from radiate out from the wing

12 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
 MATT HARRIS
Spend a f BOOK REVIEW

B E N T L E Y B E N TAYG A F LY F I S H I N G, £ 24 4 , 5 0 0 A History of Salmon

It’s the most expensive four-wheel-drive SUV in the world, with Fishing on the
a top speed of 187mph. But why not step it up a notch? For £80,000
above the list price of £164,500, Mulliner, Bentley’s in-house
River Thurso
customisers, will add a leather-trimmed tackle station with walnut By Malcolm Dutchman-Smith.
veneer fly-tying drawers, a refreshment case with fine-china £25. Medlar Press (01691 623 225;
tableware, and a waterproof waders trunk. Leather rod cases contain medlarpress.com)
Hardy Zephrus rods, nets are stored in a carpet pocket. There’s also

F
a dehumidifier. Bentley have sold “several”. Visit bentleymotors.com. ISHING ON THE Thurso has
undergone many changes in the
last 200 years. Malcolm
Dutchman-Smith has done an
excellent job of documenting them in the
first few chapters of this book.
He starts with a description of the river
and its fishing, with beat maps, and then
explains how the fishery has evolved from
a net-and-coble operation with relatively
Home-made
unimportant angling also occurring to
sinkant.
Experiment to today’s rod-and-line fly-fishing taking
achieve the right precedence and the nets off.
consistency. This is not a purely historical tome as
Dutchman-Smith has fished the river for
35 years and his love for it shines through

Save a packet in every chapter. He has filled the book

with anecdotes about the characters
who’ve fished the river, describing their
L E A D E R S I N K A N T, £4 idiosyncracies, as well as stories about
that fine band of men, the gillies, who’ve
A pot of Ledasink costs roughly £2, but if you buy raw Fuller’s looked after them.
Earth, a bottle of glycerin and some washing-up liquid you will have
enough ingredients to make a lifetime’s worth of leader sinkant.
Fuller’s Earth (100g) can be found online for £2, while glycerin is “The Thurso is not living
available from a chemist for around the same money. Experiment off past glories. The
with measures, but for starters, try two teaspoons each of washing-up
liquid and glycerine to one teaspoon of Fuller’s Earth. Put it in an old, record year for rod
plastic film canister or similar. Add glycerine when it dries out. catches was in 2010”
There is a chapter on fishing techniques
and equipment, but more importantly
base. It’s unclear where Habitat: Fast-flowing rivers and streams, there are details of the catches made over
the common name occasionally larger stillwaters the years. These remain significant
caperer comes from, Body: 16-20mm Wing: 17-23mm because, unlike many rivers, the Thurso is
however it is probably Flight period: August to October not living on past glories. The record year
derived from the rather Hatches: Late afternoon and evening for rod catches was in 2010, which gave
haphazard flight of the 3,022 fish, while only two years ago in July
female as it returns to the By Craig Macadam, coordinator of the 2016, some 442 were landed in one week.
water to lay her eggs. Riverfly Recording Scheme The book ends with details of how the
management of the river passed from
Did you know? Lord Thurso to a new company, on a
The caperer is one of the 99-year lease, which eventually became
largest caddis in the UK. Thurso River Ltd under the enthusiastic
DR CYRIL BENNETT

The great red sedges and successful direction of Simon Laird

found in many stillwaters and factor John Drummond.
just beat it with a wing This is a useful read for those who've
length of up to 28mm. never fished this much-loved river before –
Peter Grubb
›
First cast
G A L L E
Congratulations to these successful rods
RIGHT
Jeremy Owen
and a 12lb
rainbow trout
from Llyn
Brenig, which
took a foam
Black Beetle.
RIGHT
Congratulations to
four-year-old Arthur
Middlemiss, pictured
with his first-ever
wild brownie, from
the Gwash in Rutland.
LEFT
This 15lb fish
was caught by
John Clapham
from Long
Shot pool CAL LING
on the A L L JUNIORS!
ABOVE
Benchill
Osian Davenport and a 5lb Catch a salmon, or trout
beat of and send us a picture of
rainbow trout, caught on a Diawl
the River you and your fish,
Bach from Draycote Water during including details of
Tay.
Wales Youth Team practice. its capture
regularity. I’d escape from the ensuing
madness, tears and recriminations by
float-fishing a maggot from the bow.
My dad had bought me an all-in-one
fishing kit with cheap centrepin reel,
a quarter of a pint of white maggots and
some size 14 hooks to nylon, you see.
I remember getting them from the
shop in Potter Heigham as if it
were yesterday. The first fish I caught
there was an eel. I had 14 roach, bream
and perch before the week was out.
What’s your favourite angling book?
I hate nailing down any one title and
saying, “This is my favourite!” when
there are so many wonderful books.
I love the way Jon Beer writes. He has
5 a gift for taking the reader along with
him, whether to some storm-lashed
M I N U T E I N T E RV I EW island in the Hebrides or the bowels of a
museum. He never shuts the reader out
TVpresenterandjournalist for want of knowledge or experience. At
MatthewWright the other end of the scale I’ve been really
taken by Peter Hayes’ book Fly Fishing
Outside the Box. I know Peter, we’re both
When did you start fishing? members of the Wilton Fly Fishing Club.
I first wet a line in 1973, which seems a He’s got a brain the size of a planet and
terribly long time ago now. My dad took when he turns that intellect to the
us sailing on the Norfolk Broads in a watery world of trout it’s inevitable he’ll
huge boat that ran aground with tedious get your noggin working, too. Whether
14 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
ABOVE AND RIGHT
Coul Fishings on the River Conon
provided memorable sport for the
Shaw party at the beginning of June.
Pictured are Richard Slater (above)
with a 16.5-pounder, Ian Hedley
(top right) with a 9.5lb fish and
Paul Shaw (bottom right)
with a near 13lb beauty.
RIGHT
Alan Jackson
with his Loch Earn
wild brown
trout of just
under 5lb
taken on a
Murphy's
Drift – a fly
of his own
design.
or not I’ll ever tie duns backwards for
those rare days when a strong upstream
wind turns naturals back-to-front
remains to be seen. I am currently
enjoying Simon Cooper’s Life of a
Chalkstream, a really lovely read.
Would you rather catch a trout
or a salmon?
I know you occasionally print pictures of
people holding salmon in this magazine
but like the lunar landings I’m
convinced they are all fakes. Seriously,
you’ve run articles where people have
spent ten years before they caught one.
Ten years! Like a lot of trout enthusiasts,
I think flogging the rivers of Britain for
salmon is bonkers.
With whom do you most enjoy fishing?
If I’m absolutely honest, I prefer my own
company. I love camping in Wales on my
tod and use the passport scheme to
explore all the fishing thereabouts.
Bliss. A week can go by and I won’t have
spoken to anyone but myself – an
unnatural response I guess from
someone who earns their living by
talking. I love fishing with my wife
Amelia. We have walkie-talkies when
we’re bonefishing as we can be apart for
 B O O ST YOU R C LU B
Many angling clubs are
seeking to increase their
memberships. Here's how...
Ask for help
1 FishPal offers clubs in
Scotland assistance, from
publishing club pages on its
website to managing club
income (fishpal.com). The
Angling Trust employs Club
Development Officers for its
member clubs (anglingtrust.
net). Wild Trout Trust
conducts site visits to improve
habitats (wildtrout.org).
Build a community
2 Gone are the days when
successful clubs meet only
once a year at an AGM. Active
social media is essential to
show the club is thriving.
Ideally, have a website with
maps, fishery descriptions,
scenic photography, contacts,
smiling faces. Exploit
Facebook, Instagram and
Twitter to post fish images,
news, initiatives, competition,
advice and ephemera – avoid
formality. Build a sense of
belonging. Stamp on trolls.
Get younger people involved.
Be flexible
3 A one-size-fits-all
approach to membership is
restrictive. Many sports clubs
now offer graded annual fees:
eg, free for under 18s, 50% for
under 25s, 75% for under 35s.
Get dirty
4 In winter, most members
like to keep in touch with their
sport. Organise work parties –
with incentives: BBQs; money
off the subs for attendance.
Reach out
5 Build ties with business,
local government and the
press to generate publicity. If a
water firm supports a club by
funding a weir removal, they
benefit from the good news
story. Show councillors habitat
work and they may support
future funding. Write a feel
good story with quality
pictures for a short-staffed
newpaper and they'll publish.
Hold events
6 Organise coaching. Get in
touch with aapgai.co.uk and
gameanglinginstructors.co.uk
Invite a shop to offer tackle
testing. Book a club day-out
at a major fishery. Hold talks,
auctions, dinners, friendly
competitions and awards.
Offer benefits
7 Arrange discounts for
members in tackle-shops or
pubs/restaurants near the
fishery. Agree reciprocal day-
tickets with other clubs, so
members can fish each other’s
waters. River fishing can be
unreliable: take a lease on a
lake offering all-year sport.

hours and lose sight of one another. I
love trouting with my Schnauzer,
Wiggy. They’re not famous for loving
water but Wiggy’s spent a lot of time on
banks since he was a pup and is well
behaved. Understandably, livestock
farmers aren’t so keen on him.
Name four dream fishing companions
As I’m mad keen on cricket and have just
started fishing with earphones so I can
hear Test Match Special from start to
finish of each day’s play, I’d have to say
Ian Botham (even I can drag him away
from the salmon nonsense); the late
George Melly whose ribald fishing
stories got me hooked years ago; Henry
Winkler, alias The Fonz, who I’ve
discussed fly-fishing with many times
when he’s visited these shores – he
does wonderful work for dyslexics these
days; and, finally, Jimmy Buffet, the
American country music star. He
“I expect many more
women to come into
fly-fishing”
spends a lot of time bonefishing near
my place, flying in by vintage seaplane.
Our paths have yet to cross but I’d love
to show him our magnificent rivers.
You’re allowed one more trip:
where would you go and why?
The River Usk, an early summer’s
evening, with the trout greedily sucking
spinners down. As the sun slowly sinks
you get your seven-weight out for a bit of
late-night sewin action, a barn owl
silently flying past. Magic, pure magic.
Has being a celebrity opened doors
to better fishing?
To some degree but I’m also a genuine
enthusiast. I turn up for Wild Trout Trust
get-togethers, I campaign in Parliament.
I love doing it, but it’s nice to have your
efforts rewarded with the offer of a
lovely day’s fishing here or there.
What’s your most memorable fish ?
I suppose my first permit is my most
memorable but for all the wrong
reasons. I had a flu bug in Mexico and
was struggling to concentrate at the
front of the skiff. I saw what I thought
might be two permit and lobbed, rather
than cast, my Verkerke Mantis Shrimp
at them, the fly landing miles away.
The next thing I know one of them
zooms over, swallows the fly and swims
off, hooking itself before I got the line
tight. For a moment I forgot my fever.
I got the fish in and had some photos
taken before curling up in a ball on the
deck and begging to be taken home, only
for the guide to say, “What? You no want
a Grand Slam?” A couple of paracetamol
later and I did indeed complete the slam
but as for permit being hard to catch,
I’m living proof they’re not if they’re in
the right mood.
Do you think the image of fly-fishing
needs to change?
When I was growing up in London in the
1970s/’80s I used to perceive trout and
salmon types as being posh, nothing
like the lads I fished with. As I’ve got to
know fly-fishing better, it’s clear while
there is still a bit of that, it’s a more
welcoming activity than I first gave it
credit for. I think younger people are
far less aware of all the class nonsense
and in the push for greater equality it’s
wonderful to find a sport where girls
can compete on equal terms with boys.
I expect many more women to come
into fly-fishing over the next 20 years. ›
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 15
 First cast

SHUTTERSTOCK
GALBRAITH SPORTING LETS
H U T GRU B

Book the cook You're on holiday. Let chef do lunch.

Barack goes fishing.

could ask the sporting home? Do Tesco/Asda

If your fishing party is
hiring a lodge this
month, why not stay in
style by organising a
caterer for all your
meals? We asked the
experts at Sporting Lets
for an advice checklist:
Is a cook provided with
the lodge? If it is, this can
make the headline rate of
the rent look expensive.
Some estates insist you
employ a cook and
this forms part of the
contract. The price they
charge may be a flat rate
or it may depend on the
numbers in the lodge.
If a cook is part of the
deal, who provides the
food and drink: you or the
estate? Perhaps they
might provide food and
you bring the drink.
If self-catered, where do
you source a cook? You
agent, the estate or seek
a recommendation from
friends or a forum.
If there’s an estate
housekeeper, might she
also do some cooking for
you? Worth asking.
Do you need one cook or
might they need an
assistant – at extra cost?
How much is the cook? A
ballpark figure is £900-
£1,500 per week but if
you opt for an executive
chef, it might be double
that. Ask if this cost
includes travel expenses.
If you are buying the
food, where and how far
away is the nearest shop?
Does it have all you need?
Will you and others in the
party be bringing some
or all of the food from
deliver? Is a wine M AY F LY ?
merchant able to deliver?
Can you imagine our
prime minister fly-fishing?
If the cost is to be shared
In America, their politicians
between the party, you
seem more in tune with the
will need to agree a
outdoors. President Bush
budget. And agree a
senior is a fly-fisher and so,
menu (be aware of
it seems, is president
allergies). Some may be
Barack Obama who in June
drinkers (expensive);
went trout fishing on rivers
others not (unwilling to
in the Adirondacks, New
subsidise drinkers).
York State. The secretive
visit was his second fly-
Booking catering is more
fishing trip and apparently
easily done through a
took a year to plan.
letting agent, who’ll talk
Meanwhile, also in June,
you through the options
Donald Trump junior (the
and assist you through
current president’s
the process. If the
campaigning eldest son)
property is self-catered,
tried his hand on a river trip
agents may have a
in Montana. Can we hope
closely guarded shortlist
that Jeremy and Theresa
of preferred caterers.
might gain a better
understanding of fishing,
• Galbraith Sporting Lets
perhaps by sharing a rod
has over 50 years’
on the Dee at Balmoral?
letting experience
(enquiries@sportinglets.
co.uk Visit Instagram).

NUMBER OF
THE MONTH
Recycle your leader

M
ORE THAN 120 tackle-
shops have joined a new
national scheme to
recycle nylon and braid
fishing line. Since its launch in March,
the Anglers National Line Recycling
Scheme (ANLRS) has prevented more
than 400,000 metres of line from being
incinerated or dumped in landfill.
The scheme has evolved from a small-
scale project in Sussex in 2016. Anglers
ANLRS estimates that 1.25 million
kilometres of monofilament
is used by UK anglers annually.
ANLRS
dispose of their line in special bins at
participating shops.
Many anglers are acutely aware of the
terrible pollution caused by plastics at
sea and in the environment generally.
The scheme does not currently
8.6 That’s the length in
recycle fluorocarbon or fly-lines. But miles (14,055 metres) of
illegal fishing nets seized
ANLRS volunteer Viv Shears said, “We by Inland Fisheries Ireland
are hoping that fly-lines will be last year. In all, 301 nets
recyclable via us within the next month were confiscated as well
or two. We are chatting with a new as 647 items of illegal
recycling operation in the UK and they fishing equipment.
seemed optimistic that fly-lines can be IFI “inspected” 35,630
recreational anglers while
processed. We are looking at ways of conducting 31,000
recycling the spools that the line comes patrols. The agency
on at the moment as well.” patrolled using boats,
If you have old leader (it should be kayaks, quad-bikes,
stripped from spools), send it to ANLRS, bicycles, cars and on foot,
using night-vision and
c/o Tools n Tackle, 11 Bridge Street,
thermal-imaging scopes.
Newhaven BN9 9PH. Or find your

nearest participating tackle-shop on

the website: anglers-nlrs.co.uk

16 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8

CH A L K TA L K
From dawn
to dark
Simon Cooper invites you to take on
the ultimate chalkstream challenge
I
F YOU EVER FELT INCLINED TO TACKLE
a Macnab on the chalkstreams, September is
undoubtedly the month to do it. The salmon are
running. The sea-trout are regular commuters
between ocean and river. Grayling are back to their
prime after post-spawning torpor. Brown trout are
in an autumnal feeding frenzy. The original Macnab in
the John Buchan tale was to poach a salmon and stag
undetected, though more recently it has been legitimised
into a brace of grouse, plus a salmon and stag. But I think
our game-fish four are challenge enough without
resorting to field or air.
Where and when should you start? Well, bearing in mind
you have 24 hours, let us say dawn and grayling. They are
most active just after sunrise when they head for shallow
gravel, using their noses to riddle the stones for sleepy-eyed
shrimps. That shouldn’t be too hard, should it?
By breakfast, on to the brown trout. The shortening days
are a trigger to them: eat now or waste away through the
winter. If we are being purists, then a Cinnamon Sedge or
something similar is a filling offering. If we are going to the
dark side, Sawyer’s Pheasant Tail will induce most
nymphing fish.
By 10am, you are halfway. What next: salmon or sea-trout?
By my reasoning our Atlantic arrival was always going to be
the toughest so let’s focus on that, holding the darkness in
reserve for the sea-trout. You could, of course, do the wet-fly
salmon thing, down and across, fishing a likely pool. But
really you need a network of eagle-eyed keepers to give you
the call. Our chalkstream salmon are creatures of great
habit, occupying the same holding spots, often tiny and
shallow, year after year. They are surprisingly willing and
unsophisticated; I would not tie on anything other than a
bead-head Gold-Ribbed Hare’s Ear, which has worked for me
by accident and on purpose. Light tackle. A confined river.
Late-summer weedbeds. A chalkstream salmon is quite the
challenge to land, let alone hook.
So, finally, to the sea-trout. Here you need local knowledge
above skill. The best sea-trout spots on the chalkstreams are
known to a very few. Your prime window of opportunity is
short. Those minutes in the gloaming when dusk turns to
dark, the phosphorescence of the fly (any traditional sea-
trout pattern will do) lighting up the river as it cuts across
the current. All sea-trout takes are electric. If it completes
your Macnab in double-quick time, it is infinitely more so.
If not, you have the comfort of another eight hours to
complete the task and I promise, with three in the bag,
so to speak, you will not leave until the new dawn calls time.
Hatching this month
The finest entomological tip I was ever given pointed me in
the direction of spiders’ webs: there is nothing better than
insect corpses to tell you what has been hatching. In the
month of Keats’ “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”
these dew-laden traps are an open book.
The flies this month are traditional: Kite’s Imperial
mimics the dark olive. Tups Indispensable the pale watery.
The Caperer, with its distinctive yellow belly band that
suggests an egg sac, is a favourite sedge pattern. Nymphs
are popular with fish and fishers with the trio of the PVC
Nymph, Pheasant Tail and Gold-Ribbed Hare’s Ear always
standing you in good stead.
But mostly, let Mother Nature be your guide, especially
when staying late.
The keeper’s fly
Born into a South Yorkshire mining village, then a teenage
apprentice motor mechanic, Garry Allen did not take a usual
route to becoming a river keeper. His interest in shooting led
him to forsake the greasy rag for a sporting estate in
Northumberland, which in turn led him south to Berkshire
in the early 1990s and his current job at the Benham Estate,
which has about six miles of the River Kennet, carriers and
side streams.
Though Gary loves his shooting he beseeches his regulars
not to lay down the rod in favour of the gun too early – don’t
ignore September, he says, with its proliferation of different
hatches and greedy fish feeding up ahead of winter. He was
on the horns of a dilemma when I pushed him for his
favoured fly: Daddies, Sedges and Klinkhamers all get
a consideration but, in the end, it was the everyday
Parachute Adams that got the nod.
It is, he says sagely, the fly that “represents nothing in
particular but everything as well”, especially to those fish
that don’t exactly rise, but snake and twist just below the
surface, tail and dorsal fin most evident. It is good to keep
it simple sometimes.
Parachute Adams.
Q Simon Cooper is managing director of Fishing Breaks, the
chalkstream fishing specialists (fishingbreaks.co.uk). He is the
author of two books: Life of a Chalkstream and The Otters’ Tale.
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 17
Banchory | Aberdeenshire

A grand country house on the riverbank

with a prime stretch of mostly double
bank fishing on the River Dee.
Aberdeen: 18 miles
Banchory Fishing Beat | A prime beat of fishings
on the River Dee | 10 year average 285 salmon,
75 sea trout | Ofers over £1,350,000
Waterstone House | One of the finest family
homes in Banchory overlooking the river
Ofers over £1,100,000
For sale as a whole or in two lots

David Strang Steel

01330 826800
david.strangsteel@struttandparker.com

/struttandparker @struttandparker struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

Spectacular west coast sporting estate

TORRIDON, INVERNESS-SHIRE
Shieldaig: 3 miles, Torridon: 5 miles, Inverness: 64 miles Luke French
Savills Edinburgh
7 bedroom lodge with sea views, former estate bothy and shielings with 0131 247 3723
consent for conversion, salmon fishing on the River Balgy, trout fishing rights lfrench@savills.com
for two boats on Loch Damph, stalking and rough shooting, shoreline on Charles Dudgeon
Upper Loch Torridon. Savills Edinburgh
0131 247 3720
About 3,987 acres I Offers over £1.75 million cdudgeon@savills.com

savills.co.uk

ON T H E BE AT
Spoofing for
salmon
Richard Donkin tries his luck
on the River Findhorn
A
FIRST VISIT TO THE FINDHORN
in June. We’d been shown the beat the
previous evening but memories of this
section, called Mini Daltra, had been all but
wiped after a day of fishing other pools.
I’d been dropped some way from the river and had
no idea where to go.
Cutting through trees, I found a sheep on its back with
one of its forelegs stuck fast in the cleft of two saplings.
I put all my weight on the thinner branch, prising it open
and freeing the leg, but the sheep looked in a sorry state.
I left it comfortable and lying upright but didn’t give
much for its chances.
The river was grievously low for June and catches were
thin. I’d spent the afternoon in the gorge at Altnahara, a
tough section, scrambling among the pools. One of them
goes by the name of Black, where a deep channel of water
curls around a rocky outcrop covered in lichens and moss.
With no more than a pair of wellingtons for grip, I lowered
myself into some water-scoured pots and then wondered
how I might get out again.
There was time to ponder since this is single-bank
fishing and I’d just seen a chap leaving the pool on the
other side. In his tweeds and Loden hat he looked like
a cross between Jacques Tati and Moriarty at the
Reichenbach Falls, a throwback to a bygone age.
I put on a Newfoundland Bomber and dabbled a bit with
a dead drift. A fish came up, opened its mouth, then
thought better of it and returned to the depths. Climbing
out of those pots was tricky and something of a lesson.
This is not a place to get stuck, particularly in a dry spell
when a downpour in the hills can cause a flash flood
bringing a wall of water through the gorge.
Inside the gorge, a network of platforms and roped
sections winds below steep access paths. It’s not a place
for those with vertigo and weak knees. Walking boots or
First cast
wellies are a better choice of footwear than studded boots
or thigh waders. The morning’s fishing was exhausting.
A switch in the evening to the gentler Daltra beat proved
less challenging, though this also has occasional roped
parts. Mark had made his way down to a promising pool at
the far end. He could choose since we’d “spoofed” for the
rota the previous evening.
If you’re poor at calculating odds, then try to avoid spoof
as a means of apportioning anything, in this case, fishing
pools. No matter how I try to understand the strategies in
guessing how many coins – from naught to three – the
others have in their hands, I always fail. So it was that
mine was Hobson’s choice.
I’m quite happy anyway to fish the less favoured pool or
to follow someone down a section if they’re keen to go first.
Mark was perched at the neck of a classic-looking pool
called Dalnashaugh. He’d already fished the stretch below
and settled on this one as the best bet.
“In his tweeds and Loden hat
he looked like a cross between
Jacques Tati and Moriarty
at the Reichenbach Falls”
I headed to the next pool down, a frothy narrow section
called White Stream, rated a low-water pool by Ewan
Brodie, whose family own and run the Lethen Estate,
including the Dunearn beat below and above Dulcie
Bridge. In the distant past, the Brodies also owned the
Glenferness fishings on the right bank but were forced to
sell it when an imprudent ancestor ran up gambling debts.
I dare say he was a poor spoof player, too.
Lethen provides maps of pools with detailed notes
on how they perform at different depths of water,
a welcome aid for first-timers such as ourselves.
More estates should do this.
The well-oxygenated water of White Stream was sure to
hold fish, a judgement confirmed after a few casts with
a size 13 Crathie fly on 10lb monofilament. The take was
nothing remarkable but it was soon clear the fish was
larger than I’d thought. It wasn’t for giving in and there
was a dearth of slack water apart from one small inlet.
Mark arrived after a few minutes and told me how he
would be playing the fish if it were his, guiding it around
a slab of rock to an easier stretch of slack water further
down. I ignored him. The rocky outcrop would obscure my
view and the line could scrub on the stone. Besides, it was
my fish to lose. All the same, he had a good net, and it was
becoming clear when the fish showed, that my net was too
small for the job. As fish go, though, this one was quite
well behaved. It made a run or two, stubbornly held
midstream for a while, then began to weaken before it was
scooped into the net. How big? We reckoned about 16lb,
a firm-bellied hen fish, safely returned.
On the way back we noticed the sheep had gone.
“Karma,” said Mark. “It’s because you saved it.” Now I’m
not a religious man but I do wonder if good deeds are
sometimes rewarded.
Q Richard Donkin is a journalist and has fished in Norway
and Iceland. His favourite river is the Aberdeenshire Dee.
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 19
This stunning 3lb-plus Colliford
brownie took an upwinged
Cow Dung wet-fly.
 THE
BEAST
of Bodmin
Toby Coe and friends hunt big trout at
a moody Colliford Lake in Cornwall
PH OTOG R APH Y: TO BY CO E

›
B E A ST O F B O D M I N
ODMIN MOOR: IT
always seems a sullen,
dreich place, its rock tors
glowering under grey
gloom. The wind never
stops blowing and if the
sun appears, it sneaks
out, before being hurried
away by the clouds.
Perched on top of the
moor is Colliford
Reservoir, completed in
1983 and impounding
the St Neot River, a
tributary of the River
Fowey. The reservoir is a
key component of Cornwall’s potable water supply.
There is both direct abstraction from the reservoir,
as well as releases of water to the River Fowey, where
it is then abstracted further downstream near the
tidal limit of the river at Restormel. The creation of
the reservoir and the management of the water in it
has had a significantly detrimental effect on the
St Neot. The reinstatement of the hatchery at the base
of the dam, described in T&S December 2017, is an
effort to reverse this impact and supplement
the diminished natural reproduction of
salmon in the river.
Above the hatchery, on the other side of the dam,
the reservoir often reflects the bleak feeling of the
surrounding moor, with scarcely a tree to break the
wind on the shoreline. Old, crumbling stone walls
run down the shore and into the lake; the fields
they once surrounded patrolled by trout rather
than sheep.
Until a couple of years ago, it was a water I had
always meant to fish, but never managed to – rivers
local and afar typically winning the competition for
my time. Stories from good mate and guide Duncan
Raynor of big brown trout caught on the surface
finally piqued my interest and I’ve fished the
reservoir a few times with him since.
By design rather than bad timing, my trips
generally coincide with exactly the kind of weather
that reinforces my impression of Bodmin. Colliford’s
One of the small, pretty, wild fish. This one took a black Spider.
22 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
Colliford is dauntingly
large and desolate.
You must walk and
cast to find the fish.
trout seem to respond well to the wind and rain and
the fishing is often better in conditions that would
typically see many anglers abandon any plan to cast
a line. The advantage of Colliford is that it has an
irregular shape, with several long arms stretching in
different directions. This gives the prospecting
angler the chance of finding at least one stretch of
shoreline where the wind will be blowing from
behind them. It therefore pays to check the forecast
and head to a stretch of shore-line where the wind
will be your ally, rather than your enemy.
It is a tough place to fish, in part due to its size –
900 acres – but also because the density of trout is
low. A couple of thousand fish around 10in long are
stocked into the reservoir each year and these,
combined with resident wild brownies, grow to
around 1½lb. However, trout of 3lb-4lb are caught
every year and Duncan swears blind he has hooked
and seen significantly larger fish.
For the angler who enjoys solitude, the relative
difficulty of the fishing means the pressure on the
reservoir’s inhabitants is light. Walk away from the
car parks and you will often have several miles of
shoreline to yourself, alone save for the wind and
intermittent croak of ravens.
“The fields they once
surrounded patrolled by
trout rather than sheep”
 The reason for the size of some Colliford trout is
probably due in part to the low density of fish, but
also the relative abundance of food. In addition to
aquatic and terrestrial bugs, there are plenty of fry in
the reservoir and the trout feed heavily on them.
There are populations of carp and ruffe in the lake,
the latter being numerous and often quite small: the
perfect snack for a hungry brown trout.
The “hatch” of daddy long-legs, which emerge in
numbers from mid-August, can lead to excellent
fishing. Given their relatively poor flying skills, they
are often blown on to the water presenting an easy
meal for a cruising trout. When walking the banks
towards the end of summer and early autumn, keep This drone shot clearly shows the drop-off. It's much harder to see at ground level.

Andrew's heart
is in his mouth an eye out for their gangly outline in the air and on
as one of the the surface of the water. It helps that, for obvious
lake's bigger reasons, the best bank to look for them is the same
fish fights under one that makes casting easier.
the rod tip.
It was the prospect of surface sport, as well as
pictures of the trout encountered on my few trips to
the reservoir, that lured Andrew, Richard and James
from T&S to Colliford last year. Nipping down to the
reservoir for a couple of hours after a day spent
chasing salmon on a nearby river, we arrived on a
rare evening when the surface was bewitchingly
calm. While the fishing was slow, a couple of big trout
moved several times beyond casting range, their big
shoulders pushing a tell-tale bow-wave.
The next day, we met Duncan, our guide for the
day, who stressed the need to cover lots of ground.
A fireman, Duncan is pretty fit, and once tackled up,
he strode off into the distance. I watched Andrew (not
a 30-year-old fireman) follow behind in a scene
reminiscent of one from a Tolkien novel.
To cover as much water as possible, while Andrew
and Duncan headed up the bank, James and Richard
held back, effectively splitting up the shoreline.
Advancing along the shore between casts, each took
care to cover key holding areas like points, changes
in angle of the shore, the drop-off and any obvious
structure. A couple of 10in trout rewarded Richard’s ›
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 23
BEAS
L O CA L K N OW L E D G E

St Neot river “COLLIFORD ISN’T A

C OL L I F OR D L A K E enters here reservoir where you roll out of
the car and stay in one spot,
making cast after cast,”
explained local guide Duncan
Shallow bay, Raynor (left). To get the best
wild carp often
present out of the fishing you need to do plenty of
walking (there are no boats for fishing), and
the adage of taking two or three steps
between each cast is a good one. Travelling
light is essential. Take a small box of flies,
Colliford tippet and other small fishing essentials and
Tavern Remote arm leave everything else in the car. If you are
of reservoir. not catching fish in a particular area, move
Little fished
but good for on. A waterproof jacket is worth taking as
P the angler the weather can change very quickly.
prepared Fly choice is relatively simple and
to walk… Duncan's advice is generally: “Fish anything
black. Failing that, try something smaller
and blacker.” Favoured patterns include
P Bibios, black Tadpoles, black Diawl Bach,
black Spiders and Coch-y-Bonddu. If fish
Good points are moving on the surface, something that
from which makes a wake is worth trying and you can’t
to prospect
Good bank in go far wrong with a small Muddler or
a westerly something like a Sedgehog. Duncan and
wind Keith (another fishing friend of mine) have
come up with a variation on the latter,
P
which they have dubbed the Collihog. Tied
with a glister butt, black seal-fur body and
Good bank in wing of black deer hair, it has accounted for
a souwesterly a good number of Colliford trout.
Productive As previously mentioned, from mid-
bay August through September, it is worth
putting dry Daddy Long-legs in your box. If
P Dam you see fish moving or a natural daddy
taken from the surface, cover the fish with a

early efforts before Andrew hooked something more

sizeable while fishing a rocky near an old fence
which extends into the water. He saw the fish move
and covered it. Running over to photograph the
action, I watched a big fish lunging beneath a very
bent rod before Andrew finally slid 3lb or more of
pristine brown trout over the rim of the net.
A pale shade of brown and gold, with a few big
spots, this was a true West Country trophy trout. A
beast of sorts among its smaller brethren on Bodmin
Moor. Minutes after we watched it swim away, the
Dusk is a great weather turned and a cold wind pushed increasingly Black & Peacock
time to see the Spider.
lake's monsters
dark clouds our way. Fishing on for a while, the
move. The teams of flies were ignored until we decided to
adrenaline flows... call it a day.
Plan your trip
Tickets for Colliford can
be bought online from the
South-West Lakes Trust website
(trout.swlakesfishing.co.uk).
A day ticket (which allows you
to keep up to four fish) costs £15.50.
A couple of good local pubs are the
Jamaica Inn and Colliford Tavern, both
of which offer rooms and can provide
tickets for fishing. The former is steeped
in history, being the setting for Daphne
du Maurier’s novel of the same name.
If you are looking for a guide,
Duncan at Devon School of Flyfishing
(web: devonschoolofflyfishing.com;
tel: 01363 82786) knows the vagaries
of the reservoir well.
Remnants of the previous
evening's caddis hatch
provide the trout's first
meal of the day.

B R E A K FA S T
ON THE

USK
Paul Slaney offers four
flies that might save your
bacon this summer

P H O T O G R A P H Y : P E T E R G AT H E R C O L E
 T R O U T I N G AT DAW N

W
HEN W E
made the
decision to
move close
to the
River Usk,
I had visions of endless fishing,
fantastic hatches of brook duns,
March browns and olives of all
sorts. The truth is somewhat
different. Even though my
favourite beat is a short walk from
home, work and family weekend
commitments nearly always
get in the way.
As those famous daytime early-
season Usk hatches and free-rising
fish pass me by, I experience them
through others more able to take
the opportunity. The occasional
foray scratches the itch but leaves
me wanting more, the rows of
brook dun, March brown, large
dark olive and grannom patterns
in my box go largely untouched
from season to season. I’ll save
them for retirement.
However, it’s rare that a day goes
by without me walking the banks,
always at dawn or late evening,
with my dogs. I watch the river
change from month to month and
as spring slips into summer and
right through to September, the
early-morning river can come
alive with opportunities. It’s a
surreal place at that time of day,
seemingly untouched by humans,
sometimes swathed in mist; quiet,
warm and cosy. By this time of
year, my four-weight rod is
permanently made up by the back
door beside a small box of patterns
on which I’ve come to rely.
Walk softly, listen and watch the
margins, particularly back eddies
or the quieter water around the
neck of a pool, where the remnants
of the previous evening’s hatch
collect. These spent bugs – caddis,
mainly – are the trout’s breakfast.
The fish will take a well-presented
pattern in the most leisurely and
confident manner imaginable.

H A N G D O G CA
(TIM TRENGR )
Hook Size 14-16 Partridge SLD2
Body Tim uses possum, I prefer a hare and
snowshoe-hare mix Rib Tying thread
Underwing Tip of one bushy CDC feather
laid flat over the body Overwing Fine
deer hair Thorax Same as body,
tied a little bushier
Hook Size 12-14 Partridge Ideal Nymph
Tail Short tuft of green Poly Yarn Body
Snowshoe-hare dubbing Underwing Two
or three bushy CDC tips Overwing Bull elk
Hackle Good-quality cock saddle
Legs Fine barred rubber Head Butts
of the elk hair left fairly long

THE HANGDOG CADDIS, tied on a long, fine and
degreased tippet, has become the mainstay of my
early-morning prospecting. It’s nearly always the first
fly on my leader. A simple little pattern, the Hangdog
was introduced to me by a friend in New Zealand,
Tim Trengrove. Tim uses it along the summer
banks of the Tongariro River.
Fish it damp or just beneath the surface in the
scummy film that tends to develop in the margins.
It can be difficult to see, but have faith. Lift if you see
a rise and generally you will be rewarded. Easy
enough? Not quite. If the Hangdog has the slightest
hint of drag you’ll have to look for another fish; you
will have shattered that trout’s morning idyll
and he will sulk for the rest of the day.
AFTER FISHING THE slack water, it will be starting
to get brighter, and a little warmer. The fish will be
more active, hunting for breakfast. It’s time to move to
the faster riffles and pool tails. This is more energetic
fishing, still close to the banks. I rarely enter the water
as the fish are generally under your feet. How often
have I heard old Usk hands say “fish the bank”?
In these situations, I like a big, bushy and extremely
buoyant dry-fly. Something the fish and I can’t miss.
Enter the Steam Punk. It has a caddis feel about it, but
I don’t think of it as such. It’s just fish food in my mind
and works often and well enough to have a permanent
corner in my box.
I first tied it for Slovenia, a place I visit as often as
possible. Some of the steep-sided mountain rivers ›
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 27
 Chironomids and fry:
two key ingredients of
the river trout's diet.

present fantastic dry-fly fishing with attractor

patterns. If you are lucky enough to catch a falling
river there, you can expect some of the best dry-fly
fishing imaginable.
The Steam Punk is an exercise in float-ability:
snowshoe hare, Poly Yarn, CDC, elk and hackle
combine to keep it where it needs to be, bobbing PAU L
along in the bubble lines, plain for all involved to SLANEY
see. This is my favourite form of trout fishing – counts himself
lucky to live in
fast water, dry-fly. the Brecon
The savage way the trout take it is always a heart- Beacons where
stopping surprise and the fight is exaggerated by the he fishes for
faster water. It’s great fun. Short, neat, drag-free drifts salmon, brown
trout and sewin
and a strong leader are the order of the day as you and creates the
Bird's eye view of the
carefully work your way upstream. Keep low and as Steam Punk. Note flies he catches
far from the bankside as possible, dropping the proportions of wing, them on.
Steam Punk in any likely water. hackle and legs.

28 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8

M E A D OW S M I D G E
( G E R I A N T M E A D OW S )
Hook Size 15-19 TMC 212TR
Body One layer of black tying thread with the
thread returned to the thorax position in open
turns to form a rib Flash Two short stubs of flash
tied in a “V” back over the body Thorax Tiny
amount of snowshoe-hare dubbing
Wing CDC, tied shuttlecock-style
AS THE MORNING warms further, it’s not unusual to
see one of the middle Usk’s most common hatches.
Chironomids. These little midges can be frustrating,
but having learnt to recognise the hatch, the rewards
can be enormous. It’s quite technical fishing: long,
fine tippets, slow to medium-paced flows. The fish will
be high in the water so accuracy comes into play and
the wind can cause havoc with your presentation.
This is a wading activity but you won’t have to move
far. If you find the hatch, the river will be alive with
feeding fish. Your fly must be right in the film,
perfectly drag-free and delicately tied. The Steam
Punk just won’t cut it in this situation.
A local friend of mine excels at this type of fishing
and he introduced me to the next little pattern, which
revolutionised my Usk sport. I’m going to call it the
Meadows Midge, after its originator, Geriant
Meadows. He just calls it The Midge.
I like to fish the Meadows Midge with a
downstream, slack-line presentation, stopping the rod
high on the forward stroke and collapsing the cast.
The resulting loose coils of leader extend the drag-free
period of drift and keep the leader away from the fish
as the fly floats downstream.
I can’t stress how important and consistent this
hatch is to the middle Usk. The Meadows Midge is one
of the few hatch-specific patterns in my box that is
constantly useful.
“Your fly must be in the
film, perfectly drag-free
and delicately tied. The
Steam Punk won’t cut it”
T R O U T I N G AT DAW N
B U N N Y F RY
Hook Size 8-10 Kamasan B170
Back and tail Rabbit Zonker
Body Cross-cut rabbit strip palmered along
the shank from the halfway point to the eye
Flash Strand of Flashabou tied in each side at
the lateral line position Head Rabbit fur spun
in a dubbing loop and stroked back Eyes Small
epoxy eyes attached with superglue
THE FINAL PATTERN I take on an early-morning
walk is a simple Streamer, quite small as these things
go and always ready in the corner of my box along
with a slow-sinking polyleader of some sort. It’s an
inside bend, slack water sort of fly, or indeed anywhere
that holds shelter for the huge numbers of fry
I see on the Usk.
For this to work, it’s essential that you are the first
person around in the morning because bankside
activity ruins the opportunity for the rest of the day.
Search these areas thoroughly by varying the retrieve
and putting some life into the fly and you can be
rewarded with a handsome specimen.
I’ve been tying and fishing the Bunny Fry for years
and it has accounted for many of my better fish and
not only trout. Pike, bonefish, sea-trout and tigerfish
have all fallen to its charms. It is a simple pattern to
tie: just two strips of rabbit – one straight cut, the other
cross cut – a bit of flash and, if you want, stick-on eyes.
I don’t weight this pattern as it tends to take the life out
of the fly. Sinking leaders achieve the required depth
and maintain the allure.
In the very early morning, even in the shallowest
water, it’s perfectly possible to find a specimen
summer fish on your stretch of river. They regularly
and conveniently give their position away by slashing
at small fry. Gently drift a Bunny Fry downstream into
the area and give it a little life. Takes are never gentle –
anticipation is everything. It’s even worth greasing
the Bunny Fry and presenting it as a dry-fly in
areas of activity.
RIVERCRAFT PLAYS A huge part. By getting to know
the water you can quietly approach different water
types in turn, fully expecting to find feeding fish.
Don’t walk blithely down the banks: stay back from the
edge as much as possible. Take detours to avoid
alerting the fish and only slip down to the water when
you’re sure you can cover a fish.
None of these flies require long-range casts. I often
find myself casting over dry land to present the fly.
Wherever possible, avoid breaking the skyline – the
fish will see you and slip away to their shelter.
These summer-morning expeditions come to an
end as soon as the sun hits the water. Normally by
8am, they are ancient history. I rarely meet other
anglers. If you meet a dogwalker, go home or go
somewhere else as it’s a sure bet the morning’s sport
will be ruined. But there is always tomorrow.
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 29
 ABOVE
Jim Coates fights a fish.
You can almost hear
the reel sing.
RIGHT
The best anglers often
use the right technique
but they also tend to
fish with more tenacity.

30 | S E P T E M B E R
 ST ICK OR
TW IST?
In trying times, Jim Coates contemplates his
enjoyment of salmon fishing and how to tempt fish
when a blank stares him in the face
P H OTO G R AP H Y: CO R I N S M ITH

I
’M SAT BY THE BA NKS
of the Spey. In what might just
be the worst season on record.
I’m contemplating the nature of
our sport. Is it simply getting
too hard to catch a salmon
these days? The scarcity of
JIM
salmon has made me realise
C OAT E S
how close I’ve come to losing
lives in Perthshire
and fishes on the
something I love. Beyond the
Dee, Spey, Tay critical struggle to bring back
and Tweed. He our salmon, the realisation that we risk losing the
takes a keen pleasure of (viable) fishing for them has hit me hard.
interest in So as I wait to make my next cast when the evening
conservation and
fund-raising. He sunshine softens, I thought I’d jot a few lines trying to
has also fished in make sense of my thoughts.
Alaska, Russia If I enjoy hitting a tennis ball against a big wall,
and Ireland. running around, working up a good sweat, that’s fine.
But let’s not try to fool ourselves it’s tennis. It’s only
tennis when I have an opponent. The former may
have aspects in common with the latter, but it is very
different. Assuming I have an opponent on the other
side of the net, we could play in anything from a
serious competitive spirit to an entirely friendly way.
I could quite reasonably play against a friend, lose,
care not a jot and have thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Without quarry, we are not anglers.
As salmon get harder and harder to find, never
mind catch, the way we approach or think about our
sport is being challenged like never before.
Increasingly I find I’m thinking about protecting my
enjoyment of the sport, limited as the catches may be.
The deal, as I used to understand it, has changed.
Take the Tweed in autumn as an example. She was
always a fickle mistress, so easily flooded and
LEFT
coloured by heavy rain, but if you could just catch her
Jim advises falling and clearing on a frost-crisped morning, then
against changing a red-letter day was on the cards. That famous
flies without a autumn run seems to have collapsed and with
sound tactical
reason. it the risk-and-reward aspect of “hitting it right”
is very different.
As the salmon-fishing deal changes, perhaps we are
going to need to adapt if we are to find enjoyment and ›
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 31
S A L M O N TA CT I C S

RIGHT
A handful of options,
which, crucially, require
different methods
of presentation.
FAR RIGHT
Select fishing carefully.
Three days on a
sparsely rodded
double-bank beat is
more enjoyable than
five on somewhere
crowded.

specific hack that might save the day. The pleasure in

making plans and implementing them, adapting and
re-trying is now most appealing. A one-dimensional
not just a string of frustrating disappointments. Even approach just doesn’t cut it, I equate it with monotony
before we lose our salmon completely we could lose and failure.
the sporting pursuit we love. When you make a plan for a fishing session, on
I don’t fully subscribe to the various “fish are a what are you pinning your hopes? I’d say one of the
bonus” platitudes. For this angler at least, there needs first things to take a view on are the chances of fresh
to be a fish to angle for. A tennis opponent if you will. or running fish moving into your beat. Or will it be a
Who won the match is a different question. Indeed, false move from one of the fish you can see holding in
winning every time might not add much in the long your beat? The time of year, water height and
term. In this sense we can cope with scarcity so long temperature, as well as the distance from the tide,
as we believe that there is a live game to be played. will all have an influence. Based on how I feel about
This is a very different thing from saying that I these variables I’ll hatch a plan of attack and then
couldn’t or don’t enjoy a blank day. I have and I most focus on executing it as well as I can. What follows are
certainly can: for whatever reason, it just didn’t work four occasions when this approach has paid off.
out… I think that’s fine, this was always part of the
deal with salmon fishing.
So, as I think about the way I’ve tried to adapt and
enjoy the fishing we now have and not just the fishing
we have lost, I realise I follow something of a pattern
(daft as it may be) which I find helps me keep my
pecker up and enjoy my time on the river.
The first thing I realise I’ve changed, is the fishing
I book. In these times of scarcity I’m only booking
fishing on beats that really suit my tastes. In times
past I used to put up with much more. No longer. I’m
thinking more broadly about the experience and the
setting. Double bank and low rod pressure are now
serious considerations. I’ve made a conscious choice
to do less, if needs be, to protect what I see as
the key ingredients.
Keeping positive, optimistic and focused on trying
to catch requires a much more robust frame of mind
than it used to do. A good gut feeling about my choice
of fly and the way I’m fishing it, is I think, at the heart
of this. I’m adapting the way I fish. I just don’t catch
the number of salmon I used to, even four or five
years ago. So it’s now about really savouring the ones RIGHT
Looks like a
I do land. In near-perfect conditions this might mean perfect swing. Is
opting for a preferred style, or in less favourable your rod-hand
conditions, digging deep into the archives for a twitching?

