Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2018 i Trout & Salmon

I SPENT THE morning of Thursday, May 1, 1969, inside a bush. It was not a nice bush, at that. Not a natural bush. It was a claustrophobic construction of chicken wire laced with leaves and twigs. It was hot, I couldn’t see out and bits fell off and down my neck. Some of them wriggled. Through that long morning I was led from place to place and blokes with bells and hankies danced round me, clacking sticks: I was Jack-in-the-green at a morris-dancing celebration of May Day. A horrid experience - but I had only myself to blame. I’d ignored a cardinal rule of life, originally propounded by the Scottish composer, Guy Warrack, first quoted by Jan Struther in 1935 and later attributed to every renowned wit from Sir…

As you will have read elsewhere on these pages [ Editor's Letter , p7], the Environment Agency is about to announce its intended package of measures to regulate salmon and sea-trout angling and commercial netting in England. The Angling Trust is delighted with the Agency’s intention to close all mixed-stock fisheries with effect from 2018, allowing an extra 15,000 salmon and sea-trout to swim up English and Scottish rivers. In 2019, we’ll also see an end to salmon being killed by the T&J beach nets and other nets around the country, which will save a further 8,000 salmon. Closure of unsustainable net fisheries was a key part of the Angling Trust’s Save Our Salmon campaign, launched with this magazine two years ago. Thank you to everyone who has supported us…

QI HAVE fished for salmon for many years in what most would describe as small salmon rivers. However, I now have an opportunity to join a party fishing a beat on the lower Spey in June. What is concerning me is that I’ve seen various videos where “big name” casters are blasting enormous lengths of line over the horizon. For me, spey casting has been far more about avoiding obstacles and fishing below steep banks than going all out for distance. I’d struggle to cast that far – even with a spinning rod and heavy Toby. Will I be wasting my time (and money) by venturing on to a big river? Jim Ryder, by email A: IT WILL depend on where the salmon are lying in the pools you are…

THE ORIGINAL IDEA behind the Cat Dabbler was nothing more cunning than morphing Cat colours (the white and chartreuse or lime-green of the Cat’s Whisker lure) into the Dabbler framework, thus creating a mini lure with impeccable credentials. Toning things down was part of the plan, too, and hopefully a slightly smaller, slightly quieter Cat would score when larger, louder lures make fish think twice. That was the theory but as we all know, theory and practice, especially when it comes to fly design, can be completely different things. I am, however, happy to tell you that on this occasion the theory worked a treat. The Cat Dabbler has been in my circle of trust for eight years and has caught fish the length and breadth of the UK. As…

IN THE SHORT, dark days of winter, the beginning of a new year is a time to pause for reflection, for taking stock and for looking back over the past year. For me, the most memorable aspect of 2017 is that it was my first season’s fly fishing. In previous years, I was never a angler of any kind. To be sure, fly fishing featured somewhere on my very long list of things I might do one day, but it was a long way down, I didn’t know where to start and there was never time. I had a farm advisory business to run, a horse to look after, a book to write and a living to earn. Life was one hectic whizz of visiting farms and dealing with clients’…

CHALLENGING CONDITIONS and uncertainty were the issues concerning Irish anglers on the opening day of the salmon season (January 1) and three weeks later a first salmon had yet to be landed. This follows the trend of fish runs becoming later. We have become used to challenging conditions as we learn to adapt to flooding and the impact of climate change, but the uncertainty of the impact on the habitat is a key issue as we head into the 2018 season without our chief at the wheel. To FISSTA (Federation of Irish Salmon and Sea Trout Anglers), it is a season of “Hamlet without the Prince” as we face the loss of a true friend, who has given us so much. Orri Vigfússon, chairman of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund,…

YOU WILL NEED EQUIPMENT ■ Dust/vapour mask ■ Rubber gloves ■ Kettle ■ Teaspoon, or better still a one-quarter teaspoon measuring spoon ■ Tablespoon ■ One-litre heatproof glass measuring jug ■ Stainless steel strainer the diameter of the jug ■ Heatproof glass dish big enough to accommodate any materials you intend to dye that will not fit in the jug ■ Pillow case ■ Hairdryer DYES The dyes are acid dyes in powder form. Do not be put off by the reference to acid – all you need to use is white vinegar. I have used Veniard, Jaquard and Irish Fly Supplies dyes. In my experience, Irish Fly Supplies dyes produce the best results, they come in a good range of colours, and you get more for your money. You…

“One of my pals has totally dispensed with flat tinsel in favour of Lite-Brite” SINCE I WROTE about my father’s pattern, the Garrabhudie (December 2017), I’ve had a number of requests to feature the Lochy Shrimp, on which the Garrabhudie is based. It was born following a conversation about flies I had with former Lochy river manager John Veitch during 2011. After a prolonged bout of shooting the breeze, John and I began thinking about what a clear-water Shrimp for the Lochy might look like. We agreed that the classic mix of blue, black, yellow and silver was a safe bet, especially on a bright day. I like a bit of blue in a fly and there are many famous examples. I first remember seeing blue in wee Hairy Marys…

AS COMFORTABLE AND TOUGH AS JEANS SIMMS G3 GUIDE WADERS FROM £599 Simms has updated its popular G3 Guide