32 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
TA LES OF TH E U N E X PECTED
T H I R D -T I M E LUC K Y
I was fishing a long glide on the Tummel. The water
was low and dead clear. Another sunny day loomed so
I was on the water by about 6am and I could see fish
moving. Every few minutes one would head-and-tail,
slowly, almost as if they were tasting the air.
Despite the obvious presence of fresh fish, my best
casting and quietest wading, I touched nothing. So
much for springers taking anything. I paused,
holding the size 11 Park Shrimp in the water. It was
an original, tied by Ross Macdonald and it looked
perfect. How was this not doing the business?
I stuck with it, I’ve caught hundreds of fish on this
fly, so why not today? The fish kept showing all the
way down the pool and by the time I’d fished out my
last cast I still hadn’t had a sniff.
Plan B. I started again at the top of the pool with a
small bottle-tube Monkey. By halfway down, I got the
gnawing feeling this wasn’t going to work either. I
switched to an aluminium Collie Dog. Another deadly
fly. This only seemed to make things worse, the fish
stopped showing and I felt like I’d put them down, so I
stopped. I was seconds away from calling it a bad job
and leaving when I realised it was getting steadily
warmer as the dawn progressed into day.
I took off my jacket and then the short sinking
polyleader. I went full floater. A fresh tapered leader
and 6ft of tippet with the same Park Shrimp
completed the tactical switch. This time I focused
hard on hovering the fly as slowly as I could over
where the fish had been showing. Fished in this way
the hackle of the fly pulses and the tail wiggles, just
below the surface and occasionally creasing it.
A fish followed the fly, clearly bulging the water
before turning back down. A few minutes later and
the same thing happened. Another few yards down
the pool and I became aware that another fish was up
on the surface and following. This time I began to
figure-of-eight the fly; it made a soft wake. This was
more than that springer could stand, he raced at the
fly and took it perfectly. As I slipped him back, I
decided it was time to head home for breakfast. I’d
cracked the code and that was enough.
If you find yourself in good conditions at a
traditionally good time of the year, then I would be
wary of chopping and changing flies for the sake of it.
Ask yourself: what is it that you are really changing in
terms of how your chosen fly is fishing? Change this
rather than one size 8 pattern for another size 8
fished the same way.
A DE E P A N D DI RT Y PL A N B
It was mid-September on the lower Dee, the water was
low and the pools were stuffed with fish. Very little
was being caught. I’d decided to go as light and fine as
I could, my smallest blackest fly, fine tippet and my
12ft 7wt rod. By the time I arrived at the pool I’d
drawn, a man was already fishing from the far side.
In the low water, he was casting right across the pool, ›
“This was more than
that springer could stand,
he raced at the fly”
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 33
S A L M O N TA CT I C S
bank to bank, and covering every inch. Badly, in my
view. I could see his fly from where I was and his big
heavy line was landing and being mended with plenty
of splash. As he staggered about on the slippery stones
making just about as much disturbance as possible,
I slumped down on the bank and watched. This was
my only pool for the afternoon. It felt hopeless and
I was close to calling it a bad job.
After what seemed like an age he gave up and left.
I waited for a while and then started with my light
set-up. A few fish started to show but I didn’t feel at all
confident. I took the short walk back to the car and
hatched a new plan. I put on the fastest sink-tip
I had and looked for a small heavy tube-fly. An
Icelandic chap had given me a small drab black
Snaelda a few seasons past. The water was super-clear
and it seemed as good a fly as any. The mood took me
to fish it like a nymph. I cast it slightly upstream on
a short line and then when I thought the fly was in
the area of the fish, made a small inside mend,
swinging the fly up in the water and into my bank.
It worked almost immediately as a coloured grilse
34 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
grabbed the fly, just as it lifted. Four more followed
and I felt like I’d discovered fire.
I think this was one of the first times I’d really done
well, making my own plan and succeeding without
either good conditions or making a good fist of a
classic style. Looking back, it was a watershed in
terms of giving me the confidence to make changes.
As the season wears on, I’ve usually found that it’s a
major switch in tactics that will bring results rather
than more subtle changes of depth or pace.
Dogma in the face of resident fish can sometimes
be counter-productive. My suggestion is to try
different techniques, but sparingly. If you feel one
isn’t right, stop, and make a new plan rather than
press ahead scorched-earth style. This includes
flogging the water with a regulation Cascade:
standard tactics can put fish down, just like any
others. Resting a pool can be a great thing, but easier
said than done. If you can’t face taking a break, fish
a lesser pool and then return when you’ve finished.
The water will benefit from the rest, even if you
won’t stop yourself.
 Plan B
worked,
although
someone's
less than R E ST BR I NG S R E WA R D S
impressed.
It was August and I was the only rod fishing. With no
gillie, it was a case of suit myself. The deep, fast run
into the main pool was the undoubted hotspot. I made
right for it. Half an hour later I’d fished it and touched
nothing. I walked back to the car to lick my wounds
over a coffee. Perched on the back of my car boot I
wondered why no-one ever fishes the water above the
car park. It looked okay but I’d certainly never tried it.
I’d never seen anyone else in there, either. I don’t
think it’s marked as a pool on any maps, but rivers
change and as I sat drinking my coffee I decided to
give it a quick try before returning to the hotspot.
The near bank was steep and fenced off so I walked
upstream, planning to find an easy way into the
water, then wade and fish down to the short
interesting-looking bit where I wanted to swing my
fly over two submerged boulders.
It was shallow and I was making comfortable
progress downstream. The water felt a little thin,
though; the fly didn’t swing as well as I’d hoped. I
guess that’s why it’s not fished much. It was less
trouble to go downstream than to fight the flow back
up, so I took a few casts as I went. I was soon aware
that I needed to come closer and closer to my bank as
“Then the penny dropped. I put
a half-hitch just behind the head
of the fly and re-cast”
Try nymphing.
Heavy tube,
cast upstream,
keep in touch, fly
lifts, fish takes.
the depth increased unexpectedly. I was almost at the
top of my waders, but my line was now swinging
round at a better pace and with a pleasing tension. I
angled a cast to cover the strip between the boulders
I’d seen from the high bank. A solid take followed.
Teetering at my wading limit I tried to move
downstream to shallower water where I might play
the fish. It just got deeper, and so I was skirting the
high bank grabbing what I could for support. The fish
was fending for itself at this point as, frankly, I was in
something of a tacking. At last I found waist-deep
water as the bottom came up to meet me. I didn’t have
a net, beaching wasn’t an option, so hand-tailing was
the only thing for it. The seemingly beaten fish rallied
and shot down between my legs. It all went to cock as I
lifted my feet and stumbled in the flow. Weirdly, the
leader held as I grabbed it and I finally got a proper
hold of the fish. She was a cracker, a tinge of colour
but deep and heavy. I had three more fish from that
spot on different days before the end of the season.
I’m still not sure if it has a name. The best thing was
that I learned to fish the main “known” hotspot
judiciously and rest it well. I really think I had more
fish from it precisely because I didn’t overdo it.
T H U N DE R ST RUC K
In my twenties, I was once out at first light on the Dee
at Ballogie. It was mid-June. Even at dawn, the air was
heavy and you could sense thunder was on the cards.
I was keeping an ear out, keen not to be waving a rod
around in a lightning storm. That said, there were a
few fish about and being twenty-odd, I felt invincible.
I decided to keep going until I heard a clap. I suddenly
became aware of some flashing under water, salmon
flanks no less. At the top of the pool there was a steady
show of fish head-and-tailing. Behind them, regular
glinting underwater suggested even more salmon. I
was soon in position to cover them with my Silver
Stoat. Try as I might, the fish ignored the fly. Soon I
made a particularly bad cast and the fly caught itself
on the leader, fouled up, and crabbed across the
stream. As I was pulling in the line to unpick the
tangle, there was a great boil at the skittering fly.
I covered the shoal again, nothing. Then the penny
dropped. I put a half-hitch just behind the head of the
fly and re-cast. The fish came up for a second time
and swallowed my Silver Stoat like a fat trout grabs a
mayfly. I managed another two fish in almost as
many casts and then as quickly as the fish had started
to show, they were gone. In all the excitement I hadn’t
spotted the water level creeping up. The storm I could
feel brewing must have hit further up the valley. An
hour later and the river was unrecognisable as a
surge of water came down the valley. Thank goodness
I’d made an early start and for that bungled cast.
To this day, the hitch is my favourite way to catch a
salmon and something I work into my summer plans.
It’s also a good way to tempt stale fish in low water.
ANYWAY, THE LIGHT is softer now and it’s time to
go for a cast. I’m not ready to give up either the fight to
restore salmon runs or the sport I love. Meantime, I
hope you can find your own ways to fish with purpose
and confidence. I believe it’s in these adaptations that
we protect the enjoyment. We soldier on.
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 35
T R O U T F LY O F T H E M O N T H

Denson

o
each
unt –

bout
–
will
ore
ecure.
ust a
d tyed
eded.

75 or 170
ib Opal Mirage
ood claret
egs Knotted
Cloak Bronze
r natural
ed Silver Doctor
Thread UTC 70
range

C
mething
-summer

DENSON collection of colourful parts. I tied it and tried it – as
has fly-fished one does and one must, in order to pass opinion –
for trout for but success was limited and I decided I was more
25 years, visiting than capable of tying something just as useless
all four corners myself. To be fair, the Gorgeous George (named
of Britain
and Ireland,
after the flamboyant American wrestler) has an
combining his army of fans, a few of which I’ve witnessed doing
love of fly-tying, serious damage with this unlikely-looking hero.
photography But after four or five fruitless forays I couldn’t get
and a rolling it to work and dismissed it as a confidence pattern.
wave. Web:
robdenson.co.uk
Or, in my case, a lack-of-confidence pattern.
One thing I did like, though, was its basic design
and I wondered what the female of the species
might look like.
One of my biggest issues with the George was
the juxtaposition of the Glo-Brite No.11 tail and
the No.5 butt – not a combination I find particularly
Visit
appealing, so that was the first thing to go.
www.veniard.com I replaced the floss tail with a golden-pheasant
formoreinformation tippet dyed Orkney peach and took it from there.
and stockists The main objective – which I think I achieved – was
s with the
are sure to
e or a feeding
ushy and
orge and the
Georgina operate in and on the surface with a
floating or very slow intermediate line, and as such
they do their best work in the second half of the
season. I’ve had excellent sessions fishing the
Georgina for wild, grown-on or recently stocked fish,
just a few days and a few miles apart on Stocks
Reservoir and Malham Tarn, and also further afield
in Orkney and Chew.
Simple, classic loch-style gets the best out of the
Georgina. An 11ft rod is perfect for extended control
of the top dropper, but a 10ft rod will do just fine.
Then it’s just a simple case of rolling a short length
(10-15 yards) of floating line over the waves and then
gradually lifting the rod as you retrieve. As soon as
you are able to lift the top dropper off the water, do so
and then drop it back into the film, then hold, hold,
and hold some more – trout love the bulge created as
you lift the fly slightly against the surface tension.
Seeing a trout come to the fly at this point and then
take and turn down is as good as it gets. It happens
a lot with the Georgina.

36 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
 DON STAZICKER’S
Targeting trout
under tress
Tips and tricks for catching fish in a tight spot
T
HE NEXT TIME
someone suggests
cutting down trees
and trimming
branches to tidy up
the river and make casting easier,
remember that trout live under
cover for a reason.
I view trout under cover as an
opportunity, not as a problem.
If you can get a fly to these fish,
they are the ones that have rarely
been caught before, they are more
likely to be rising on the brightest
of sunny days and because they
feel secure they will often take
your fly confidently.
RIVER RESCUE
P H OTO G R A P H Y: L LOY D R O G E R S
W H Y T ROU T HOL D
U N DE R C OV E R?
They are protected from
predators, including anglers. The
greater the fishing pressure that
a stream receives, the more the
trout will be found under cover.
Tree cover creates areas of
slow-moving water where fish
can hold effortlessly, darting
out into the faster current
to take passing food.
Trailing branches channel
and strain food from the surface
and harbour food organisms
that fall on to the water.
Also, the fish may find it easier
to see prey clearly when it is not
being viewed against a bright sky.
W H Y D O A NGL E R S
NO T L I K E C OV E R?
It is harder to present a fly well
to fish lying under cover. We fear
losing our flies and leader.
Where cover overhangs a bank,
the current is often slower than
in the main stream and
presenting the fly without drag
over this current differential
can be difficult.
Trailing branches that touch
the surface can also prevent us
getting a drift. ›
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 37
 K N OW H OW

T H E ROD A N D L I N E F OR T H E JOB
A fast, tip-action rod makes it easier to
cast a tight loop into gaps in the foliage.
A slow, through-action rod bends more
throughout its length as you lengthen
line. This results in the rod tip moving
through a large arc and throwing
a wider, more open loop – not ideal
in narrow spaces.
However, at close range, both fast and
slow rods are capable of casting narrow
Fast- or tip-action
rods are best to keep casting
loops narrow under trees.
loops because a short length of line will
not load either rod greatly, they’ll bend
mostly in the tip section.
When casting a long way, where the
load from the longer line is greater, the
fast rod makes casting tight narrow
loops much easier.
I find fly-lines with a short front taper
load the rod well when casting short
distances. Use a drab-coloured line.
What leader?
Long leaders and tippets make accuracy
harder to achieve. A shorter leader with
a thick butt will efficiently transfer
casting energy to the fly.
Use strong tippet to deliver the fly with
authority, give you a chance of
recovering snagged flies and let you take
the fight to the fish.
I don’t use fluorocarbon because it
doesn’t degrade when snagged and can
leave a fly dangling where it poses a risk
to wildlife. Nylon tippet degrades rapidly
when exposed to sunlight, weakening
quickly to the point where it no longer
poses a threat.
If you do lose a fly or leader make
every attempt to retrieve it if it is
safe to do so.
Using more than one fly makes
it harder to create the narrow loop
needed for accurate presentation and
increases the chances of leaving
a fly dangling from the branches.
If I can cast upstream into clear
water and allow a duo (dry-fly and
nymph or two dry-flies) to drift under
a tree without casting towards the
branches then I occasionally use
two flies.
Two-fly set-ups greatly increase the
likelihood of losing a fish if it dives
for the roots.

F L I E S F OR F I S H I NG U N DE R COV E R
Tie your own flies: you will be less scared
of losing them if you can make some more.
A palmered fly such as a Griffith’s Gnat
is less likely to tangle if it hits leaves or
branches because the palmer hackle
masks the hook point.
Trout under cover may be out of
the main feeding lane and often feed
opportunistically. Stomach samples
from these fish often contain a wide r
ange of different organisms, many
of them terrestrial.
Trout will feed selectively if a hatch CDC Greenfly, size 22-28.
of aquatic insects occurs and the current
takes sufficient insects under cover. CDC Midge Emerger, size 16-22.
Don’t just focus on what is happening
beneath the trees: keep an eye on
the rest of the river to see if hatches
are occurring.
Beetles, ants, greenfly and caterpillars
live in the trees; they often fall on to
the water and become available to fish
lying under cover.
When fish are dimpling the surface with
no fly visible, I fish a size 16 to 22 CDC
Shuttlecock Midge Emerger.
Tie flies with white wings to make them
more visible againts a dark background.
PETER GATHERCOLE

Fish the size 28 Greenfly on 6X nylon (3.3lb). Rubber-leg Foam Ant, size 16-20.
Going finer will sacrifice control over the hooked Palmer Beadhead, size 14-18.
fish. I only go to 6X with tiny flies: if I can use 5X
(4.5lb) or 4X (6lb) I always do so.

38 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
S P O T T I NG F I S H I N T H E M U R K L A N DI NG W I T H A PL OP
The trout often lie just beneath the surface It is not always necessary to get the fly to the fish.
and rise with very little disturbance. Weighted nymphs landing with a plop can draw
When feeding opportunistically they may fish out from cover. If the stream receives
rise infrequently. Don’t just glance under the significant fishing pressure the sound of a
cover and move on: keep watching and you beadhead fly hitting the surface may spook trout
will be surprised how often fish will show rather than attract them. Very small flies, size 18
themselves. to 22, with tiny 1.5mm beads cause a small impact
The foliage and parts of the river are in that is sufficient to get the fish’s attention without
bright sunshine while the fish are in deep spooking it. Beadhead flies with palmered hackles
shade. This high-contrast situation can make land gently and sink slowly, giving the trout time
spotting fish very difficult. Looking at a thin, to investigate before the fly sinks out of range.
dark strip of covered water from a distance
on a bright day virtually guarantees you
won’t see trout lying in those dark areas.
Get close and scan under the bushes while
shielding your sunglasses with a hat or using
your hands to block out the bright areas. Use
polarising sunglasses with a light tint and
give your eyes time to become accustomed
to the darkness under the trees.

PR E S E N T I NG YOU R F LY T O T H E T ROU T
First, before you cast, work out how
and where you will land the fish
if you hook it.
Next, does the fish take flies more
readily towards the bank and can you
get your fly there? Watch several
rises to see on which side the fish
prefers to rise.
The best approach is one that
keeps fly, leader and line in the same
current seam to reduce drag, and
this often means casting up or
downstream to the fish, rather
than casting across the stream,
to get the fly under the trees.
Minimise drag by getting close
to the trout. If you need to wade to
do this or to get a low cast under
branches, move very slowly to avoid
causing waves.
Long casts adversely affect
accuracy, while casting with just the
leader out of the tip ring makes it
difficult to achieve the narrow loop
needed to project the fly into
small spaces.
We all have a distance at which
we cast most accurately and it’s
not always the shortest distance.
Choosing positions that allow you
to cast with your optimum length of
line will make you more accurate.
Roll-casts avoid snags behind the
caster but can cause the leader and
tippet to go high into the air,
increasing the risk of tangling on
branches. A side roll-cast gets the
leader under the branches and
simultaneously provides slack line.
When performing this cast the fly-
line, leader and fly must float high if
you are to avoid drowning your dry-
fly. Apply floatant to the tip of the
fly-line, the leader – apart from the
last few inches of tippet – and the fly.

S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 39
K N OW H OW

N I N E US E F U L , U N US UA L A N D M I NOR TACT IC S
• Delivering a dry-fly with an overpowered
cast causes the fly to tuck over, hitting the
water with an attracting splash before the
leader. This is particularly effective with foam
beetle patterns.
• Cast close to the cover and impart motion,
gently twitching your dry-fly or drawing your
nymph slowly out into the stream.
• Drop nymphs into gaps in the foliage and
allow them to swing round under branches
that touch the surface – you'll be covering
fish that others have missed.
• Cast over cover, such as grass, which will
support the line and minimise line-splash
and drag.
• Bounce the fly off foliage, trees and rocks,
allowing it to drop to the surface with some
slack in the tippet.
• Cast on to the bank and pull the fly back
into the water. “You’ll be
• Cast downstream and feed out line to get
the fly a long way under cover. Strike slowly
because the fish will be facing you.
covering fish
• Dap a fly through gaps in the cover, using a
weighted nymph or adding a small shot to the that others
leader just above a dry-fly to stabilise it.
• The bow-and-arrow cast can be useful
but it is easy to hook yourself and it can
have missed”
produce an open loop as the rod tip moves
through a significant arc.

One of the Derbyshire Wye's

rainbow trout – taken from
beneath low-hanging foliage.

What to do when you hook the fish

When the trout takes your fly, tighten underwater to submerge the line
into the fish rather than striking and prevent it tangling with
vigorously. A conventional upward trailing branches. R I S K A N D R E WA R D
strike will usually result in a tangle. Know the limits of your tackle: use Trout under cover are a bonus;
Strike parallel to the water surface and a strong tippet with a stout hook and they can save a hard day.
Watch carefully for their
keep the rod low to apply side strain. put as much pressure on the fish as subtle rises. Accurate casting
Don’t be afraid to put the rod tip you can to get it out into open water. and drag-free drifts are
usually more important than
exact imitation.
Remember, if you’re not
Q Derbyshire-based Don Stazicker is a highly experienced trout fisherman, fly-tyer and losing a few flies, you’re
instructor. He is widely travelled and has guided extensively in the USA. He also makes fishing in the wrong place.
fly-fishing videos (don@stazicker.co.uk) and is the river conservancy officer for
Cressbrook and Litton Flyfishers.

40 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
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 Fly-fishing
LUMINARIES

M A JOR J. P. T R A H E R N E
1826–1901

Crawford Little celebrates the lives

of history’s finest salmon-fishers.
This month, a great all-rounder
and gentleman
 W
HEN I WA
my early tee
grandfather
that while I m
taught much
salmon fishi
there was a g
deal more th
I would have to
learn for myself. He also warned against reading
too many fishing books. “Better to stick with one
writer who really knew what he was about,” he
said. “Major Traherne’s The Habits of Salmon
will teach you about the fish, and the chapter he
wrote on “Salmon Fishing with The Fly” for the
Badminton Library’s Fishing will tell you
how to catch them.”
I’m afraid that in later years I ignored the
advice about reading too many books... But my
grandfather’s suggestion to study the Major’s
writings was spot on – even though we know
rather more about the habits of salmon now
than they did in Traherne’s day.
John Popkin Traherne was born in August,
1826, into the landed gentry of Wales – his
family tracing descent from a prince who ruled
Gwynedd in the 11th Century. His grandfather
had married Frances Popkin, who brought
considerable wealth to the family, as well as an
estate at Coytrahen near Brynmenyn, Bridgend,
South Wales on the banks of the River Llynfi,
which flows through the Llynfi Valley before
joining with the rivers Ogmore and Garw
at Aberkenfig.
In 1845, Traherne obtained a commission as
Ensign in the 39th (Dorset) Regiment of Foot and
served with that regiment for nearly six years,
later serving as Major in the Glamorganshire
Militia, as well as being a Justice of the Peace,
Deputy Lieutenant for the County, and finally
High Sheriff in 1863, having inherited the
Coytrahen estate in 1859. It was said of him that
he was not only a gentleman by birth, but a
genuinely gentle and kindly man.
Having caught his first salmon in 1850, he
dedicated much of the rest of his life not only to
salmon fishing, but everything to do with it.
For many years, he held the world record with
a cast of 45 yards and one inch made at
The Fishing Gazette Tournament in 1884,
using a three-sectioned, spliced “Traherne” rod
of 17ft 4in, made by Farlow’s.
It was also said of him that he was the most
aesthetically gifted salmon fly-tyer of his time.
“He held the world record with a
cast of 45 yards and one inch”
A Blue Boyne (left) and a Chatterer,
tied by Traherne for the Great
International Fisheries Exhibition
in 1883, depicted in Kelson's
The Salmon Fly.
He exhibited a case of flies at the Great
International Fisheries Exhibition in London
in 1883 – the only amateur to do so apart from
George Kelson who was so impressed with
Traherne’s patterns that in 1884 he described
18 of them in the first of his series “On the
Description of Salmon Flies”
in The Fishing Gazette.
It seems that Traherne dressed two classes of
flies. He would take infinite pains over tying the
likes of his Emerald Gem or Chatterer, the latter
requiring upwards of 50 blue chatterer feathers
to form the body. Charles Akroyd wrote: “Major
Traherne tied a beautiful fly, and it gave me
great pleasure to watch him. He took the most
extraordinary pains to dress them perfectly, and
I am sure I have seen him taking an hour to get a
feather to sit properly.” George Kelson
confirmed: “There are no salmon flies in
creation requiring so much patient work to dress
well as Major Traherne’s.” But these beautiful
flies were intended more as works of art for
exhibition and admiration, and for the sheer
pleasure and satisfaction in producing them
perfectly, rather than as mere tools of the
salmon-fishing trade. On the riverbank, he
seldom carried more than a few standard
patterns – his favourite being the Jock Scott – and
doubted whether a change from one to another
was truly worthwhile.
“When a man is seen constantly changing his
fly it is certain that sport is bad, and fish not on
the move,” Traherne advised. “It is possible, but
very improbable, that a change of fly will change
the humour of the fish. I have myself changed
flies hundreds of times, but have never known it
to answer when fish are sulky; a change,
however, after a fish has risen is very often
successful. It is a common saying that fish get
tired of the sight of flies, and become shy by
being much fished over; but if my experience
can be taken as evidence, I rather incline to the
opinion that it is the fisherman who gets tired of
throwing his fly over the fish, rather than the
fish that gets tired of seeing it.”
Major Traherne fished almost continually
through the long salmon season. He held a lease ›
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 43
F LY- F I S H I N G LU M I N A R I E S
or was a regular guest on rivers including the
Conwy, Usk and Wye in Wales; the Moy,
Ballynahinch, Boyne, Shannon, Carah, Laune,
Lee, Suir and the Cork Blackwater in Ireland;
and the Annan, Aberdeenshire Dee,
Kirkcudbrightshire Dee, Spey, Tay, Helmsdale,
Thurso and Naver in Scotland, as well as holding
leases on Norwegian rivers including the
Lyngdal, Maals, Namsen and Alten (Alta). For
the 20 years before his death from a stroke in
1901 – surviving Queen Victoria by six days – he
concentrated on his lease at Killaloe on the River
Shannon in Ireland, widely referred to as the
true home of the “gaudy fly”.
So, a champion fly-caster, master fly-dresser,
and a much-travelled salmon-fisher. In a March
fortnight on the Boyne in 1885, he caught
salmon weighing 33, 28, 24, 22, 17, 18, 19, 19, 27,
19, 19, 26 and 33lb. Not bad... But on the Namsen
in 1864, he caught 165 fish in 15 days – the best
day producing 11 salmon and 12 grilse. I could
go on, but perhaps that is enough to confirm that
as a salmon-fisher, Traherne was almost in a
class of his own.
If reading his advice on fishing the salmon fly,
you may discover more than a few surprises. For
example, how many times have you read or
heard that Arthur Wood of Cairnton invented
mending the line to control the swim of the fly?
But the following is what Traherne wrote in 1885
– 50 years or so before Wood was active on the
Aberdeenshire Dee.
“There is a way of taking the belly out of a line,
which was taught to me by an old fisherman on
the Kirkcudbrightshire Dee in my younger days.
I dare say many of my readers will recollect old
Jemmy Gordon, professional salmon fisherman
at Kirkcudbright, who was called the ‘Emperor’,
and right well he deserved the title, for he knew
more about salmon fishing than any other
professional I have ever met, and I acquired a
store of knowledge from him that I have found
useful ever since. He is dead and gone now, and
the like of him I shall never see again. It was
Jemmy who pointed out to me the evil of
allowing a belly to remain in my line, and who
taught me how to rectify it.”
A first edition of
The Habits of Salmon.
This image and those
from the first edition of
The Salmon Fly: How to Dress
It and How to Use It
by George M. Kelson,
and Fishing: Salmon and
Trout, by H. Cholmondeley-
Pennell are courtesy of
Coch-y-Bonddu Books
(www.anglebooks.com)
44 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
“To accomplish it is a knack which can only be Traherne is
acquired by practice, but I think it is of such perhaps the first
noted fisher
importance that I will endeavour, by the aid of to describe
the diagram, to explain how it is done. how to mend
“A C represents the rod and C E the line, as line, in his
contribution to
first cast, in correct position. C F represents the the Badminton
belly, almost instantly made. By making a back- Library's Fishing:
handed upward cast, the belly C F, the outward Salmon and
Trout, 1885.
curve of which is facing downstream, is
changed in its direction to D G; the outward
curve facing upstream, the position of the rod
being shifted from C to D the action of the
stream will then straighten line, which will
gradually get into the position C H, the position
of the rod being shifted back to A C; the fly will
then gradually work across stream, the rod
following the direction of the fly until the cast is
completed at A B M.”
Regarding the nature of salmon-fishers, Major
Traherne had this to say of his contemporaries.
“A salmon fisherman, as a rule, is always good
company and a jovial fellow; he is always ready
to give a helping hand to a brother fisherman,
and however much his temper may have been
tried during the day, it is generally all over by
dinner-time and by the time he goes to bed after
a convivial glass or two with his friendly rivals,
he has quite forgotten his ill-luck, determined to
be up and going the next day.”
Is that as true today? Perhaps not, but it was
certainly true of Traherne. In an obituary in The
Fishing Gazette, the editor Robert Bright Marston
wrote: “With the death of Major John P. Traherne
has passed away one of the best of salmon
anglers and most genial of men… His death has
cast quite a gloom over Killaloe and Shannon
salmon anglers, for during the many years he
had visited the district he was as Mr. Hurley puts
it, ‘simply idolised and loved by everyone.’”
C R AW FO R D L I T T L E
started fishing with a bent stick before he went
to school and has fished for salmon at home and
abroad for more than 50 years. He has written
seven books, including Success with Salmon,
The Great Salmon Beats, The Salmon & Sea Trout
Fisheries of Scotland, and The Salmon
Fisherman’s Year.
SOMERS FISHINGTACKLE
Extensive range | Established 1951 |)\TIVXEHZMGIJVSQI\TIVMIRGIH½WLIVQIR

.' 'ETIW MR WXSGO SALMON GREY’S

JVSQ SRP]  FLIES, STRATA
DOUBLES CTX
AND TUBES WADERS
FROM ONLY
 )%', R

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GREY’S STRATA
CTX FELT SOLE
S LAGARTUN
664 OVAL
3; TINSEL,
FLAT BRAID
AND FLAT
GREY’S TINSEL
SUNGLASSES %PP GSPSYVW
FROM ERHWM^IW
 FEGOMRWXSGO
13/15 Bon-accord Terrace. Aberdeen AB1 6DP
Tel. 01224 210008 Fax. 01224 586607 Email. WEPIW$WSQIVW½WLMRKGSQ
[[[WSQIVW½WLMRKXEGOPIGSYO We now accept
PayPal

Tom Bonniwell with the largest salmon

caught in Scotland last year, 40 lb plus
RQRXUÁ\6QDHOGD7XQJVWHQPLFUR&RQH

Snaelda micro tungsten tube Frances red tungsten cones

www.frances.is
Fantastic Icelandic salmon flies
Successful in all salmon countries - Free shipping
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he new Spectre ly rods use the very Incorporating the very latest thinking in ly rod design & material technology.
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It's a spinning rod. No, it's a ly rod. Actually, it's both.
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11’ #7 NEW
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7’6” #3 4 Piece £849
SNOWBEE CLASSIC FLY ROD COMBOS - 4PCE 8’4” #3 4 Piece £849
LWT Graphite reel preloaded with backing, ly line & leader. 8’6” #4 #5 4 Piece £849
9’ #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 4 Piece £849
Classic Combo Kits RRP Price 9’6” #6 4 Piece £849
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Classic RRP Price Cassette Fly Reels (Silver extra £5-£10) RRP Price 6'6” #3 £449
6' #2/3 £67 £52 Onyx #5/7 Cassette Fly Reel £72 £64.99 7' #3 SUPERFINE CARBON £449
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THE HALF MOON INN
Nestled in the heart of the traditional, unspoilt
Devon village of Sheepwash, as a traditional
wÃ} ] Üi >Ài >Li Ì vviÀ ÕÀ }ÕiÃÌÃ iÝVÕÃÛi
>VViÃà Ì ÃiÛi ià v Ìi ,ÛiÀ /ÀÀ`}i] ÜiÀi
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LÀÜ ÌÀÕÌ] `i«i`}  Ìi Ãi>ð
With delicious home-cooked food and a
well-stocked bar, The Half Moon Inn is
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of our hospitality.
savills.co.uk

For beginners, expert advice and tuition is also available.

Please call us on 01409 231 376
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FISHING RIGHTS ON THE TEME THE BAHAMAS

Near Ludlow, Shropshire.
BONEFISH FLY SCHOOL

Guide Price
£850,000
The Bridge House is located just 2 miles south of historic Ludlow
on the banks of the River Teme. Set in just over 8 acres it is an
idyllic location overlooking Ashford Weir. In the autumn you can
sit and enjoy the spectacular sight of salmon jumping on the weir.

The Bridge House dates back to the 16th Century, of stone

construction it has been extended and refurbished over the years
to create a lovely country home with an attached self contained Go Fishing Worldwide is excited to offer the opportunity to learn (or
one bedroom annexe. brush up) your fly-fishing skills for the ever elusive Bonefish. The week
The house retains much will compromise of coaching and teaching sessions and heading out
of its original character with local guides to catch your first Bonefish. The school takes place on
with exposed timbers
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the river it is a haven for Date: 30 November 2018
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 ST UA RT FOX A L L ’S
Long-tailed Shrimps
Why these agile patterns could make the difference this autumn
A
F TER A LONG HOT
summer, we can look
forward to greater rainfall,
refreshing the rivers and
enticing late-summer
salmon to leave the estuary with the
first of the back-end run.
These fresh fish can agitate salmon
that may have held a prime lie in a pool
for weeks or months, who’ll now
continue their journey to spawn in
tributaries upstream or become grumpy
and defensive, showing their strength
and seeing off rivals. Both scenarios give
us a chance to catch a fish while the
conditions are in our favour.
Salmon are slightly more active in
A L LY ’ S SH R I M P
I think it’s fair to say Ally Gowans’ superb
design revolutionised salmon fly-tying.
His Shrimp has accounted for
thousands of fish worldwide.
When Ally first wrote about it in T&S
in 1988, most anglers were put off by
the long wing and tail, believing fish
would nip at the fly without getting
hooked. In my view, the long tail helps to
keep the fly swimming on an even keel,
resulting in more consistent hooking.
A L LY ’ S S H R I M P
Hook or tube
Thread Red Tag Silver wire or oval tinsel
Tail Orange bucktail tied long with pearl Krystal
Flash Body Rear: red floss. Front: black floss
SALMON LESSONS
cooler water and this means we can use
a slightly longer fly to search for fresh-
run or more aggressive fish. Long-tailed
Shrimps are probably the best-known
and most popular salmon flies of the last
few decades. Their design works in every
scenario – from fast pool-necks to slow,
deep dubs – so you can explore a longer
stretch of river without changing and
second-guessing your choice of fly.
In autumn, my favourite way of
fishing them is to use a floating line
with a sinking polyleader or tip. Sink
rate is determined by flow. The faster the
water, the faster the sink rate (Int, S1, S2
etc) – but don’t go too heavy. Fish will be
slightly happier in the cooler water and
If you ever hold a Shrimp tied by Ally
himself, you’ll see he ties it more
sparsely than most of us. This makes it
more mobile – long strands of bucktail
are surprisingly mobile in strong
currents. The natural-squirrel b d
un
wh
flic
T
as i
Overwing Golden pheasant tippet
Head hackle Orange badger cock
move further to take a fly. It also pays to
fish the fly faster. The floating line will
help you to control speed by making
mini mends. Little strips and hand-
lining also make the flies look alive.
There are many styles of long-tailed
Shrimp, but most have slender, mobile
tails that wriggle in weak currents while
keeping the fly stable and cock head
hackles that kick and pulse in fast water.
The choice of hackle is important.
Many commercially tied flies use hen
hackles because they are easier to wrap,
but the stiffness of cock fibres and the
transparency they create are important
to a fly’s success. Viewed from below, the
fly should have a teardrop profile.
have spawned from the original fly.
Red comes into its own as the season
progresses. There's also a version that’s
a mix of red and orange, which I use all
the time as it saves me from havin t
wing and beard Natural squirrel
Head Red ›
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 49

Another of Ally’s designs and
rightly world famous. The tried-
and-trusted colours of yellow,
orange and black exude
confidence. Once again, it has a
two-tone contrasting body that
CA S CA D E
Hook or tube
Thread Red Tag Silver wire or oval tinsel
Tail Orange and yellow bucktail tied long
with pearl Krystal Flash Body Rear: silver
holographic tinsel. Front: black floss
Rib Silver wire or oval tinsel Wing Black fox
Head hackle Orange cock wound in
front of yellow cock Head Red
FL A METHROW ER
Duncan Egan’s Flamethrower has
stood the test of time. It has no tail
like other Shrimp patterns, instead
a long wing occupies the middle of
the shank and is tied over quite a
large body hackle. As a result, the
fly tends to push more water and
work slightly differently to other
R E D F L A M ET H R OW E R
Hook or tube
Thread Red Tag Silver wire or oval tinsel
Rear body Silver holographic tinsel
Rear hackle Long red cock
Wing Red bucktail and pearl Krystal Flash tied
long Front body Black floss
Head hackle Yellow cock over red cock
Cheeks Natural jungle cock
Head Mirage tinsel
CASCADE
shows up well in the river and which
I think is a trigger point for the fish.
There are a few variations,
including a green butt, a gold body,
and one for spring that uses a
chartreuse hackle instead of yellow.
Shrimp patterns. Flamethrowers
tend to “wave” more than wiggle
in a current and I prefer to fish them
in fast rather than slow water. The
look of the fly (and its hooking
potential) is improved if it’s tied on
a hook with a slightly curved shank.
Originally yellow, orange and
The fly’s simple style has also
spawned other patterns, including
the Durris Shrimp, Tay Raider,
Ness C, Aurora and Kitchen Sink.
Tied on single hooks or heavy
tubes, they work all year round.
TAY R A I D E R
Hook or tube
Thread Black Tag Silver wire or oval tinsel
Tail Orange and yellow bucktail tied long with
pearl Krystal Flash Butt Glo-Brite no. 5
Body Peacock-coloured Mylar
Rib Silver wire or oval tinsel Wing Black fox
or Arctic runner Head hackle Hot orange
cock wound in front of yellow cock
Cheeks Natural jungle cock Head Black
red, its outstanding feature is
a lovely Mirage tinsel head that
glows in the water.
A number of variations have
become famous, including the
Kinermony Killer, Black Bear and
Junction Flamethrower.
B L A C K B E A R F L A M ET H R OW E R
Hook or tube
Thread Red Tag Silver wire or oval tinsel
Rear body Silver holographic tinsel
Rear hackle Long orange cock
Wing Orange bucktail and pearl Krystal Flash
tied long Front body Black floss
Front wing Black bear Head hackle Orange
cock Front head hackle Yellow cock
Cheeks Natural jungle cock
Head Mirage tinsel
 SALMON LESSONS

PA R K S H R I M P
In my opinion Ross Macdonald's and push water without collapsing
Park Shrimp is the best style of in the current. My friend Ken Reid
long-tailed Shrimp for slower flows. managed 27 salmon in a day when
Arctic runner in the tail and wing is he used one in Russia, twitching the
very soft and mobile, resulting in a fly with a figure-of-eight retrieve.
fly that comes alive in water. The Once again, yellow, orange and
two head hackles blend beautifully black are a sure-fire combination
but Ross has different-coloured
patterns for varying conditions,
including Calvin’s Shrimp, Maggie’s
Shrimp, Heather Shrimp and Mairi’s
Shrimp, which I’ve left until last in
this list although it’s actually the
first fly he designed in this style.

CA LV I N ’ S S H R I M P
Hook or tube
Thread Red Tag Gold wire or oval tinsel
Tail Magenta-pink Arctic runner tied over
a longer length of orange Arctic runner over red
Arctic runner with gold Angel Hair
Body Mix of yellow Lite Brite and red seal fur
Rib Pearl Mylar Wing Orange Arctic runner
Head hackle Red badger cock wound
in front of orange badger cock
PA R K S H R I M P Cheeks Natural jungle cock
Hook or tube Head Hot orange
Thread Red Tag Gold wire or oval tinsel
Tail Orange Arctic runner tied above and
below a longer length of yellow Arctic runner
with gold Angel Hair Butt Gold Lite Brite
Body Black seal fur Rib Pearl Mylar
Wing Black Arctic runner
Head hackle Orange badger cock wound
in front of yellow badger cock
Cheeks Natural jungle cock Head Red

IRISH SHRIMP
The Irish Shrimp and Welsh Bug
style is not new but the fact they
are still used with confidence is
proof of their efficiency.
Don’t be put off by their simple
look because the cock hackles
pulse in any current and the long
golden pheasant fibres in the tail
create a great profile in the water.
There are many patterns but
those special to me include: the
Curry’s Red Shrimp (with it I once
had three fish in an hour on the
Upper Oykel during a slow start to
the week); the Bann Shrimp (a
subdued pattern that works well
when bright flies have been
ignored); the Black-and-Silver
Shrimp (for when there are fresh
fish around); and the Wilkinson
Shrimp (again, great for fresh fish).
If I’ve missed your favourite, I'm
sorry, but there are dozens and they
all work if fished with confidence.
I think they fish best when “tipped”
through the swing: bounce the rod
tip up and down to move the fly.

C U R RY ’ S R E D S H R I M P
Hook or tube
Thread Red Tag Silver wire or oval tinsel
Tail Natural golden pheasant breast with two strands
of pearl Krystal Flash Rear body Red floss or seal fur
Veilings No 4 red Glo-Brite floss tied above and
below Middle hackle Natural badger cock
Front body Black floss or seal fur
Veilings No 4 red Glo-Brite floss tied above and
below Head hackle Natural badger cock
Wings Natural jungle cock Head Red

WILKINSON SHRIMP
Hook or tube
Thread Red Tag Silver wire or oval tinsel
Tail Natural golden pheasant breast with two strands
of pearl Krystal Flash Rear body Silver oval tinsel
Middle hackle Magenta cock Front body Silver
oval tinsel Head hackle Blue badger cock
Wings Natural jungle cock
Head Red
›
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 51
 Tie the Tay Raider
Follow Stuart Foxall’s dressing of this popular modern shrimp
P H O T O G R A P H Y : P E T E R G AT H E R C O L E

1 2
Trim the excess wire then
take two slim bunches of
bucktail, one of yellow and
one of orange. Place them
together so their tips are level and
catch them in at the tag to form
a long tail.

Fix the double in the vice

then run the tying thread
down the shank to the
position where the two
bends diverge. Catch in
a length of silver wire.
(Inset) Wind on close turns
of the wire to form the tag
then secure the loose end.

3 4
Cover the waste ends of the
tail with thread then trim the
excess. Take the thread back
5
to a point just short of the
tail base and catch in a
length of Glo-Brite no.5 floss.

Take a single strand of pearl Krystal Flash, Position the thread back up the shank then
fold it in half, then catch it in on top of the apply close turns of the floss to form the
bucktail. Secure it in place with tight butt. Two layers of floss should be applied
thread turns. to prevent any black thread showing.

6
Wind the thread down to the butt then
secure the floss. Trim off the waste floss
7
then catch in a second length of silver
wire on the underside of the hook.

Catch in a length of medium-

width peacock Mylar tinsel.
Wind the tinsel in overlapping
turns over the base of tying
thread. (Inset) Once the
thread base has been covered
secure the loose end of the
tinsel and trim off the waste.

52 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
 SALMON LESSONS

8 9
Secure then
remove the
loose end of
the wire then
select a long-fibred
dyed yellow cock
hackle. Stroke the
fibres back then catch
the hackle in by its tip.

With the tinsel body formed, take hold of the

silver wire and wind it on in evenly spaced turns,
tight enough that the rib won’t slip.

10 11
Secure the hackle stem,
then trim off the waste.
Prepare and catch in a
12
bunch of dyed black Arctic
runner hair. Apply a touch of
Superglue to the thread then apply
tight turns to secure the hair.

Trim off the butts of the hair so that the

wing-base ends well clear of the eye to
Holding the hackle by its base, wind on two leave room for the second hackle, then
full turns, ensuring that none of the fibres catch in two strands of fine
become trapped. pearl tinsel.

Select a

13 large dyed
orange cock
hackle,
15
(Inset) Select two jungle cock
feathers and strip the fibres from
their base. Catch them in either
prepare it in
the same side of the wing. (Main) Fold the
way as the waste ends of the JC feathers toward the
yellow one, rear of the hook, securing them with thread.
then catch it Trim the waste, then build a neat
in by its tip head with thread and cast off
with tight with a whip finish.
thread turns.
Holding the
hackle by its
base, wind
on three full
turns to form
the collar.

14

Q Stuart Foxall has fished for more than

40 years. He caught his first salmon aged
eight. Since then he’s fished all over the
world, including Norway, Alaska and
Stroke the fibres back as each turn is applied so the Argentina, as well as many UK rivers.
hackle sweeps back low over the body and wing.
Secure and trim waste.

S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 53
HO
R AI
Stan Headley tackles bad behaviour
and pin-fry feeders on Pitsford Water
P H O T O G R A P H Y : P E T E R G AT H E R C O L E

"There's one!" Stan and

Mark Hirst cover rising
fish at Pitsford in
Northamptonshire.
I
’D NEV ER BEEN TO Pitsford before,
but on the haul from the lodge to the
dam-wall, I fell in love with her. She
looked to me like Rutland’s little sister –
charming, gentle and very pretty.
I have never valued stocked fisheries
over wild waters, but they most certainly have
their place in the grand scheme of angling things.
The quality of fish, especially at Pitsford, is
amazing when I consider what we were asked to
accept even a decade ago. Mind you, in those days
I was fishing competitively, and numbers were the
target. Now I can be selective and head for areas
known to hold acclimatised fish.
I have long believed that rainbow trout are more
selective about pattern, depth and presentation
than their brown cousins. There are so many
things one has to get right for ’bows. If I wanted to
catch quantity instead of quality, I would plump
first for the washing line before experimenting
›
D RY- F LY O N P I T S FO R D
with other tactics. That method is appealing to fish
and fisherman. Modern-day rainbows are highly
susceptible to static or slowly fished flies at a precise
height in the water column, and the washing line
gives us that in spades. However, these days I like to
see my fish take, and the slowly building pressure of
an unseen take just doesn’t do it for me. So, I prefer
dry-flies or pulled wet-flies on a “high” line.
The great advantage of fishing high is that you can
assess the reaction of the fish to your flies. For
example, if you see a fish swirl at a fly without a touch,
you are doing something wrong with your
presentation. How many fish come to a sunk fly and
turn away at the last moment without giving the
angler any indication whatsoever? A good fisherman
can work out how to make positive changes if he is
provided with visual evidence.
We – Peter Gathercole, Mark Hirst and I – had plenty
to work on as we drifted from the Picnic Bank to the “Surely… a
Pines. Mark is an out-and-out wild-fish man, widely
recognised for his ability to catch ferox on fly (he
tempting popping
devised the Stone Goat primarily for this purpose),
but hasn’t a great knowledge of modern rainbow-trout
action would
tactics. My knowledge has waned over the years stimulate some
as I am no longer involved in competition fishing.
With plenty of wild opportunities on my doorstep response?”
I have neglected rainbow fisheries – if I can’t fish with
dry-flies I am no longer interested. Peter was our
photographer and essential guide. It was a bit like
Malta taking on Brazil in the World Cup. But where
skill was perhaps lacking, enthusiasm was abundant.
We had a decent ripple, broken cloud cover and,
as I said previously, Mark and I were much
taken by the venue.
The Pitsford staff were very helpful, pointing us in
the right direction and, with hope in our hearts, we
STA N
HEADLEY
has been
fishing for trout
since he was a
boy and is
author of Trout
& Salmon Flies
of Scotland
and The Loch
Fisher’s Bible.
LEFT
Solving the pin-fry
puzzle. Claret-
bodied flies are a
good starting point.
56 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
RIGHT
Stan fights a reel-
stripper. Soon his
success would attract
unwanted attention.
slipped under the causeway and into the main body
of water. We had been advised to stick to the western
end of the south shore and just short of the dam wall
we pulled in and started a drift towards the Pines.
I had set up a short midge-tip, a Claret Sedgehog on
the top, and two wee wet-flies further down. I won’t
bother to describe the wet-flies because they did sod
all, but the whole idea was to pull the greased Hog so
that it dipped and bobbed in an enticing manner. If
a fish was attracted to the diving Hog, but wasn’t
convinced, he might just take a following wet-fly. That
was the starting theory. It didn’t quite work out that
way. Covered fish were showing interest in the Hog
but not to the wet-flies.
It was obvious from the start that these great big,
roiling boils were the product of pin-fry feeders –
notoriously hard targets. Nothing is harder for the
fly-fisherman to attempt to catch. We have them on
Loch Leven in the early months of the season and
they’ll have you tearing
your hair out. But that’s
wild browns on
stickleback fry. On the
reservoirs it is mostly
rainbows on coarse-fish
fry and they are not
impossible.
I have had moderate
success with claret dry-
flies, so here on Pitsford
I was determined to
give a pulled, greased
Sedgehog a thorough outing. After all, these are very
aggressively feeding fish. Surely a “dry fly” with
movement
and a tempting popping action would stimulate
some response?
I had a size 12 Hog on the top dropper, as I said, and
it was getting all the attention, so I decided to shorten
my cast. Eliminate the middle dropper and stick a
size 10 Claret Sedgehog on the point. Two Hogs on at
once, something I rarely do. Immediate response.
I got into a covered fish that gave me a right seeing-to
before coming to the net. It would have weighed
between 3½lb-4lb and was in prime condition. It took
the point fly, which had a lighter “wing” than the top-
dropper Hog. For wild fish I prefer the dark deer hair
from the spinal ridge of the animal, but stocked fish
seem to have a predilection for the lighter flank roe-
deer hair. That is a theory that needs to be confirmed,
but whatever the shade of hair, the dubbing needed to
be claret. I tried fiery-brown and hare’s ear, to no
avail. The seemingly unequivocal susceptibility to
claret inherent in pin-fry feeders is bewildering. But
again, let’s not waste time arguing with fish. Let’s just
give them what they want, understandable or not.
There was a problem with using these Sedgehogs
on fry-feeders, in that it was very difficult in the
roiling mess of surface activity when a fish homed in,
to identify the take. It was tempting to tighten at the
first movement, but this invariably meant a missed
take. And to leave everything alone until the line went
tight, and shot away, resulted in fish falling off. I was
trying to formulate a proper response on a number of
drifts off the shoreline when, as we approached the
 BELOW
Nearer four than three. This
plump rainbow took a Sedgehog.

shallow water under the pines, I felt a slight

tightening of the line with no surface indication of
a fish. In retrospect that’s when I should have
tightened into him but, when the boil confirmed
a take, I lifted the rod and a cracking brown of around
3lb shot clear of the water and spat the hook.
I have been caught out this way a number of times
on fisheries containing browns and ’bows. You have
just formulated a response to the more numerous
rainbows when a brown comes along and catches you
on the hop. This is more likely to occur when pulling
flies than static tactics because of one factor. Rainbow
trout tend to take in a more or less horizontal manner,
engulfing the fly at the same level in which they are
travelling. Browns, stocked or wild, prefer a vertical
movement, taking the fly in an upward trajectory,
and being hooked as they turn down. This is why I
believe that static dry-fly tactics are the more reliable
techniques for mixed fisheries, if the fish will play
ABOVE
ball. Pulling a greased-up Hog does complicate the A quieter drift
issue, but both species can get suicidally interested in into the shore.
it when conditions are right. Eyes glued
When we first arrived in the south-west corner, fish on CDC and
deer hair.
were feeding from the boils to the shoreline. As a moderate speed back to the head of the drift. There
pressure increased with the arrival of more boats, the is a dog-in-the-manger attitude among many boat
fish abandoned the shallows and the number of anglers. The mere thought that someone may get to
active fish reduced dramatically. But we consistently their drift before them makes many apoplectic, and
found fish in the stretch between the mouth of they’d rather ruin their own fishing than hand their
Pitsford Creek down to Table Bay. Mark took a nicely drift over to another boat. I can just about live with
conditioned fish in this area on his Claret Dry, quickly that, but what really boils my urine is when one or
followed by another cracking 3lb-plus fish from under more boats see you getting action in an area and
the Pines. believe it is good practice to anchor slap-bang in the
Note to the guys who think an outboard motor has centre of your drift. Angling etiquette is an
only two speeds – flat-out and stop. If you really want endangered species on the reservoirs and lakes.
to improve your fishing returns, don’t roar back up Our continual interest in this area did attract
the drift you want to repeat – take an elliptical route at attention. A couple of boats anchored, annoyingly
interfering with our drifts, and there was a rudder
“operator” who started on the boils but, as the day
progressed, moved closer to the shore. That’s life,
I suppose. At my age, I can remember better ›
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 57
D RY- F LY O N P I T S FO R D

C L A R ET D RY
Hook Size 12 Fulling Mill Competition Heavyweight
Thread Black Rib Medium flat holographic silver
Body Reddish-claret seal fur Hackle Ginger cock
Wing Two or three plumes cul-de-canard
The CDC is only there as a marker to help identification
when fished far from the boat. Mark Hirst’s fly
is certainly worth an outing when pin-fry
are on the menu.
C L A R ET S E D G E H O G
Hook Size 10-12 Fulling Mill All-Purpose Medium
Thread Black Body Fiery-claret seal fur
Wing Four or five sparse bunches of deer hair
Hackle Claret hen
Try to keep the bunches of hair perpendicular over
the hook shank with as little drift and flare as possible.
This is best accomplished by stroking the dubbing
up and over the wing roots. Do not dub the thread
while it lies on top of the hair roots. Take the thread
forward on to the hook shank and dub backwards
on to the wing roots.

behaviour. Mark had commitments in the evening

so, if we were to investigate pastures new, here was
the motivation to get on with it. At first we crossed in
A day on Pitsford
front of the dam wall to the north shore and drifted Season: February 24, 2018-
down towards Sailing Club Bay. There was a lot of January 31, 2019.
surface activity in this area, but it was radically
different to that of the pin-fry feeders – here were Permits: Day – eight fish plus C&R, £26;
gentle moves and sneaky sips. There wasn’t anything one fish plus C&R, barbless, £23.
imitable on the surface, only minute midge, but the Half-day – four fish plus C&R, £19. Sunset – one fish
plus C&R, £11. Boat: Day – £27. Half-day – £21.
quantity of active fish necessitated an attempt on Season, senior citizen, single-manned boat, winter
them. I changed from Hogs to delicate dry-flies. Mark and Wheelyboat options are available.
stuck with his Claret Dry. We got enquiries but no
solid takes. In retrospect, I suspect nymphs or Contacts: Pitsford Water, Brixworth, Northampton
buzzers, fished high in the water, would have done NN6 9DG. Tel: 01604 781 350.
Rays in the tail.
better. Hey-ho! On we go. Mark with another Web: anglianwaterparks.co.uk
We all knew the weather forecast. Storm Hector was Pitsford trout in
prime condition.
fast approaching, raising doubts about the morrow.
But our Pitsford day wasn’t quite finished, although
the pernickety behaviour of the fish indicated they
had also been watching the forecasts. With a
strengthening breeze we crossed to the south shore
looking for a likely last drift. We found it in North
Farm Bay, towards open water. The increased ripple
encouraged me to go back on the Hogs, and I
completed our day with a cracking 3lb-plus rainbow
that tested my gear to the limit. The quality of the fish
we caught had been stupendous, rivalling anything
other Midlands reservoirs could deliver.
All in all, it was a wonderful day. It reminded me of
olden times when we would go out with floating lines
and modified traditional wet-flies, pull like good uns
and catch fish after fish. Those days are largely gone,
but the unique behaviour of a Sedgehog, greased and
pulled on a high line, gave me a brief glimpse of those
exciting, visibly thrilling days of the past.

58 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8

Queen’s Killer
Ross Macdonald recommends a regal
young fly tied with wool
T
HE QUEEN’S KILLER IS A
recent addition to the hairwing
family and is, to my eye at least, a
lovely little fly. It was created on the
Balmoral beat of the Dee earlier this
year, a collaboration between gillie,
David Fernie, and one of his rods, David Edwards.
ROSS It began life as a sea-trout fly but has picked up a
MACDONALD couple of salmon, the first of which came from
Queen’s pool on the beat.
is a well-known
fly designer and The story begins last year when David was looking
tyer who has around a tackle-shop on the West Coast during his
a lifelong passion honeymoon – typical angler, never off duty. He saw a
for salmon flies and sea-trout fly with a hanging treble, which included a
the stories behind
bit of pink on the hook and a bit of green in the main
them. He is based
in Aberdeen. dressing. He let this combination percolate for a
Visit: macdonald while as he thought about the ideal fly for his beat.
salmonflies.co.uk There is a never-ending supply of hairwing
patterns for the upper Dee: Crathie, Executioner and
Silver Stoat are all good medicine, with perhaps a
small Ally’s for coloured water. David was looking for
something with a longer wing than the other
hairwings, something with wiggle that could be
fished on the swing in the faster parts of pools or
handlined as one might with a small Collie. Collies
and Sunrays get a mixed press on most rivers
Visit
www.veniard.com because they can “put fish down” or are overused
formoreinformation thereby reducing their impact. I get this, but as
and stockists I have said before, poor casting and clumsy wading
S A L M O N F LY O F T H E M O N T H
Tag Fluoro light green and pink wool
Body Silver Lurex Rib Very fine
silver wire Wing Two strands pearl
Angel Hair, black squirrel, blue
Krystal Flash over
Throat hackle Blue with
three short strands of
blue Krystal Flash
probably have a more detrimental effect. Given my
penchant for smaller flies, the longer wing on the
Queen’s Killer may prove a useful addition to my box.
David’s ideas were relayed to David Edwards and
in no time the fly was produced as described.
The first ones were made with the standard
squirrel wing, but I think both Davids prefer fox or
something similar that is soft and mobile. There are
many options in this respect. I would probably use
Arctic runner or maybe fox pelt. I don’t know how
much difference it makes in practice, but I have a lot
of faith in runner, which holds its shape well and is
highly mobile. I might also be tempted to layer the
wing. It might seem excessive, but it is a good way of
working with soft winging materials.
The original fly uses strands of wool for the tags,
taken from three-ply, which might not be easy to
source. I would suggest using Glo-brite floss as a
useful alternative. The pattern reminds me of the
Undertaker, which also has a two-tone tag
(fluorescent green and red).
The flash includes another favourite of mine,
Angel Hair, with blue Krystal Flash. I was interested
to see a few strands in the beard hackle, which
is unusual.
The Queen’s Killer offers an interesting twist on
familiar themes for late-spring and summer
patterns and I am sure it will develop a good
following. We just need rain.
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 59
 I
To find fish on a rainfed river, Andrew Ralph looks for shapes in the surface

I
T STA RTED FOR ME A FEW Y EA RS
ago when North Country guide Stuart
Minnikin and I were fishing on Lancashire’s
River Calder, near Burnley. We were chatting
about technique and landed on the subjects of
rivercraft, water types within a pool, and fish
location. Stuart then mentioned something that has stuck
with me ever since. He said: “It’s all about triangles.”
What a revelation: Stuart’s triangles have helped me
to read rivers and understand where trout lie and feed.
Where are these triangles? You’ll find them in the
fast-flowing parts of a rainfed river, areas of significant
water volume and velocity, particularly at the pool head.
Here the surface disturbance has a triangular appearance
when viewed from the riverbank.

HOW A R A I N F E D R I V E R F L OW S
There’s no need to understand the complex science
of moving water but I think all anglers would benefit
from some basic knowledge.
On rainfed rivers, pools are, in the main, made of
shallow water falling into a deep section and then
lifting at the tail. This is repeated over and over,
creating a distinctive run-and-pool sequence caused
by water moving at pace over rock and gravel.
Water moves in layers at different speeds: it’s fastest
at the surface, slowest at the bottom.
Water flowing down a river also has a fastest point,
normally in the centre, but it can be to one side where
bends, shallows, rocks or islands have an effect. So we
have a fastest point, a main chute of flow, which starts
to slow as it nears both banks – hence a natural
triangle is formed.
Fluid resistance is caused when water passing at
pace through, over or around rock and gravel meets the
surface, perhaps at a visible boulder, the bank, an unseen
riverbed obstruction, or it could be a marginal shallow
area. This contact causes friction and slows the flow.
The continual flow and displacement of water is called
turbulence by anglers.
Another key point is that, the faster the flow, the
greater the friction and the more pronounced and
visible the turbulent area.
It’s worth remembering that the river is a living thing,
always changing, and with only an extra inch of water,
a well-known pool can look completely different.

“We have a fastest point

… which starts to slow
as it nears both banks”

60 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
BIG T R I A NGL E S
Take a look at this picture. The long sides
of each triangle are meeting points,
junctions between fast and slow water,
known as creases. A crease is the most
important feature for anglers on a rainfed
river. They are major feeding lanes,
bringing trout a seemingly endless supply
of insects – aquatic or terrestrial. Trout
and grayling will take up position along
these lanes. Fish are opportunistic,
always on the lookout, so these areas will
always be attractive, at any point in the
day.
Slower water, away from the crease,
offers fish a resting opportunity. It can be
a good area to target with dry-flies. Fish
tend to be looking up for potential prey
items that will be silhouetted against the
sky due to the less broken surface.
In fast, turbulent water, fish must have
a good reason to expend energy, so only
food items in good numbers make it
worth their while spending long periods
of time in this area. However, in dry, hot
summer weather, in reduced flows, there
may be comfort for fish in this more
oxygenated water.

GEOFFREY CARMODY
Secondary
triangles

Small triangles
or pockets

Faster water
Main triangle

Crease

Slower water

›
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 61
READING RIVERS
Pockets with
slow centres
SM A L L T R I A NGL E S
There are smaller triangles within the water. In the main flow of a pool, fast
bigger triangles. These pockets, as water is central with slow water on the
anglers call them, are caused by seen or edges. But in a pocket triangle, slow
unseen obstructions and riverbed water is completely surrounded by fast
features. A fast-water pocket, viewed water and turbulence. However, both
from the surface, can seem a torrential, triangles have the same fish-holding
hostile environment, but all are fish- feature: the crease.
holding areas. Fish view their multi- In a small pocket, fish will tend to be in
paced environment differently to us. ones or twos, sitting centrally and
They know all about feature, structure moving off station to take food. In large
and flow; a triangle to a fish is prime pockets, behind bigger obstructions, or
territory and even in the fastest flow a multiple breaks in flow, you will find
small boulder can give them shelter more fish, due to less competition for
under a broken turbulent surface. food over a larger area. Broken water like
this can hold large numbers of fish and
A key difference between the main-
flow triangle and the pocket triangle is to fish effectively you need to cover
the reversal of fast- and slow-flowing numerous areas with your flies.
S P O T T I NG C R E A S E S T H I N K L I K E A F I SH
Spiders, Czech nymphs, long leader, duo,
traditional upstream nymphs and the dry-fly
IN THE RIV … all will have their day in the triangles of a
ND ER
BE rainfed river. But I believe there is one absolute fact
in river fly-fishing, a golden rule: to be consistently
CREASE successful, you must fish upstream.
It doesn’t make sense to fish a pool downstream.
By walking down a pool you spook fish away
from your position.
Next time you fish, stand back and survey the
pool. Test yourself, picture the fish-holding features
within the pool, pick out the triangles, imagine the
trout and grayling taking up position near the
ISLAND creases, on station looking for food.
Put your flies along the edges of the main
REASE
triangle, at the meeting point of fast and slow
water, then as you become more efficient at
spotting the smaller triangles and features within
the main body of water, you can place your flies
along or within these pockets. The more features
and triangles you can spot within a pool, the more
fish you will cover and hopefully catch.
Think like a fish and you’ll never look at a
INCOMING
river in the same way again.
BECK
CR
EA
SE
A N D R EW R A L P H
Previously a coarse fisher from the
East Riding, Andrew moved home and
family to the Yorkshire Dales 20 years
ago and became addicted to fly
fishing on rivers.
62 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
A YEAR OF CHANGE
As the seasons pass, fish prefer
different water types and move
to take up positions in different
areas of the triangle. Trying to
read the river and how the
seasons affect your quarry is
hugely important. I would
encourage you to walk the river
under different water conditions
as this is the easiest way to find
the features and potential fish-
holding areas within a pool.
Fish can become much harder
to spot and less visible under
low-water conditions and time
on the bank when not fishing
is always valuable.
What follows is only a guide, as
trout or grayling will always turn
up in the strangest places at
unexpected times.
SPRING:
MARCH TO APRIL
When the season starts, trout are
out of condition and at their
weakest, having spent the winter
months spawning. There’s the
added problem of a reduced
insect population and therefore
less food. As such, they cannot
yet take up position in the fastest
flows and broken-water pockets.
Instead, most fish lie further back,
hanging on the edge of the seams
and creases between the fast and
slow water. Any insect life that
makes an appearance can be
picked off with ease, and there is
no need to fight the fastest flows.
SUMMER:
M AY T O M I D -J U LY
By now, trout have fed well and
gained strength and condition.
The rainfed rivers start to lose
their power as the flow velocity
decreases and air and water
temperature increase. Fish seek
the broken, faster, oxygenated
water at the very head of the
pool. Trout and grayling will take
up position in very shallow water
as long as there is broken water
to give overhead cover. Any areas
with broken water are worth
fishing during the summer
months – look for pools studded
with boulders.
AU T U M N : L AT E -J U LY
TO SEPTEMBER
The river is warm and finding
aquatic insects can be a scratchy
affair for fish. In late summer and
early autumn, they feed heavily
on terrestrials and as such are
spread throughout the pool.
Towards the end of autumn,
aquatic insects – olives and
stoneflies – reappear, but I find
the fish are so dispersed they stay
that way until the season ends.
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 1
Cast prec
Most fishermen try s far more
effective to cast a shorter, accurate cast so that
the fly starts to fish at once. A poor long cast can
cause a trailing leader that lands behind the
fly-line. The leader then needs straightening by
the current by which time the fly will only drift
attractively for a fraction of what might be
achieved with a precise cast.

TIPS 1
Riverside wisdom from salmon fishing’s
most experienced gillies and guides.
This month: Hartmut Kloss

AAPGAI-qualified Germany-based
Hartmut has been a fly-fishing
instructor for 38 years. He has
fished for salmon across the Atlantic
and says it is possible to catch them
in Germany, too, but you need a lot
of luck. Visit: neu.salmon-hunters.de

3 So you think you know it all...

MASTER DEPTH
AND SPEED
I often see fishers just
using a floating line with
a mono leader. This set-
up has limitations. Many
beats offer a variety of
water: a pool might have
a fast, shallow head, a
deep and slow middle,
and a smoothly flowing
tail. To present your fly
properly (speed and
depth) in each part, use
a variety of polyleaders
or lines with changeable
tips of different densities.
A multi-tip line is also
useful as it reduces the
number of reels you
PHOTOGRAPHY: T&S
A wise gillie’s advice should not
be ignored. I once fished a river in
Russia and chose to do my own thing. My
gillie was surprised when, in one of the best
pools, I hadn’t had a touch. I’d ignored what
he’d said and asked him to prove me wrong.
Within three casts he had a fish. Five minutes
later, heeding his advice, I was into a fish, too.
Essential
tool
FA S T F L I E S
If a salmon is to be
released, it must be done
Over the years I’ve noticed that salmon quickly. I find forceps
respond far better to a fly fished quickly. unstable and instead use a multi-tool with
Many times, I have observed the path of a strong pliers, wh
fly from a higher position and while my
attached to my

partner has thought he's fishing a fast fly, always handy.

need, saving money, and
reducing weight when
travelling.
64 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
it has drifted slowly and unattractively. I’ve
thought: if I were a salmon I wouldn’t take also have sciss
that. So, forget your old habits and fish a and a knife: all
faster fly. Mend downstream and strip the
line during the drift. Even in spring, when
the old rule was “deep and slow”, I now
fish “deep and fast”.
6 9
ORGANISE YOUR OWN PARTY
On many beats, it’s close to impossible to join as a single
rod. You must rely on a sporting agent or, better, organise
your own party by asking club members or friends, or
correspondents from web forums. You can still decide
whom to take, so your trip isn’t spoiled. Once you’ve a
good group, you'll have fun and gain access to beats that
may otherwise be impossible to rent. This arrangement
also lends itself to cheaper self-catering accommodation.
STALK
THE
SALMON
It’s common to arrive at a beat and walk
along the river’s edge, talking and joking
with your friends. But on larger rivers,
salmon are sometimes lying very close to
the banks and an unthinking, clumsy
approach will ruin your chances of catching
them. Salmon are wild creatures and far
more sensitive than you may think. A
stealthy approach is essential. I’ve caught a
number of fish by crawling to the bank and
then casting with just the leader.

Hunt salmon as
stealthily as you
would a trout.

CORIN SMITH

Willie Gunn.
10
How to tie
Nylon chest
the Double
waders are
Turle knot.
affordable but
you'll "sweat like
the devil" on

7
a long walk.
Frances.

K.I.S.S.
The choice of fly is not the most
important factor for successful
salmon fishing and I recommend

8
relying on fewer patterns. Too
many of us have boxfuls of
different flies and, as a result,
most of us have no idea what to
put on. A predominantly black
pattern will score in most IF YOU CAN
situations. Carry it in many sizes, AFFORD THEM...
ANDY STEER

from micro to large Sunray I’m surprised to see so many

Shadows. Also, fish Willie Gunn- fishermen still using plastic or
coloured patterns in peat-stained rubber chest waders, even on
expensive beats where the fishing
water, and try an imitator fly, like fee is many times that of a good
the Frances As th h pair of breathable waders. I
believe breathables are one of the
most important innovations of
Sunray Shadow. recent years. In rubber or plastic
waders you sweat like the devil
when it’s warm or you must walk
the banks, and then you freeze
when back in the water. Tradition
does not justify their use – they
are not good for your health.
LEARN THE TURLE
Only a few knots are suitable for salmon fishing.
For single and double hooks, I stick to the double
turle. Most other knots are prone to catch your
leader, unless your casting is top-notch. With
tubes, the standard clinch or improved clinch
knot (half-blood) is all you need. Therefore, I’m a
great fan of tube-flies and at least 90 per cent of
my flies are tied on tubes.
Andrew covers the top
pot on Cathedral Stream
above Dunkeld Bridge.
66 | X X X X X 2 01 8
 T H E BE AT
A B OV E T H E
BR I DGE
Andrew Flitcroft fishes at
Dunkeld House on the River Tay
P H OTO G R A P H Y: M I C H A E L B OY D

›
X X X X X 2 01 8 | 67
 OU KNOW W H AT IT ’S
like when you’re driving
and one of the kids gives
you a last-minute warning
they’re going to be sick and
the result is whiplash and
fallout from the rear-
passenger shelf? My wife
says it’s much the same
when I drive over a river. If I can clearly see the river
through my window, it’s not so bad, but some you can’t
and my wife must brace herself for a sharp stop.
“What happened?” the little ones will say from
the back seat, having been rudely awoken. With a
world-weary glance at the ceiling, my wife will say,
“Don’t worry, darling. It’s just another one of your
dad’s rivers.”
Peering over bridges is a ritual on most journeys
and an essential prelude to a fishing trip. For me, they
fall into three camps: those with known lies, offering
a good chance of seeing a fish; those simply used for
determining a river’s condition; and those best placed
to break a journey. The best fall into all three camps.
For me, the bridge over the Tay at Dunkeld falls into
the latter two, although you may be more familiar
with its vast span and know its fish-holding secrets.
Handbrake turns are not needed. It’s a more relaxed
diversion and has often proved a welcome arm-rest
on trips north and when delivering my catch to the
town’s smokehouse many moons ago. This
magnificent structure, designed by Thomas Telford
and witness to many opening-day celebrations, is an
icon for salmon-fishers.
This season, I was resting my chin on it with Kip.
Do you remember my neighbour, who has yet to catch
a salmon? Well, he still hasn’t. It was late May – prime
time on the middle Tay – and Kip’s initiation was
almost certain. I peered upstream across the
massive river as I normally do and this time I was
destined to wet a line.
The famous Dunkeld House beat is under new
ownership. In 2017 the four-star Dunkeld House
Hotel – former Edwardian residence of the Dukes of
Atholl – sold the fishing rights, but work closely with
the new owners (Dunkeld House Fishings) to host
rods. You don’t have to stay at the hotel to fish the beat,
although it is convenient and undeniably tempting.
Access is through the town, but we needed
breakfast first. We’d spotted a new, posh-looking
artisan baker. We couldn’t resist the smell and waited
for it to open. It turns out Aran Bakery was created by
a food writer, the youngest-ever semi-finalist of The
Great British Bake Off (2015). Flora Shedden opened it
last year after raising money to restore the building

A welcome sight after a

day on the river. The
Dunkeld House Hotel.

68 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
 LEFT
The pools downstream
from the hut: Lady
(with boats), Cutty
Stone, Grey Stone,
Green Bank, Mouse
Trap and Girnal in
the distance.
LEFT
Head gillie Gordon
Pollock shares his
wisdom with novice
Kip McFarlane.
through crowdfunding. We nearly emptied it, but be
warned, by the time it opens at 9am, gillie Gordon
Pollock will be twiddling his fingers. You’ll be lucky if
there’s anything left by lunchtime.
With delicious cake and black-pudding sausage
rolls on board, we drove through the estate arch on to
the long, landscaped driveway to the fishing hut,
which is situated in front of and just upstream of the
hotel. A 70-yard walk door to door. The hotel gardens
are thick with record-breaking firs, sequoia and larch
as well as hotel residents taking pictures in the
magnificent setting. The gaff is stunning and on a
grand scale. The fishing hut’s not bad, either.
Gordon was waiting. Previously at Newtyle and
Dalmarnock, it is his fifth season on this beat. Putting
up rods and choosing flies were interrupted by coffee,
cake and Kip’s never-ending thirst for knowledge. The
view downstream is impressive, the dark tree-lined
water broken only by boils as it’s kicked from one side
to the other by unseen outcrops. It is the depth of
these pools, mostly spun and harled from a boat,
along with the Braan spawning tributary lower
down, that attract and hold fish from the first to
the last day of the season.
Lady pool, below the hut, is home to two stunning
new wooden boats but can be fished from its gravel
banks at most heights. A fish showed at the gauge by
the neck, but on a good year I was told you can sit on
the hut’s verandah and watch fish showing as far as
the eye can see. Following two good spring seasons on
the Tay, it was down to the law of sod that we’d timed
our visit during a poor spring run and unseasonably
hot and bright conditions more typical of Dubai than
Dunkeld. News that only 70-odd fish had been
recorded on the Pitlochry ladder counter, compared
“On a good year I was told you can sit
on the hut’s verandah and watch fish
showing as far as the eye can see”
Andrew plays a springer on Cathedral Stream,
while Gordon gets ready with the net.
to a figure of around 1,400 by the same time last year,
concentrated the mind on the task in hand. Given the
conditions and with few fish about, we would put all
our effort into the best-known lies.
We headed downstream to fish the beat’s bottom
and most famous pool. Cathedral Stream is
immediately above Dunkeld Bridge – the one I have
stared at on numerous occasions. We set off, Gordon
giving commentary as we passed the haunts of past
monsters. We trailed a spinner behind the boat as we
weaved our way downstream through Grey Stone,
Green Bank, Mouse Trap and Girnal.
Kip was to warm up his casting arm at Gauge pool,
where a short stretch of rocky bank marks a nearside
gully and fish often rest. I’d fish Cathedral pool from
the anchored boat, a few hundred yards downstream.
We’d hear Kip’s call if he was into a fish.
Cathedral Stream is the most prolific of 16 Dunkeld
House pools. It takes its name from the 13th-century
former cathedral on the north bank, the lawned
grounds of which adjoin the river. It’s a public setting
with tourists sightseeing and taking pictures as you
cast towards them, but the river is wide and their
voices are not heard. There are two target lies on
the north bank. Top pot and bottom pot. You fish
top first, casting to a wall bordering the cathedral
grounds. Less than 2ft of water on the gauge is best
for the fly here. We fished it at around 8in on the
gauge, with the actual depth varying across its width
from 3ft to 6ft. I could see the bottom and all the
scrapes, deeper pots, gullies and flat spots in which
salmon might stop. We kept our distance from the
hotspot, a gully of slightly deeper water 20 yards
or so long, from the start of a ridge in the wall to
where the tail lifts. I couldn’t see into the gully, ›
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 69
TAY S A L M O N

but I could tell it apart from the rest of the pool by its
oilier boils and flatter surface.
Standing in the stern, I could cover it better with
a 14ft 9wt, floating shooting-head and 10ft brown tip
than with my shorter, lighter outfit – the Tay is
deceptively wide. As Gordon roped us down it was like
fishing in an aquarium. Every rock and divot was
visible. I saw a springer swim underneath the boat as
if we weren’t there – reassuring proof that there was
at least a slim chance. “If there’s one there, he’ll have
the fly,” said Gordon, who let a yard of rope out every
five minutes or so, all the way down to and including
the bottom pot.
This hotspot is another channel (around 7ft deep)
running from the end of the cathedral wall to the first
bush on the downstream bank. We touched nothing the fast and powerful “V” tail takes a right turn into
in both. When you’re fishing for running fish, which Ferry pool. It is fished from a steep gravel bank, the
we were, it really is pot luck. You’re looking for one to sort that moves beneath your feet, but the depth is
stop briefly and your fly had better be in the right safe in low water. It gets flatter as you approach the
spot. It’s a waiting game. Waiting for a flurry of fish, tail and “V”, where we immediately spotted fish.
or just one or two to show. Just something to heighten Again, the width is deceptive. To cover the rock,
your senses and sharpen your casting. Apart from where fish are often taken, it was a very long cast,
that one fish seen under the boat, we saw few others which only Gordon was able to reach. He’s a damned
until after lunch on Rock pool. good caster. Kip and I concentrated on the nearside
Rock, another great fly pool, is upstream of the hut “V”, spurred on by the fish seen just above and on its
and is fished from the bank. You’ve probably guessed far crease. Were these the same running fish we’d
it has a rock? A big one on the far bank, below which seen earlier on Cathedral Stream? We will never
know. They weren’t interested. Or were they?
Gordon tied on a huge Sunray, whacked it across the
“I saw a springer swim “V”, stripped it back and the same fish came to it in
three consecutive casts. Exciting, but still fishless.
underneath the boat as if Conditions on Tuesday were identical. With
morning sun behind the fish (not in their faces) it was
we weren’t there” the best time to fish Cathedral again. The routine
would be the same, starting at the top pot. This time
I knew the deal, and this time things were a little
different. The water hadn’t changed, but there was a
thin veil of cloud and we spotted one or two fish way
down at the bridge. The same fish would show again,
BELOW
Rock pool: a mighty cast to reach the rock, but the
"V" tail was peppered with fish and easily covered.
"Don't let the fish run downstream!" warned Gordon.
 LEFT TO RIGHT
The successful fly.
Ross Macdonald's
long-winged Black
& Yellow tied on a
brass body (from
T&S July 2018).
An osprey – a
regular sight at
Dunkeld House.
One of two new
and beautiful
beat boats.

a little upstream. It wasn’t consistent, but over the

course of the morning we saw a couple of pods,
enough to lift the hairs on the back of my neck.
The line tightened on the dangle. I waited and lifted
into what I thought was a trout. It felt weightless. The
weightlessness was in fact a salmon that had taken
my fly and kept running upstream to the boat. It
wasn’t until I caught up with it that I felt its weight. It Andrew admires Gordon's fish, landed on the last morning of the trip.
was too late. There was probably nothing I could have
done about it, but that didn’t dilute my language,
which I think shocked the cathedral tourists. It went
quiet in the boat for a while, until yet more fish were
seen at the bridge. Rods, rooms and a ribeye steak
This time the fish took solidly on the swing.
“That’s more like it,” I said under my breath. This To book and for more
time it was on, good and proper, swimming back and information on the Dunkeld Dunkeld Spey
forth, downstream and back. It was a good fish, over House fishing, visit the beat’s Casters’ Club
booking platform at The beat runs a
10lb and bright silver. It showed, jumped even, and www.salmon-fish-scotland. Dunkeld Spey Casters’ Club
set off on more strong runs before I drew it to the boat. com/Dunkeld-House- on the second Sunday of
The tourists were filming, and so was Gordon. The salmon-fishing every month between 12pm
video, four minutes long, suddenly stops and the and 3pm. It started on July 8,
crowd melts away… You can watch it on Gordon’s Gillie Gordon Pollock's providing a free introduction
Facebook page. Dunkeld House to spey-casting, rivercraft
Facebook page and hooking techniques. It’s
The fish were still at Rock pool that afternoon and is updated daily: open to existing and novice
one or two runners had been caught on the beats www.facebook.com/ salmon anglers, and also
upstream, but as the light started to fall and our Dunkeldsalmonbeat/ extends an open invitation
hopes fade, the warmly illuminated Dunkeld House to other gillies willing to
Hotel wrapped itself around us. A day of near misses Newcomers to salmon assist with tuition, who can
was added to many others I’ve experienced of late, but fishing in need of a guide, promote their own beats.
tactical tuition, equipment
it was nothing that a beer, a dram and a good night’s (waders and waterproofs) To stay at the wonderful
sleep couldn’t fix. We had one more morning to and a fishing permit should Dunkeld House Hotel, visit
redeem ourselves. visit fishery manager www.dunkeldhousehotel.
I’m often accused of only publishing articles of Jock Monteith’s website: co.uk If you do, make sure
successful trips. Well, to my critics I must apologise www.salmon-fish-scotland. you try the rib-eye steak.
again, despite losing two fish. The following morning com/River-Tay-Guided- It is undoubtedly the best
Salmon-Fishing I’ve eaten.
another fish showed in the top pot on Cathedral
Stream. I’d fished the fly through when it jumped
opposite the boat. By the time it landed, Gordon had
cast a spinner, which it took instantly. It was my turn
with the net and soon a little sea-licer lay on the
unhooking mat.
When I next lean over Dunkeld Bridge, I will,
like those whose footsteps I’ve followed, see the
magnificent scene before me in a different light. But
that view alone doesn’t sum up the many hidden
Dunkeld House necks, runs and pools farther
upstream, or the wonderful grounds of the hotel.
Magnificent though that view is, it’s what you can’t
see from the bridge that impresses most. Of course,
next time I look over its parapet I will also almost
certainly be boring those leaning next to me with
tales of lost fish. You have been warned.

S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 71
 Surgery
Ronnie Glass offers soluti sport on rivers and stillwaters

Q This spring I had great sport with varnished Buzze

bought from my fishery’s tackle-shop. But as trout
moved into the surface layers I felt my flies were too
deep, even fished on the washing line. How might
I present flies r to the surface? Leif Mustoe, by email
zer.
t

A
The Buzzer
pages of a
2018 fly
catalogue are
full of quill,
Flexifloss or thread-rib
dressings, varnished or
coated with UV resin. Some
are plain while others, more
tempting to newly stocked
fish, have more bling. They
provide great sport when
fish are feeding in deeper
water in weeks that were not
exploited by those of us who
developed Buzzer patterns
in the 1970s and ’80s.
A catalogue from that era
would have listed Buzzers
tied with unvarnished
thread, unnatural thick floss,
sparse seal fur or popular
feather fibre, each designed
to be presented to trout
taking buzzers in or near the
surface. In the Borders, I
remember competing with
Bob, the local Buzzer expert,
to produce the most realistic
Buzzers, along similar lines
to the true-to-life patterns
tied by well-known Midlands
fishermen Bob Carnhill and
Peter Gathercole.
On a boat earlier this year,
I left the pier armed with a
Di5 Sweep line. As I settled
into the bay I spotted the
odd rising trout. With
buzzers coming off,
I became overexcited and
switched to small dry-flies.
Within minutes I realised I’d
been too ambitious and
removed them. I have few
survivors from the ’80s in my
fly-box but as I picked out
my favourite quill Buzzer
I spotted four feather-fibre
Buzzers. I tied one to the top
dropper, which took a fish on
my second cast. When the
next two fish also picked out
the light fly, I added another
to the point and that team
took 11 out of 12 fish that day.
Another largely forgotten
surface Buzzer is the
Suspender. While CDC
Shuttlecocks seem to have
taken over the role of hanging
midge bodies from the surface
film, I’ve caught many fish on
Suspenders but it takes an
unnatural amount of foam to
ensure their heads stay in the
surface. The fly that floats well
in a glass can quickly become
a slow-sinking Buzzer on a
lake. This year I’ve occasionally
gone back to them as a
middle-dropper when fishing
dry-flies – and I always smile
when there is an unseen take
and my line shoots to the side.
It’s rare to see feather-fibre
or Suspender Buzzers in shops.
If you don’t tie flies (see
sequence right), ask a local
dresser to tie some for you.

A
Not a bit of it. The only
Dark beauty: smaller thing wrong with
fish are the mainstay
of September September is that it’s
river sport. too close to winter and
dreams of trout rising
to drifting large dark olives will take six
months to become reality.
After the dog days of August, the cooler
JONATHAN TOMLINSON

nights and a return to daytime hatches in

September will lead trout and grayling to
feed on a wide variety of flies and they’ll
fall to many different methods.
Most of the bigger trout will have

Q
spawning on their minds and be heading
upstream. On the middle and lower
An American friend is visiting sections of many rivers this means that
8in-11in trout and grayling will provide
in September. He’s a keen river the bulk of sport. In sunny conditions,
deep nymphing is most likely to take
angler, but I worry September grayling, but given nice conditions this
is the best time of year to have sport with

is too late in the year to fish trout and grayling on small, sometimes
tiny, nymphs suspended below a buoyant
dry-fly, such as a Klinkhamer. Your
a river. What do you think? John Friend, by email American friend may know this as bobber

72 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8

T I E T H E SUSPEN DER BU Z Z ER
1 2
Tie your body to a point well short of the eye.
Cut a strip of closed-cell foam (4mm wide).
Foam can be bought already coloured or use
white foam and colour it with a marker pen.
4 5
Take the thread back to the start of the body
via the underside of the thorax. Pull the foam
back to form another layer. Not too tight!
Secure foam with tight turns, then trim waste.
fishing – do get him to try a Klinkhamer.
The best nymphs are small Pheasant-tails
and Hare’s Ears with either fluorescent
collars or flash in the thorax or tail.
It was when fishing small dry-flies in
September during hatches of blue-winged
olives and pale wateries that I developed
the skills and confidence I needed to try
dry-flies throughout the season.
Good BWO imitations are difficult to tie
(Fulling Mill has a Paul Procter Olive
Paradun) but I’ve caught many fish with
a simple Blue Dun Spider. Dressed using
yellow thread dubbed lightly with mole,
and a tail and head hackle of dark-blue
dun cock, it’s one of the few fully wound
flies to be successful for me. Today, I’d use
a small F-fly tied with the same materials
and a CDC wing, with fibres below the
shank cut flush to the body.
Fish it under a dry-fly:
Pheasant-tail nymph
with a bright collar.
RONNIE GLASS
is a fishing specialist at Orvis in Kelso and a
renowned fish modeller and carver. He is vice-
chair of the Tweed Commissioners and chair of
Kelso Anglers’ Association. He has been a
national champion on rivers and stillwaters.
3
Tie in the foam at the eye and bind down in Take the thread back to the eye. Pull the foam
secure turns. These turns should reach the forwards, making sure you don’t pull it too
start of the seal’s fur body. tightly. How stretched the foam is will
determine the buoyancy of your finished fly.
6
PETER GATHERCOLE
Add a pinch of seal fur to the thread and dub The finished fly. Test its buoyancy in a glass of
behind the thorax to cover any gaps, and then water, dunking it until it becomes waterlogged.
tie off in the same place. Alter the foam’s tension to suit.
Q
WRITE TO:
Ronnie Glass
c/o Trout and Salmon,
Media House, Lynchwood,
What’s the best way Peterborough PE2 6EA.
Or e-mail:
to dry wading boots? caster@glass20351.
plus.com
They’re not cheap and
obviously I want them to
last as long as ble. Peter Davies, Kelso
A
Modern synthetic gunk that may become encrusted in
materials dry quickly, felt soles. This is a precaution against
but leather should be spreading invasive species that may
treated with care. In hide in the felt and it reduces the
hot weather, it’s best weight of the soles, the glue from
to leave them in the shade to dry which can fail over time.
slowly. Dry them too quickly against
T&S
a high heat and leather may crack. In
cool weather, start the drying process
in a ventilated area of a garage and
then bring them indoors to dry
completely. Never leave them in a
bag or corner of a shed where mould
can develop if they’re left damp.
It’s a good idea to rinse off mud or
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 73
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 L E T T E R S
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Or e-mail: troutandsalmon@bauermedia.co.uk Please include name, address, work and home telephone numbers.
Ireland's game-fisheries under threat
Since 1986 I have written articles
promoting game-fishing in Ireland,
so it is with great sadness that I feel
compelled to write of the current, parlous
state of Irish fishing. Ireland’s game-
fisheries are in decline, but what is being
done to correct it?
In the West of Ireland, leading angling
groups have lashed out at Inland
Fisheries Ireland’s (IFI) decision to
withdraw from vital conservation duties
on the country’s lakes and rivers
following its decision to leave the future
of all conservation work and stream
enhancements under the control of the
controversial National Strategy for
Angling Development (NSAD) funding
programme.
Historically, IFI did this work with the
help of the Office of Public Works. It gave
good results and was cost effective – but
IFI is now walking away, leaving the fate
of all future remedial work in the hands
of members of the public to make
applications for NSAD funding.
Anglers, angling clubs, or people who
own a small business must apply for the
funding and negotiate the pitfalls of the
procurement process before any
enhancement can take place. Most Irish
fisheries, especially the renowned
limestone lough fisheries, are state-
owned. This means that future
applications for fishery enhancements
will be dependent on people who have no
title rights to the fishing. They are not
riparian owners, or lease-holders. In fact,
they hold no fishing rights at all, yet they
are called stakeholders. This is what
makes the NSAD funding programme
so contentious. People with no true
stakeholding are being expected to take
on the responsibility of the procurement
process and see it through in
their spare time!
Irish brown trout and salmon stocks
are not as robust as they were in the ’80s
and ’90s. These fisheries now need help
to produce more fish. So at a time when
the stream enhancement programme
is more important than ever, IFI has
turned its back on it.
Instead, it appears that IFI now
wants to become an administrative
organisation chiefly funding projects
such as car-parks, walkways, fishing
Nursery-stream improvements are simple but
vital for increasing game-fish stocks.
platforms and access roads. In doing
this, IFI is failing to target the areas
which will have the most beneficial
impact on angling tourism. Wild brown
trout fishing is worth 148m euros to
Ireland’s rural economy. Now local
businesses are noticing declining
numbers of visiting anglers. In
Oughterard this Mayfly, there was no
carnival, and this is representative of
what is happening on all the premier
limestone fisheries. Anglers’ catches are
a good indicator of how healthy fish
stocks are, and on Irish fisheries catches
have risen and fallen, but the general
trend is a declining one. Between 1968
and 1970, the average catch on Corrib
was around three fish per day (source:
Central Fisheries Board annual reports).
By 2009, data for one of the key fishing
areas showed a decline to less than one
fish per day. In recent years catches have
reflected this decline. As they say here in
Ireland, “they’re not in it”.
Ireland’s historically famous waters
attracted anglers from all over the world,
but anglers are no longer coming. This is
a far cry from what was a thriving tourist
business, when to guarantee a place at
prime time on some loughs in the ’80s
and ’90s anglers had to book a year in
advance. Very few businesses could
make such a claim now.
Salmon fishing doesn’t look that rosy,
either, with only 78 rivers in 2018 open to
fishing (36 of which have significant
angling restrictions to protect fragile
stocks). This basically leaves half of the
salmon rivers in Ireland closed. These
are not healthy indicators, so why would
anglers want to come to Ireland when the
indicators are so negative?
Angling is worth 0.8 billion euros to
the Irish economy and supports 11,000
jobs, research by IFI suggests. In his
welcome note to the NSAD brochure,
IFI’s Dr Cairan Byrne states that the
aim of the strategy is to increase these
figures by another 96m euros and add
1,800 jobs and 40,000 tourists to the
economy. IFI’s inefficient and passive
role could cost over 3m euros and many
anglers question its flawed strategy.
IFI is making poor decisions. After
years of public consultations and two
years into the NSAD, it realised that
the public were struggling with the
bureaucracy involved with the
applications for funding. So after
spending money on a glossy brochure,
and staff travelling around the country
whipping up support for the strategy, it
decided to spend more money hiring
five extra staff to correct this mess.
IFI should be implementing a national
programme of nursery-stream
improvements to improve game-fish
numbers. As of February this year only
ten per cent of the 2016 allocated funded
projects had been completed, and there
were no stream enhancement
allocations in this tranche of spending.
These would have been simple projects
where the procurement process is much
easier. What hope is there for the more
complex stream-enhancement
allocations?
Visiting anglers do not want to sit
in a nice new car-park and watch the
waves roll by; they want to catch fish
in beautiful surroundings, and have a
few pints and a nice meal in the evening.
International anglers are seeking
good fishing, and there is plenty of
competition out there. These anglers
are not concerned about infrastructure.
Any fool can see this, yet IFI chiefs
appear to be blind to it. Fish are the
most vital resource. The rest follows.
As the organisation responsible for the
conservation and protection of fish IFI
must take back control of public
fisheries. All anglers with an interest in
fishing Irish waters must show their
objections now by signing the petition:
www.change.org/p/dennis-moss-save-
irish-fisheries
Dennis Moss, via email ›
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 75
L E T T E R S
Dermot Wilson, the highly regarded fishing-
tackle retailer and chalkstream dry-fly wizard.
Dermot remembered
I much enjoyed Simon Cooper’s profile
(July) of Dermot Wilson. In my teens,
refurbishing a rod that had been bought
from the Mill, I rang them to ask what
line it ought to take. I found myself
talking to the great man himself.
He could not have been more
charming or helpful. It was clearly not a
call that was going to result in a sale, but
he spoke as if our conversation was the
only thing that mattered to him.
Tom Rochford, Warwickshire
A gillies’ association?
The content of Richard Donkin’s
articles varies slightly each month
but the underlying trend is that he is
increasingly frustrated by the lack of
salmon north of the border. There’s
nothing unusual about that, though –
we all feel the same – but having to
read about it every month doesn’t
help the cause.
I’m sure the same conversation is
taking place in every fishing hut in
the country just now: “Salmon numbers
crashing through the floor, jobs at
risk, hotels going to close, predator
numbers going skyward, tenants
staying at home...”
I spend an increasing amount of time
thinking that, as gillies, we do not have a
representative body. I don’t believe any
government will listen to an individual,
so has the time come to form an
association with the primary aim of
representing the gillies on the water?
There are enough charities fundraising
for one project or another, but what about
the people at the coalface? The people
whose homes and the livelihood of their
families is most affected?
76 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
We have the National Gamekeepers’
Organisation in England and Wales and
the Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association
north of the border, both of whom seem
to represent their interests very well at
the highest level. Given the current crisis
facing the salmon, perhaps it’s time for
the gillies to stand up and be counted?
Calum McRoberts, Perthshire
A cure for cormorants
Ronnie Glass (August) reports two
16in trout with cormorant damage,
and wonders what damage up
to 80 cormorants have done
on the middle Tweed.
I managed to persuade Natural
England to raise our cull quota
from eight to ten birds for last winter
(September to April inclusive) after I
shot the eighth bird in the process of
swallowing a sea-trout of at least 2lb
at the junction of the Lyd and Tamar.
I leave readers to reflect on what
damage 36 grams of no. 4 shot can
do to a cormorant at 15 yards.
David Pilkington, Devon
Salmon fry galore
I have just returned from three days
fishing the Tyne at Bywell – normally
a prolific beat, but the relentlessly
scorching weather made it hard work
and fishless, despite the sterling
efforts of Garry, the gillie.
However, one remarkable feature
was the vast shoals of salmon fry in
the margins of the river. There were
thousands and thousands following
you as you stirred up the mud.
I understand that the Lune is
experiencing a similar phenomenon,
so could this have anything to do
with the fact that both these rivers
have a hatchery?
I await a response from the EA or NRW!
Steve Dallaghan, Clwyd
More noisy rod-rings
Laurence Mockford complains (Letters,
August) about noisy rod rings. I have a
Hardy Zephrus 9ft 6in seven-weight; the
line I use is a Rio Gold and I also started
hearing this noise. I phoned Sportfish in
Winforton, who were very helpful and
suggested I cleaned and dressed the line
more often. I did this with Rio’s own
dressing and although I have been out
fishing only once since, it seems to have
cured the problem. I would therefore like
to think it is the fly-line that is the issue,
rather than the rod.
Ken Grew, Staffordshire
The halcyon days
It was wonderful to read Nigel
Passmore’s article (August) about
Anthony Luke.
For some 20 years we – “the Boys” –
took the week after Dr Briggs and his
friend Anthony on the River Erriff.
In those heydays of the ’70s and ’80s
we thought nothing of catching 20 or
30 salmon for the week – all on single-
handed rods, floating lines, Silver
Stoats, Garry Dogs and a Delphi or two.
Little did we realise that those
were golden days at very reasonable
prices and that now to have any
realistic chance of similar success
we need to go abroad and spend ten
times the money, not counting the
price of a modern barrage of double-
handed technology.
Thank you so much for reminding
me of those halcyon days when salmon
fishing was much, much simpler.
Michael Warwick, Buckinghamshire
Towy on its bones
We have just returned from a week on
the Towy. In the Llandeilo area the river
is nothing but a series of dry wadis and
a depleted shallow main channel.
It is impossible for salmon to run
and even at Abercothi the number of
sewin is much reduced.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
claims to be taking drastic measures
to save the return, run and spawning
of salmon in particular, not least the
complete banning of the taking of
salmon (now from next year)
by anglers.
What they are not doing, which is
critical to the situation, is releasing
water from the upstream Brianne dam,
“Certainly no salmon
could currently run”
if it is NRW that has this responsibility.
This is essential in such a drought year,
especially given the mount of
fertiliser and slurry being applied to
the adjacent lands.
NRW’s attitude is nothing but
hypocritical and clearly they have no
understanding of what is necessary in
the current conditions. Certainly no
salmon could currently run.
I cannot see the river recovering this
season and yet, apparently, coracles
are still fishing above Carmarthen.
We saw no other anglers on the part
of the river where we were.
And where are the EA in all this? Do
they have an input? How do they justify
a game-fishing licence while
advocating catch-and-release and
doing nothing to maintain water levels?
The EA and NRW seem to be
discouraging angling while not actually
banning it outright.
Jeremy Bloomfield, Dorset
 Hydro on the Calder
Before about 1985 the Lancashire Calder, the Ribble’s second-
largest tributary, was almost devoid of fish; indeed, any
localised thunderstorms flushing the Calder would often result
in a major pollution of the main river.
Gradually the river became cleaner through stricter controls
on industry and major improvements in
sewage treatment.
In 2002 the EA stocked two Calder tributaries with salmon
fry/parr, even though they were both above numerous
impassable obstacles. Around this time dead kelts were often
found in Sabden Brook, which is above Whalley weir but below
the impassable Padiham weir.
A few years later salmon were seen and caught at Padiham
weir – probably the progeny of that earlier stocking.
Aware that potentially more than 100 miles of spawning were
being denied to salmonids, the Ribble Rivers Trust, in
partnership with the EA, removed Padiham weir and initiated a
programme of obstacle removal upstream of Padiham.
The trust, EA and numerous others have since spent
millions of pounds on this project.
In 2013/2014 a hydro plant was built on the weir at
Whalley. We know with certainty that prior to its construction
salmonids could access the Calder via the weir apron and
smolts could also migrate over the apron. The hydro plant
is just over a mile from the confluence with the Ribble
and is the lowest, and now only major, obstacle
left to migration in the Calder.
Four years on and signs of salmonids in the Calder are hard
to find; indeed, only one smolt was found in Sabden Brook
in 2017 by the trust’s electro-fishing surveys.
A fish-pass was incorporated to so-called “best practice
guidelines” in the hydro scheme. Since its commission, that
fish-pass has never been inspected and has probably been
blocked solid since Storm Frank in 2015. Fish-passage was
not relevant in the planning consent.
There is no access to this site for interested parties – even the
EA has to make an appointment to visit – and the layman is more
likely to get an “all areas” pass for North Korea than watch the
turbines operating.
The monitoring regime seems lax and weak and to my
knowledge nothing has ever been reported contrary to its
permissions in four years. Compare this to the hydro
at Settle, where with free access a myriad
issues are reported every year.
Trying to take a closer look at the Whalley scheme,
I am surprised, to say the least, at its design and subsequent
consent. The fish-pass is on the river side of the hydro screw, so
inaccessible for either cleaning or inspection. The entrance to the
turbine has no mesh on it and is next to the fish-pass. Both the
exit from the turbine and the entrance
to the fish-pass are next to each other.
Potentially this is the greatest act of environmental vandalism
the EA has ever presided over in our catchment.
As a final kick in the teeth, the EA is now threatening to include
the Calder catchment in the Ribble egg-deposition target, when
it might or might not have contributed directly
to a lack of access for both upstream and downstream
migration of adults and juveniles!
In summary, we now have a river possibly blocked
at its lowest obstacle by abysmal consenting, total lack
of monitoring, questionable design and no validation
of fish-passage by the EA, while its partners carry on spending
millions of pounds upriver on removing obstacles.
If that’s unfair, EA, show me the science and prove
me wrong.
My comments are not intended to criticise local EA staff,
or indeed the Ribble Rivers Trust, for whom I have the highest
regard. But I believe it is still the agency’s statutory duty to
“maintain, develop and improve” salmonid fisheries, and sadly on
the Calder it seems to be failing on all three fronts.
David Jackson, Ribble Fisheries Council of Management, and
president and chairman of Clitheroe Angling Association

Salmon in hot water
If salmon fishery boards are as
conservation-minded as they would have
us believe, why do they not close their
rivers to angling when the water
temperature reaches, say, 60 deg F?
(Looking at Fishpal in early July I see the
Tweed’s water temperature is 63 deg F).
I believe the Hampshire Avon orders
the cessation of fishing when the water
Playing and returning a salmon in warm water will
do the fish no good at all. How many survive?
temperature reaches a certain level but I
know of no other river that does so.
Playing a salmon in warm water, only
to return it, will do the fish no good at all
and there will doubtless be hundreds of
casualties if this hot weather continues.
Wildfowlers face a shooting ban when
there has been a period of severely cold
weather, so why not salmon fishermen
during a period of hot weather?
Riparian owners will no doubt be
infuriated by my suggestion, preferring
to pocket their tenants’ money, but if they
are serious about conserving stocks
something ought to be done.
I would be interested to hear
what other readers think.
Hugh Wilson, North Yorkshire
The tastiest game-fish
I apologise for arriving late at the party
but I have just come across the piece in
Trout Surgery (February) about
cooking grayling.
I have just returned from a trip to
northern Sweden, where many grayling
were caught and consumed and thought
I could shed some light on how it should
be done as grayling are actually one of
the tastiest game-fish and didn’t deserve
the negative feedback from that article.
First, I will address the “bony and
scaly” comments. It is a very easy fix,
which only requires careful filleting and
removal of the skin prior to cooking.
Next, it is important to remember that,
because it is a white fish, you will find
that the meat is incredibly absorbent.
For breakfast, we would fry rashers of
bacon over a fire then cook the grayling
fillets in the juices; this was extremely
tasty. Another way is to gut the fish but
keep it whole, then stuff it with butter,
salt, lemon and fresh dill. Wrap in
aluminium foil and cook (best directly
on the ashes of an open fire). Pull the
meat off the bones and you have a
delicious bone-free and skin-free meal.
If you are feeling especially
adventurous, smoke the fish, which is
my favourite method.
The fish must be as fresh as possible.
Don’t freeze them, which I imagine is
where people go wrong.
Alex Thrift, Gloucestershire

S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 77
Make the
SWITCH
Andy Bowman discusses why a true switch rod is the
tool of choice for the multi-discipline travelling angler
W
H AT MOST MODERN
rodmakers call switch rods
are simply small,
lightweight double-handers
with overly long handles, big
butt extensions and “zippy”
actions unsuitable for single-handed use. To suit the
travelling, multi-disciplined angler, I think a true
switch rod must be able to spey-cast double- and
single-handedly and be light enough to use all day. It
must also perform all single-handed casts with ease.
Most makers seem to favour seven- or eight-weight
models, but for the reasons above my preferred all-
rounder is an 11ft 3in six-weight. The combination of
enough length, power and lightness of touch makes it
a joy to use. I will only fish with a seven- or eight-
weight on powerful rivers such as those in Norway or
if a big fish is on the cards. In essence, the blank must
have a medium action to handle spey-casts but be fast
enough to handle double-hauled overhead casts.
PL AY I NG A F I SH
When fishing with a light switch rod for the first time
you will notice it has less power than a long double-
hander and what power it has is all in the butt. To
utilise this power when playing a big fish, you must
keep the rod at a low angle. The lack of power must be
compensated by a reel with a good brake, as you will
rely on it to hold or stop fish. When a salmon takes
your fly, don’t lift the rod too soon after the take. To set
the hook, keep the rod low, take your time and use the
power of the butt.
For estuary fishing the
switch rod is a revelation.
78 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
A N DY
B OW M A N
lives in
Dunbartonshire.
As a wild trout,
sea-trout and
salmon-fisher
from an early age,
he has fished all
over the UK
and abroad.
L E A DE R S
For salmon I advise using much heavier leaders than
you would with a standard double-handed set-up.
Salmon are not “gut shy” so I use a level leader of 15lb
with a six-weight set-up on small rivers, and up to
40lb on a seven- or eight-weight rod for big rivers or if
there is a chance of a very big salmon.
For fussier brown trout or sea-trout during daytime
I use conventional light leader weights, but if I’m
fishing for big sea-trout at night, I step it up again.
F LY-L I N E S
There are many fly-lines designed specifically for
switch rods and you can match the line to the gram
or grain weight specified on your chosen rod.
My current favourite lines are an old six-weight
Rio Spey because of its graceful turnover, and the
new Gaelforce Equalizer Switch Spey (33ft; 7/8wt,
27 grams, 425 grains) for distance and presentation
on larger rivers. Although not as pleasurable to use,
modern compact Scandi-style shooting-heads can be
cast to obtain maximum distance.
TIPS
Many fly-lines are sold with a set of tips. That’s good,
but these tips are usually long and won’t suit all
situations. For example, to keep a long fast-sinking tip
on the surface you’ll need a fast line speed on a cast
such as a double-spey. Because of the variety of waters
(rivers and stillwaters) you may fish on a trip to the
Highlands or West of Ireland, for example, you will
need to enlarge your armoury of tips.
I am a great fan of Airflo Polyleaders and over the
years have built a large collection to cater for all
eventualities. The tips come in many weights, lengths
and sizes, labelled according to quarry. I use heavier
Trout and Sea-trout/Steelhead leaders for sea-trout.
For salmon in Britain and Ireland, I use standard
Salmon leaders. For salmon abroad, such as Norway
or Alaska, I use Salmon Extra Strong. Each packet
informs you of the maximum leader strength you can
use with a particular tippet. Polyleaders come in
different lengths, too, but I often cut them down
to suit, forming a new loop at the front.
FLIES
You don’t need to scale down fly size too much
because the rod is smaller. My only advice is that you
should steer away from large brass tubes, which are
too heavy to turn over.
A F L E X I BL E T O OL
The main reason to use a switch rod is flexibility.
In recent years, I’ve toured the west coast of Ireland
fishing estuaries, rivers and loughs and took only one
rod and a spare of the same model. That rod was my
six-weight switch. It allowed me to adapt to whatever
discipline was required. I have done exactly the same
thing around the Scottish coast and on Orkney, the
Western Isles and the Hebrides. When you are in
remote places, you need to know that your tackle is up
to the job – you can’t just nip back to the house and
grab another outfit. In these places, you need to adapt
to the situation or weather. You could be wandering
the flats of a wide, wind-blown estuary, or the rocky
shores of an exposed loch.
ON E ST UA R I E S
Fishing an estuary for bass or sea-trout sounds
straightforward: stand on the sand, no obstacles,
standard overhead cast.
Wrong. Estuaries are windy and if you want to fish
the best water you can’t always have the wind on your
back. I recently fished an estuary in Scotland with a
strong, cold, north-east wind. To cover the best water,
the wind would have to blow on to the right side of my
face which – as many right-handers know – is a very
dangerous overhead cast. With my switch rod, I could
use the elements to my advantage by using a double
spey-cast off my left shoulder.
ON A L O C H
Hill lochs are surrounded by twisted heather, rocky
outcrops and mountain ash, but this rugged beauty
can cause problems. With a length advantage over a
single-hander, a switch rod will help keep your flies
above the heather, not in it. At one loch I fish, the bank
is formed by a rocky cliff, off which bigger fish feed in
wind lanes. Because the bank is high, you need to be
at water level to avoid spooking the fish. Using a
variety of spey-casts I can fish it effectively with my
switch rod, without breaking the skyline. It is very
difficult to do this with a standard single-hander.
With 6ft-8ft of dapping floss attached to nylon
backing, and a bushy dry-fly, on windy days you can
also dap from the bank. With the extra length and
holding the rod high, you can get the flies out
a surprising distance.
DR I F T I NG I N A B OAT
A switch rod’s reach makes it a great tool for loch-style
fishing and especially dibbling a bob-fly. A 9ft single-
“Every shake, leap and run is
accentuated – you are truly
battling the fish”
LEFT When
loch-style
fishing, an 11ft
switch rod will
dibble a top
dropper far
from the boat.
hander just cannot compete. The ease with which you
can roll out a team of flies and the distance – without
a single false cast – is a great benefit (less tangles, less
time lost). Playing fish is also easier due to the extra
reach. The switch rod can follow the fish and keep it
under control when it zips under and around the boat
while you rarely have to move from your boat seat.
TAC K L I NG OV E RGROW N SPAT E R I V E R S
Fishing for salmon on a small overgrown spate river
is where the switch rod outperforms any other type.
These small waters are not suited to longer double-
handers due to the tight spaces and smaller windows
of opportunity to get a line on the water. Trees,
bushes, fences and rocks combine to make it difficult
and therefore nimble single-handed casts, such as the
side cast and roll cast, are crucial, while the various
spey casts you can perform with a switch will give you
the full armoury to succeed in difficult surroundings.
When playing a fish, the rod’s extra length will
help you to keep your quarry away from
bankside obstacles.
L A RGE R I V E R S A N D L A RGE R F I SH
In the hands of an experienced fisher, a switch rod
can be used on large rivers, too. A long double-hander
will outgun it every time if you need to cast a long
way, but not all fish are on the other side of the river.
What the switch lacks in power, it gains in the fight.
Total contact. Every shake, leap and run is
accentuated – you are truly battling the fish. And if
you are lucky enough to hook one of the big boys, stick
to the rules and you stand an excellent chance of
landing it. Hooking and playing a large salmon on
a switch rod is exhilarating.
As well as overhead
casts, your rod should be
able to spey cast with ease.
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 79
H E A LT H
and factor 50
Trout-angler Dr Frank Conroy offers
some essential skin-care advice
W
HEN FISHING from
bank or boat we are
exposed to the sun and
its harmful effects. UVA
and UVB rays will happily penetrate our
pale, freckly, European skins and ravage
the building blocks of our genetic
makeup, potentially giving rise to the
formation of skin cancer.
Skin cancer is an umbrella term that
encompasses two distinct groups of skin
malignancies: very serious malignant
melanoma and less serious non-
melanoma. In 2014 (latest figures) in the
UK, there were 15,000 new cases of
malignant melanoma reported and
131,000 new cases of non-melanoma
skin cancer (thought to be
a huge underestimate).
M A L IGN A N T M E L A NOM A
Malignant melanoma has quadrupled in
incidence over the last 30 years – faster
than any other cancer. In the UK, seven
deaths each day occur due to malignant
melanoma and it is the 17th most
common cause of cancer death. The
main risk factor is chronic, intermittent
exposure to high-intensity sunlight with
episodes of sunburn, a phenomenon all
fly-fishermen will have experienced.
Melanoma can arise from existing moles
or from new lesions and while we all
assume melanoma appears as a brown,
pigmented spot, it can occur in its
amelanotic form containing no pigment
and as such go ignored. Melanoma can
spread through the lymphatic system
and extensive surgery can be needed if
evidence of metastasis is found. Vigilance
and self-examination are the keys to
early detection. The British Association of
Dermatologists advocates the ABCDE
method of self-examination of moles:
Asymmetry: the two halves of the area
may differ in shape.
80 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
Border: edges of the area may be
irregular or blurred, and sometimes
show notches.
Colour: may be uneven. Different shades
of black, brown and pink may be seen.
Diameter: most melanomas are at least
6mm in diameter. Report any change in
size, shape or diameter to your doctor.
Expert: if in doubt, check it out. If your
GP is concerned about your skin, make
sure you see a consultant dermatologist
or consultant plastic surgeon. Your GP
can refer you via the NHS.
A malignant melanoma:
asymmetric with an
irregular border and
non-uniform colour.
NON -M E L A NOM A SK I N C A NC E R
Far more common than melanoma, non-
melanoma is thankfully much easier to
treat and mortality is low. Basal cell
carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma
are the commonest types and while
locally invasive, they rarely spread
around the body.
The development of BCC/SCC is
directly attributable to sun exposure and
a recent study examining the incidence
of outdoor workers developing these skin
cancers showed they face a 43 per cent
higher risk of developing BCC and a
massive 77 per cent increased risk of
developing SCC. Professional fishing
guides should be running to the chemist
for sunscreen having read this.
Treatment of BCC/SCC is relatively
straightforward, with surgery the
mainstay of treatment, though if caught
early they can be amenable to LASER
treatment, cryotherapy or even
a simple ointment.
A classic BCC:
note the pearly
appearance, tiny
blood vessels running
through it and the
scabbed centre.
“If a lesion has suddenly
appeared or changed and
hasn’t settled after 4-6
weeks, seek medical advice”
We all enjoy being out in the sun and
need sunlight for the body to make
certain vitamins and I would never
suggest it should be completely avoided;
but it must be respected. Reaching for
sun-cream is often the last thing we
think of while spellbound by the sight of
a 3lb wild brownie sipping down spent
mayfly as our fly fast approaches,
however, simple, regular application of
a high SPF (greater than 50) waterproof
sun cream, donning your favourite hat
(preferably wide-brimmed) and polaroids
may prevent an unpleasant visit to your
friendly dermatologist or plastic surgeon.
For more information: British Association
of Dermatologists (bad.org.uk). Cancer
Research UK (cancerresearchuk.org).
D R F R A N K C O N R OY
is a plastic, reconstructive
and cosmetic surgeon
working at the American
Hospital, Dubai.
TAC K L E The latest gear for discerning game-fishers
The difference is in the detail
Although it’s made in smaller trout
sizes, the Ross Evolution R’s price
and technology suggest this is a
reel that will mostly attract salmon
and saltwater anglers in the UK. Its
drag is remarkably powerful for such
a light reel, with 30lb resistance
in the 11/12 size.
Lightness and power are its most
striking features, but look closely
and there are several satisfying,
clever details.
The sealed drag is adjusted with a
wide flat wheel, rather than a knob.
It has been designed for use with a
gloved hand and also reduces the
chance of line becoming snagged.
Skeletal design
ensures lightness.
Size 9/10 holds WF10 line
with 275 yards of backing.
R O S S E VO LU T I O N R R E E L £4 6 5 - £7 9 5
There are two-and-a-half turns from
free spool to locked up. Power is
derived from seven alternating steel
and carbon-fluoropolymer discs in
the smaller reels and a whopping 16
discs in the big Salt versions.
The handle is made from a unique
cloth-and-resin material, which
makes it more grippable when wet.
Two small counterbalance weights
in the Salt versions, rather than the
standard one, reduce vibration when
a powerful fish runs, ensuring the
spool rotates smoothly.
The large arbor means line is
retrieved quickly. The asymmetric
spool base encourages line to lay
Sportfish. Tel: 01544 327 111
Web: sportfish.co.uk
evenly. Frame and spool are built
from aerospace-grade aluminium
and are strong and Type II anodised
– “salt-safe”.
To change winds, unscrew the
brake housing and flip a bearing. To
release the spool, unscrew a captive
nut, which seems flimsy, but is made
from stainless steel and has a
machined (not engraved) Ross logo.
You’re left with the thought the
engineers at Ross enjoy sourcing
new materials and being a little
different. This is an impressive reel,
a genuine contender beside others in
your tackle-shop’s glass cabinet.
Sizes: 4/5, 5/6; (Salt) 7/8, 9/10, 11/12.
Drag housing
contains 16 discs.
Brake is adjusted
by outer wheel.
Captive
spool-release
nut with
machined
Ross logo.
Unique canvas-
phenolic handle
is grippable
when wet.
›
SEPTEMBER 2 01 8 | 81
TAC K L E

First
fast rod
Greys reckon the GR40, which replaces
the outgoing GR30, is an ideal first step
into the world of faster-action rods and
we'd agree. It certainly has a faster
action than the GR30 but is still what we
would class medium-fast, making it user-
friendly, regardless of your casting skill.
The 9ft 6wt we tested sits comfortably
in the hand and feels light when set up
with a reel and matching line. Short-
and medium-range casts were smooth.
Line was easily picked up, the blank
was quick to load, while fast and
accurate on the forward cast. We
thought the rod had real zip when
we cast long distances. In fact, it was
a treat to fish with. It has enough flex
to generate effective roll and switch
casts. A really good all-rounder.
There are 11 models – 7ft 6in, 3wt to
10ft, 8wt – that cover everything from
small streams to large reservoirs and
single-handed salmon and sea-trout. For
the £100-£140 mark you also get a high
standard of fittings.
Our overriding impression was of an
easy, smooth-casting rod. When GREYS GR40 RODS
compared to Greys' next range up, the £9 9.9 9 - £ 1 3 9.9 9
GR50, which is a slightly faster model, Greys. Tel: 01665 602 771.
we would stick with the GR40 as it Web: greysfishing.co.uk
represents great value for money.

Collar has a third

For fashionable fishermen fold at the back

for extra sun
protection.
Fishing clothing was once universally Back has mesh
green or tweedy. But the Scandinavian inner and large Cloth loop from
and American brands that dominate vents to keep which to hang
modern game-fishing seem to care less you cool. a zinger.
about camouflage – albeit much of their
clothing is aimed at boat, salmon and Material offers
saltwater anglers, who unlike a stalking UPF 30 sun
trout fisher arguably have less need to protection.
look like a tree.
This smart, high-quality shirt from
Columbia can be worn anywhere – pub,
shops, office – so it may get a lot of wear
and is great value. It’s less pricey than a
high-end high-street shirt.
It dries quickly and will shield you from
the sun to UPF 30. Details we like are the Side pocket is
lift-up sun-protection collar, roll-up fastened with
sleeves with tabs, the sunglasses velcro. Ideal for
cleaning patch on the inside of the front a small fly-box.
hem, fly-box-sized chest pockets, and
large back vents. It’s also rain- and
stain-resistant.
Colours: blue or red plaid.
Sizes: M, L, XL, XXL.

C O LU M B I A CA S CA D E S
E X P L O R E R S H I RT £4 9.9 5
Sportfish. Tel: 01544 327 111 Inside the hem is a
Web: sportfish.co.uk soft glass-friendly
cleaning patch.

82 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
 Not cheap, but
valuable if you’re
to enjoy a few

Happy to stand seasons of regular

stillwater sport.

in the rain
Worn over thigh and waist waders or
waterproof overtrousers, this three-
quarters-length Greys jacket provides
ideal coverage when you’re standing
on the bank in cold weather.
It’s very warm because it has a
polyester quilted lining. It also has
a DWR coating so water beads off
the outside. In its new state it’s
quite a heavy, stiff jacket.
The double-zip opening is
protected by a decent baffle and
a good stormflap. The sleeves
taper into a cuff with a neoprene
inner for a good seal and a protective
outer. The hood has a three-way
adjustment and a stiffened peak. Tw
zipped handwarmer pockets are at a
comfortable height, there’s a single
water-resistant zipped chest pocket
accessories, and deep top-opening
pockets that sit at waist level and wi
take a large fly-box. Sizes M-XXL.
Greys sell Overtrousers (£149.99)
match the jacket. They have detachable
braces and are high waisted for a good G R E Y S A L L -W E AT H E R JA C K ET
fit. Reinforced panels on the knees and £ 1 8 9.9 9
Thigh high seat make them durable and there are
water-resistant zips at the ankle cuffs
Greys. Tel: 01665 602 771
Web: greysfishing.co.uk

thorn foe
and fly opening. Sizes are M-XXL.

Breathable waders are the most

comfortable way to stay dry in the

Lightness and
It’s hard to imagine a reel being
river. But nylon remains useful. lighter than the Vision XLV with its
Snowbee’s 210-denier nylon thigh highly ventilated spool and frame.
waders are tough and may withstand
brambles and grazing. They are likely
to last longer than breathables. If you
shape matters Made from a quality bar-stock
alloy, reels for trout fishing (3/4,
5/6, 7/8) have a unique V-shape
can put up with hot feet on days frame, while two salmon sizes (8/9
when the sun cracks the flags or and 9/10) have Vision’s heraldic-V
when you face a long walk, they’re a frame, offering more strength and
reasonable option and perfectly rigidity, vital if playing larger fish.
habitable at other times. We tried the 7/8 (pictured),
Thigh waders are always useful. which has an open-face design
Keep them in the car boot – they take and large arbor with line sitting
up little space – and pull them on neatly in the U-shaped spool.
more quickly than lace-up boots and Anglers fishing large waters will
chest waders, for that hour or two like its good backing capacity and
grabbed after work. fast retrieval. The large-arbor also
Choose either deep cleated or felt- reduces line memory. The 9/10 is
and-stud soles. The wellington wider and has more of a mid-arbor
bottoms are lightweight so offer little so you can pack more backing
heel and toe protection. Straps and with a full fly-line. It has a full cage,
buckles attach the thin tops to a belt. which means there’s no chance of
They won't stay up without a belt. thin running lines getting trapped
It's advisable to try them on for between spool and reel cage.
size first and to check the strap will We like the smooth disc-drag
reach your belt. Sizes: 5-15 cleated system that has an audible click
sole. 5-14 combi felt sole. when line’s taken and retrieved.

S N OW B E E 2 1 0 D N Y L O N
T H I G H WA D E R S V I S I O N X LV R E E L
£7 5.9 9 C L E AT E D ; £ 1 9 9.9 9 - £ 24 9.9 9
£ 8 2 C O M B I F E LT Vision. Tel: 07703 609 513
Snowbee. Tel: 01752 334 933 Web: visionflyfishing.co.uk
Web: snowbee.co.uk

Anodised low-flash
finish. Spare spools: S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 83
£99.99-£109.99
TAC K L E
F LY-T Y I N G
Our pick of the best tools and materials
Use to form a body,
thorax or dubbing ball.
Big flies, little resistance
This dyed straggly string – available
in a vast range of plain and mixed
colours – is wound to form bulky, yet
wind-resistant bodies and hackles
on big saltwater, pike, salmon and
sea-trout flies.
Each fibre is 20mm long from core
to tip, giving an overall width when
wound of 40mm. Because the fibres
are long, they pulse and collapse.
Simply catch the core on to the hook
S E M P E R F L I E X T R E M E ST R I N G £ 3
Semperfli. Tel: 01757 333 001. Web: semperfli.net
Ugly bug bodies
Veniard Ultra Ant bodies have
pre-formed front and rear abdomens,
joined by a thinner section used to
attach to the hook. These 10mm
bodies, made from black or brown
foam, are best used on small hooks. We
suggest a size 16 or 18
dry-fly model.
Bind to a hook on top of a bed of
thread, adding fine straggly string or
dubbing for legs and sparkle, with a
“sighter” post to aid visibility. Be
careful not to cut the foam if using
V E N I A R D U LT R A A N T B O D I E S £ 3. 1 0
For Veniard stockists. Tel: 020 8684 2288. Web: veniard.com
84 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
shank and wind in touching turns.
Try a few turns in place of a dubbing ball
behind Intruder head hackles.
Colours are black, black-and-orange,
blue, bronze, brown, chartreuse,
Christmas (mosaic), Dennis the Menace,
copper, cream, fluoro dark pink, fluoro
orange, fluoro salmon roe, fluoro
shrimp pink, fluoro silver, gold, green,
lime, lichen, pale pink and red.
Four metres per pack.
A size 16 ant pattern –
less than two minutes
in the making.
fine, ultra-strong thread.
This is a very quick and easy way to
make buoyant ant patterns for high-
summer river fishing. Each pack
contains ten bodies.
An alternative
feather fibre
Goose shoulder feathers are typically
used to dress classic, built-wing salmon
flies. These feathers from Nature’s Spirit
will certainly excel in that department,
but their fibre length also makes them
suitable for making wound bodies,
much like pheasant-tail fibres. Goose
fibre is softer than pheasant and will
need a closely-wound rib for protection,
but colours are more varied and purer.
Don’t waste the flue at the base of
each feather – it can be dubbed to form
a soft thorax.
Dyed in yellow, claret, hot orange,
black, fluoro orange, fluoro chartreuse,
fluoro purple, fluoro hot pink, fluoro
cherry red, fluoro yellow, fluoro blue,
green, heron grey, pink and white.
Six feathers per pack.
A Yellow May Dun
emerger made with a
body of wound yellow
goose shoulder body and
matching flue thorax.
N AT U R E ’ S S P I R I T
S E L ECT G O O S E
S H O U L D E R £ 3. 5 0
Funky Flytying. Tel: 01823 617 373.
Web: funkyflytying.co.uk
 READER OFFER

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Post: Glasgow Angling Centre, Unit 1 The Point, 29 Saracen Street, Glasgow G22 5HT.
A DV E RT I S E M E N T F E AT U R E

A TRADITION OF
E XC E L L E N C E
Hardy has been hand-crafting rods and reels in Alnwick for over 120 years,
a record that no other tackle manufacturer can ever hope to match

T
R A DITION
is baked into
Hardy’s DNA
but it can only
exist in
partnership
with the constant quest to refine
its designs. More than anything
else, it is innovation that lies at the
heart of the ethos that drives
Hardy engineers in a constant
search to improve tackle – without
the unique chemistry that binds
them and Hardy’s time-served
craftsmen together, reels like the
modern Perfect or Cascapedia
could never have been developed.

H BX R O D L E AT H E R
Hand-built in
R E E L CA S E MADE IN
ENGLAND

Alnwick, England, A range of handmade-in-the-UK

utilising over 140 leather reelcases, in standard
years of rod-building and wide sizes.
tradition and
heritage. The new
HBX range offers a
rod for all situations.
Whether its hooking
monster tarpon in
the Keys, or free-
rising trout in a small CLASSIC
brook, the versatile
HBX range has it LUG G A G E MADE IN
ENGLAND

covered. Utilising Hardy’s classic canvas fishing bags

Hardy’s ground H BX R E E L are now handmade in the UK. They
breaking SINTRIX® The award-winning HBX reel combines have a strong adjustable carry strap
440 technology, cutting-edge modern cosmetics and and leather trim. Use on the bank or
the blanks are technology with the hand-built quality of all as an everyday travel accessory.
lightweight in hand Hardy’s Made in England reels. The range –
allowing unparalleled which has just won “Best New Fly Reel” at
line feel and accuracy the 2018 EFFTEX European Exhibition in
coupled with the raw Amsterdam – caters for freshwater and
power and strength saltwater scenarios, from brook trout to
you’d expect from tarpon and everything in-between. HBX
the SINTRIX® blank reels are low maintenance to allow you to
construction. History concentrate on what is important. The drag
meets modern systems are fully flushable with freshwater,
technology in HBX. meaning minimal maintenance.

86 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8

CA S CA P E D I A
Made in four sizes for every freshwater
application, the new Cascapedia is a
stunning addition to Hardy’s Made in
England reel series. Two smaller sizes
feature a click check while larger models
have a disc drag with audible clicker to
give the classic Cascapedia sound.
HORIZON
TA P E R
The Hardy Horizon Taper
Series fly-line offers
maximum-range casts for
the accomplished angler
who likes to extend and
carry line. With an
elongated head design the
B O UG L É HTS offers long-range
performance with delicate
Launched in 2013 to celebrate the reel’s presentation. Two-tone
110th birthday, this Bouglé is one of the design, welded front loop
best yet – with its rolling pillar; reversible and laser-printed line ID are
click check; naval brass bush and all standard.
spindle; and its hand-polished, deep
anodised finish. Presented in a beautiful,
UK made, leather, sheepskin-lined case.

D UC H E S S
Hand-made in Alnwick, England by
skilled craftsmen. This reel combines
innovative features like split-cage
frame design and dual line guards
with high-quality materials
and classic styling.
WIDE - SPOOL PERFECT
Ever since Forster Hardy was granted a
patent for the Perfect in 1889, Hardy
engineers have been constantly striving
for ways to improve on perfection. The
latest revision features a time-proven
check and that classic Perfect sound,
hand-crafted in Alnwick, England.
R O C K ET H E A D
A unique two-part
shooting-head system that
allows fine tuning of sink
rate for precise presentation
at maximum distance.
Single- and dual- density
heads combine with dual-
density tips resulting in
tri- or quad- density
configurations. All heads
and tips are dual-looped,
laser-printed and colour-
coded for ease of use. Spare
tips are supplied in a
reusable wallet insert. Buy a
full set of additional tips for
ultimate versatility.

M A R Q U I S LW T
“If Hardy offered
A re-modelled classic Hardy fly reel. The
Marquis was a mainstay of the Hardy anything less, it
line-up for many years and this new
edition features many improvements would not be
including subtle updating of the classic
style with an indented regulator button,
a Perfect” FIND OUT MORE AT
more porting and better regulation range. HARDYFISHING.CO.UK
 PROPERTY
Derek Bingham reports on houses with fishing for sale
Is it time to invest in a prime Dee beat?
The sale of Banchory Fishings brings to
the market one of the prime beats on the
Dee. On the edge of the attractive town
of Banchory, it’s for sale with Waterstone
House, as a whole or in two lots.
Waterstone House, built in 1973 in the
former walled garden of the Banchory
Lodge Hotel, has undergone extensions
and provides three reception rooms and
study, sun room, five bedrooms of which
two are ensuite, and shower room.
Set in two acres of grounds
surrounded on three sides by the high
walls of the garden, to the south three
terraces of borders and lawns lead down
to the river. Included in the sale is the
single-bank salmon fishing in front of the
£2,450,000
A stunning six-bedroom home with 134 acres of land.
88 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
house with the Station Stream pool from
which an average of five fish a year are
caught. There is also the Cobbleheugh
Bothy, the former boatman’s shelter.
Banchory Fishings run downstream
from the bridge for 930 yards and
includes the confluence with the River
Feugh, the Dee’s biggest tributary. They
are mostly double bank with 930 yards
on the south bank and 656 yards on the
north bank, holding fish waiting to run
the spectacular Falls of Feugh.
The beat is traditionally fished by four
rods. There are 11 named pools, with
a five-year average of 154 salmon and
60.6 sea-trout and a ten-year average of
285 salmon and 75.4 sea-trout. In 2012,
Strutt & Parker (Banchory) 01330 826 800
All the house you’ll ever need, plus trout
Manor Farm at Newnham in
Hampshire is a grade II listed
farmhouse with land and extensive
wild brown trout fishing on the River
Lyde chalkstream. Hook is 1½ miles
(London Waterloo 53 minutes) .
Manor Farmhouse, which dates
from the 17th century, with a timber-
framed core, has been extended
over the years and meticulously
maintained. There are three reception
rooms, two studies, kitchen/breakfast
room, main bedroom, dressing
£4,950,000
Waterstone House has two acres by the Dee.
543 salmon were caught. There is good
access, a fishing hut and 20 acres.
The property is for sale as a whole
or in two lots, with £1.1 million asked for
Waterstone House and £1,350,000
for the fishings.
room and bathroom, five other
bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Grounds extend to eight acres and
include a listed 18th century barn,
used for storage and entertainment
purposes; two-bedroom Lodge; Coach
House; listed grade II Granary;
swimming pool; orchard, tennis
court and summerhouse.
The land, pasture and woodland,
extends to 134 acres. The Lyde runs
along the western boundary and offers
875 yards of double-bank fishing.
Strutt & Parker (020 7629 7282)
Knight Frank (020 7861 1080)
 Do you
have a property
An island in the stream Looks like a good
with fishing for sale?
E-mail:
sea-trout pool. troutandsalmon
@bauermedia
.co.uk

Writer’s block? This bolthole could be a solution.

Classic Westcountry smallholding

Whitewater trout may become familiar friends.
If you’ve ever sought seclusion, surrounded
by a chalkstream, there is The Island on the
River Whitewater in the village of Greywell in
Hampshire. Odiham and Hook are both two
miles away and Basingstoke is seven.
It extends to almost one third of an acre, is
surrounded by the river and includes a small
building that might make a summerhouse.
There are fishing rights.
Knight Frank
£40,000 01256 630 971
Stapleford Farm, three miles from the village of Exbourne, has a traditional
farmhouse with views to Dartmoor and fishing on the River Okement.
Okehampton is seven miles.
There are four reception rooms, main ensuite bedroom, six other
bedrooms and three bathrooms, and a single-bedroom annexe with kitchen
and living room. The Farside, an attached barn conversion, has sitting room,
study, kitchen/dining room, bedroom with ensuite shower room, two further
bedrooms and bathroom. Each has their own area of garden.
The land, which extends to more than 23 acres, includes 15½ acres of
pasture and more than four acres of woodland, which are a feature of the
property. The Okement, a Torridge tributary that forms the eastern boundary,
provides about 580 yards of fishing for trout and the occasional sea-trout.
Miller Town & Country
£1,195,000 01837 54080

Sporting paradise in Argyll

Income opportunity on the Wye
Recently on the market is The
Shrubbery, a fishing lodge in
just over six acres at Llyswen,
near Brecon, with fishing on
the Wye. The detached
bungalow has drawing room,
kitchen/dining room, study/
utility room, main ensuite
bedroom, two further
bedrooms and shower room.
Close by is Shrub Cottage
(below), with sitting room,
kitchen/dining room, ground-
floor bedroom with ensuite
shower room and first-floor
bedroom and bathroom.
There are 443 yards of
salmon and trout fishing on the
Wye although the present
owner also rented a further
300 yards.
Upper Wye is a good mixed fishery.
No game-fishing here but plenty of fish in the sea as
well as a renowned high-bird shoot, stalking for deer,
pier and slipway and world-class sailing.
The Glenstriven Estate occupies a spectacular
setting on the western side of the Cowal Peninsula
overlooking Loch Striven, 15 miles from Dunoon in
Argyll. The loch was a testing ground for Barnes
Wallis’s bouncing bomb, used by the RAF Dambusters.
Glenstriven House, built in 1860, provides four
reception rooms and ten bedrooms. There are four
other dwellings including lodge cottage, converted
farmhouse, lodge house, a cottage and converted
former smokehouse. Outbuildings include shoot
room, laundry, estate office and keeper’s maisonette.
The estate, 1,041 acres, is mostly hill but with 79
acres of woods and 69 acres of gardens, grounds and
shore. The pheasant shoot, developed by the owners
over 30 years, is one of the best in Scotland.

Glenstriven: plenty of rivers nearby, even if you won’t own them.

Andrew Grant
£795,000 01905 734 735 Strutt & Parker (0131 226 2500)
£2,785,000 John Clegg & Co (0131 229 8800)

S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 89
 C R O S S WO R D
Are you a game-fishing mastermind?

1 1 2 2 3 3 4 5 4 6 5 7 8

6 7 8

11 13 9

10 11

14 15 16

12 13 14 15

18 19 17 21

16 17 18 P R IZ ES
WORT H
23 19 20 21 25
£999
22 23
WIN A
27

24 25
28 29 30

26
31

27
32
Hardy Cascapedia
The legendary salmon-fishing reel
33 34 35 37 28

29 30 31
WHAT A PRIZE! Two winners will this month
receive an iconic Cascapedia 10/11 reel,
39 32 40 worth £499.99.
First made in 1932, Hardy has updated
Cut out and post this coupon to: SEPTEMBER CROSSWORD, Trout & Salmon, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough the Cascapedia in 2018 to include a powerful and
PE2 6EA. Entries to arrive no later than September 3. Photocopied entries are not acceptable. smooth disc drag in the larger sizes (8/9 and
Name .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................
10/11). The reel is made in Alnwick,
Northumberland from aerospace-grade barstock
Address .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... aluminium and features the original’s classic
S-shaped handle, drum and pillar design and
................................................................................................................................ Postcode .............................................................................
ebony-style side-plates.
E-mail*...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Two smaller sizes (4/5 and 6/7) have a click-
check system. The larger disc-drag models also
Tel..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................
have an audible clicker to give that Cascapedia
Yes, please keep me up to date with the latest news and special offers from Trout & Salmon:
email [] post [] telephone []
sound. The capacity of the 10/11 is a WF11 fly-line
Unsubscribe at any time from any email we send you via the unsubscribe link or by emailing:
with 290 yards of 30lb Dacron.
dataprotectionofficer@bauermedia.co.uk
This is a reel to cherish and possibly become
an heirloom.

CLUES ACROSS CLUES DOWN Terms and conditions ■ To find out more about Hardy tackle, please
Winners will receive the prizes
6. Jeremy Wade’s TV series featuring 1. Huge predatory exotic marine fish as stated above. If for any contact Pure Fishing. Tel: 01665 602 771.
“dangerous” fishes (5, 8) (5, 5, 5) reason beyond the promoter’s Web: hardyfishing.co.uk
9. Not out (2) 2. Bowling period in cricket (4) control it is not possible to
provide the stated prize,
10. This type of loop makes a good overhead 3. Fly-fishers’ slang term for brown trout the promoter reserves the
fly-fishing cast (6) (7) right to award an alternative
11. Stabilising appendage found on the 4. Areas of land surrounded by water (7) prize of no lesser value. The
promoter’s choice of prize is
underside of a fish (4, 3) 5. A ridge of coral surrounding a tropical final. The promoter excludes
12. Moving from side to side in a rhythmic island (4) responsibility for applications
manner (8) 7. Popular colour for fly-tying materials (6) that are lost/delayed/
14. Salmon sometimes take a fly when it’s 8. An effective salmon fly-fishing technique
incomplete.
For competition terms and JULY CR O SSWORD
“at the _ _ _ _ _ _” downstream (6) (6, 4, 4) conditions please go to:
16. Historic term for a salmon-fly hook (4) 13. Hangman’s rope loop (5) www.bauerlegal.co.uk/ ANSWER S AND WINNER S
competition-terms.html
18. Is in debt (4) 15. Tailed amphibians (5) For our Privacy Policy visit
19. Lateral surfaces (5) 17. Nymph patterns should be fished in this bauerdatapromise.co.uk. Answers across: 1 Greylag. 5 Bubble. 8 Axe. 10 Iceland. 11 Niagara. 12 Lei.
Bauer Media Group consists 13 Steeple cast. 15 Eiger. 16 Findhorn. 20 Snow melt. 22 Anvil. 24 Date.
22. Britain’s longest river (6) way (3) of Bauer Consumer Media
23. Gave evidence (8) 19. Aquatic species of these molluscs are Ltd, Bauer Radio Ltd and 25 Grebe. 27 Sea. 29 Varnish. 30 Down-eye. 33 Owe. 34 Flying. 35 Rother.
24. Type of fly line recommended for often eaten by trout (6) H Bauer Publishing.
distance casting (8, 4) 20. Short stabbing weapons (7) Answers down: 1 Ghillies. 2 Evening. 3 Lea. 4 Gadget. 5 Ben. 6 Brake.
27. Audio disc (2) 21. Brooks or burns, for example (7) 7 Liana. 9 Walton. 13 Screws. 14 Point. 17 Drake. 18 Orvis. 19 Sedgehog.
28. Acronym for when one hopes to reach 25. Betting chances (4) 21 Natural. 23 Leader. 24 Dove. 26 Eider. 28 Kiwi. 31 Wet. 32 Exe.
one’s destination [init.] (1. 1. 1.) 26. Lairs (4)
29. Salmon’s egg-laying sites (5) The eight winners of our July competition, who receive a Greys GR40
30. _ _ _ _ _ Moser, famous Austrian single-handed rod, are: Mr D.J. Vaughan, Anglesey; Richard Bagshaw,
angler (5) Aberdeenshire; John Murray, Sutherland; Ian McKenzie, Surrey; Andy Myall,
31. Street [abbr.] (2) Devon; Mr P. Elsbury, Co. Durham; Martin Sime, Lancashire;
32. Afterthought to letter [abbr. init.] (1. 1.) and Douglas McKean, Mid-Lothian.

90 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
 The only monthly record of catches and news from the
major fisheries of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland

c l u d ing
I n AT E R
S
S, W
NEW ISH AND
TO F TO T I E
F L I E S RY T H I S
T
AND TH
MON

FISHING
R E P O RT S
All the latest news from our local experts
 FISHING REPORTS | England and Wales
SCOTLAND ENGLAND
77
& WA L E S
45 Alness 69 Outer Hebrides
46 Annan 70 Lochy
47 Ayr 71 Loch Lomond & Leven
SCOTLAND 1 Llyn Alaw 24 Isle of Man
2 Artro 25 Mawddach & Wnion
48 Beauly 72 Lake of Menteith
3 Bewl 26 Pitsford
49 Borgie 73 Nairn 79 65 6185 4 Llyn Brenig 27 Ravensthorpe
49 87
50 Brora 74 Ness
5 Bristol waters 28 Ribble & Hodder
51 Carron 75 Nith
6 Conwy 29 Rutland Water

L
69 68 66

OO
52 Cassley 76 Orchy
7 Coquet 30 Seiont, Gwyrfai

AP
52 50

L
53 Clyde 77 Orkney

UL
78 80 8 Cornwall & Llyfni
54 Conon 78 Oykel
51 9 Dee & Clwyd 31 Severn

S
55 Cree & Bladnoch 79 Scourie

ES
45 10 Derbyshire waters 32 South-west Wales

RN
56 Aberdeenshire Dee 80 Shin 54

VE
11 Cumbrian Derwent 33 Talyllyn

IN
81 57
57 Deveron 81 Spey 48 73 63 12 Devon 34 Tees
74
58 Aberdeenshire Don 82 Stinchar
13 Dovey 35 Till
59 Doon 83 Tay 58 14 Dwyfor 36 Towy
60 Earn 84 Teith
56 15 Eden 37 Tyne
61 Forss 85 Thurso
16 Border Esk 38 Usk
62 North & South Esks 86 Tweed 70 17 Esthwaite Water 39 Lake Vyrnwy
63 Findhorn 87 Wick 62 18 Eyebrook 40 Wear
64 Girvan
19 Glaslyn 41 Wessex waters
65 Halladale 83
76 20 Grafham 42 Wye
66 Helmsdale
60 21 Hanningfield 43 Yorkshire Esk
67 Irvine 84 22 Llandegfedd 44 Yorkshire waters

H
RG
68 Kirkaig & Inver 72
W

BU
GO

71 23 Lune

IN
AS

ED
GL

A
S E
T H
53 R
86 O
67 35 N
NORTHERN IREL AND 47
59 7
64

LE
ST
CA
118 82 75 46

W
109
NE
16
L

119 55 37
GA

120
15
NE

104
T
DO

AS

121
LF
BE

117 11 40
34 ENGLAND
101 43
94 17
112 44
24
96 88 23
90 LL

111 93
HU

100 110 114 I S H S E A

107 106 95 I R 28
AY

OL

102 97
LW

PO

10
GA

IN

ER

113
BL

LIV
DU

98 105
1
6 9
30 4
19
14
2
25 39
H

29
YT
W

103 33
D

18
OR

YS

13
RF

ER

115
E

AB
AT

116
W

27 26 20
92 108 91 WA L E S 31
99 IRELAND 42
32
89
36 38
N
DO

21
N
LO
IFF

IRELAND 22
RD
CA

88 Lough Arrow 101 Drowes & L. Melvin 114 Lough Sheelin

89 Bandon 102 Erriff 115 Slaney 5
90 Beltra 103 Feale 116 Suir 3
91 Blackwater (Cork) 104 Finn 12 41
92 Upper Caragh 105 Galway Weir NORTHERN
93 Lough Carra 106 Inagh IRELAND
94 Carrowmore Lake 107 Kylemore Abbey
TH

8
OU

95 Cong 108 Laune 117 Ballinderry

YM

G L I S H C H A
PL

96 Conn & Cullin 109 Lennon 118 Bush

E N N N
97 Lough Corrib 110 Lough Mask 119 Bann E
98 Costello & Fermoyle 111 Moher Lough 120 Mourne L
99 Lough Currane 112 Moy 121 Sixmilewater
100 Delphi 113 Screebe

92 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
Rivers
England
Wales
BORDER ESK
THE ANNOUNCEMENT that
the Border Esk would be
compulsory catch-and-
release for salmon for ten
years did not go down well.
It ignores the wishes of
anglers, who suggested
voluntary catch-and-release
of salmon. The limit of four
sea-trout per season was
met with anger and
frustration, as the haaf-nets
were granted extra hours’
fishing and invited to take
up unused sea-trout
tags. The possibility of
challenging these
bylaws remains!
Heavy rain in late May
raised the Esk and brought
in runs of sea-trout and a
few salmon.
On the Willow Pool and
Cauldron beats sport has
been slow. Alan Dixon
caught sea-trout of 2 lb 8 oz
and 2 lb on spinner, fishing
Cauldron. Tim Bacon
returned a 12 lb salmon on
the Willow Pool on fly.
Roger O’Brien had a 1 lb 8 oz
sea-trout on the Willow
Pool, and Simon Laidler
returned an 8 lb salmon
on spinner.
David Laidler had sea-
trout of 3 lb, 2 lb 8 oz and
1 lb 4 oz from the Willow
Pool. Colin Hudson caught a
2 lb sea-trout on the
Cauldron beat, while
Geoff Harris had one of 2 lb
off the Willow Pool.
Out on the Gilnockie
Tower beat, Nick Wilcox
caught sea-trout of 3 lb 8 oz
and 2 lb 8 oz – one in the
Crooked pool and the other
from the Caul Stream on a
Black, Yellow and Silver
treble. He later caught five
sea-trout to 2 lb 4 oz from
the Crooked pool, Plane
Trees and Tower Tail on a
Silver Stoat. Julian Ferguson
Davie had a 1 lb 8 oz sea-
trout on a Stoat’s Tail. Philip
Marsden had four sea-trout
to 1 lb 12 oz from the Plane
Trees, Locking Post,
Crooked pool and Dunk on a
Silver Butcher. Richard
Oliver caught a 2 lb sea-
trout on a Silver Stoat
in the Caul pool.
On the Hollows beat Nick
Wilcox caught a 4 lb 8 oz
sea-trout at Upper Chapel
and a 1 lb 8 oz sea-trout on a
Silver Stoat at Sykesfoot.
Phil Marsden had a 3 lb sea-
trout at Lower Chapel on a
copper Toby, while Julian
Ferguson Davie caught
a 2 lb sea-trout at Upper
Chapel.
Fishing Mid Irvine House,
Drew Murray caught sea-
trout of 2 lb 8 oz, 2 lb 8 oz,
two at 2 lb and one at 3 lb on
a Rapala. Terry Murphy
caught a 9 lb salmon on the
same beat. Tom Lockhart
caught sea-trout of 1 lb 8 oz
and two at 2 lb from Lower
Irvine House, fishing Pete’s
Hole and the Fossil Beds.
A few earlier catches from
the Esk and Liddel Angling
Club water not reported
included sea-trout of 2 lb
and 6 lb caught at night on a
Black Snake by Jackie Allan.
Martin Coulthard caught
three sea-trout.
Rain on June 14 and 20
brought a 5 ft spate. A 6 lb
salmon (the club’s first of
the season) was caught in
the Mill pool. Davy McKenzie
had several sea-trout to 2 lb
over a couple of days. Mike
Sowerby, Ian Blackett, John
Wardle and Ian Jardine all
caught sea-trout. On June
22, Jackie Allan caught a
spanking 6 lb sea-trout at
night. Salmon were reported
to be thin on the ground but
some clonking sea-trout
were in the river. –
BORDER ROD.
BRISTOL WATERS
AFTER A good May on
Chew, with some great
fishing, at first to buzzers
and then to dry-flies, June
started with a bang. There
were plenty of fish on top,
and plenty of grown-on fish
to be seen and, if the fly was
well presented, taken.
However, by the third
week of June the water
reached 20 deg C and
sport slowed down.  to 1,811 rods at an average of
There is still some decent
fishing to be had, but the
good areas for fishing are
getting smaller and smaller
and the fish more wary.
On June 7 riverkeeper
Martin Browne had his first
trip with me along with
regular John Smith and
some great dry-fly sport
was had in both Villice and
Heron’s Green Bays. Brett
Allen came over from the
Channel Islands and had a
good day on June 17. But
from then on things
have quietened.  have such low water still
Bristol Water have
continued to stock heavily
and they have had some
great offers recently.
Last weekend (June 23
and 24) we hosted both
world fishing day and then a
family fishing day. World
fishing day proved a great
success, with around 100
people taking part.
If the weather continues
to be hot you may need to
concentrate on fishing
early and late.  Tail Three white and three brown hackle stalks, with
Catch to date: 8,668 fish
to 1,616 rods at a rod
average of 5.36. Average
weight 2 lb 9 oz.
Blagdon was slow for me
at the start of June but
picked up really well as
Chew slowed down.
My last couple of trips prior
to a visit to Lough Corrib
produced great sport for my
clients on Buzzers
or Diawl Bachs.  and very few were caught.
Top End, as usual at this
time of year, has been
favourite, though a few
Fishing at
Blagdon picks
up as Chew
slows down
fish are coming in from
Butcombe Bay.
Hopefully, the fish will
revert to feeding on damsels
as they did in 2016. There is
little sign of this at present,
though, most spooned fish
having been feeding on
corixa or either midge larvae
or pupae. If this is the case,
then fish a Damsel nymph
close to weed beds.  I hope next month’s
If the hot weather persists
I imagine we will be looking
for fish around the boils as
we did last year.  aol.com or please leave a
Catch to date: 7,513 fish
4.31. Average weight
2 lb 9 oz. – MARTIN COTTIS.
CONWY
JUNE BEGAN began with a
small spate but then a long
dry spell took hold, which
drove down water levels.
Around the 20th there was a
slight rise, but then both air
and water temperatures
increased and, with no rain
at all, the river ended the
month at 0.54 m on the
Cwm Llanerch gauge. To
relatively early in the season
is worrying – the lowest level
A SALMON FLY TO TRY
THIS MONTH
BLACK FRANCES
brown hair (originally calf hair) dressed round
Body Black wool, wound to produce a cigar shape
Rib Oval gold Body hackle Red game
Head Yellow
recently recorded was
0.50 m at the end of
July, 2014.
Not surprisingly, in these
conditions hardly any fresh
fish entered the river in June
After the small rise in levels
around June 20 a few fresh
sea-trout showed and Stuart
Llewellyn had a 3 lb fish
from the Llanrwst beat.
Many of the deeper pools
hold salmon, but of course
they are now reluctant to
take. A couple were caught
on shrimp on the uppermost
of the Gwydyr beats
towards the end of June:
Malcolm Adshead had a
good 15 lb fish and Ian
Williams one of 10 lb.
Reports come in of a lot
of migratory fish in the
Menai Straits and along the
North Wales coast – all we
need to bring them in is a
really good flush of water. If
this doesn’t happen soon
then one well-known angler
on the Conwy said he was
going to give up fishing and
take up camel herding.
report is about fish caught
rather than camels herded. I
remain at maxcoventry@
message on 01352 720 152. –
MAX COVENTRY.
COQUET
THE RIVER has been
consistently low, angling
pressure has waned and
catches in the main have
come to a halt. Anglers have
reported seeing sea-
troutand the odd salmon in
some of the pools but in
general it has been a very
quiet June.
Volunteers have been
working on the Guyzance
fish-pass for several weeks.
The materials were supplied
by the Northumberland
Rivers Trust. Anglers and
volunteers are thanked for
their efforts. The work
consisted of filling gabions
to deflect flows to prevent
the gravelling up of the fish-
pass. The fish-counter work
is continuing.
Given favourable
conditions. September can
be an excellent month,
although in recent seasons
sport has been rather
disappointing.
The only fish I have heard
of caught was an 8 lb-plus
salmon caught at the
Swan’s Neck.
Northumbrian Water’s
Fontburn Reservoir has
produced some fine sport,
anglers averaging just under
four fish per visit. with trout
to 6 lb 4 oz taken.
Children from the
Josephine Butler School,
Ashington, took part in a
very successful “try it day”
at Fontburn Reservoir
organised by the
Northumbria branch of
Salmon & Trout
Conservation UK. Most of
the children caught fish on
the day and had a great
time. – DAVID CARRICK.
CORNWALL
A PROLONGED period of
hot, dry, and sunny weather,
with air temperatures
approaching 28 deg at the
South West Lakes fisheries
has resulted in an increase in
water temperatures to well
over 20 deg C and most of
the fish activity has been in
the mornings and evenings.
There have been plenty of
midges on the water at
Siblyback and, with fry in
the margins as well, the fish
have been active across the
fishery, regularly rising in
Crylla and the Marshes.
Weekly rod averages have
been up to 4.1 fish per rod,
the most productive areas
including Two Meadows, ›
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 93
FISHING REPORTS | England and Wales
throughout the Camel, with sharp thundery showers Angling Club member Mike
fish to 10 lb reported: I have with little except very Fallowell had a 10 lb fish on
A BEAT TO TRY THIS MONTH personally seen fish to 4 lb. localised run-off. As a result May 30 from the Chain pool
A BAA member released a of this prolonged heatwave, on an Ally’s Shrimp. On June
fresh 4 lb sea-trout, and the rivers and lakes of 9 Roy Davies landed a
another club member Cumbria are as low as we 34-inch hen fish, which fell
landed a fresh 7 lb salmon have seen them for many to a Stoat’s Tail from Crogan.
from one of the lower beats. years and with surface water On June 21 Ray Bowker,
Both fish fell to a Rapala. temperatures reaching fishing a half-inch black
Fishing at Butterwell kicked 20 deg C and above, salmon tube-fly, had a 5 lb grilse on
off on June 3, when Stephen fishing is pretty much Howard Williams’s
Shore, from Hampshire, at a standstill. Newbridge water.
caught two early sea-trout A few sea-trout have Wirral Game Fishing Club
on night fly. This was been seen and a couple member Rob Proctor landed
followed by several more to caught, with a small run a fine 16 lb fish on a spinner,
3 lb on night fly on June 29, spotted fighting low water Gareth Roberts had a
giving a season total to date to ascend the Cocker and 14-pounder, also on a
of 11. Of particular note has more have been seen below spinner, and Gareth Barnet
been the small number of Cockermouth, but with landed a 9 lb fish on worm.
Haddo House, River Ythan very large fish, three of continuing low flows and the All the fish came from the
Haddo House Angling Club has some six miles of water, which which were spotted by very high temperatures Junction beat.
includes three contiguous beats on the Ythan, all of which are on Daniel Osmond while angling has been a limited Ian Davidson, who for
the middle or upper reaches of the river. undertaking a study of affair. Several good brown many years has been
In ideal weather conditions the water will produce sea-trout lampreys at Butterwell as trout have been caught on working on the Chester fish-
from May onwards; the biggest caught in 2016 was a seven- part of his Masters Degree at some of the middle beats by trap reports: “Salmon and
pounder taken on a Stoat’s tail at the end of May. Salmon run from Exeter University. There are anglers fishing from dusk sea-trout catches at Chester
the end of August, September and October being especially signs the normal run of into the darkness but fish-trap have picked up in
good. Salmon of over 20 lb are recorded every year. “schoolies” is just starting, otherwise sport has been recent weeks after a slow
Day-tickets for salmon cost £15. and a few salmon have been very challenging. In these start. However, concerns
Contact Tom Carter, FishPal. Tel: 01573 470 612. seen jumping at the heads conditions anglers might be remain about the status of
Purchase tickets online at http://wwww.fishpal.com/Scotland/ of pools. Rain would help well advised to head for the the salmon run in particular
BanffandBuchan/HaddoHouseAnglingClub freshen up the river, hills and the high tarns, – so the message remains to
although this will not stop where at least on breezy anglers to release all fish
the sea-trout running, and days there is a fair chance of they catch.”
some big fish continue catching the wild and feisty NRW has now completed
Stocky Bay and the Marshes. included Stuffle, the Dam moving through. June trout which inhabit these its smolt-tagging trial with
Successful dry patterns have area and the long area of ended with Tom Meredith, upland waters. There have 120 smolts tagged and
included Hoppers, Bibios, east bank from the Dam from London, catching a been some impressive released. The results will be
Black Gnats and Hawthorns, heading north, with some small sea-trout shortly after emergences of the bracken sent to Durham University
while Damsel nymphs, Diawl bigger fish seen rising in losing a 5 lb fish at the net. clock beetle this year, for analysis and, if
Bachs, Buzzers and front of the main car-park. Just after this, Jonathan suggesting that bronze appropriate, alterations may
Pheasant Tail nymphs also Keep on the move to find Meredith landed a beetle patterns should do be made to the sluice-gate
did consistently well. Jamie the fish and cover as much fresh 17 lb salmon. the business in these remote configuration or river flow.
Coleman, as part of an bank as possible. Bruno Vincent, waters as well as the usual The Clwyd remains slow.
astonishing bag of 25 fish There have been reports Westcountry Rivers Trust menu of Daddy-longlegs Rob Foreshaw landed a
taken on a Buzzer fished of sea-trout caught on the angling officer, reports that and Bibio patterns. 1 lb 8 oz sea-trout and a fish
from the bank, caught the Fowey, with sightings of big Cornwall passport beats can Hopefully by the time this of similar size was reported
best fish of the month – fish up to the middle beats. now be booked on a new is in print, the drought will from the Junction pool. It
a 3 lb 8 oz rainbow. A few salmon have also app called “Fish Pass” and have broken and we will seems that Clwyd anglers
Stithians continues to fish been caught. With the water may be downloaded on I once more complain about are waiting for fish to be
well, catches including a low and tainted by the phones and Android. Tokens excessive rainfall and should caught before venturing
good number of blue trout, compensation flow from can be bought on the app have much to report on the forth, so by way of
with rods averaging 3.2 fish Colliford reservoir there and then used to purchase salmon angling front. encouragement I can report
per angler. Fish are well have been few catches on fishing by scanning a qr Meanwhile as Cumbria is that on Rob’s last outing he
distributed, productive the Glynn Valley beat. code that is attached to the reported as the hottest saw a double-figure sea-
locations including Pipe Bay, However, a 1 lb 8 oz sea- token box. Catch returns can place in Britain for two trout show and looks
Yellowort, Goonlaze, Pub trout did fall to Rick Garrard. be made with the app once consecutive days, it’s the big forward to trying for
Bay, Chapel Bay and The run of early sea-trout you have finished fishing. – daft hat and the factor 30! – it once more.
Mossops, and are eager to on the Lynher has been RICHARD BRISTOW. ERIC HOPE. The working group
feed. A wide variety of dry- poor, with some smaller fish continues to challenge the
flies and nymphs have all now running, which usually proposed bylaw regulation
done well. The best fish in means the run of the early CUMBERLAND DEE AND CLWYD by NRW in Wales, and
June was a 4 lb 8 oz rainbow bigger fish is tailing off. No DERWENT AT LAST there are fish to currently awaits a response
caught by John Dolley from salmon have been reported LAST YEAR at this time of report – not many, but it’s a from the minister regarding
Redruth, while Mr D. Parker caught but the odd fish has writing (late June) when the start. The Dee does not compulsory catch-and-
from Camborne caught been seen. Rain is rain seemed never ending, suffer from droughts that release. We await
(and returned) a bag of 30 desperately needed. One the Derwent was flowing at can so adversely affect developments. –
brown trout on a dry advantage of the low water a good height above normal other rivers, as water ALLAN CUTHBERT.
Beetle pattern. is that monitoring the and migratory fish were released from the dam
Fish are now starting to juvenile stocks is possible, showing up over most of the maintains a “reasonable”
feed on the surface at and results to date are catchment. Now, a year flow for most of the year,
DEVON
Colliford, with a selection of encouraging. Of concern, later, we are trapped under regardless of rainfall. THE EXCEPTIONALLY dry
dry patterns producing and being investigated, is an extensive high-pressure Llangollen and and hot weather throughout
results. John Ogbourne and the find of a dead red signal system that delivers little to Maelor Angling Club’s Ken June inevitably reduced the
Pete Coleman-Smith caught crayfish on the bank in the cheer the salmon angler. John Schofield had a 9 lb Devon rivers to very low
12 fish to 14 in between middle reaches. Rain over the past two salmon on a spinner, and levels, bringing salmon
them, mainly on Sedgehogs. June has seen a good months has been limited to Towyn Evans a 15-pounder fishing to a virtual standstill.
The best locations have number of sea-trout running a few millimetres falling as on fly. Corwen and District Sea-trout were often

94 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8

difficult and brown trout
fishing became increasingly
challenging. Coming so soon
after the high rivers and cold
weather of spring, which
produced the worst start to
the season that many can
remember, the swing to the
other extreme has made the
first half of the 2018 season
very disappointing.
One of the very few
places to produce any
salmon in June was the
Tamar at Endsleigh, where
two salmon and eight sea-
trout were caught. The
biggest salmon, 9 lb, was
caught on a size 6 Shrimp fly
by Will Nott and the other,
8 lb, took a Comet fished by
Charlie Yeoward. The best of
the sea-trout was a fish of
2 lb on a size 12 Shrimp fly
for John Williams, and
Arthur Manners had one of
1 lb 12 oz. The other six were
between 12 oz and 1 lb 8 oz.
At the Arundell Arms the
rivers remained at summer
low throughout June.
Despite the low and clear
water, catch rates remained
high, anglers landing 382
brown trout and six grayling.
Throughout the month a
stealthy approach and
delicate presentation were
rewarded with some
excellent dry-fly sport,
especially during hatches of
olives and gnats. The
month’s two best fish were
caught by James Wishart
and Steve Shaw, who both
had a 12-inch trout on the
Lyd and Wolf respectively.  season, with a number of
Although the main run of
sea-trout was still awaited, a
few keen anglers went out
at night and caught six sea-
trout. John Barnard caught
the biggest of the month, a
sea-trout estimated at
3 lb 8 oz. He was fishing on
the Lyd’s beat 3 and
tempted the fish with a
WMD. Charlotte Spicer
landed her first sea-trout in
Stumpy pool on the Lyd. At
the end of June several
salmon had been sighted in
the Arundell Arms beats
but none had been caught.
Although no salmon were
reported on the Tavy,
members of the Tavy,
Walkham and Plym Fishing
Club enjoyed some good
nights with sea-trout in the
last two weeks of June,
including plenty of catches
of two fish per session.
The sea-trout were in
the 2 lb-4 lb range and a
Silver Stoat dressed on a
one-inch tube was the
most productive fly.
North Devon has seen no
measurable rain since early
May and both the Torridge
and the Taw were down to
extremely low levels by late
June and no salmon were
reported on either river in
June. Even the sea-trout
fishing had become very
difficult, with only the odd
fish caught. Most anglers
had stopped fishing and
were waiting for rain. There
were reports of fish in the
estuary but they were likely
to stay there until
conditions changed.
On the upper Teign the
highlight in June was a sea-
trout of 27 inches caught by
Richard Jackson at
Upperton on the first day of
the month. It was a very
deep fish and estimated at
8 lb before being released.
Three days later Richard had
another sea-trout of 3 lb.
Following two good sea-
Upper Teign
produces
estimated
8 lb sea-trout
trout at the end of May, Matt
Cooper had fish of 2 lb 8 oz
and 3 lb on June 4. There
were also some good
catches of brown trout. On
June 1 Gary Clark had 16 fish
on his first visit of the
fish between nine and 12
inches on a Parachute
Adams. At the end of May
David West caught six trout
to 12 inches on a
Comparadun below Fingle
Bridge and two more of
around 10 inches at the top
end of the Upper Teign
Fishing Association water
above Rushford.
On the lower Dart, fishing
effort declined as the river
approached drought level.
Members of the Dart
Angling Association caught
only the odd sea-trout and
although salmon were
seen in Totnes Weir pool
there were no reports
of any caught.
With the continued dry
spell and all rivers low and
clear, catches on the
Westcountry Angling
Passport beats were
modest, though some
anglers continued to catch
trout on dry-flies. The best
of some very challenging
fishing was on the more
coloured rivers, with the
Tamar producing some of
the more consistent dry-fly
sport. The Duchy Fishery on
Dartmoor finally came to
life, despite low flows, with
catches of trout up to 12 or
13 inches. Tiny dry-flies
seemed to do best and the
best of the fishing was often
in the fast and oxygenated
water below tumbling
chutes. Adrian Cross had
five brown trout to 13 inches
from Cherry Brook, all on an
Elk Hair Caddis. On June 10,
John Smithson found plenty
of rising trout on lower
Blackabrook with eight fish
to 11 inches on a Parachute
Adams. On a six-day visit,
Steve Donaldson caught 83
browns, all to small dry-flies
including Griffiths’ Gnats
and soft-hackle dry-flies.
Many were small but about a
dozen exceeded nine inches.
His most successful
stretches were middle
Cherry Brook, which
produced one fish of 12
inches, and the East Dart
above Dartmeet. He also
fished the West Dart and
Cowsic Brook with
some success.
The prolonged period of
hot, dry and sunny weather,
with air temperatures
approaching 28 deg C,
pushed the water
temperature to well over 20
deg C on the South West
Lakes Trust reservoirs and
most of the fish activity was
in the mornings and
evenings .
Catch rates at Kennick
dropped a little during the
hot weather, anglers
averaging 1.6 fish per visit,
with boats doing well in the
cooler, deeper water. The
most productive bank areas
included Clampitts Bay, near
the valve tower and off the
causeway. Beetle patterns
and Claret Snafflers worked
well on the surface to rising
fish, although Damsel
nymphs, Diawl Bachs, and
teams of Buzzers fished on
intermediate lines produced
the best results. Boobies
and Orange Blobs fished on
sinking lines also did well,
especially during the middle
of the day. The best fish of
the month was a 4 lb 10 oz
rainbow caught by Mr
Spencer. Local angler Tom
Hendy caught a 4 lb 9 oz
rainbow on a Damsel nymph
and Mr D. Hockin caught the
best bag of the month – 13
fish, all from a boat.
The water level at
Burrator dropped to 50 per
› 0800 80 70 60.
N EWS
SHUTTERSTOCK
Swansea Bay, site of the proposed lagoon.
F I S H S AV E D I N WA L E S
The UK Government’s decision (June 25) not to
support the proposed tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay
has saved vulnerable salmon and sea-trout
populations from being killed by turbines.
The Government’s decision was based on the
scheme failing to meet value for public money
compared with other technologies in the
renewables sector.
The Angling Trust and Fish Legal, representing
their member clubs and fishery owners, has over
the past five years repeatedly challenged Tidal
Lagoon Power’s economic and environmental
evidence in support of the lagoon, which would
have been followed by larger schemes in the
Severn estuary and elsewhere in the UK.
Natural Resources Wales had estimated that
more than 20 per cent of salmon and sea-trout
running Swansea Bay rivers, such as the Tawe,
Neath and Afan, would have been killed.
F R O M D E E T O AT L A N T I C
Mark Bilsby is the new chief
executive of conservation charity,
the Atlantic Salmon Trust (AST).
Bilsby had been director of the
River Dee Trust and Dee District
Salmon Fisheries Board since
2005. He joins the AST as it prioritises research
into salmon migration at sea.
One of Bilsby’s first responsibilities is to
oversee The Missing Salmon Project in which
tagged salmon will be detected as they cross a
65-mile-wide “acoustic array” across the Moray
Firth in a bid to determine why their numbers
are dropping so rapidly.
FISH OF THE MONTH
The winners of the Sharpe’s Fish of the Month
competition (June) are: salmon – Stuart Rose,
Leeds (16lb on a conehead fly from the Tweed at
Horncliffe); trout – Paul Yeomans, Berwick Upon
Tweed (6lb brown trout on a size 16 Parachute
Hare’s Ear from the Tweed at West Learmouth).
RESCUE ON THE TEME
Pictured are Environment
Agency (EA) staff
rescuing salmon and trout
in late June from the River
Teme, a Severn tributary
in Worcestershire. If
anyone sees fish in
distress or suspects
river pollution, call the
EA hotline on
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 95
FISHING REPORTS | England and Wales
A TROUT FLY TO TRY
THIS MONTH
C L A R ET DA B B L E R
Hook Size 10 Tail Bronze mallard Rib Oval silver
tinsel Body Claret seal’s fur Body hackle Red
game cock Wing and throat Bronze mallard
cent, opening up a lot more
bank to anglers. Despite the
warm weather, anglers
averaged 2.6 fish per visit.
The best areas included
Longstone Point and Bank,
while boats did well fishing
between the two dams.
Small black dry patterns
cast to rising fish were often
successful, as well as the
usual variety of wet-flies and
lures. Al Lawson enjoyed a
great session, catching a
bag of five browns and three
rainbows, mainly on a dry
Sedgehog, while fishing
below the Discovery Centre.
Fernworthy produced
some really good catches of
brown trout, anglers
averaging 4.2 fish per visit.
Many anglers practised
catch-and-release and some
large bags were caught,
mainly on dry patterns,
Duncan Kier catching 20 fish
in one session on a Black
Hopper and Charlie Beanie
14 fish on Pheasant Tail,
Bibio and Kate McClaren.
While most of the banks
fished well, the best area
was along the north bank.
The brown trout at
Roadford were still
generally feeding in the
deeper water, with sub-
surface patterns catching
most fish. Boat anglers
enjoyed success fishing over
the boils, as well as off
Wortha Bank and in
Goodacre Inlet. –
MIKE WEAVER.
DOVEY
I WRITE on the eve of the
longest day, when rivers
should be full of silver sea-
trout and anglers on all
major pools night-fishing  702 721. If I can be of any
through to dawn. Let’s
pause and go back three
months. After a wet and
96 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
cold start to the season, the
Dovey continued running
high, as it had since last
summer, and most anglers
prayed for warmer
temperatures and settled
conditions. April sea-trout
were caught on fly by Mick
Cronin (7 lb) and John
Clifford (8 lb) with a 2 lb fish
falling to spinner in tidal
waters for Andy Nicholson.
Heavy rain overnight on
May 2 produced a spate, and
George Dewez caught the
only sea-trout, 8 lb, on
spinner. Conditions then
settled and, with little rain
since then, the Dovey has
fallen to its lowest level in
almost 18 months. A spate
now would not go amiss as
the river could do with a
good flush through. Very
few anglers are venturing
out, with some weekly
visitors leaving after a
couple of days.
Despite the doom and
gloom, Dave Parkes, night-
fishing Twymyn pools in
early June, had a 19 lb 9 oz
sea-trout – which could
possibly be the best of the
season if these conditions
continue. The sea-trout
probably came into the river
on the May spate.
More sea-trout are now
moving daily into the lower
pools and today I have an
unconfirmed report of a sea-
trout estimated at 14 lb
caught last night from
Penddol pool by a weekly
visitor. Rain now is what we
need, but the forecast
doesn’t look promising.
For all information on
fishing Dovey Association
water, contact our secretary,
Richard Evans, on 01654
help please email gwil.
dovey@yahoo.co.uk –
G. H. THOMAS.
EDEN
MIKE ASHWIN, working for
and in conjunction with the
Eden and District Fisheries
Association and Border Esk
Fisheries, gave me the
following information in the
catch-and-release bylaws:
“We are waiting for the
DEFRA Minister to reply to
our request to hold a local
enquiry. This request was
made by NWTFCC on behalf
of REDFA and ELIA on May
31. A second formal
communication was sent to
George Eustice on June 18.
MPs Rory Stewart and David
Mundell were taking the
matter up. REDFA and ELIA
have also taken independent
legal advice to consider
options. The big uncertainty
and confusion over
implementation of the
national and separate
Solway bylaws has led to a
significant downturn of rod
effort on both rivers and,
coupled with poor river
flows, rod catches look to be
well down on 2017.
“Reduced day-tickets
and membership/syndicate
income has been
communicated to the
Environment Agency and
DEFRA minister. The
outlook for the Eden is
gloomy but this was
predicted in the formal
objections to the Solway
consultation.
“It is pretty evident to me
that those making the
decisions have not taken
much notice of the angling
fraternity. The effects on
angling tourism in the region
will be very considerable.”
In general, June provided
anglers with easterly winds,
low water and very often
cloudless skies. Coupled
with this, the evenings were
generally cold. Few salmon
have been caught but there
has been some decent sport
with sea-trout for those who
have fished late in the day.
Despite the lack of water the
lower beats have not had
the expected catches of
recent seasons. On the
Cargo beat, conditions have
been favourable but the fish
have simply not been seen.
One angler did catch a
grilse. Ralph Mercer Alyson
spotted a few fish on Cargo,
and landed a 5 lb sea-liced
grilse from the Willow
pool on worm.
On the Warwick Hall beat
three salmon were reported
for June. G. Cowley caught
the first of these on June 10:
a fresh 6 lb salmon that took
a fly in Coops Stream. The
following day he had a fresh
ten-pounder on fly in
Jackie’s. On June 21
B. Blackadder landed a
10 lb salmon in the Rushes
on a Flying C.
Upstream on the Low
House water, sport was
quiet but this beat is only
slightly down on catches up
to this time last season. On
June 12 Joe Dixon caught a
10 lb salmon in the Carnook
Stream on a Flying C. On the
15th Alan Sefton had a 5 lb
grilse, also on a Flying C, at
Addison’s Bank. A good fish
was also lost one evening.
Plenty of sea-trout were
seen on this beat but few
anglers stayed to fish for
them in the evening.
I heard of a few good
brown trout approaching
2 lb landed on the Lowther.
One rod had eight trout,
several of them around
12 oz, on dry-flies in
the early evening.
The river needs a few
good spates to get the
salmon running. –
CUMBRIAN ROD.
GRAFHAM
AN EARLY morning start –
4am – has provided some
excellent sport for those
anglers prepared to visit the
lake at this time. Many
fishers report taking a dozen
fish in a couple of hours,
from popular areas such as
the dam wall and G buoy.
Dry-fly has been very
successful along with shrimp
patterns and Diawl Bachs.
Most of the early
mornings, in recent days,
have had good cloud cover,
but by 10 am the sun has
burst through and the best
of the fishing is over. The
evenings have also been
productive – just not as
hectic as early morning.
Deep Water Point and Pylon
Point have proved the most
successful areas in the
late evening.
It is pleasing to note that
the bank-fishing is
improving after a quiet start
and, with the water level
now dropping noticeably,
the best is yet to come.
Boat anglers have
achieved some excellent
results. The drift between
Gaynes Cove and the dam
wall, out from Plummer
bank, has provided some
exceptional sport. Good fish
have been located on this
stretch for over four weeks
and despite large catches
and numbers of fish
returned, the rainbows have
remained at this end of the
lake. Most of the time the
fish are not deep, so midge-
tip lines with Diawl Bachs
and FABs fished very slowly
are all that is required for a
day’s sport. A number of
5 lb-6 lb fish have been
caught from the boats, with
the best fish a brown trout
of 7 lb 2 oz caught
by Steve Battle.
Good numbers of fish
have been caught by
competition and pleasure
boats drifting on to the
popular points on the north
shore. The fish have been
showing all along this shore,
from Sanctuary Bay to the
dam wall. Again, the fish
have not been deep, with
floating and slow-sinking
lines preferred. A washing-
line approach with a Booby
on the point and Crunchers
on the droppers has been a
favoured method. Worthy of
mention is a catch recorded
by T&S editor Andrew
Flitcroft, who caught 12 fish,
in a competition, all on
dry-fly. Andrew fished from
a drifting boat on to the
north shore in a gusty
wind of 20 mph.
PROSPECTS
The bank-fishing should
now be at its best. Shrimp
will be evident and the fish
will be close to the margins.
The boats should catch fish
on drifts across the middle
and Savage’s, and the west
bank will be worth a try
with fry patterns to tempt
a specimen fish. –
PETER HARTLEY.
LUNE
JUNE WAS another very dry
month and apart from one
brief downpour resulting in
a small rise towards the end
of the third week, there was
very little water.
As I write (end of June) the
North-west of England is
experiencing a mini
heatwave, with daytime
temperatures rising above
30 deg C. The main river has
now fallen to its lowest
recorded level for a few
years. Some of the minor
tributaries have dried up
completely; the estuary has
silted up quite badly and the
normally productive sea-
trout beat at Skerton has
become almost unfishable
as a result. There have been
few catches to report.
Even with such low water,

though, a few fresh sea-
trout did manage to push
their way through into the
lower beats, where some
were caught by the
dedicated night-fishers. I
had a lovely fish of around
2 lb 8 oz late one night
towards the end of the
second week of June while
fishing a surface lure in
Mattison’s on the LDAA
Caton beat. Vic Price had
one of 3 lb around the same
time. It often pays at this
time of year to fish the
surface or wake lure across
the tails of good holding
pools and this has already
proved to be the case this
year on the lower Lune. On
the same night I lost another
good fish, which came to an
identical lure fished lower
down the same beat.
While night-fishing in
early June I heard a number
RIBBLE
AND HODDER
THE RIBBLE and Hodder
remained at low summer
level until the night of June 1,
when a storm moved up the
valley. By the following
morning the rivers had risen
by about 12 inches – just
enough to allow the smolts
to drop back – although the
colour was grey from road
washings. Maybe the odd
salmon and sea-trout would
have moved up but certainly
not in any numbers.
It’s becoming one of the
worst starts to a season I
can ever remember, and by
the end of June many
salmon anglers hadn’t even
wet a line on the Ribble as
the rivers continued to fall
away to their bare bones.
The hot weather continued
as daytime temperatures
N EWS
Consultative (RFCA). The
usual problems were
highlighted, but the main
topic for discussion was
mandatory catch-and-
release for our North-west
rivers. The EA has now
reconsidered its assessment A N G L I N G T R UST E X P E R T S
of the Ribble and has once Charles Rangeley-Wilson has joined a panel of
again changed it from a river honorary consultants who will advise the Angling
classed as being “At Risk” to Trust and promote its work. Rangeley-Wilson will
now “Possibly at Risk”. This, represent game-angling alongside well-known
for those who may not coarse- and sea fishers Dave Harrell, Neville
know, relates to the runs of Fickling and Steven Neeley. Paul Devlin (Glasgow
returning salmon. Both Angling Centre) and Robin Morley (Daiwa) have
DEFRA and the EA came in joined to offer an angling trade perspective.
for much criticism on how
they handle and assess the
rivers’ many problems. They
move the goalposts
continually to suit
themselves and, so far as
providing accurate data is
concerned, it was likened to
a magician pulling a rabbit
out of a hat. The confidence
in the EA’s scientists getting

of good splashes in the
deeper pools and glides
around Caton, suggesting
that a few good fish were
already pushing through.
The same was the case the
following weekend when,
even though it was
considerably warmer, fish
were still moving around in
the darkness. However, the
Blanket weed
and algae cause
problems for
Lune fly-fishers
small lift in water towards
the end of the third week
spoilt, rather than improved,
matters. The extra water
only lifted the blanket weed
and algae, which made it
almost impossible to wet a
line without the fly being
immediately covered in
weed. Even the surface lure
could not overcome it! Not
only that, but the river
became cloudy, which
spoilt the fishing for the
next few nights.
As I write, the Lune is in
desperate need of water to
freshen things up and get
fish moving. When water
does eventually come it is
hoped it comes in sufficient
volume to flush out all the
weed and algae. If that
happens, it could be that the
main runs of salmon and
sea-trout could enter the
river together. –
ANDY HURST.
continued to rise to the high
20s C and fish were
becoming very distressed. A
large sea-trout was found
dead at Sawley, along with a
partly eaten salmon.
Another salmon was holding
close to the bank and it was
covered in thousands of
river lice. The river was
covered in scum and fast-
growing algae and all
salmon fishing, and night-
fishing for sea-trout for most
anglers, was put on hold.
Even a float-fished shrimp in
the big pools at the bottom
of the river was hardly worth
the effort as the fish tried to
find oxygen to survive.
The occasional trout
angler was out on the river,
making the best of the
conditions prior to the river
becoming just about
unfishable. John Wilkinson,
a member of Ribblesdale
AA, sent me a report from
one of the rare days he
fished in early June. Fishing
a small dry Black Gnat early
one morning in the fast
riffles on the West Bradford
stretch, he brought to the
net two dozen brownies. But
so far as June goes – and for
that matter May – it was a
disaster for most anglers.
The sun also shone on
Prince Albert’s open day in
early June, and an
outstanding and enjoyable
day it was. This annual social
event goes from strength to
strength, and the organisers
from Prince Albert deserve a
huge vote of thanks.
There was a
disappointing turnout this
year for the AGM of the
Ribble Fisheries
anything right is a real
concern.
Another important
discussion was centred
around the hydro on the
River Calder at Whalley.
Since this was allowed, it has
never been monitored by
the EA. We have no idea
what is going on there. The
hydro screw and channel are
sited very close to the fish-
pass, so it’s unknown
whether the migrating fish
try to run up into the turbine
screw instead of the pass.
Returning fish will look for
the flow with least
resistance. We don’t even
know if the fish-pass is free
from debris. This has to
change, or once again this
improving river will
revert to the sad state when
it was devoid of
migratory-fish runs.
Here we are at the end of
June, with the mercury
pushing close to the 30s C,
the river in a depressing
state, and we have a
pollution incident up at
Settle, where contractors
have dumped some 20 tons
of limestone rock and dust
into the river to carry out
work on a fallen wall. As I
write, the river below Settle
is running white and we
expect to find many
distressed fish. –
FRED HIGHAM.
RUTLAND
IT IS encouraging to report
that large numbers of fish
are now showing in the
margins. The fish are
feasting on large shoals of
pinfry, which are appearing
› identified to the public, as they should be.”
NDSFB
Pink salmon eggs recovered from the Ness in 2017.
THEY’RE BACK!
A pink salmon was caught in a net in the mouth
of the River Tyne in early June, joining others
recently landed in Scotland and western Ireland.
Several hundred fish were caught across the
British Isles last season and there are fears they
could establish breeding populations, competing
with vulnerable Atlantic salmon stocks.
The fish are believed to originate in Russia,
Finland and Norway where escaped farmed pink
salmon have developed populations in the wild.
Fishermen who catch a pink salmon are asked
not to return it to the water if they are confident in
their identification. Instead, dispatch it humanely
and make the fish available to the Environment
Agency for analysis. Tel: 0800 807 060. Email:
jonathan.shelley@environment-agency.gov.uk
F I S H FA R M E R S S N U B
PA R L I A M E N T A G A I N
The Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation has
again failed to meet the recommendation of a
Scottish Parliament committee that it should
publish up-to-date data on lice levels on its farms.
Instead, in June it merely provided the
Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform
Committee with data for February 2018, three
months in arrears.
Guy Linley-Adams, solicitor to Salmon & Trout
Conservation Scotland (S&TC Scotland), said:
“There is now no alternative left, but to change
the law to force the publication of the data
indicated by the ECCLR Committee.”
Andrew Graham-Stewart, director of S&TC
Scotland, added: “Salmon farmers are essentially
giving two fingers to Parliament. They are being
breathtakingly arrogant in deciding unilaterally to
only publish data three months in arrears and not
provide historic data. Such a time lag for the
release of individual farm sea-lice data is
unacceptable. There is no reason why the delay
should be more than a week or two, unless of
course, they fear poorly performing farms being

S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 97
FISHING REPORTS | England and Wales
scheme has also been currently plagued with certainly worth a visit.
triggered, pumping water algae, and is in desperate The trout fishing on Teifi
A BEAT TO TRY THIS MONTH into the river from need of a spate. Pools has been good, too, a
sandstone aquifers. In these Surprisingly, good numbers hatch of coch-a-bonddu
conditions, anglers are of sea-trout have braved the beetles providing great
urged to use the low water and have entered sport with wild fish in
Environment Agency’s the lower reaches of the stunning surroundings. Day-
hotline to report fish in river and would normally tickets for these lakes, £13,
distress or suspicions provide excellent sport, but are available through the
activity. Tel: 0800 807 060. the lack of flow and high Wye & Usk Foundation on
Bait-fishing began on water temperature is doing behalf of Tregaron AA.
June 16. After the rise, the little to encourage fish to Steve Esmonds of
odd fish has been taken on take. The best advice is to Pembrokeshire Anglers
the lower-river weirs, mostly leave them well alone until reports that one fish has
to worm, and prawn fished we get some water. been caught on the
paternoster-style. At least Fishing has been Cleddaus – a cracking
Inverurie, River Don one fish was reported from
Shrewsbury Weir, falling to
marginally better on the
Rheidol where, as with the
11 lb 8 oz sewin to the rod of
Michael Osborne. Fish are
The Inverurie Fishings comprise some 2.5 miles on the left
(north) bank of the Don, plus 0.25 miles of right bank and a Phil “the Hat” Powell, who Ystwyth, fish have entered being seen in the estuary
further four miles on the right bank of the River Ury. The Don is also had three other fish in decent numbers. David and he is hopeful that the
well known for salmon and sea-trout, but most anglers visit the from lower-river weirs. Lloyd has been catching coming spring tides will
river for its world-class trout fishing. Brownies of 2 lb-3 lb are not Further upstream, some most of the fish. He had one tempt them to run.
uncommon and much bigger ones are caught every year. half-dozen salmon were great night’s fishing, Dave Sweet of the Nevern
The salmon fishing can be quite good in favourable caught in the Melverley area, catching five fish to 8 lb; he reports that a few sewin
water condiconditions. again mostly to bait. also caught a further three have been caught in the
Work is about to start at and lost others during his lower reaches, but he can’t
Day -tickets for wild trout cost £15 and salmon £35. Powick weir on the Teme to week’s holiday in remember a worse start to
Contact Tom Carter, FishPal. Tel: 01573 470 612. make it easier for fish, Aberystwyth. Local angler the season. The catchment
Purchase tickets online at http://www.fishpal.com/Scotland/ particularly shad, but also Tony Gordon also lost what missed all the rain in May
Don/Inverurie salmon, to migrate. he believed to be a and the river is very low. The
Many anglers will have double-figure fish. only sewin taken have been
been delighted with the Steffan Jones on the Teifi at night on fly and worm.
at most of the popular important factor here and all news that Whitehall reports that the river and its Surprisingly, the odd salmon
fishing banks around the lines should be tried – from considers the Swansea Bay tributaries are desperately has been seen in the river.
lake, including the dam wall. intermediate to Di 7. The tidal lagoon proposal does low. The catchment is in As we enter the prime
These fish are very difficult north arm has produced not provide value for money. need of some rain in the fishing weeks through July
to tempt, however, and brown trout to 7 lb and This scheme was seen by its very near future to and August, we can only
anglers are frequently rainbows to 4 lb. The rod promoters as a pathfinder rejuvenate the system and cross fingers for rain. This
frustrated. A size 14 Cul de average is over three fish for further such bring through our main run will doubtless bring with it
Canard seems to work and, per return. Stocking developments on the Severn of summer sea-trout. The plenty of fish waiting in the
at the other end of the scale, continues, with an average Estuary, to the undoubted river is as low as he can tidal pools and one would
a white Snake pulled quickly, of 1,800 fish released detriment to fish, including recall. hope that fishing will be fast
seems to make an every week. salmon, shad and eels. Some notable Teifi sea- and furious. We remind
impression on these fry- PROSPECTS PROSPECTS trout were landed in May anglers to report any
feeders. On a recent visit to The water continues to While fish are spread and June, including a pollution incidents as
Stocky Bay, I saw large drop from its high early throughout the system, 13-pounder for Andrew without your help we will
numbers of fish “pinning” in season level. Soon all of the with a prolonged hot, dry Thomas, a fish estimated never get on top of the
18 inches of water. Most bankside rocks will be spell, if you’re trying for a around 16 lb for Marco issue. – NATHAN PURSALL
anglers had waded beyond exposed. The bank-fishing, salmon, then early and late. Rebora, and Steffan Jones and TIM SEDGWICK.
these fish to cast into the with easier access, should Worm and prawn in known had a brace at 6 lb and
open water. It has been be very good. Early hotspots on the lower river 11 lb 8 oz in the same
noted that this year’s perch morning or late evening is weirs, the Bewdley and evening. They are now TEES
fry are already showing the best time. The fish will Shrewsbury areas and the seeing some school fish A TOTAL of 48 migratory
signs of growth, with be close. Wading may not upper river, including arrive, braving the low fish were counted through
numbers dead on the be necessary. around the junction with water. However, they are the fish-pass at the Tees
surface. Small floating fry Traditionally, fish now the Vyrnwy, are useful unlikely to see the volume Barrage up to the end of
and suspender Minkies congregate in the cooler tactics. By all means try the until the next flood. May. I am still awaiting news
produce results. During the water of the main basin. fly, but a better choice Trout fishing has been of any salmon catches,
evening, fish are being Drifting boats – anchoring might be trout or grayling spectacular, even in the low although I did hear a
caught along the is not permitted in the main on the upper river or water, with the evening whisper of one from
Normanton bank, between basin – should enjoy some tributaries such fishing switching on for the lower river.
Blue Pipes and Fantasy spectacular sport. – as the Teme. – those willing to watch and While the river has been
Island. Large numbers of PETER HARTLEY. PETER HUNTINGTON. wait. The olive upright low, trout anglers have had
sedge are also hatching in hatches were as strong, if some decent sport. Nymphs
the latter part of the day, as not stronger, than ever, and and dry-flies have taken
the high temperatures we SEVERN SOUTH-WEST we’re now seeing a strong some trout to just over 1 lb.
have recently experienced APART FROM a small rise
WALES blue-winged olive hatch, on September should see
start to drop. around the middle of June, FEW WOULD disagree that which the trout are feeding some salmon and sea-trout
The boats had a testing the river remained very low. this has been the worst start hard. To capitalise on the caught, with beats well
time in early June, but This, coupled with high to a sea-trout season for trout fishing that is gaining upstream coming into play.
recent reports show that water temperatures many years. The drought strength, Llandysul Angling Northumbrian Water’s
catches have started to (20 deg C at Shrewsbury on has caused major problems Association have now Grassholme and Hury
improve. The aerators have the 26th) and algal blooms, on rivers such as the introduced a £10 day-ticket Reservoirs have fished well.
been working in the main has made angling difficult. Ystwyth, where water levels (catch-and-release and fly Grassholme has averaged
basin and a number of fish Compensation water has are at their lowest since only) for their beats 3.7 trout per visit, with Black
are being caught there on been released from 1995, and only marginally upstream of Llanybydder Fritz, Kate McLaren, Black
Blobs and Boobies. As Clywedog Reservoir. The higher than the lowest ever Bridge, which is tremendous Pennell, Hawthorn Fly and
always, depth is the Shropshire groundwater recorded. The river is value for money and Black and Peacock Spider all

98 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
effective. Hury averaged 4.3
trout per visit, dry-flies and
nymphs taking many trout.
When the weather was
bright and windy, lures
fished deep took
many trout to 5 lb.
On the wild
Northumbrian Water
reservoirs – Cow Green,
Selset and Balderhead –
fishing early and late proved
to be best, especially during
the hot spell. When cloudy
and breezy, terrestrials
blown on from the
surrounding moorland had
the trout rising well.
I paid a visit to Cow Green
in mid-June, catching 20
trout to 12 inches, mainly on
Kate McLaren and Bibio.
Colin Storey had half a
dozen on similar patterns on
a rather difficult day.
Anglers wishing to report
catches can email me at
davecarrickryton@hotmail.
com or on 01914 133 789. –
D. N. C.
TILL
SINCE MAY 27 the Till has
had very little water but this
has not stopped sea-trout
entering in reasonable
numbers. Anglers on the
Ford and Etal Estates beats
began to enjoy good sport.
Fish were moving just
before dark and night-
fishers had some interesting
sport. Daytime anglers also
did well during this period as
some of the nights were
pretty cold. These cold
nights put a hold on
night-fishing until milder
evenings arrived.
Included in the successes
were Brian Pearson, who
had a 2 lb 12 oz sea-trout on
a tube-fly in Pennies Policies
on Redscar. Nick Wilkinson
had a 2 lb sea-trout in the
Long Stream on a JR Special
at Upper Tindal House. Also
fishing Upper Tindal, Steffan
Jones from Wales returned
sea-trout of 5 lb and
2 lb 8 oz in the Barley Mill
pool. He also had a 2 lb 8 oz
grayling. Michael Young
caught a 2 lb sea-trout on a
Wickham’s Fancy from the
Sheepwash pool. The
following night he had sea-
trout of 2 lb 8 oz and 2 lb on
a Wickham’s Fancy.
David Paxton caught sea-
trout of 2 lb and 1 lb in the
Summerhouse Stream at
Redscar on a Silver Stoat
tube. On Lower Tindal Paul
Edwards returned an 8 lb
salmon in the Falls pool. His
colleague, Paul Moscrop,
had a 3 lb sea-trout.
Michael Simpson and
Barry Coutts had sea-trout
of 5 lb and 2 lb on Redscar.
Chris Gee, over from
Spain, had three sea-trout to
3 lb on Redscar, Upper and
Lower Tindal House. He also
lost a double-figure sea-
trout that led him a
merry dance.
On Upper Tindal Stuart
Aitchison caught a 2 lb sea-
trout at the Burnmouth on a
Gold Butcher. Callum Noval
fished the same area and
had two sea-trout of
2 lb 8 oz on a large single-
hook Medicine.
Leon Gilchrist caught a
3 lb sea-trout on fly in Otter
Flats on Redscar. Fishing the
same beat, Alistair Hunter
had a 1 lb 8 oz sea-trout on a
small treble in the
Pipeline pool.
Out on Upper Tindal Mark
Bellisimo caught a 2 lb sea-
trout in the Barley Mill pool
on a Silver Stoat.
On the Tiptoe Farm beat,
Mike Smith caught two
salmon on spinner in the
Pulpit pool. Mr Stein caught
a sea-trout on worm. Ian
McLeod landed a fresh-run
salmon on a Mepps. Mr
Harrison caught an 8 lb
salmon in the Old Egypt
pool on a wee double.
Mike Blee, a Tiptoe
regular, had sea-trout of 2 lb,
3 lb and 1 lb, all on a Black
Pennell. He later caught a
3 lb 8 oz sea-trout in the
Long Flat. During the past
few months plenty of brown
trout and grayling have also
featured in catches.
Given plenty of water,
September fishing can be
good with late-running
grilse and the first of the
autumn salmon. The river is
fly-only after Sept 14. –
DAVID CARRICK.
TYNE
AFTER A very lengthy dry
spell very similar to last year,
the Tyne has been low for
weeks, apart from a few lifts
of water that did get
some fish running.
On the main river,
Eltringham has had six fish
for the season so far;
Bywell, 42 by late June;
Styford, six for the season;
Dilston, four; the Warden
beats, eight; and Tyne
Waters Meet, two. On the
North Tyne, Chesters has
had four; Chollerton, one;
Haughton Castle, two; and
Chipchase Castle, three.
These figures represent a
fall-off in catches of around
60 per cent compared to
this time last season, which
is alarming. The Kielder
release patterns have once
again loaded the river with
big flows during the spring.
This ruined the early fishing
and then, when the river
desperately needed water,
none was forthcoming.
Fish did move on the
natural rises in early June,
when both the South and
North Tyne came away in
spate. This was followed by
a further lift on June 11. The
generally low water in May
and June kept rods away.
During this time fish were
accumulating in some areas
of the lower river but very
few were caught.
During the first fortnight
in June 1,462 migratory fish
ran through the fish-pass
at Riding Mill.
One angler to land a
beauty was Eugene Burzler,
who had a 24 lb salmon at
Bywell on a small Willie
Gunn. Mr Collins caught a
15 lb 8 oz salmon on the
Warden Fishing at
Watersmeet, and a day later
Tyne catches
60 per cent
down on same
time last year
Stan Rollins had a
12-pounder in the Meetings
pool. Further upstream at
Haughton Castle, Glyn Hall
landed a 9 lb salmon
on a Cascade.
Both salmon and sea-
trout were now being
caught as far upstream as
Chipchase Castle, where
three were landed. Sea-trout
were also beginning to show
up well in catches.
Phil Adams landed a very
fresh 3 lb sea-trout on a
main-river private beat on
fly. He also reported having
offers from other fish, so
things are beginning
to look up!
Thomas Glenny followed
his catch of a superb 21 lb
salmon at the Wires, on the
Northumbrian Anglers’
Federation waters, with
another fish of 7 lb that was
colouring up.
I have heard very little on
the trout scene, but one
angler fishing Tyneside
Anglers’ Syndicate water on
the Rede had a brilliant day.
Len Metcalfe from Saltburn
on Sea, fishing northern
Spider patterns in very low
water, caught more than 20
wild brown trout, with more
than half a dozen over 12
inches. He then fished his
way back upstream and
landed a further dozen, with
some around 1 lb. These
latter fish were caught
on a Klinkhamer.
Prospects for September
will hinge on water level –
and of course assuming
there will be an autumn run.
Given plenty of rain, the
whole system, including the
River Rede, will see batches
of running fish. Kielder
releases will be required to
boost flows, should rain be
scarce. Anglers will once
again be hoping for a much
better autumn than in the
past few years.
The Jack Charlton Trout
Cup for Disabled Anglers
competition was held at
Kielder Water. Winner with
seven trout for 11 lb 8 oz was
Michael John Hall of the
Able 2 Fishing Club from
Gateshead. The Allgood Cup
for the best wheelchair
angler went to Ken Marshall
from Armathwaite, with four
trout for 5 lb 13 oz.
Would any beats, parties
or individuals seeking a
mention in this column
please contact me on 0191
4133 789 or email
davecarrickryton@hotmail.
com – DAVID CARRICK.
TYWI
MANY SALMON fishermen
consider June 16 as opening
day and head for the river.
Stuart Hughes had a salmon
over 10 lb on fly from the
Carmarthen District water
at Whitemill, and Andrew
Halpin had a salmon of just
over 5 lb on a prawn. Gavin
Davies returned two salmon,
both over 10 lb, prior
to June 16.
Fresh fish are running the
tidal reaches and numerous
salmon have been seen.
Some sewin have been
caught after the tides. David
Ellias has had a few sewin
from the Gwili at night on
fly. At Abercothi Dave
Higgins caught salmon of
10 lb and 12 lb – well worth
the 5 am start! Mrs Jones
had a 6 lb sewin from
Llwchgwyn beat, and
Damian Derryhouse had a
cracking sewin of 15 lb on fly
at night, again from
Llwchgwyn; the fish was
returned. Golden Grove has
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 99
had a fish or two, John
Graham catching a 7 lb
sewin from Dragon’s Head.
Tim Bailey had a 5 lb sea-
trout from the College pool,
plus a few others
around 3 lb.
The upper reaches have
been very slow, although a
group visiting from Malvern
did catch five sewin one
evening from the Llyshendy
pool on the Llandeilo Club
water. Emyr Lewis has
managed a few shoal sewin
from the Llangadog Club
water. A conversation with a
Llandovery Angling Club
member led to the reply,
“There are no fish up
here yet”.
Over on the Loughour,
Steven Jones released a
salmon on the Ammanford
club water. As can be seen,
fish are very few and far
between, and anglers would
be very pleased to see the
valley get some proper rain.
At the moment, however,
that seems unlikely.
If you would like to let us
know of any catches please
email llandeiloangling@
gmail.com – ALEX YOUNG,
JAMIE HARRIES
and ALED DAVIES.
URE
SALMON FISHING has gone
from feast to famine; from
superb water levels in April
and May to total drought.
Temperatures at the end of
June are near 30 deg C, with
the river at rock bottom. A
couple of weeks ago Mr
Cundall caught a 12 lb
salmon in the Masham area.
Fish are as far up as they can
go on the main river but
getting them to take
anything in this weather is
nigh-on impossible. Let’s
hope this weather breaks,
brings some fish in, and stirs
up the residents.
We went out a couple of
weeks ago and had a crack
at sea-trout after dark. I
know of few people who
have tried for sea-trout after
dark. Eddie Wyville lost a
bright fish of about 4 lb. It
was very interesting to see
salmon moving about just
before dark. Brian Towers
caught a sea-trout while
trout fishing on the
upper river.
The trout and grayling
fishing has been good, but
evenings are now the best
bet. One positive note is the
number of parr I have been
catching – a good sign for
the future so long as they ›
FISHING REPORTS | England and Wales
keep away from predators.
The Ure Salmon Group
has been busy putting
together a new tank to take
more than 40,000 Ure
salmon fry. The work this
group continues to do for
this river is an integral part
of the salmon recovery.
Again, I ask that you join the
group, as any support you
can give them is greatly
appreciated. Visit www.
uresalmon.org.uk –
PHILIP ELLIS.
USK
AN EXTREMELY dry June
saw the river drop to its bare
bones. If the late-June
heatwave persists into July
and August, the river could
be in serious trouble.
The low water was far
from ideal for salmon
fishing. Around a dozen
salmon were reported at
Sweet’s Tackle Shop, which
can only be described
as disappointing for June.
Natural Resources Wales
has sent out a notice
suggesting that all salmon
should now be released.
At Llanover Neil Forsyth
Early morning
and late evening
best for Usk
trout-fishers
landed a 25-pounder on fly.
Peter Omerod recorded an
11 lb salmon and Dr Mike
Scott a 14 lb fish. At
Newbridge John Harris put
back several salmon and
there was success for Tony
Senior at 10 lb and Stephen
Davies at 8 lb. Several other
fish were lost. On Isca
waters Mike Bolt had an 18 lb
salmon on an Usk Grub and
Andrew Llewellyn a 12 lb fish
on a small dark Shrimp fly.
At Golf Course Alan
Johnson had a 4 lb grilse on
a Spider as it was getting
dark. Overall, the level of
salmon fishing activity
appears to have been
limited, especially in the
middle to upper reaches.
Trout provided some
good sport early in the
morning and late in
the evening, with fish over
2 lb landed. Weed growth
may become a problem as
the summer progresses. On
the lower reaches there
100 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
was a pair of swans with five
cygnets and a less welcome
mother goosander
with eight young!
PROSPECTS
For salmon, fly, spinner or
bait may be used up to
September 15. From Sept
16 onwards it is fly or
spinner only. The amount
of rain will be crucial to
bring in a decent late run of
salmon. For trout, revert to
assorted Olives up to the
end of the season on Sept
30. – JEAN WILLIAMS.
WEAR
IN EARLY June a rise in
water encouraged fish to
move upstream, and a few
salmon were caught in the
lower reaches. Some sea-
trout were caught and
anglers began to get on to
the river in the evenings,
fishing into the darkness.
Some had success.
From mid-June river
levels were desperately low,
with weed growth and algae
fouling flies.
The hydro at
Framwellgate is still a bone
of contention. In order to
prevent migratory fish
entering the Archimedes
screw, which happened on
numerous occasions last
season, some changes have
been made. The operator,
Durham County Council, has
recently installed an
acoustic fish-deflector on
the outlet of the turbine. The
deflector is meant to guide
migrating fish to the
adjacent fish-pass and away
from the screw. The acoustic
screen deflector has to be
tuned for optimal
performance. Unfortunately,
the first appreciable runs of
migratory fish went straight
into the hydro, so it’s back to
the drawing board! –
DAVID CARRICK.
WESSEX WATERS
WORK IS under way to look
at netting risks to salmonids
entering the rivers of
Wessex. For the past 20
years there has been only
one licensed netting
operation in the EA’s
Southern region – in the
Beaulieu river for sea-trout –
but now they’ve even
started returning the sea-
trout and have promised to
talk annual quotas.
Currently, the authorities
involved are trying to
modernise the whole
legislative system
surrounding netting which,
hopefully, will mean that for
once money spent on red
tape will now get diverted to
help salmon.
But there are still
problems, says the EA,
which says that salmon are
still being targeted illegally
and the protection offered
by current laws is
“significantly inadequate” in
that the bylaws protecting
the entire Wessex coastline
are only in place from April
1-Sept 30, when salmon are
also travelling outside
those dates.
In just a few weeks’ time,
Esso will announce the route
of a new pipeline running
from the Fawley power
station in Hampshire to
West London. It replaces
one that’s been there for
some 40 years. It will cross a
dozen rivers, including the
Wey, the Blackwater and the
Ash, but the company says
the pipeline will be around
3 metres down. People have
just a few weeks to make
their feelings known. –
GRAHAM MOLE.
WYE
JUNE WAS by no means a
good month on the Wye,
beset as it was by coloured
water, a severe algal bloom,
then a very low river
showing its bare bones
under a blistering sun.
The month started
reasonably well, with fish
from the middle and upper
river. I say “upper river”,
though the fact is that once
again absolutely nothing
was reported above the
Rocks beat at Builth Wells,
and the usually good spring
water up there to
Newbridge seemed devoid
of fish. Glanwye had a fish,
as did the Nyth, where
Cecilia White reported three
to 14 lb with several others
from that beat, too. Fish
were well spread out,
though not in any real
numbers, and all the usual
better beats such as
Whitney, Red Lion,
Wyebank and Courtfield
down to Wyesham reported
only the odd fish or two.
Early in the month upper
beats were hampered
further by a small, very dirty
spate emanating from the
Ithon after a severe
thunderstorm. This did not
affect the lower river too
badly, but towards the
middle of the month the
dreaded algae returned with
A SEA TROUT FLY TO
TRY THIS MONTH
L A M B T O N WO R M
Mount Waddington shank (25 mm-35 mm)
and size 12 treble or size 10 wide-mouth double
Silk Black kevlar Body Wide silver or gold tinsel
Butt Fluorescent yellow silk Rib Fluorescent yellow
silk Throat hackle White bucktail or fox, tied
sparsely Underwing White bucktail extending to
end of hook Overwing Brown bucktail with four/
five/six strips of silver crystal hair
Head Black varnish
a vengeance to the beats Bridge Sollars. When
below Monmouth especially, eventually retrieved by the
but also to much of the river EA it contained a dead
upstream, too. Before it salmon, six barbel and four
really took hold, Wyesham shad. The culprits are
and its regular anglers took unknown but one has to
fish, with four in a day for wonder whether or not this
gillie Joe Cobley and others was just a one off. I suspect
to George Adams, not, since there is little or no
Gordon Richards, Alan effective bailiff control on
Shufflebotham and several the river these days and
other anglers. These were nothing other than anglers’
mostly 2SW fish. Coedithyl vigilance, or in this case
gave three in a day to
Jonathon Graves on
canoeists, available to
report any incidents.
a Flying C.
Around June 18 Golden
With the Cardiff Bay
Barrage project now
Mile/Sheepwash produced
fish for Tom Hummings,
dismissed (Welsh
Government had £200m
James Armstrong, Richard set aside for this project)
Knowles and Jerry Odie. would it be too much to
Later in the month the ask them to spend it on
algae cleared somewhat and essential river and
Wyesham and Upper environmental problems
Bigsweir got back in on the throughout Wales?
action, Nathan Jubb taking I must mention one of
four fish in one day from the Wye stalwarts, Major
Upper Bigsweir and another General Sir Thomas Pearson,
couple from Coedithyl. who is 104 this month. He
Wyebank and Cadora Backs was a long-serving member
also had a fish each. of the Wye Owners’
For many, though, it was Association, which tried so
really hard going, and hard to preserve the river, its
catches are well down on salmon and traditions over
last season and indeed on many years. We wish him a
the five- and ten-year happy birthday from us all. –
averages, with only 70 fish GEOFF FRANKS.
or so reported at the
moment for the
whole of June.
YORKSHIRE ESK
With a heatwave warning A general lack of rain has
and the river on its bare prevented runs of salmon
bones we wonder just what and sea-trout entering the
might happen next. Will the river. There was a small lift of
algae return and will the fish water in early June which
in the river be at risk? We brought a rather dirty rush
desperately need a major of water down the river
spate sooner rather system from Grosmont
than later. downstream.
A net was found As I write, at the end of
stretched across the river at June, the weather forecast is
›
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'd^ϬϬ $ϬϬ ϲϬϬ ϱϬϬ Θ ϯϬϬ н YZ^ ZE' Ϭϯϲ 'ŽůĚĞŶ WƌŝŶĐĞϱϲηƌĞĞůнϮƐƐƉŽŽůƐнůŝŶĞƐ£199
Ϭϳ$ ^ŝƌƌƵƐ EŽ Ϯ ^ĂůŵŽŶƌĞĞů$ϭϬηŝŶĐůƐƐƉŽŽů£275
RING FOR BEST UK PRICE  NEW 2018 RING FOR BEST RDY PERFECT FLY REELS
ϭϬ ĂƐLJ ĐƟŽŶ dƌŽƵƚ &ůLJ ZŽĚƐ ZZW ĨƌŽŵ άϲϯϳϱ
ϰϬϳ WĞƌĨĞĐƚ ϯзΗĂƌůLJĚƵƉůŝĐĂƚĞĚĐŚĞĐŬŵĞĐŚĂŶŝƐŵ£450
ϮϬ DĞĚŝƵŵ ĐƟŽŶ dƌŽƵƚ &ůLJ ZŽĚƐ
ϰϬ &ĂƐƚ ĐƟŽŶ ^ƟůůǁĂƚĞƌ dƌŽƵƚ ZŽĚƐ
ϱϬ &ĂƐƚ ĐƟŽŶ dƌŽƵƚ &ůLJ ZŽĚƐ
ZZW ĨƌŽŵ
ZZW ĨƌŽŵ
ZZW ĨƌŽŵ
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UK CASH PRICE ϲϯϱ WĞƌĨĞĐƚ ϯзΗDŬ//ĐŚĞĐŬн>'£295
ϭϯϮ WĞƌĨĞĐƚ ϯзΗƵƉŵĞĐŚĂŶĚďƌĂƐƐĨŽŽƚŝŶĐůůŝŶĞ £295
ϱϬ ^ǁŝƚĐŚ Θ ^ĂůŵŽŶ &ůLJ ZŽĚƐ ZZW ĨƌŽŵ άϭϳ$ϱϬ $Ϭϳ WĞƌĨĞĐƚ ϯЯΗǁŝƚŚĞĂƌůLJĐŚĞĐŬ!ƌĂƌĞ DED UCT £425
ϳϬ ,ŝŐŚ DŽĚƵůƵƐ dƌŽƵƚ &ůLJ ZŽĚƐ ZZW ĨƌŽŵ άϮϮ NEW 2018 $ϲ WĞƌĨĞĐƚ ϯдΗǁŝƚŚŶŝĐŬĞůƐŝůǀĞƌ>'н&ĐϭϯϬ 15% THI S £375
Ϯ ^ ^ĞƌŝĞƐ ^ĂůŵŽŶ ϭϱΖ ϭϬη άϯ άϭ D/E/D>/^d Ϭ WĞƌĨĞĐƚ ϯЯΗDĂŐĂƚĞ&'ĨŽŽƚ DK Ed, £499
eys CTX Chest Waders £229.99 άϭϰ t/E':<d ϬϱϬ WĞƌĨĞĐƚ ϯдΗĞĂƌůLJĐŚĞĐŬŝǀŽƌŝŶĞŚĂŶĚůĞϰĐƵƐƉƐ  £500
&>/d ϭϲΖϭϭ# ϰW ZZWάϯϰ ^>άϭϳϰ ZZW άϭϲϬϬϬ ϱϭ WĞƌĨĞĐƚ ϯЯZ,tǁŝƚŚĂŐĂƚĞŐƵŝĚĞŝŶĐůĐĂƐĞ£395
F2'S' 15'10# ϰW ZZW άϯϬϬ ^> άϭ Ϭϰϱ WĞƌĨĞĐƚ ϯзΗZĞĞůŝŶĐůϮƐƉŽŽůƐĐŝƌĐĂϭϳϬƐ£330
&Ϯ ^dZD&>y Ζϲ# ZZW άϮϭ ^> άϭϭϬϬϬ Ϭϰϲ WĞƌĨĞĐƚ ϯдΗZĞĞůǁŝƚŚůŝŶĞŐƵĂƌĚĐŝƌĐĂϭϳϬƐ£230
W 2018 Greys Cold Weather Wading Jacket ZZW άϭ$ KZE &>zZ>^
rka Jacket ZZW άϭ$ ϬϮϲ DŝƚĐŚĞůů ϳϭϬƵƚŽŵĂƟĐŇLJƌĞĞůŝŶĐůϮƐƉŽŽůƐ DED UCT £75
arm Weather Jacket ZZW άϭϱ
cro Quilt Jacket ZZW άϭϭ ϬϮϳ >ŽŽƉ 'ƌĂƉŚŝƚĞϯЪΗǁŝĚĞƚƌŽƵƚƌĞĞůŝŶĐůůŝŶĞ 10% THI S
DK Ed, £40
Ō ^ŚĞůů :ĂĐŬĞƚ ZZW ά ϬϲϮ ^ŚŝŵĂŶŽ ŝŽĐƌĂŌyd>ϭϬη^ĂůŵŽŶƌĞĞů £150
NG FOR BEST UK CASH PRICE ϬϳϮ sŝƐŝŽŶ dĂŶŬϰϭϬϭϮηZĞĞůΖƵŶƵƐĞĚΖ£150
REYS STRATA CT AND CT Ϭϳϯ >ĂŵƐŽŶ <ŽŶŝĐ//^ŝnjĞϰƐĂůŵŽŶŝŶĐůĐĂƐĞďŽdž£80
Et :h^d ZZ/s'ϰKKd&KKdtZ^WK Zz ^d 'KZ'hE/Yh,zZ 'D
NEW 2018 NEW 2018 NEW 2018 NEW 2018 KKd^ ^KhEd E^hED&>zZ>^
HEADWATERS
PRO GORTEX
G3 GUIDE G4 PRO
GORTEX
GORTEX G4Z
WADER
T Waders M/L/XL TO CLEAR NEW 2018 NEW 2018 NEW 2018 ϯϭϰ hŶŝƋƵĂ ϯдΗdƌŽƵƚZĞĞůǁŝƚŚƌĂƐƐ&ŽŽƚ£125
GORTEX
WADER WADER WADER WITH ZIP ZZW άϭϭ EKt ά$ϰ DK> DK> DK> $ϯϮ hŶŝƋƵĂ ϯдΗdƌŽƵƚZĞĞůǁŝƚŚZŝďďĞĚƌĂƐƐ&ŽŽƚ£125
ZZW &ZKD ZZW &ZKD ZZW &ZKD ZZW &ZKD T Wading Boots AZUL WADER RIO GALLEGOS RIO GALLEGOS ϲϲ hŶŝƋƵĂ ϯдΗZĞĞůD<//ǁŝƚŚ^ŝŶŐůĞŚĞĐŬDĞĐŚ£195
άϰ==ϬϬ άϱ== ϬϬ άϳ== ϬϬ £8==ϬϬ ZZW ά$ EKt άϱ ZZW άϮ?ϬϬϬ WADERS WADERS ϳϬϭ hŶŝƋƵĂ ϯдΗZĞĞůǁŝƚŚƵƉD<//DĞĐŚϬй&ŝŶŝƐŚ £250
WITH ZIP ZZW άϰ?Ϭ ϬϬ ϮϲϬ hŶŝƋƵĂ ϯЯΗZĞĞůǁŝƚŚƵƉDĞĐŚĂŶĚ,ŽƌƐĞ^ŚŽĞ >ĂƚĐŚ 20% DED UCT άϭϲϱ
TX Waders M/L/XL/XXL
NEW G4 PRO, G3, ^/DD^
ACCESSORIES
………ZZW άϭϰ EKt ά LESS 33% ZWάϱ?ϬϬ ϱϲϬ hŶŝƋƵĂ ϯдΗ ZĞĞůǁŝƚŚĂƌůLJĂůŝƉĞƌŚĞĐŬн/ǀŽƌŝŶĞ,ĂŶĚůĞ DK Ed,
ϱ$$ 'Ğŵ ϯЬΗ &ůLJƌĞĞů
THI S £395
£95
TX Wading Boots
BULKLEY, GUIDE,
FREESTONE,
CAPS from άϮϰ==
GLOVES from άϮ===
SHIRTS from άϰϰ==
ZZW ά EKt άϲ SALE WEET
ACK BAG
ϳϭ ^ƚ 'ĞŽƌŐĞ ϯдΗǁŝƚŚůŝŶĞŐƵĂƌĚďŽdžĞĚ£225
ϯ$ϳ ^ƚ 'ĞŽƌŐĞ ϯдΗZĞĞůǁŝƚŚŐĂƚĞ>ŝŶĞ'ƵĂƌĚΘ ƌĂƐƐ &ŽŽƚ£275
ACKLIN FLEECES from άϳϰ=Ϭ ϳϭ ,ĂƌĚLJ ^ƚ 'ĞŽƌŐĞϯдΗƌĞĞůǁŝƚŚŐĂƚĞ'ƵŝĚĞ;ƐŵĂůů ĐƌĂĐŬ ƚŽ ŐĂƚĞ £150
:<d^ NEW 2018 CHALLENGER BAGS EST
RRP TACKLE SIZE ZZW άϳ==Ϭ
&ZKD LGE LUGGAGE ZZW άϭϭ=ϬϬ
d,ZD> dKW^ from άϰϰ==
^/DDΖ^ E/WWZ^ fromάϰ===
GUIDE PANTS from άϲ=ϬϬ
SHAKESPEARE ORACLES
SPEY SERIES SWITCH SERIES
NEW 2018
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ne size
RP ůĂĐŬ
h>d/W>/Z&/y^WKK>EEdZ W/E Z>^
ϲϯ DŝƚĐŚĞůů ϯϬϭ^ƌĞĞůŝŶĐůƐƉĂƌĞƐƉŽŽů£35
ϯϳϬ ,ĂƌĚLJ dƌŝƵŵƉŚϯЬΗĞŶƚƌĞƉŝŶƌĞĞů£325
£299 W>h^ Zz Z< W<^ Θ NEW Simms Headwater
BAGS RANGE /ŶƐƵůĂƚĞĚ sĂĐƵƵŵ &ůĂƐŬƐ 12' 7/8# £119.99 EKt ά?=== 11' 7/8# £99.99 EKt άϲϳ== ^^dt/E':<d ϭϰ=== ŽƌďůƵĞ ϲϳϳ ,ĂƌĚLJ ĞĐĂŶƚĞůϰΗďĂŝƚĐĂƐƟŶŐƌĞĞů£395
ALL AT BEST UK PRICES ALL IN STOCK 11' 8/9# £99.99 EKt άϲϳ== ϳϲ ,ĂƌĚLJ ^ŝůĞdžDĂũŽƌϰΗƌĞĞů£225
NEW NEW
13' 8/9# £124.99 EKt ά=ϰ== 11' 6/7# £99.99 EKt άϲϳ== ZZWάϯϱϬϬϬ Et ϮϬϭϳ DK> VEST FRONT SLING $$ϱ ,ĂƌĚLJ ^ŝůĞdžDĂũŽƌďĂŝƚĐĂƐƟŶŐƌĞĞů £395
NEW NEW 14' 9/10# £129.99 EKt ά==== BAG ZZW άϲ===
2018 2018 2018 2018 SKAGIT SERIES FOOT TRACTO ϭ$ DŽƌƚĞdž ŽĨ ^ŚĞĸĞůĚϰЬΗƚƌŽƫ ŶŐĐƉŝŶƌĞĞů £100
15' 10/11# £134.99 EKtάϭϬϱ== 12'9" 10/11# £134.99 EKt ά=ϰ== WADING ULTRALITE II =ϯ? ďƵ ŵďĂƐƐĂĚĞƵƌϲϱϬϬ'ZZ,tŵƵůƟƉůŝĞƌ  DED UCT £78
yWϲW/^Z/^ 13'9 10# £149.99 EKtάϭϬϰ== WADING BOOT =ϳϲ DŽƵůŝŶĞƚ &ƌĂŶĐĂŝƐĞĂŶƚĞůůĞĂƐƟŶŐZĞĞů 10% DK
THI S £95
SCANDI SERIES BOOTS ==Ϯ DŝƚĐŚĞůů ϰ?ϲ&ŝdžĞĚƐƉŽŽůƌĞĞů Ed, άϲϬ
12'9 8/10# £144.99 EKt άϭϬϰ== RRP Felt or
12'9 8# £139.99 EKt ά=ϰ== ==ϯ ^ŚŝŵĂŶŽ ϰϬϭϬĞƌŽdZƌĞĞů£50
G3 GUIDE BOOT HEADWATERS BOA HEADWATERS FELT FREESTONE FELT 13'9 9/10# £154.99 EKt άϭϬ=== 13'9 9# £149.99 EKt άϭϬϰ== άϮϰϬϬϬ ^ƟĐŬLJ ƐŽůĞ Ϭϱϳ ,ĂƌĚLJ ,ĂƌĚĞdžEŽϭD<//ĨŝdžĞĚƐƉŽŽůƌĞĞů£125
&>d KZ s/ZD &>d KZ s/ZD KZ s/ZD KZ s/ZD ZZW άϭ?ϬϬϬ
ZZW &ZKD άϮϯ= ZZW &ZKD άϭ== ZZW &ZKD άϭϱ= ZZW &ZKD άϭϱ= 14'9 10/11# £169.99 EKt άϭϭ=== 14'9 10# £159.99 EKt άϭϬ=== Ϭϱ= ,ĂƌĚLJ ,ĂƌĚĞdžEŽϮD<//ĨŝdžĞĚƐƉŽŽůƌĞĞů£125
Ϭϰϳ ,ĂƌĚLJ ĂƌůLJ^ŝůĞdžĂƐƟŶŐƌĞĞůǁŝƚŚƌŝŵĐŽŶƚƌŽů£395
>DKE &>zZK^
Et DK> ZK^ * KE</ s/Wh h>d ^/<^ dKK> Θ 'd &KhZ ALL AT LOWEST UK ?ϱϳ ,ĂƌĚLJ 'ƌĂƉŚŝƚĞ^ĂůŵŽŶ&ůLJϭϱŌϰΗϭϬη£175
=Ϭϳ ' >ŽŽŵŝƐEZyϭϰΖ=ϭϬηŐƌĞĞŶϰƉĐŝŶĐůƚƵďĞ£750
Et DK> Z>^ * dE< , y>s 'd E/d Θ <KD PRICES RING NOW! ?=ϯϳ ƉĞLJ &ŝƌƐƚĚŝƟŽŶEŽϮϱ>ƚĚĚŝƚϭϱΖϭϬηŝŶĐůƚƵďĞ Ğdž ĚŝƐƉůĂLJ £495
?=== ,ĂƌĚLJ 'ƌĂƉŚŝƚĞ^ĂůŵŽŶ&ůLJĞůƵdžĞϭϯΖ=Η=η£130
=ϰϲϯ ,ĂƌĚLJ :Ğƚ ^ŝŶƚƌŝdžϭϱΖϭϬϭϭηϰƉĐ£499
SPRINTER HOPPER LOIKKA HOPPER VISION FLY REELS ?=?Ϭ ,ĂƌĚLJ KƌŝŐŝŶϭϱΖϭϬηϱƉŝĞĐĞƚƌĂǀĞůůĞƌŝŶĐůƚƵďĞ £295

VISION WADER PACKAGES 'hDD/

ZZW ϭϲ===
HALF PRICE
*ά?ϰ==
'hDD/
ZZW ϭϱ===
HALF PRICE
*άϳ===
FELT
ZZW ϭϮ===
HALF PRICE
*άϲϰ==
FELT
ZZW ϭϭ===
HALF PRICE
*άϱ=== XLV, DEEP, TANK
=Ϭϰϯ ,ĂƌĚLJ :Ğƚ^ŝŶƚƌŝdžϭϯΖ?=ηϰƉĐŝŶĐůƚƵďĞ DED UCT £295
=Ϭϲϳ ,ĂƌĚLJ 'ƌĂƉŚŝƚĞ^ĂůŵŽŶ&ůLJϭϱΖϰΗϭϬη 10% THI S £150
=Ϭϲ? ,ĂƌĚLJ 'ƌĂƉŚŝƚĞ^ĂůŵŽŶ&ůLJϭϮΖϲΗ=η DK Ed, £150
=Ϭ?ϭ ' >ŽŽŵŝƐ'>y^ǁŝƚĐŚZŽĂƌŝŶŐZŝǀĞƌϭϭΖϳηϰƉĐŝŶĐůƚƵďĞ
=Ϭ?Ϯ ZĞĚŝŶŐƚŽŶŚƌŽŵĞƌ^ǁŝƚĐŚϭϭΖϲΗ?ηϰƉĐŝŶĐůƚƵďĞ £225
£350

ISION VISION *BOOT DEAL WHEN YOU BUY HOPPER, IKON ZIP OR GILLIE CHEST WADERS TOGETHER RING FOR BEST UK PRICE =Ϭ?? Θt ,ĞdžĂŐƌĂƉŚ,ƵŐŚ&ĂůŬƵƐ^ƉĞLJĐĂƐƚĞƌϭϰΖϭϬϭϭη EŽ Ϯ £295
=Ϭ?= Θt ,ĞdžĂŐƌĂƉŚ,ƵŐŚ&ĂůŬƵƐ^ƉĞLJĐĂƐƚĞƌEŽϭϭϱΖϭϭη Ϯ ƚŽƉƐ£350
OPPER IKON VISION VECTOR VISION WADER ONLY
=Ϭ=Ϭ Θt ,ĞdžĂŐƌĂƉŚ,ƵŐŚ&ĂůŬƵƐϭϱΖϰΗϭϭη^ƉĞLJĐĂƐƚĞƌŐƌĞĞŶ£350
=Ϭ=ϭ Θt ,ĞdžĂŐƌĂƉŚ,ƵŐŚ&ĂůŬƵƐEŽϭ^ƉĞLJĐĂƐƚĞƌϭϱΖϭϭη ƵŶƵƐĞĚ  £595
VISION NEW t/E' :<d
ϭϲϬ £190 VISION IKON
GILLE
ϭϬϬйtdZWZKK&ΘZd,>
PRICE CHEST WAIST
OR HIP
ZKhd^dZKhdΘ^>dtdZFLY RODS DED UCT
?ϯϮϰ ,ĂƌĚLJ ZŝĐŚĂƌĚtĂůŬĞƌ(>ŝƩůĞ>ĂŬĞ)=Ζϳη 10% THI S £90
ALF PRICE HALF PRICE WITH ZIP ZZW άϭϯ=== IKON CHEST RRP £225
?ϲϮϰ ' >ŽŽŵŝƐEZyĚŝƐƚĂŶĐĞϭϬΖ?ηϰƉĐŝŶĐůƚƵďĞ DK Ed, £399
=ϬϰϮ 'ƌĞLJƐ ^ƚƌĞĂŵŇĞdž'ZϳϬϭϭŌϰηŝŶĐůƚƵďĞ £150
ADING WADING
OOT OFFER BOOT £275 £295 OUR PRICE
άϭϮϰ==
OUR PRICE RING NOW
IKON CHEST ZIPPED
ϭ=ϲ ,ĂƌĚLJ ^ŝŶƚƌŝdžWƌŽdžŝƐy=ŌϭϬηƐĂůƚǁĂƚĞƌϰƉŝĞĐĞŝŶĐůƚƵďĞ dž ĚŝƐƉůĂLJ £290
=ϭ=ϳ ,ĂƌĚLJ ^ŝŶƚƌŝdžWƌŽdžŝƐy=Ζ?ηƐĂůƚǁĂƚĞƌϰƉŝĞĐĞŝŶĐůƚƵďĞ Ğdž ĚŝƐƉůĂLJ  £290
ITH THIS OFFER HALF PRICE HALF PRICE RRP £325 =ϬϳϬ ,ĂƌĚLJ 'ƌĂƉŚŝƚĞ?ΖϲΗ?=η£135
=Ϭ?ϱ Θt ,ĞdžĂŐƌĂƉŚ,ƵŐŚ&ĂůŬƵƐ>ŽĐŚϭϭΖϲΗϰϳηϯƉĐƵŶƵƐĞĚ£350
WADING BOOT ŝŶĐů h< WΘW OUR PRICE RING NOW =Ϭ?ϲ Θt ,ĞdžĂŐƌĂƉŚWŽǁĞƌWůƵƐ=ΖϲΗϳ=ηŐƌĞĞŶĞdžĚĞŵŽ £250
ADER WITH THIS OFFER WITH THIS WADING BOOT IKON GUIDING WAIST =Ϭ?ϳ Θt ,ĞdžĂŐƌĂƉŚdƌĂĚŝƟŽŶĂůdƌŽƵƚϳΖϲΗϯϱηĐĂŶĞĐŽůŽƵƌ ƵŶƵƐĞĚ£450
ĞĞĂďŽǀĞ WADER WADER OFFER WITH RRP £225 =Ϭ=Ϯ Θt ,ĞdžĂŐƌĂƉŚZŝǀĞƌdƌŽƵƚ?ΖϲΗϰϲηĐĂŶĞĐŽůŽƵƌƵŶƵƐĞĚ £325
cl FREE =Ϭ=ϯ Θt ,ĞdžĂŐƌĂƉŚdƌŽƵƚĞůƵdžĞ?ΖϯϱηĐĂŶĞĐŽůŽƵƌ ƵŶƵƐĞĚ£495
Έ^ĞĞĂďŽǀĞ Έ^ĞĞĂďŽǀĞ THIS WADER VISION KEEPER OUR PRICE RING NOW
IKON THIGH WADER =Ϭ=ϰ Θt ,ĞdžĂŐƌĂƉŚ,ƵŐŚ&ĂůŬƵƐ^ĞĂdƌŽƵƚ^ƉĞĐŝĂůϭϬΖϲΗ ϳη ϯ ƉĐ£350
<WΘW incl FREE incl FREE Έ^ĞĞ ĂďŽǀĞ t/E' :<d RRP £140 =Ϭ=ϱ Θt ,ĞdžĂŐƌĂƉŚdƌĂĚŝƟŽŶĂů=ΖϲΗϲ?ηĐĂŶĞĐŽůŽƵƌƵŶƵƐĞĚ£395
=Ϭ=ϲ ' >ŽŽŵŝƐWƌŽϰdžϭϬΖϳηϰƉĐŝŶĐůƚƵďĞ£225
h<WΘW h<WΘW incl FREE 100% WATERPROOF OUR PRICE RING NOW =Ϭ=? ^ŚĂŬĞƐƉĞĂƌĞdƌŝŽŶ=ΖϱϲηϯƉĐŝŶĐůƚƵďĞ £40
ΘZd,> SŝnjĞƐ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ ĂƌĞ Ɛ dždžů ŝŶ ďŽƚŚ ƐŚŽƌƚ ANE RODS
h< WΘW ĂŶĚ ůŽŶŐ ůĞŐƐ нŬŝŶŐƐŝĚĞ
DED UCT
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KhZ WZ/ ά==== RING FOR LOWEST VISION =ϬϮϭ ,ĂƌĚLJ WĂůĂŬŽŵĂ?Ζ=ΗϳηŝŶŽƌŝŐŝŶĂůďĂŐ DK Ed, £450
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FISHING REPORTS | Scotland
A BEAT TO TRY THIS MONTH
Newbie, River Annan
The Newbie beat is a much sought-after and productive fishery of
about two miles, mostly double bank, and being just above the
tide and at times partly tide-affected, it can produce fresh fish
even in the lowest water.
With a part-time keeper maintaining the river and its banks,
and a large hut with full facilities, this is a must for the serious
salmon and sea-trout angler.
Day-tickets for salmon start from £30.
Contact Tom Carter, FishPal. Tel: 01573 470 612.
Purchase tickets online at http://www.fishpal.com/Scotland/
Annan/Newbie
not favourable for the good
of the river with prolonged
dry conditions forecast.
The occasional fish made
its way upstream in early
June and a few fish around
3 lb were caught.
A 15 lb salmon was found
dead in the Lealholm area
with several marks
on its left flank.
The river is desperately in
need of a few good spates
to get a decent stock of
salmon and sea-trout in
from the North Sea. Sport
on the river depends on this
happening. – GREEN TEAL.
Scotland
ABERDEENSHIRE
DEE
THROUGHOUT WINTER
and what passed for spring
in these parts, we pined for
summer. Having had the
best part of three weeks of
summer heat, however, I
now hear nothing but
complaints about the
temperature!
At 8 o’clock this morning
(June 29), however, the
temperature in my car was
16 deg C, lower than the
same time yesterday, and it
is grey and cloudy with a
hint of dampness in the air.
Sun-worshippers need not
worry, though, as we’re told
sunshine and higher
temperatures will return
tomorrow – and continue
throughout next week
at least.
102 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
My last report included
reference to the last full
week of May, when a total of
47 salmon and 20 sea-trout
were reported to the
FishDee website. The week
bridging May and June saw
a dramatic drop in salmon
figures to only 16 but the
sea-trout total had almost
doubled. Lower beats
continued to struggle, while
those above Aboyne bridge
accounted for ten salmon
and 16 sea-trout. It is fair to
say a level of despair had
descended upon fishers,
gillies and riparian owners.
As we all know, however,
fishing is a sport for
optimists and, thankfully,
the following week saw that
optimism rewarded slightly,
when 37 salmon and 55 sea-
trout were recorded on the
website. Upper beats were,
again, enjoying most
success, with 24 salmon
and the same number
of sea-trout.
A changing cast of friends
and I fished the week
beginning June 11 on a beat
in the Ballater area. We’ve
fished the same beat for
more than two decades and
I have to say we saw fewer
fish this year than ever
before. As we are all getting
a bit older we don’t often
fish early morning or late
evening nowadays – I’m sure
we would have enjoyed
more success had we done
so but, as it was, we were
very happy to see one fish
landed. Perhaps next season
we’ll be a bit more
disciplined and turn out for
the less sociable hours!
Fortunately, other beats
enjoyed more success – the
total salmon catch rose to
78, and sea-trout numbers
soared to an impressive 114.
Middle and upper beats
more or less shared
bragging rights for salmon,
with 30 and 31 respectively,
but the middle river fared
best with sea-trout,
reporting 50. The biggest
fish of which I’d heard for
some time – a cracking
29-pounder – was taken on
Commonty. I don’t, as yet,
have details of the
successful fisherman.
That Saturday saw a
significant change in
conditions. It was grey, cool
and wet. We watched as the
river rose gradually – and
predicted that “next week
will be better.” And we were
right! The week ending June
23 recorded 117 salmon – our
first three-figure week of the
season. Lower Invercauld &
Monaltrie accounted for a
24-pounder, caught by
Anthony Kelton from
Monaltrie’s Bumble
Bee pool.
As June draws to a close
the river has dropped back
to worryingly low heights
and water temperatures are
uncomfortably high.
Naturally such conditions
are reflected in catches. The
week so far has seen only 28
salmon and 33 sea-trout
reported to the website.
Perhaps today’s dull, cool
conditions will provide a bit
more sport but last week’s
totals will, I fear, stand
as our best for some
weeks to come.
With his usual talent for
understatement, Ian Murray
tells me that his guests have
been “chipping away” on
Monaltrie & Lower
Invercauld. Encouragingly,
he tells me there has been a
marked improvement in the
stocks of fish that far
upstream. Last season’s
winner of the Callum
McKenzie Cup, Jacob Oliver,
repeated his success with a
lovely 10 lb springer –
caught among all the
grown-ups – from a pool
that had already been fished
twice! That has to be a
valuable lesson to us all.
William Foster of the
lovely Park beat tells me
that they are beginning to
catch grilse – those plucky
survivors of Storm Frank.
The water has dropped to
minus 5 in on his hut gauge
so the arrival of these grilse
will provide some great
sport while other salmon
might be few and far
between. – POLMONIER.
ALNESS
THERE WERE two small
(4 in) rises in the water level
in early June, the first since
April. Fish were seen
running on the back of these
rises, seemingly to
disappear without trace.
They are likely to have
retired to a deep hole; there
was insufficient water for
them to reach the loch.
Otherwise the river was
relentlessly and unfishably
low and as of late June the
Novar beats were still blank.
– ANDREW GRAHAM-
STEWART.
ANNAN
THE LAST salmon reported
to me came from Halleaths,
where Eddie Lee caught a
fresh 12 lb fish in Stannochs.
But when the river is so low,
you can hardly expect sea-
trout to run, let alone
salmon. Sadly, though, I
have very few reports of
sea-trout, too. And to make
matters worse, even the
browns have been sluggish
in this hot, dry spell.
The lack of sea-trout is
the biggest worry. Salmon
will come when the rain
arrives. The browns are in
there – we know that they
just go into deep water and
stay there – but the sea-
trout should be sploshing
around at dusk and there are
far too few. I am not saying
there is none, and if you hit a
shoal you can do well, but
the shoals are few and far
between. Let’s hope they
appear later in the summer.
– ANTHONY STEEL.
BEAULY
LATE MAY and June were a
continuing struggle. The
water level was restricted to
compensation, save for
some brief overnight rises.
June featured extended
periods of warm sunshine,
mitigated to some extent by
cool nights, but inevitably
the water temperature was
unusually high for early
summer.
Catches on the Lower
Beauly were very much
dominated by salmon.
Sporadically small pods of
grilse were seen running.
The system’s early grilse
tend to be destined for the
Farrar and they migrate up
through the lower river in
short order.
The week of May 21
(between zero and 10 in)
produced eight for the Miles,
Braithwaite and Carver
party, with three (best 16 lb
in South Ferry) to Mr P.
Miles, three (best 13 lb in
South Ferry) to Mr V.
Leadbetter and a brace
(better 14 lb in South Ferry)
to Mr S. Braithwaite.
The week of May 28
(2 in max) was restricted to
one – 10 lb in Stones to
Ninian Sanders.
In the week of June 4
(6 in max) four were
recorded, with three
(a brace, better 11 lb in Silver,
to G. Eliohe and one at 12 lb
in Ferry to S. Denell) for the
Lovat party and a 10 lb
salmon in Silver to
Allan Hancock.
Six were logged in the
week of June 11 (9 in max).
The Chisholm, Calder,
Roska, Craig and Smith
party took five, with three
(best 12 lb in Stones) to
Mr I. Chisholm and one each
to Mr G. Calder (10 lb in
Silver Run) and Mr A. Smith
(3 lb in Glide). T. Wilson
(Lovat party) netted a 9 lb
salmon in the Glide.
The week of June 18
(5 in max) saw some
improvement with 14 in the
book. The Wright party had
four – three (best 10 lb in the
Glide) to Philip Odling and a
grilse in the Glide to Tony
Smith. The Wightman,
Taylor, Sanderson and
McAleer party netted three
– a brace (better 8 lb in
Groam) to Mr A. Wightman
and a grilse in the New to Mr
M. Taylor. FishPal rods
banked seven – three (best
12 lb in New) to S. Tuke, a
brace (better 9 lb in the
Glide) to M. Wilson, one at
9 lb in Charlie’s to T. Waring
and one at 5 lb in the Glide
to T. Wilson. – ANDREW
GRAHAM-STEWART.
CARRON
IN EARLY June the Carron
was pretty well as low as it
ever gets (it registered
minus 17 in on the
Braelangwell gauge).
Thereafter, the month
included a couple of mini
rises and one of over 1 ft; the
latter was short-lived and
(inevitably) very dirty.
Heatwave conditions at
times were not conducive
to fishing.
Gledfield was blank for
June.
Catching up on May at
Cornhill, the week of May 14
produced two (7 lb in the
Falls to John Betts and 5 lb
in Little Falls to Duncan
Betts), as did the week of
May 21 (10 lb in Little Falls to
Graeme McPherson and 8 lb
in the Mackenzie to Ernie
Mackay). The following two
weeks (into June) were
either blank or unfished.
Dounie was blank from
the last week of May
to June 26.
At Gruinards on May 24
Jorg Werner had his second
fish of the week – 9 lb in
Upper Craigs. On June 4
Matthew Warren landed an
8 lb salmon in Lower Craigs.
On the 23rd Anthony
Daniels had a 4 lb grilse in
Lower Craigs.
At Braelangwell the
week of May 21 (between
minus 14 in and zero)
produced four – a brace
(better 9 lb in Moral) and
two first-ever salmon: 6 lb in
Lower Craigs on a Cascade
to Charlie Walker and 6 lb in
Gardener’s on a Silver Stoat
to Ed Dennis. There was a
brief rise to minus 6 in in the
week of May 28 and Dr
Richard Buckley tempted a
brace – 9 lb in Upper Craigs
and 7 lb in Washer Woman.
The week of June 4 (minus
17 in) was blank. The week of
June 11 included fleeting
rises to minus 12 in and
minus 10 in and Ian
MacKintosh’s party landed
three – 3 lb (the first grilse)
in Washer Woman to the
host and a brace (4 lb in
Moral and 10 lb in Washer
Woman) to Peter Aspbury.
The week of June 18
(between minus 14 in and a
dirty zero) yielded seven for
Jonathan Sykes’s party,
including a brace (better
12 lb in Moral) to the host
and a brace of grilse to
Jaimie Corke. Incidentally,
two salmon were caught at
11.30 pm and 12.30 am
respectively.
Fishing on the Kyle of
Sutherland Angling
Association waters (the
main stretch is the tidal
water at Bonar Bridge)
opened on June 1. With so
little flow coming down the
rivers, one would have
expected a significant build-
up of fish. However, this was
not the case. A few fish were
landed in the first week or so
but thereafter it was
strangely quiet. Fish may
have been waiting down the
firth or indeed further up the
Kyle. Very strong winds in
mid-June really stirred up
the sand and mud in the
wide and shallow section of
the Kyle (just upstream of
Bonar Bridge) and for
several days the outflow or
ebb tide by the bridge was
chocolate brown – “like the
Ganges” – and it was clear
that fish would be very
reluctant to lie in it. –
ANDREW GRAHAM-STEWART.
CASSLEY
GIVEN THE predominantly
dry or drought conditions,
catches on the Lower
Cassley during the late
spring and early summer
held up reasonably well.
The week of May 21,
which benefited from a rise
to 1 ft 7 in, finished with 12 in
the book. Three were added
to the nine reported in the
previous issue – an extra
brace to Charles Jesper and
one to Professor Ellis.
The week of May 28
(5 in to zero) was restricted
to one fish – 8 lb in the
Cemetery to Mr J. Peake.
The week of June 4 (zero on
the gauge) was blank.
The week of June 11 was
also fishless until the Friday
morning, when the level
rose to a welcome 3 ft.
Twelve fish were recorded in
the next two days, with five
(best 10 lb in Lower Dyke) to
Robin Bunning, three (best
11 lb in Upper Dyke) to
Mr P. Wellesley-Davies, a
brace (better 9 lb in Neil’s)
to Alan Walmsley and one
each to Martin Foulds
and Tim Goode.
The week of June 18
(between 6 in and 2 ft) had
ten entries in the book: four
(best 11 lb in the Falls) to Mr
P. Curzons, three grilse to Mr
C. Dawbarn and one apiece
to Penny Nicol, Mr D.
O’Connell and Mr D Hartley.
On Monday June 25 (7 in)
Dr Lindsay Potts landed a
brace of grilse. – ANDREW
GRAHAM-STEWART.
CLYDE
THE SUMMER took a long
time to get started. For most
of the last month,
temperatures remained low.
The Clyde was also low,
although rarely at the stage
where it could be described
as showing its bones. Very
few flies were seen hatching,
which meant that anglers
were left to guess what the
rising trout might be taking.
Those who guessed
correctly could take a dozen
fish to 1 lb 8 oz during an
evening session. Less
fortunate anglers could still
take a few trout by covering
a lot of water. Most of those
caught were small but they
did at least provide sport at
a time when conditions
were far from perfect.
What might be described
as a talented few anglers
have been catching trout up
to 5 lb. These fish have been
accurately measured and
weighed before a sample of
scales was removed as part
of a research programme
run by the United Clyde
Angling Protective
Association. Already some
fascinating information has
been obtained, but a lot
more scales, ideally from
even bigger trout, will be
needed to find out what is
happening to the trout
in the Clyde.
The weather took a turn
for the worse when Storm
Hector raged through the
area. When the wind abated,
Heatwave set
to bring out
Clyde’s night
fly-fishers
it was replaced by heavy
rain. The river rose rapidly
and became coloured. While
trout anglers stayed away,
salmon anglers made a
pilgrimage down to the fish-
pass beside Blantyre weir.
The ladder was looking
good with a strong flow of
water running through it.
Unfortunately, no salmon
were seen attempting to
ascend the passage. No
salmon were reported taken
from Mid Clyde Association
waters, either.
PROSPECTS
Looking back through the
record books, it is not
unknown for salmon to be
absent in June. However,
when this has happened in
recent years late runs, in
September and October,
have more than made up
for the earlier
disappointment. There has
been a fair amount of
interest shown by anglers
who normally fish other
Scottish rivers and these
visitors have been advised
to be patient until the
autumn runs start. These
could well be spectacular.
A heatwave, which was
just starting at the end of
June as I write, should have
awakened the river for
trout anglers. Night angling
has not taken off at the time
of writing, because the
temperatures have tended
to plummet as soon as the
sun has gone down. By
now, the gloaming rise
should be at its peak, with
large sedges playing a
major part in helping the
trout to fatten up prior
to spawning.
If the air and water are
cool, there will be lots of
opportunities for fly-
fishing throughout the day.
The Greenwell and Iron
Blue should still be worth a
try but Harelug flies with
blae or woodcock wings
will serve to represent
several of the caddis flies
that will be on the water at
this time. Harelug and
Pheasant Tail nymphs will
represent those of several
of the upwinged flies. –
TOM McGREGOR.
CONON
AS ELSEWHERE in the
North, the very hot weather
(often with blazing sun)
allied with low
compensation flows in June
were demanding, to say the
least. That said, the low
water can be advantageous
for the lower river, and the
Dingwall and District
Angling Club (with the
fishings on the right bank
downstream from
Conon Bridge) by all
accounts did well.
Brahan beats “picked
away” in the low water with
a significant escalation in the
third week of June. They
reported nine (three salmon
on Upper, five salmon on
Middle and one salmon on
Lower) in the week of May
21; ten (three salmon on
Upper and seven salmon on
Middle) in the week of May
28; 12 (two salmon on
Upper, seven salmon on
Middle and three salmon on
Lower) in the week of June
4; ten (two salmon on
Upper, four salmon and
three grilse on Middle and
one salmon on Lower) in the
week of June 11; and 26 (five
salmon and two grilse on
Upper, 11 salmon and four
grilse on Middle and three
salmon and one grilse on
Lower) in the week of June
18. Most of the salmon were
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 103
in the 10 lb-plus class with
the heaviest at 14 lb to Mrs P.
Browett in the Junction on a
Temple Dog on June 15.
The low water meant that
it was very hard going for
the beats below the dam.
Up to June 27 the totals
were 25 on Upper Fairburn
(an increase of just five in a
month) and 25 on Coul (an
increase of 17 in a month). –
ANDREW GRAHAM-STEWART.
CREE AND
BLADNOCH
MOST OF June was very
warm and dry, with both
rivers very low. However,
enough rain fell to produce
a small rise on the Cree on
June 14, bringing a few fish
in from the tide.
At Newton Stewart
Angling Association water,
Iain Crosbie landed a 12 lb
salmon from the Gasworks
pool, and David Kelly
caught a good sea-liced fish
from Castlebank.
On June 15 Jamie Hyslop
caught a 13 lb salmon at
Linloskin. River levels
gradually improved
following a brief change of
weather, which culminated
in a dirty 3 ft rise on the 21st.
During that time,
Jamie landed fish of 12 lb,
10 lb, 6 lb and 4 lb.
Nigel Hamilton from
Newton Stewart caught an
8 lb salmon on the 20th
while spinning on
Galloway Estate.
On June 21 there was a
dirty 1 ft rise on the
Bladnoch, when Jonathan
Hayley landed a 10 lb fish
from the Rocky pool
at Kirwaugh.
Both rivers dropped
quickly. The remainder of
June continued dry with
temperatures rising to the
high 20s C, and no rain is
forecast rain for the
foreseeable future. Despite
these conditions, sea-trout
were beginning to
show in the lower
reaches of the Cree.
Galloway Fisheries Trust
senior biologist Jamie
Ribbens recently met with
SEPA to request they
provide a compensation
flow to the upper Glenhead
Burn. This tributary of the
Minnoch supports an
important juvenile salmon
population. Some time
following completion of the
River Dee hydro-electric
scheme in 1936, the upper
burn was diverted into the
Dee system from the Cree ›
FISHING REPORTS | Scotland
A TROUT FLY TO TRY
THIS MONTH
K AT E M A C L A R E N M U D D L E R
Hook Size 10-12 Kamasan B175 Tag Silver lurex
Tail Orkney peach (Globrite floss, 7 and 8 mixed)
Body Black seal’s fur Hackle Black cock, palmered
Rib Oval silver Head West of Ireland golden-olive
dyed deer hair, leaving tips unclipped to form a mane
catchment. This seriously
reduced the flow in the
lower Glenhead Burn,
especially during periods of
drought, limiting the
number and development of
parr and fry in the burn. It is
hoped that SEPA will agree
to restoring some flow in the
near future. – D. A. B.
DEVERON
HEAVY SHOWERS skirted
the catchment at the
beginning of June. The
Bogie got a splash and as a
result the main Deveron in
the higher beats had a 4 in
rise overnight into Saturday.
A repeat on Saturday saw
the Bogie rise 1 ft overnight
into Sunday and a lot of dirt
came down the whole river.
The week of June 4 was
one of bright sunshine and
temperatures over 20 deg C.
The main river was back on
its bones and recording
levels 8 in or 9 in below
normal summer level.
Laithers recorded a grilse
and the Wrack began to see
a few sea-trout. By the end
of the week it was cooler
and overcast and fish began
to come off the tide.
On Monday, June 11 a
clean 12 lb fish came off
Mains of Mayen, and N.
Bryant had an eight-
pounder at Glennie.
Muiresk had a fresh 9 lb fish
on Tuesday, and Castle
Water, Huntly landed three
sea-trout to 4 lb and
a fresh 12 lb salmon.
Some beats landed their
first salmon for six weeks as
fresh fish pushed upriver,
despite the low water. Sea-
trout were also coming in off
the tide and lower beats had
104 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
numbers well into double
figures. Some rain early in
the week freshened things
up a bit, but it did not
encourage many
fish to move.
The week of June 18 again
saw sea-liced salmon and
sea-trout move upriver and
the beats with anglers
present picked up some,
but fewer than in the
previous week.
As I write (end of June)
the weather remains hot and
bright with temperatures in
the mid 20s C and there is
no sign of any change in the
ten-day forecast.
Those anglers on the river
fishing during the day are
having no luck, while those
fishing from 10 pm onwards
are picking up sea-trout.
Surprisingly, it is beats
further upriver that are
catching the greater
numbers. There is very little
salmon activity, and indeed
the water temperature is
over 20 deg C, which will not
do the fish any favours.
We must hope that we
get some localised
thunderstorms to help us
out as there is no sign of any
prolonged rain.
I remind anglers that
weekly rods can keep one
salmon, but daily rods must
return all fish. – F. R. H.
FINDHORN
WITH FREQUENT heatwave
conditions, the late spring
and early summer were
trying for Findhorn fishers –
to put it mildly. However, in
terms of water, while it was
desperately low for most of
this period, the river did fare
somewhat better than many
northern systems. There
were a few small lifts in the
water level, encouraging fish
to run in on high tides.
Thus, in the week of June
11 rain fell over the
catchment on the
Wednesday evening and
into Thursday, causing the
level at the Shenachie
gauging station (above the
gorge) to rise by almost 1 ft.
Forres AA members
benefited with four fish
landed – two to Damian
Grant, one to Graham Bell
and a 12 lb salmon to Jimmy
King in the Dump pool.
The week of June 18 saw
some more rain, with very
heavy rain in Forres itself.
This appears to have
improved the oxygen levels
as the fish suddenly came
on the take. It was only a 5 in
rise but ten fish (mostly
liced, with the heaviest at
12 lb) were caught on the
club water, including six in
one day. Successful anglers
included Michael Barron
with a grilse, Sandy MacKay
with a brace, Bruce Logan
with one from Sonnies, Billy
Strathdee with a brace and
Rain in Forres
brings
Findhorn fish
on the take
Roger Dowling with one.
By the end of the month
the club stretch’s holding
pools held a good
head of fish.
The club’s programme of
casting lessons continues.
The next one is on Friday,
August 3 at the Gordon
pool; all are welcome –
either contact the club
through its Facebook page
or call Glyn Phillips on
07891 778 111.
Above the club water the
week of June 11 (with its
significant rise) gave a
welcome boost to catches;
Altyre landed three on the
Saturday (10 lb, liced, to
Andrew McInnes and a
brace at 7 lb and 4 lb to Ian
Neale) and Logie and
Glenferness reported four
and 14 respectively
for the week.
Upstream at Lethen
fishing was, as elsewhere, a
serious challenge, but at
least there were no blanks,
with catches averaging
three per week for the six
weeks starting on May 21. In
the latter week Neil and
Geoff Cruikshank had a
brace each on Daltra/
Altnahara and Ian McLaren
caught a small salmon in
Middle Falls on Dunearn. In
the week of May 28 the only
success was an 8 lb salmon
in the Englishman’s
(Altnahara) to Marc
MacMillan. The week of June
4 was similarly difficult, with
just one in the book – 9 lb in
Morgan’s Haugh (Dunearn)
to David Egan. At the start
of the week of June 11 it was
reported by Paul Kelly, who
knows the beat intimately,
that the gorge pools at
Altnahara held “rows” of
fish; the week produced a
10 lb salmon on a hitch in the
Middle Falls (Dunearn) for
Justin Jeffrey and a fresh-
run grilse in the Chair
(Altnahara) for Jack
Christison. The week of June
18 yielded four, with three on
Dunearn (a brace, 6 lb in
Nettle Hole and 10 lb in
Morgan’s Haugh, to Mary
McDowall and one at 16 lb in
Morgan’s Haugh to Gillies
Moffat) and one on Daltra
(16 lb in the White Stream to
Richard Donkin). The week
of June 25 had six entries in
the book up to the Friday,
with five on Dunearn for the
Warnett party and a brace
of grilse for the Schmidt
party on Daltra.
As I write (June 30) there
is no rain in the forecast over
the next week or so. –
ANDREW GRAHAM-STEWART.
FORSS
THIS REPORT covers the
four-week period up to and
including June 24. The
weather has been the
dominant factor – sunshine
and no rain – and as a result
the water temperature has
been in the low 60s F and
the gauge below zero. The
Forss is a spate-river and
consequently no fish have
entered the system during
this period and the few that
are in the lower beats
remain captive in the pools.
Not surprisingly, angling
effort has been virtually non
existent and no fish have
been caught. We would
expect to see reasonable
numbers of fish in Crosskirk
Bay in June, but these must
be well out in deeper water.
Fingers crossed that we get
some much-needed water
in the very near future. –
MICHAEL WYCHERLEY.
HALLADALE
SUCH WAS the extended
period without meaningful
rain that by the end of June
one could step across the
river at points one would
never have deemed possible
and rocks were appearing in
the remnants of pools of
which those on the
riverbank had never
previously been aware. The
drought had been almost
unrelenting for over two
months and the hill was
tinder-dry.
In the week of May 21
there was a very brief rise
(the first since mid-April,
from minus 4 in to plus
10 in), inducing a pod of fish
to run. The Salkeld party
landed three, all liced: 8 lb in
Smigel to John Matthews,
13 lb in Victoria to Elizabeth
Hunter, and 7 lb in Forsil to
Robbie Adams.
In the week of May 28
(minus 5 in) the only success
was the first grilse of the
season – 3 lb in Primrose
Run to Jonty Goodchild. The
week of June 4 (minus 5 in)
also produced one – 6 lb in
the Corner pool to
Andy Ward.
The week of June 11
(minus 6 in) yielded four –
three (a brace at 8 lb each in
Canal and 9 lb in Bridge) to
Ian Hunter and 3 lb in
Smigel to Mr Barnett.
In the week of June 18
(minus 6 in) fish seemed to
push up from the Canal and
five were landed. The
Broadhurst party had four
(10 lb and 6 lb in Weedies to
Mark Seaton, 4 lb in Forsil to
Robin Hart and 5 lb in
Weedies to John Stout) and
8 lb in Weedies to
Mr D. Jenkins. – ANDREW
GRAHAM-STEWART.
HELMSDALE
CONSIDERING THE
conditions – long periods of
bright sun and an absence of
sustained rain – catches
during June were
reasonably acceptable. They
increased from 20 or so per
week in late May to over 50
per week in late June, by
which time grilse were
figuring strongly.
The low water was
interrupted in early June by
a 2 ft rise. This was triggered
by an astonishingly intense
thunderstorm over
Borrobol, lasting little more
than half an hour. This
precipitated major
landslides upstream of Loch
Arkaig, turning the loch
brown and causing the burn
linking the loch to the river
to run dirty for a week.
This thunderstorm was
well east of the catchment
for Badanloch and so it did
nothing to replenish its
severely depleted reserves.
By late June there was just
two to three weeks’ stored
capacity left in Badanloch;
the latter is employed to
maintain water levels in the
river at 3 in-4 in from May
onwards. Without
significant rain the reserves
in Badanloch are likely to be
exhausted by the second
half of July – probably
unprecedented.
On the positive side, and
perhaps providing some
balance to the pervading
doom and gloom across
much of Scotland, runs into
the river, which is closely
monitored by Marine
Scotland Science, in May
and June were encouraging
and by no means below par.
Furthermore, those
watching the mouth of the
river at night reported
“plenty of fish on the tide”. –
ANDREW GRAHAM-STEWART.
LOMOND
AND LEVEN
AT THE time of writing (end
of June) the summer solstice
has passed and quite
unbelievably the days are
already starting to get
shorter. And it won’t be too
long before we hear that old
melancholic phrase
“The nights are
fair drawing in now”!
Anyway, it will be
interesting to see what July
and August bring in terms of
weather – hopefully a cycle
of fluctuating barometric
pressure systems that may
stimulate fish activity.
The Rivers Endrick and
Fruin can become an
angling option during the
summer, provided there are
some spates on these
bonnie Lomond Angling
Association waters.
The River Leven, which
has been at its summer low,
is currently several inches
above the datum owing to
Loch Lomond rising
significantly after overnight
deluges of rain in the
mountains and glens
towards the north end of the
loch. Nothing cheers
Lomond anglers more than
watching white cascades of
water crashing down from
great heights, bringing new
hope to the loch. The natural
ecosystem becomes
reinvigorated and this often
coincides with an
improvement in the fishing.
I was fortunate enough to
be on the loch the day after
this rain and received a
pleasant surprise north of
the Pilot Bank when a
sparkling 6 lb summer grilse
grabbed my Rapala and
conducted the usual
acrobatics before eventually
being returned. It was great
to see a June grilse this year
as in recent seasons our
diminishing runs of these
fish have not arrived
until August.
The following day –
coincidentally the summer
solstice – Jim Raeburn had a
fine 19 lb bar of silver, also
off the Rowardennan
waters, confirming that
salmon were now in the
north end of Lomond.
Angling effort has been
remarkably light on the loch,
but boats who found
success included Alan Pryce,
Scott Pryce, John Connelly
and Lennie Grant, who all
located salmon in the
10 lb-15 lb range. But there is
no denying that spring
fishing has been hard going
this season, so let’s see what
the summer months bring. –
DICK DICKSON.
NAIRN
ON JUNE 6 the level
dropped a centimetre below
the previous record lowest
level at the Balnafoich
gauge on the upper river;
but this new record
did not last long as
the drought continued
through the month.
During the second week
of June the neighbouring
Findhorn catchment got a
small rise after heavy
showers, provoking
reasonable runs of fish, but
the Nairn missed this
localised rain. Despite this,
a few good salmon and
some grilse and sea-trout
managed to sneak up as far
as some of the deeper pools
of the lower river.
One or two of these were
picked off by Nairn Angling
Association worm-fishers in
the early morning or
evening. Tackie Mackintosh
had a 12 lb fish, John Main
one at 7 lb and Stuart
Hayden one at 14 lb
(returned). A few grilse in
the 4 lb class were also
landed. Shoals of grilse have
been seen at the rivermouth
so fishing could be good
when significant rain
materialises, but at the time
of writing (the very end of
GALLERY
June) the settled dry spell
Congratulations to these successful
seems set to continue. – rods. Caught a trout or grayling?
ANDREW GRAHAM-STEWART. We’d love to hear from you
NESS
LOW WATER in late
spring and early summer
tends to favour the top of
the river. Moderate flows
enable fish to make very
swift progress up through
the lower and middle beats
before they stop at
Dochfour to negotiate their
passage up to the loch. Even
in heatwave conditions, as
seen during much of June,
the water flowing from Loch
Ness (a vast deep body of
water) remains cool at this ABOVE
time of the year, Noah Wheatley,
contributing to ideal fishing aged 7, with his
conditions immediately first trout caught
downstream. Indeed with the help of
Dochfour fished fairly Alex Hardiness at
consistently well. Wherwell on the Test.
On the Town Water
LEFT
James Thomson landed his
This 8lb salmon was
first-ever fish on fly (16 lb in caught by Noel Power
the Weir) on June 1. Two from the River Moy,
weeks later Lewis Thomson Ireland on a Calvin
celebrated his first-ever Shrimp.
salmon – 6 lb in the
Weir on a Cascade.
Ness Castle reported just
one fish during the first RIGHT
Will Clay and his
three weeks of June – 9 lb in
14lb salmon caught
the Tail (Laggan beat) to Iain
Hall early in the month.
at Chollerton on the
North Tyne on a
At Dochfour the week of Blair Spoon.
May 21 (minus 2 in to minus
4 in) produced seven – a
brace (better 10 lb in Netting CA L LING
Water) to Gordon A L L JUNIORS!
Fleetwood and one apiece Catch a salmon or trout
to Michael Martin (10 lb in and send us a picture of
Tail of the Island), John you and your fish,
O’Shea (18 lb in Burnmouth), including details of
its capture
Ian Richmond (11 lb in the
Weir) and Ken Taylor
(10 lb in the Weir).
Another seven were
recorded in the week of May
28 (minus 6 in) with a brace
at 14 lb and 12 lb in
Burnmouth to Ian Jennings,
a brace at 14 lb and 15 lb in
the Weir to Ronnie Fraser, a
brace (better 10 lb in Netting
Water) to Gordon ABOVE
This estimated 11lb sea-trout was taken at Grantown on
Fleetwood and one at 11 lb in the River Spey by Andrew Davie on a self-tied tube fly.
the Weir to Gordon Kerr.
The week of June 4 LEFT
(minus 5 in) yielded nine – Jan Szakowski
three (12 lb in the Weir, 12 lb with a brown
in Burnmouth and 4 lb, the trout estimated at
first grilse, in the Weir) to around 5lb on his
Ronnie Fraser, a brace first trip to Corrib.
It took a Mayfly
(better 11 lb in Burnmouth)
nymph fished on
to Scott Buchan and one the point of a
each to Graham Mackenzie team of three
(13 lb in Burnmouth), Jimmy
Gair (14 lb in the Weir), Billy › wet-flies.
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 105
FISHING REPORTS | Scotland
Mackenzie (11 lb in
Burnmouth) and Malcolm
Newbould (4 lb in the Weir).
The week of June 11
(minus 7 in) was restricted
to three – 6 lb in the Weir to
Alan Crawford, 5 lb in the
Weir to Euan MacLaughlan
and 12 lb in the Weir to
Michael Martin.
The week of June 18
(minus 2 in to minus 3 in)
saw five in the book (all in
the Weir) – a brace at 9 lb
each to Les Buchan, 8 lb to
Ronnie fraser, 5 lb to
Thomas Lobar and 7 lb to
Tom Mitchell.
The River Moriston was
hopelessly low and blank
from late May onwards. –
ANDREW GRAHAM-STEWART.
NITH
JUNE BEGAN with a heavy
thunderstorm; the Nith was
very dirty and it took a few
days to clear, following
which there were a few fish
splashing in the pools. A few
sea-trout were caught,
mainly during the day. Scott
Kerr from Buccleuch Water,
Thornhill, told me anglers
were catching fish on
spinner and worm.  for the very last year). Also
Downstream
at Blackwood, Andy Edgar
told me fish were in the
pools but very few rods
were out. Friars Carse has
been good for sea-trout: Ian
Griffin reports that they
have been caught by night
and day, using all
methods. Also a few salmon
have been showing in his
beat. Downstream,
on Dumfries and Galloway
Angling Association water,
fish have been caught on the
main river and the
Cairn. Stuart Taylor did well
106 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
with a 12 lb 8 oz salmon and
a nice sea-trout – well done,
Stuart.  David Kempsell’s
water was again lightly
fished. Dumfries Burgh has
done well with sea-trout and
salmon. Billy Clawson has
had five sea-trout and a nice
grilse, and David Cuthbert
also had a few sea-
trout. Fish are showing in
the pools at Lincluden and
the tidal water. There are still
a few beats I have not heard
from. I can be contacted at
lesandallan@btinternet.com
– ALLAN BLYTH.
NORTH ESK
JUNE HAS been one of the
poorest as regards catches,
thanks to persistent low
water, east winds and
sunshine. However, it is not
all bad news as Hugh
Campbell Adamson and I
agreed that the lower river
was holding a considerable
stock in the holding pools
and that there was evidence
of fish lying offshore
awaiting water.
On the tide the in-river
net and coble fishery has
been active (I am assured
on the tide Martin
Stansfeld’s Upper Kinnaber
has done as well as any beat;
it has the benefit of the tide
and fish come in and drop
back with the water. The last
week of June produced four
salmon and a few sea-trout.
Upriver at Canterland
and Gallery there was very
little sport, thanks to the
conditions, and possibly
angling effort was below
normal. Next up at Pert,
David Swanston reports that
there are fish in his beat –
very difficult to catch – but
every week produced a few.
Mr Whyte had a 9 lb fish,
and James Millar a
16-pounder in the
Luther pool.
Stracathro had resident
fish, but they were not very
interested in fly or lure.
We need water, but there
is no sign of rain so we must
be patient. I am sure the
river will come alive when
levels are better. – WESTIE.
ORKNEY
JUNE STARTED well, but by
the middle of the month
Orkney was hit by a series of
strong westerly gales that
continued until the month’s
end and severely hampered
sport. Most of the lochs
became turbid as the waves
churned up sediment, and
on several days boats could
not go out for safety
reasons. There’s seldom a
June when we do not get
these gales at some time,
but this year seems to be
particularly bad.
Anglers resorted to
wading the margins at this
time and despite the
conditions there
were fish to be had.
Harray received a lot of
attention. The big loch did
contain some algae but
remained relatively clear.
Fish started to move out into
the more open water; the
caenis hatched early but
there were very few hatches
of olives to bring up the fish.
Sinking lines arguably fared
best, with the usual array of
small mini-lures doing the
business. Some of the better
Harray baskets included
nine for 6 lb 10 oz for
Malcolm Russell; five for 4 lb
9 oz for Ian Hutcheon;
and six for 4 lb 6 oz for
James Harcus.
Hundland was well
patronised by visiting
anglers, and in particular
float-tubers. Some cracking
fish came off this loch, with
many in the 1 lb-2 lb range.
But the loch suffered badly
from turbidity, and was very
low and weedy.
Over on Boardhouse,
some fine fish to 2 lb were
taken almost daily. In fact, I
think it’s safe to say that
Boardhouse was Orkney’s
best-performing water this
season so far. Some of the
better baskets, and there
Boardhouse
Loch is
Orkney’s best
this year
were many, included nine for
10 lb 5 oz for Jack Leslie; 13
for 12 lb 11 oz for Graham
Summers; 16 for 14 lb 2 oz
for Paul Miller; 12 for
10 lb 3 oz for Norman Irvine;
11 for 8 lb 8 oz for James
Harcus and 11 for 7 lb for Ian
Hutcheon. Hedgehogs and
greased palmers, dabblers
and small wet-flies were all
mentioned in dispatches.
Swannay did not fish that
well, and the average size of
the fish there seems to be
falling year by year. Baskets
included four for 3 lb 15 oz
for Norman Irvine; six for
3 lb 14 oz for James Harcus;
and six for 3 lb 9 oz for
Stuart Leslie. Small wet-flies
and mini lures did well there,
with the Swannay Ace,
Christmas Tree and Erlend’s
Cat highly recommended –
and Hogs, of course.
On Sanday, Adam
Sandilands had 12 fish from
Bea Loch for his week, with
his two best at 5 lb 8 oz and
6 lb 4 oz, and on Rousay, Ian
Robertson had a nice
2 lb 4 oz specimen from
Wasbister and a few around
1 lb, too. – M. A. R.
OUTER HEBRIDES
GRILSE STARTED to appear
around the west coast of
Lewis in early June, with
reasonable numbers caught
on the Grimersta and
Garynahine Rivers.
Grimersta recorded 23
salmon/grilse over the
period June 11-23, all of
which were returned. The
largest was an 8 lb cock fish
from the First Stream for
F. Lawrie on a Willie Gunn.
Grilse entered the
Garynahine Sea pool in the
second week of June with
the first fish of their season
caught on June 15, when D.
Whiteford landed fish of
5 lb 8 oz and 6 lb from the
Sea pool, both on a Gold
Muddler, and I. MacAry
had one of 5 lb on an
Orange Muddler.
The first salmon recorded
from Loch Langabhat,
headwaters of the Grimersta
chain of lochs, was hooked
on June 20; R. Bell, fishing
from the Stornoway Angling
Association boat, landed a
6 lb grilse on a copper Toby.
Loch West Ollay, one of
the famous machair lochs on
South Uist, has produced
some bonnie brown trout
for visiting anglers: M.
Wigglesworth had one of
3 lb 6 oz on June 6; the
following day N. Benge had
a 3 lb fish and the largest
South Uist brown trout to
date was landed on June 20
– a stunning 7 lb specimen
on a Pearly Bibio. Several
other machair lochs have
also produced good
numbers of trout in the
2 lb-3 lb range, including
one of 3 lb 4 oz from Loch
Bornish for a guest of the
S. Argo party. –
DONNIE MACIVER.
OYKEL
INEVITABLY, GIVEN the
weather conditions – long
hot, dry spells punctuated
by occasional moderate
rises in the water level –
catches on the Lower Oykel
in the five weeks from late
May were concentrated and
volatile. That said, by late
June no one was
complaining about a
lack of fish.
The week of May 21
(minus 5 in to plus 2 ft 6 in
before dropping to 2 in)
produced 13, with five (best
13 lb in Upper Farm and 13 lb
in Brae Run) to Jamie
Trentham, a brace (6 lb in
the Round and 6 lb in the
Rock) to David Thompson,
a brace (10 lb and 8 lb) to
Edward Coley and one each
to Barry Trentham (11 lb in
Island), Mark Coley (15 lb in
the Narrows), Hamish
Watson (12 lb in the Long
plus the first sea-trout, 1 lb,
of the season) and
Nick Rippin (12 lb
in Upper Thurnaig).
The total for May was 28 ›
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FISHING REPORTS | Scotland
and the total for the spring
to the end of May 117.
The weeks of May 28 and
June 4, devoid of water,
were blank. Relief came in
the week of June 11. On the
14th change was in the air;
the level rose just slightly
from minus 8 in to minus 5 in
and the wind swung round
to the west. Five (including
the first grilse) were landed
that day, with three (a brace
in Upper Farm and one in
Island) to Tom Steele and
one at 8 lb to Col. Andrew
Ledger. The level peaked at
2 ft over the next two days,
the water temperature
dropped back to the mid
50s F and another 12 fish
went into the book (making
a total of 17 for the week).
Robin Upton had two at 11 lb
and 4 lb in the Long, Peter
Van den Burge landed fish
of 4 lb in the Long and 5 lb in
the Round, Ann Van den
Burge caught a 2 lb grilse in
the Round and Tom Steele
added two (better 11 lb in
the Narrows) to his score.
Also on the scoresheet were
Michael Squire (4 lb in the
Perch), Charlie Squire (3 lb in
the Round), Richie Squire
(4 lb in Rock and 4 lb in
Upper Farm) and
Mrs Ros Hoare (6 lb in
Langwell Ford).
The week of June 18
benefited from further
moderate rain with the level
up and down between
1 ft 4 in and 7 in. The total for
the week was 33 (70 per
cent grilse and 30 per cent
salmon) including six to
Thomas Seaman, four (best
14 lb, fresh-run, in the Long)
to Bruce Rossi, four (best
8 lb in Inveroykel) to Richard
Seaman, three (best 11 lb in
Lower George and 10 lb in
the Flat) to Kevin Bragg and
Mr J. Kirkwood’s first-ever
salmon (5 lb in the Long
on a Cascade).
The week of June 25 was
a struggle – close to zero on
the gauge, very warm
indeed and little if any wind;
the clegs were out in force.
Incidentally, some of the
grilse were small but they
were in excellent condition.
– ANDREW
GRAHAM-STEWART.
SOUTH ESK
THE RIVER continues at low
levels such as I have seen
only once before. I grew up
on the banks of the Esk at
Kinnaird and now live in
Brechin (on the banks of the
South Esk). Just what I see
108 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
every day is unbelievable
and worrying, and the
forecast from the BBC this
morning (June 30) is for
sunshine for another whole
week. Where we go from
there I really do not know.
The Kinnaird beats have
taken their first salmon and
sea-trout – something of a
miracle in that clear, meagre
stream – and Brechin
Angling Club also had
salmon on their Kincraig
beat a few weeks ago.
I talked to one of the
syndicate on Dalhousie,
Brechin and they are putting
relatively no fishing effort
into the beat.
Upriver at Finavon Castle
success has been limited,
but they are seeing sea-
trout and have taken a few
in the dark.
A report I have from
Inshewan shows 20 salmon
and six sea-trout in their
book and this must indeed
be the beat of the
season so far.
Kirriemuir Anglers
continued for a short time to
get some salmon sport with
fish from the Mill pool to
12 lb and to 9 lb in the Elie. A
few sea-trout were also
taken in the darkness but
the river is now so low that I
would not expect to hear
much until we get rain.
I and a few friends
watched the river for signs
of the smolt run but it was
meagre and where we have
been used to seeing massive
shoals we saw only small
pockets going downstream.
I will not join the calls for a
cull of cormorants and
mergansers, but that is what
the angling community are
demanding. – WESTIE.
SPEY
SINCE MY last report things
have improved slightly, and
the numbers of fish caught
have crept up; they are still
nothing like they ought to be
but there has certainly been
some sort of improvement.
David Wood’s party
fishing at Delfur ended their
week with 31; I believe they
had a similar number last
season. Included in the
catch was a slightly coloured
fin-clipped fish from
Sourden. The question is, is
this fish from the Tommore
burn project or it is one of
the fish that was stocked at
Delfur following Hurricane
Bertha in 2014?
Unfortunately, it is
impossible to tell, but it is
undoubtedly a hatchery fish.
There was another fin-
clipped fish caught at
Ballindalloch the following
Monday; this was a sea-liced
grilse and is much more
likely to be from the
Tommore Burn.
As we approach the end
of June it will not be long
before the beats put in their
spring returns. The total
figure is going to be low, but
the question is just how low?
I would suggest that
anything over 1,000 will be
viewed as some sort of
success, while the
pessimists on the river are
suggesting it might
be as low as 750.
With catches so poor, the
Spey Board issued the
following notice:
“The Spey Fishery Board
acknowledges that this
year’s spring salmon catches
have been particularly poor
and that there is widespread
Spey Board to
hold public
meeting about
poor catches
concern about the decline in
the numbers of adult salmon
returning to the river. The
Board is very conscious of
the impact this situation has
on the angling experience
and is also keenly aware of
the economic impact of the
continuing decline. It is
important to recognise that
this situation is not confined
to the River Spey; indeed,
the problem is replicated
Scotland-wide.
“This situation was
debated at length by the
Spey Fishery Board during
its meeting on the 18th May
2018. The Board also aired
its concerns with senior
representatives of the
Scottish Government who
were present at the meeting
and there was a constructive
and helpful discussion of the
pressures we are all facing.
We shall continue to liaise
closely with other District
Salmon Fishery Boards
around Scotland and
Fisheries Management
Scotland, as well as with the
Scottish Government, so
that we are able to react
swiftly to assist with any
worthwhile initiatives which
may emerge to help tackle
this national problem. In
addition, the Board is
actively considering a range
of local options.
“The Board has asked the
Spey Scientific Committee
to consider options to
address this situation, which
the Board would like to
debate before holding a
Public Meeting to present
and discuss them. The
Board would like to invite a
diverse range of experts to
share their knowledge and
experiences, so that anyone
with an interest in the river
may voice their concerns
and hear more about
the options available for
the future. More information
on this will follow
in due course.”
Personally I cannot see
the point in holding public
meetings. They are a bit like
referendums – a cop-out by
those that are elected. The
board is elected every three
years to run the river and to
make difficult and
unpopular decisions. They
ought to just get on with it. If
enough proprietors believe
they are not doing the job
properly they can stand at
the next election and run the
river their way. Holding a
meeting where a mob can
demand the death of every
salmon-predating creature
on the planet will put no
more fish in the river. Social
media is already full of
people demanding the
removal of science as a basis
of running the river, with the
total removal of all fish-
eating birds, seals and even
dolphins. I think Facebook
ought to have a requirement
of a breathalyser attached
to the keyboard!
I could better understand
the demands for a huge
smolt hatchery on the Spey
if it was only the Spey that
was suffering a drop in
catches, but it is pretty
universal; more or less all
Scottish rivers’ catches are
down to a third of where
they have been in the past,
and, although it is early in
their seasons, reports from
Norway and Russia are
showing similar trends.
Spey Board chairman
Brian Doran and biologist
Brian Shaw are going to
Iceland on a fact-finding
mission to see for
themselves how smolt
hatcheries are run there. I
am not convinced they will
learn anything useful: in
Iceland, the abundance of
naturally warm water allows
smolts to be produced in
one year, while in Scotland it
would take at least two,
adding significantly to the
cost of production. Better
use of the present hatchery
would be less expensive and
more beneficial.
On a brighter note
Aberlour has finally had a
cash-dispenser reinstalled
at the old Clydesdale Bank
building next door
to the Coop. –
MALCOLM NEWBOULD.
TAY
As I mentioned last month,
June was heralded with an
announcement from the Tay
Board that from June 1 it
requested 100 per cent
catch-and-release for the
rest of the season in view of
a reduced spring run and a
precaution against another
poorer grilse run. Nothing
that then happened in June
could have challenged
that analysis.
June was warm and dry
overall. Apart from a small
thundery rise at the
beginning and a few others
in mid month, levels were
generally low. Indeed, the
month has just ended with
an absolute heatwave.
Fishing conditions have
therefore generally been
less than ideal. Some of the
small thundery rises were
quite dirty and slow to clear
even after the water
had dropped.
Overall, the salmon catch
for June is well down on
recent years, partly as a
consequence of the
conditions, but probably
also reflecting a continued
weaker run of 2SW fish. For
example, only 203 fish were
reported on the fishtay
website at the end of the
month, against 472 last year
and a five-year average of
528. Even though some fish
may have still to be
reported, the final total will
undoubtedly be well down
on what has been an
improving month
in recent times.
Turning to the individual
beats, starting at the
bottom, Almondmouth
reported nine, which is
actually up for there, I guess
helped by the lower water.
However, with two reported
at Waulkmill, four at Lower
Redgorton, two at Upper
Redgorton, one at Benchil
and two at Upper Scone,
running fish were still able to
pass through these lower
beats with ease.
 A SALMON FLY TO TRY
THIS MONTH
S Q U I R R E L , B LU E A N D S I LV E R
Hook Size 11-15 Partridge CS14 double;
black or silver Thread Uni thread 6/0 red
Butt Glo-brite floss no. 4 Body Holographic silver
ice dub Rib Silver wire Wing Black squirrel (or
natural) Head hackle Blue hen
Above Stanley, Stobhall
reported only four for June
and neighbouring
Taymount 15, although even
that was still well down on
expectations. Then
Ballathie and Cargill, which
are usually good low-water
beats, had eight and 12
respectively. However,
topping the charts once
again was Islamouth with a
more impressive 55,
although even that is a little
below recent averages.
Islamouth, of course,
would have benefited from
fish pausing before running
the Isla, which some fish did.
As I mentioned earlier, there
were several quick tributary
rises and fish were even see
running the Ericht at
Blairgowrie on several
occasions. However, levels
fell back quickly and made
for poor fishing conditions in
these smaller rivers. Indeed,
problems ensued on the
Ericht with some fish ending
up stuck in hot pools in the
Blairgowrie area,
exacerbated by water
abstraction for a fish-farm.
Fungal outbreaks were
evident once again both
there and further upstream
in the Craighall gorge area.
The fish have truly had a
hard time of it this year.
Back on the Tay, the
Meikleour and Upper
Islamouth beat reported
eight for June but Kercock’s
20 made it one of the few
beats to beat the recent
average. Upstream of there,
Murthly 1 reported seven,
Murthly 2 nine and
Glendelvine five. Newtyle
had a couple of fish,
Dunkeld House and
Dalmarnock had nine each,
Dalguise had four, Lower
Kinnaird had three and
Upper Kinnaird one. On the
upper Tay it was also again a
case of the occasional fish,
Findynate reporting one
and Upper Farleyer two.
On the Tummel the
spring fishing was also
clearly over, Pitlochry
Angling Club’s Dam beat
reporting only two for June.
Following the slow start with
the cold spring, the
increasing temperature of
early June saw the Tummel
fish move on upstream
through Pitlochry Dam. By
June 8 the count on the
public display (uncorrected
for “droppers”) was at 1,019.
At the same time last year it
was about 2,700.
However, by the beginning
of July it had only risen to
1,480, so it would seem
there are fewer fish around
than there were last year.
Upstream of Pitlochry Dam,
five were reported in June
from Loch Faskally but
Pitlochry Angling Club’s
Ruan Ruarie beat on the
Garry had only one, no
doubt reflecting
the conditions.
Finally, one chink of
light was that some grilse
started to appear in
catches as June progressed,
and things seemed
to be picking up as the
month went on.
Indeed, the third week
of the month started
to look much better, but
things crashed back
the following week
with air temperatures
close to 30 deg C on
occasion. Let’s just
hope there are grilse
on the way.
Oh, and a bit of rain! –
DAVID SUMMERS.
THURSO
WITH 27 fish caught, June
has been a very poor month.
We would normally be
expecting 200 or so fish in
June, but no water equals no
fish. The river is desperately
low and is only an inch away
from being the lowest since
the drought of 1976.
We have had very bright
days for most of June and
these, coupled with the low
water, has brought sport to
a standstill. When we did
get a bit of cloud cover there
was some sport with
resident fish and the very
few grilse that have started
to push into the lower beats.
We are still seeing kelts in
the river as they are unable
to make their way to the sea.
The fish are now building
up in the bay and along the
coast and with no coastal
nets they are relatively safe.
If the nets were still in
operation they would have
taken a large proportion of
these fish. We need rain, and
we need a lot of it, but the
forecast is not looking
promising for the next few
weeks. Some salmon
anglers are getting a taste of
the excellent trout fishing
Caithness has to offer, with
good bags reported on
Lochs More, Toftingall
and also on the river. –
TIM HAWES.
TWEED
AFTER A DRY, mild, end to
May, the beginning of June
saw a change, when
thundery showers gave us a
bit of water, with gauges
unsettled into the first
weekend of the month. On
Friday, June 1 gauges were
rising, with almost 2 ft down
the upper Tweed, around
the same down the Ettrick,
and a few inches down the
Teviot. Saturday morning
showed just under 2 ft on
the Sprouston gauge and
later, over 2 ft at Norham
Bridge. After more rain
these gauges were on the
move again later in the day
and were still unsettled over
Sunday. There was a lot of
colour in the water below
Kelso which cleared a bit
overnight into the new week
on June 4.
We had a mixture of
weather this week, with
some hot spells, bright sun,
but also dull mornings with a
cool easterly breeze. It was
dry, which allowed the water
to drop and clear through
the week, with the river once
again low by the week’s end.
Almost 60 fish were
reported for the week, with
16 from the bottom beats
below Coldstream. There
were a lot of rods out on this
stretch for fewer than three
fish a day. Tuesday
produced only three fish
above Kelso, all on
Dryburgh Upper, and
Thursday didn’t produce a
fish between Mertoun and
Tillmouth, which is a long
stretch with a lot of rods.
The Lees and Dryburgh
Upper had five, Middle
Mertoun, Birgham Dub and
Milne Graden four, and
West Learmouth three. A
few fish made it into the
mid-teens of pounds but
most were 6 lb-10 lb wth a
few sea- liced. Many rods
were having little or no sport
for their visit, some not even
seeing a fish.
Rain on Sunday produced
a small rise below Kelso,
early on Monday, June 11, of
6 in or so. It was a cloudy,
cool start to the week with
an easterly breeze once
again. It warmed up on
Tuesday but this changed in
midweek with rain in the
west and cooler weather.
This had the top of the
Teviot and Ettrick rising
early on Thursday which
gave us over a foot below
Kelso later in the day.
Thursday saw gales from the
west, and rain, which gave
us a dirty river the following
day. We had rain and
thunder in places on
Saturday, which gave us a
few inches down the upper
Tweed and tributaries. Just
over 80 fish were reported
for the week, with a dozen of
the total from the bottom
seven beats. Monday
produced one fish between
Dryburgh and the sea in
mixed river conditions; 23
were taken on Saturday,
with 18 of the total from
eight beats, leaving five for
the rest of the river to share.
Once again there were some
good fish in the teens of
pounds with a number new
and liced. The best I could
find was a 16-pounder taken
on Tweedhill. There were
also 32 sea-trout reported,
with a couple into double
figures. Fish were being
taken on a variety of flies on
different tips, depending on
the water being fished.
Various spinning baits were
also successful at times –
not everyone’s cup of tea,
but effective, especially
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 109
in the quieter water.
The water had cleared
and was again on the low
side as we began the new
week on Monday, June 18.
With a few fish taken the
previous Saturday, it was
hoped this sport would
continue to the start of the
new week. It was a cool,
breezy start with rain
forecast for midweek. The
week began well, with
almost 30 fish reported on
Monday, and 26 the
following day. Fish were
spread from Dryburgh on
the middle river down to
Tweedhill at the bottom.
Once again the fish were a
mixture of old and new with
some good fish among
them. Tony Gilham took two
beauties with me on
Learmouth – both sea-liced
and weighing 12 lb and 15 lb.
Fishing a small Snaelda, he
also lost two. On the Lees,
Brian Cook also took a
couple – his first ever. His
first fish was an eight-
pounder taken in the Slap
and his second, a four-
pounder, came from the
Glide. Both were fresh and
took a small Cascade. The
rain that was forecast came
over Tuesday night and had
all the upper gauges on the
Tweed, Teviot and Ettrick
rising the following morning.
They all had over 3 ft down
them during the morning,
with the water beginning to
rise below Kelso at
lunchtime, and by the
evening it was showing
almost 5 ft on the Norham
gauge. It was very coloured
through Thursday but was
dropping back quickly, and
by the weekend almost all
the colour was out. Around
120 fish were reported for
the week as well as 40 sea-
trout. Tillmouth had 16
salmon, my two rods on
Learmouth had 13, with
seven to the rod of Peter Kay
for his two days. Birgham
Dub and the Junction had
seven each, and
Hendersyde five. Above
Kelso, Rutherford and
Drybugh Lower had six and
Dryburgh Upper five. Clive
Pickering, Sam Thomson
and Duncan Jack had a bit
of sport on the Dryburgh
beats and Alex Knox had a
couple on Lower Floors. The
best salmon was a
20-pounder from the
Junction and the best sea-
trout a super 12-pounder
from Tillmouth. A few other
sea-trout were in the
5 lb-8 lb range, with most
›
FISHING REPORTS | Ireland
sea-liced. Thirteen of the
sea-trout were taken on the
Till, Upper Tindal taking nine
of them. As well as the
20-pounder, a number of
fish were in the teens of
pounds, with a few
grilse also showing.
Last season catches
improved towards the end
of June and it looked as
though things were shaping
up the same this year.
Unfortunately, the weather
was to spoil things this year
with hot, sunny days, the air
temperature into the 80s F
and the water into the 60s F.
Day after day was the same:
very bright days with low,
clear water. Furthermore,
there didn’t seem to be as
many fish about, with very
few taken during the final
week of June. Only 20 were
reported for the first four
days of the week, together
with 19 sea-trout. It was a
surprise that only six of the
total came from the bottom
beats, with the water on the
low side. It shows that there
weren’t too many pushing
in. Early and late, where
allowed, was the order of
the day, but, of course, if the
fish aren’t there it doesn’t
matter when you’re fishing.
This weather is forecast
to last into July, so we can’t
see any rain on the horizon
to give us a good flush-out
and cool things down. So for
now it’s back to the
strimmer. – BOB HARRISON.
WESTER ROSS
AND SKYE
THE COMBINATION of
extended periods of baking-
hot weather and a paucity of
rain meant that for much of
June fishing was a hopeless
cause. Inevitably this was
especially true of the
smaller systems.
Obviously the Ewe is not
in this category. While the
main stem is short, it has the
largest catchment of all the
west-coast rivers north of
the Great Glen, draining 170
square miles, which filter
through the vast Loch
Maree. But, such was the
severity of the late-spring
drought, the Ewe dropped
to .5 m on the gauge in the
weeks of May 28 and June 4
– the lowest level for at least
15 years. This fortnight
was blank.
There was a slight rise to
.89 m in the week of June 11
and house rods landed three
(11 lb, 12 lb and 15 lb) in
Middle Narrows.
110 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
The following week
another small rise (from .9 m
to 1.1 m) benefited the
Mateer party, who caught
ten, including a brace
(better 16 lb in McCordies) to
Donald Mateer, a brace of
grilse (in good condition) to
Sandy Howie, a 17 lb salmon
in Lower Narrows to Ali
MacLean and one at 16 lb in
Lower Narrows to
David Mateer.
The first four days of the
week of June 25
(1 m to .92 m) produced
another seven.
Depressingly, there are
almost no finnock and there
is a total absence of mature
sea-trout. – ANDREW
GRAHAM-STEWART.
WICK
MAY WAS very dry, with just
a slight rise in the water level
on the 14th. The catch for
the month was limited to
four salmon.
Frankie McPhee landed
the second of the season
(11 lb) from the Pot run on
the 12th. The rise on the 14th
from 6 in to 12 in prompted
further activity in the Pot:
12 lb to Richard Newlands
and 13 lb to Graham
Shepherd. The following day
George Doull had one of
12 lb in the same pool. None
of these fish was liced and
all were caught on worm.
With no rain in June, very
low water perpetuated. The
odd fish was landed in the
lower reaches. On the 23rd
William Aitken caught an
11 lb salmon in Dyke End.
Around the same time
Richard Newlands
also scored.
On the positive side, by
late June there appeared to
be a considerable build-up
of fish in the estuary. –
ANDREW GRAHAM-STEWART.
Ireland
CARROWMORE
MARKUS MULLER reports
that despite very hot
weather for most of June
fishing was quite good at
times. By June 8 seven
salmon had been caught. By
the 17th, Hurricane Hector
spoiled the fishing. However,
John Cosgrove had a 4 lb
grilse and there were a good
number of sea-trout, too.
Danny Verbessem and Paul
De Neef, from Belgium,
enjoyed a great week’s
salmon fishing. Despite the
very warm and bright
conditions they had two
salmon on Carrowmore
Lake plus plenty of small to
medium-sized sea-trout. But
their main target was the
Owenmore River, which was
very low on their arrival.
However, a flood during the
week provided excellent
fishing conditions and as a
result Danny and Paul
caught another six salmon
up to double figures.
Please note that
Carrowmore Lake is a Brown
Tag Fishery and that the
Owenmore River is
catch-and-release. –
PAUL BOURKE.
CORRIB
KEVIN CROWLEY reports
that by June 6 the Mayfly
fishing was petering out
with the heatwave, with
dappers finding it hard to
keep fly fresh overnight. In
recent years, however, a
second Mayfly hatch in late
July has often produced
exceptional sport, some
anglers comparing it
favourably to the May hatch.
It was very hot in early
June and visiting anglers
Peter Dixon and Adrian
Harrop, staying with Ted
Wherry of Mayfly Lodge,
Ballynalty, had a difficult
week’s fishing in the
Ballynalty and Ballindiff
areas, catching few fish,
though Peter landed a fine
specimen of 4 lb 8 oz lb. In
the Oughterard area Kevin
Molloy of Baurisheen
reported visiting Swiss
anglers Keist Othmav and
Franz Kramev landed six
trout between 1 lb and 2 lb
for their visit.
Basil Shields of
Ardnasillagh reported
excellent fishing on on
Caenis, dry Olives and
Buzzer for those staying at
the Lodge. Colin Wright in
six days’ fishing had 37
trout, seven of them on
Caenis and the remainder on
dry Olives and Buzzers. His
best fish weighed 4 lb 12 oz.
Stephen Richardson had
nine fish in one day on
Buzzer. David Johnson had
six in one day on Buzzer.
In the Cornamona area
Tom Doc Sullivan guided
Neil Carmichael for six days
with only one blank day; Neil
released 16 fish, all on wet
and dry Mayfly patterns,
with eight on wet, eight on
dry and a best fish of
3 lb 4 oz. Paul Geraghty, out
trolling from Richard
A BEAT TO TRY THIS MONTH
Pityoulish, River Spey
The Cottage water comprises one and half miles of right bank,
with fast runs, deep glides, shady pools and easy wading.
For salmon, a 14 ft rod will cover all this water, and a shorter
single-hander will serve for sea-trout and brownies.
Day-tickets for salmon cost from £32.
Contact Tom Carter, FishPal. Tel: 01573 470 612.
Purchase tickets online at http://new.fishpal.com/Scotland/
Spey/Pityoulish
Molloy’s, returned a fine and one of 3 lb was reported
trout of 12 lb 8 oz. taken on the troll. Gillie Neil
Soon after, there were big O’Shea guided Brian
hatches of caenis and while Querney to catch an 8 lb
morning fishing for five days salmon on fly the following
with Larry McCarthy, day. German angler Michael
Jeremy Herrmann returned Rieger caught a 3 lb sea-
84 trout with a very high trout while trolling with his
average weight. On the last gillie, Frank Donnelly.
day they boated 18 trout On June 3, several salmon
averaging 3 lb! were reported, including a
The good early morning fine 11 lb fish for James Monk
Caenis fishing continued in on fly on the Butler Pool.
the following weeks of June, Frank Warburton, fishing
with daytime fishing useless with his gillie Tom O’Shea,
in the hot and sunny caught a 4 lb grilse
weather. Occasionally there on the lough.
was still some spent-gnat Very hot weather
fishing producing sport on prevailed over the following
suitable evenings. days with very little to
By the end of June, there report. On June 10 John
were good evening sedge Smith had a 10 lb salmon
hatches and while daytime and a 4 lb grilse on the troll.
fishing was generally poor Despite Storm Hector hitting
there was an improvement the area on June 14, Hugh
in fishing. Owen Mealing Brennan and Peter Morris
from Wales had four days caught a 7 lb salmon and a
guided by Larry, with two on 2 lb sea-trout on the troll.
caenis and two daytime
sessions on Mayfly. They
The following day produced
a 5 lb grilse on fly for Peter
boated a total of 25 trout Ruffe, fishing with gillie
between 1 lb 8 oz and 3 lb. Dominic McGillicuddy. Nigel
Bill Latham, with a party of Henshaw caught a 2 lb 8 oz
five anglers from England, sea-trout on the same day.
had three early morning Nigel had two salmon 6 lb
sessions when they caught salmon on fly the following
more than 20 trout to day and his fellow
3 lb 8 oz. – PAUL BOURKE. Hampshire angler, Trevor
Dewberry, had a 3 lb sea-
trout and a 4 lb 8 oz grilse.
CURRANE Trevor continued to enjoy
VINCENT APPLEBY reports the fishing the following day,
that on May 31 Graham with a 4 lb 8 oz grilse and a
Roberts caught an 8 lb 1 lb 8 oz sea-trout on fly. The
salmon with his gillie, Neil Hampshire anglers took
O’Shea. Sea-trout were seen more fish in the following
in good numbers that day days, including an 8 lb 8 oz
salmon and two more grilse
of 5 lb each.
On June 21, Peter Liddel
and Alex Muir had two
salmon around 9 lb each. On
the June 26 evening shift,
one local angler kicked the
heatwave into touch,
catching a 5 lb grilse on the
troll. – PAUL BOURKE.
DELPHI
DAVID McEVOY reports that
at the beginning of June the
weather was stunning but
made salmon fishing
difficult. However, Jim
Stafford had a 9 lb fish from
the Turn pool on a Cascade.
The total catch for May was
40, and the total for the year
to date is 114 salmon.
Rain finally arrived on the
night of June 13. Two fish
were caught before the rain
came, both from the Turn
pool and both on nymphs.
Bertrand Fenart had one of
8 lb 10 oz and Mark Corps
one of 9 lb 10 oz. Nine
salmon were reported after
the rain arrived. James
Hewetson-Brown was first
off the mark with a 10 lb fish
from Wren’s Point on
Finlough on a Silver Stoat,
and Alan Dunlop had a six-
pounder from Gough’s on
Finlough on a Collie Dog.
On June 15 the first grilse
was landed – a first-ever
salmon for Duncan
MacKenzie in the Whin pool
on a Collie Dog. The
following morning James
Gould had a 7 lb 15 oz fish
from Sligo Bay on Finlough,
on a Willie Gunn. Margaret
Downes had a grilse of
4 lb 3 oz from the Rock pool
on an Executioner. Andy
Smith hooked a 6 lb fish in
the Horseshoe and
impressively landed it in
Dynamite. The fish was
taken on a Cascade.
Roxanne Davies had a small
grilse in the Rock pool on a
Collie Dog.
More rain followed on
June 19 and Charles Cooper
had a 5 lb 2 oz fish from the
Quarry pool on the only fly
he fishes – a Willie Gunn.
Margaret Downes had an
8 lb 6 oz sea-liced fish from
the Rock pool on a Willie
Gunn, and Roxanne Davies
had a 5 lb 10 oz fish from the
Turn pool on a Delphi Collie.
The following morning, her
mother, Julia Horne, landed
a nice grilse in the Rock
pool, again on a Delphi
Collie. Simon Romer-Lee
landed his first-ever salmon,
a 7 lb fish, in the afternoon
off Finlough on a Willie
Gunn. John Hamilton’s
persistence paid off when
he landed a nice grilse at the
bottom of the Meadow pool
on a Delphi Collie on the
22nd. – PAUL BOURKE.
ERRIFF
OSGUR GRIEVE reports a
quiet end to May, with bright
sunshine and little fishing
done. Following a small
spate on June 6 Larry Bergin
had an 8 lb ranched salmon
from the Falls on a Cascade.
John Phelan also landed a
ranched salmon of 8 lb from
the Falls on a Cascade, and
lost a few more. Peter
Murphy released a wild 8 lb
salmon from the Falls along
with the first sea-trout of the
season – about 1 lb on a
Cascade.
Twenty salmon
caught on
Erriff in one
June week
A welcome thunderstorm
on June 8 raised water
levels. On June 9 Jeff
Hellerbach, USA, landed two
ranched grilse on a Cascade
in the Middle Garden pool;
these were Jeff’s first
Atlantic salmon! June 10 was
Tim Brown’s turn, landing a
7 lb wild salmon from the
Falls on a Posh Tosh.
In the third week of June
20 salmon were recorded,
including Julia Horne’s 9 lb
ranched salmon and a
ranched grilse on a Park
Shrimp conehead in the
Middle and Lower Garden
pool. Kieran Clancy had
salmon of 4 lb 8 oz, 5 lb and
8 lb, and lost some more.
Thomas Weiss had an 8 lb
ranched salmon on a Posh
Tosh conehead in the Middle
Garden pool. Arthur
Muckian had a 5 lb ranched
grilse from the Falls on a
Cascade, and former fishery
manager, Jim Stafford, had
a 9 lb ranched salmon from
the Middle Garden on a
Curry’s Red Shrimp. John
Ryan released two wild
salmon of 11 lb and 14 lb from
the Lower Garden and Falls
pools on a Collie dog and a
Cascade. On June 21 Donal
Chambers and Albert
Caffrey had a ranched grilse
each of 5 lb and 4 lb on a
Stoat’s Tail Green Butt
tube and a Willie Gunn from
the Falls and Middle
Garden pool.
On June 15 James Gould
released a wild 4 lb grilse
from the Coronation pool
on Beat 8, fishing a
Cascade variant. –
PAUL BOURKE.
MASK
KEVIN CROWLEY reports
that perseverance paid off
for the persistent angler in
heatwave conditions in
June. Local angler Kevin
Sheridan fished with Martin
Agnew and the pair had
three trout to 1 lb 8 oz on
dry-flies. Kevin later had
a 3 lb 8 oz fish.
Gerry O’Brien and his son,
Damien, had four fish on dry
Mayfly patterns along the
northern end of Mask. Mick
Dunne and Martin McGowan
had a bag of 14 fishing wet-
flies, with a best
fish of 3 lb 8 oz.
Good early morning
caenis and sedge fishing
during the duller days have
also been reported. –
PAUL BOURKE.
MOY
BILLY THORNTON reports
that in the first week of June
148 salmon were caught,
including a 9 lb 4 oz fish on
fly from the Ridge pool for
Jonathan Smith.
On June 11 a further 224
salmon were reported for
the week. The following
week the catches increased
to 300 salmon for the week
and up to June 27, the
catches increased even
further, to 800 salmon.For
more about the River Moy
and its fisheries, including
prices and maps see http://
www.fishinginireland.info/
salmon/northwest/river_
moy_system.htm –
PAUL BOURKE.
SHEELIN
BRENDA MONTGOMERY
reports that fishing was
tough for many in early
June. This year enjoyed
record-breaking Mayfly
hatches – many claim it was
the biggest number ever,
with the plumes of mating
masses taking to the
evening air. The enormous
hatches of Mayfly and falls
of spent gnat made it hard
for many anglers trying to
tempt trout to take their
artificials. Nevertheless,
some lovely trout were
recorded. On June 15, Cian
Murtagh, fishing a team of
wet Mayflies, caught a
number of trout to 4 lb in
the Long Rock area. The
best fish reported was one
of 9 lb 8 oz for Dublin angler
John Moloney on a French
Partridge Mayfly fished off
Holywell. A total of 280
trout were reported in a
two-week period. Peter
McArdle caught four trout
for 19 lb (best, 6 lb 4 oz) all
on buzzer patterns. Gary
McKiernan recorded six
trout to 6 lb on Mayfly
nymphs and buzzer
patterns. On June 11 Frank
Kelly had three trout to
6 lb 8 oz on a Spent Gnat,
two to 5 lb on June 10, and a
three-pounder on June 9 on
Spent Gnat at Merry Point.
Frank also recorded nine
trout in the first week of
spent-gnat fishing with the
heaviest at 6 lb.
The Mayfly were still
dancing in swarms on June
19, especially in the
Hollywell to Crover area and
around the islands. In the
latter half of June Peter
McArdle had a best fish of
7 lb on a Murrough. On June
20 Cian Murtagh had a
brace of trout at 3 lb, fishing
around Church Island and
Curry Point and had a 4 lb
trout on a French Partridge
at Derrysheridan the
following day. On June 20
Michael Donnelly, had three
trout to 5 lb on Stimulators
and wet Mayfly patterns. –
PAUL BOURKE.
NORTHERN
IRELAND
WHILE THE first half of June
saw reasonable conditions
and pretty good fishing, the
second half found melting
roads and ended with a
hosepipe ban. Even
traditional low-water
fisheries slowed down under
the endless sun.
However, as you are
never more than an hour
from the sea in N Ireland,
visiting rods, when
conditions meant that beats
booked wouldn’t fish, were
redirected to wonderful
estuaries, where they fished
for sea-trout and mullet.
On the Mourne the first
two days of June were out
of order but from the 3rd
fish were taken on the river
and its tributary, the Derg.
These were salmon in the
9 lb-12 lb range – including
one by Shane Rolston.
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | 111
Following further freshets
and a couple of floods, sport
continued until mid month.
The grilse started to appear
and, with increasing
numbers, were caught in the
Strule as far up as Omagh.
On the Abercorn Estates
beats, June results are the
best since 2007. The Snaa
has produced salmon to 1
3 lb 8 oz. For bookings and
availability on this water call
Avril on +44 (0) 28 81661683
or check online wwww.
barons-court.com. The Finn
also enjoyed excellent
results when there was
enough water. The figures
from Glenmore show more
than 100 fish; I will have
more details next month.
The Lower Bann beats
have also produced fish,and
Carnroe had 82 for the
month. Among the long list
on this low-water fishery
were Sam Moore, 15 lb;
Bertie Hanna, four to 16 lb;
Eddie Fry, Edwin Crum,
David McIntyre, E. Millar, D.
Agnew and John Gillen with
four on prawn; and Peter
Simpson and Gary Lamont
with two apiece, also on
prawn. Good numbers of
these were sea-liced and
with the grilse arriving the
outlook is good. Portna and
Movanagher have yet to get
into their stride but fish have
been lost at Movanagher,
and at Portna Vincent
O’Rourke has returned
salmon.
Presently it is a case of
waiting for the weather to
break and water to bring in
the grilse. Then other rivers
such as the Roe and the
Faughan will come into play.
Finally, I have just
received a request from Jim
Haughey, chairman of the
Ulster Angling Federation
(UAF), in respect of the
Dalradian Goldmining
Application.
He writes to ask that you
make a submission to the
Dept of Infrastructure on the
proposed goldmine, which
is a grave danger to the
rivers Faughan and
Ballinderry. He suggests you
base your reply on their
draft reply in order to
support the environmental
case. Obviously you are free
to add or omit any
comments. If you have not
got this, contact the UAF
but please ensure that your
voice is heard – these
proposals have the potential
to be very damaging
to fisheries. –
MICHAEL SHORTT.
 WIN The teardrop gye
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 L AST CAST
OLLY COPPLESTONE
The ties
that bind
Giles Catchpole and the GRBG
discuss the importance of luck
N
OTHING IS SO RICH AND
complex as the ties that bind an angler
and his gillie.
So I’m once more standing up to my
nethers in the river practising my casting.
And it’s getting to be pretty good these
days. It is not that I spend a great deal of time fishing – I am
sorry to report that I do not flit gadfly-like from one great
river to another throughout the season – but that the bulk of
the time I spend fishing is taken up by casting because the
casting is for the most part wholly uninterrupted by fish. We
may have to think of a new name for salmon fishing because
I’m not entirely sure that the salmon referred to isn’t a bit
misleading, to be honest.
Anyway, let us not be downcast, even if we have been at it
for three days mob-handed and haven’t had a sniff. And then
the Great Red Bearded Gillie heaves to at my shoulder and
starts the usual excavation of the bowl of his pipe with his
penknife, which creates a racket you’d think could be picked
up by any salmon not wholly cloth-eared between here and
Norway, and clears his throat in a way that suggests he is
about to impart of his wisdom.
114 | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
“Tsach! Arrrgghh! Luck!” growls he...
“Haraw’s it gawn, Surr?” he finally asks, although at close
range it sounds for all the world like a great felled tree
crashing to the forest floor.
“Well,” says I, “I’ve nothing to report just yet but I’m sure
it’s just a matter of time, eh?”
“Is exxaactly the right answer, Surr!” the GRBG concludes,
“Yurr next cast might well produce the fush of the season.”
Which is indeed no more or less than the truth because the
scoreboard being, as it is, largely unencumbered by fish
would render almost anything the fish of the season thus far.
“It could indeed. You never know, do you, at this game? All
it takes is a little bit of luck, eh?”
It must be recorded at this point, that I have had this sort
of conversation with the GRBG on numerous occasions over
the years and without getting too existential about the whole
thing the GRBG’s view is that luck has little or nothing to do
with angling success and that a well-dressed lure beautifully
presented on a good long line laid light and allowed to swim
into the vicinity of a salmon from time to time will connect
more anglers to more fish than luck has ever done.
“Tsach! Arrrgghh! Luck!” growls he out from under the
great red beard. “I’ll heff to see wha’ can be done thur!” And
there, or thur, for the time being, we left it.
Now I have suggested from time to time in these pages
that much of the myth and legend that shrouds the subject of
angling luck – the libations to the river gods, the Smarties on
the sacred stone and the bottle left outside the hut for the
croy faeries – are all so much tosh. But speaking as one who
instructs from time to time – albeit in a subject far, far from
angling – I do know that by focusing someone’s attention on
the matter in hand – or more especially, perhaps, by
refocusing their attention more exactly on the matter in
hand, great things can sometimes be achieved.
Even something as simple as a change of fly will make the
next half-dozen casts a little more considered, more precise,
better. And that, as we all know, can change your luck.
So when the GRBG returned and announced that he had
brought me some luck, I was interested at a number of levels.
“Heeraaww!” he says and from his hand drops into my
palm a pebble with a hole in it. About the size of an old florin.
“Sss’a lucky stun!” he announced.
“It’s a dobby!” I said.
“Ss’a lucky stun!” he said. “Wi’ a hole un’it!”
“Where I come from,” I asserted, “we call it a dobby.”
“S’lucky!” the GRBG insisted and I dare say that our
exploration of comparative regional vocabulary, not to
mention the lore of different stone shapes, might have
passed some little time agreeably enough had, at this
juncture, the line not tightened and the reel begun to click in
a very business-like way indeed.
“Tsach!” announced the GRBG. “Telled ye! S’lucky right
enuff! Lift, man, lift!”
So I lifted and the rod bowed gloriously for all of a handful
of seconds and then straightened once more. “Tsach! It’s spa’
i’oot! Still, ah telled ye it was lucky, did ah no?”
“You did indeed,” I said, “And you were right, for sure, but
perhaps we just need a bigger one next time. With a bit more
luck in it?”
“Tsach!” said the GRBG and stomped off in the direction of
the bank, muttering as he went. “See him wi’ a fifty poond
rock in ’is troosers! Tha’ll be lucky right enuff!”
Surely, there is nothing as rich and complex as the
association between an angler and his gillie?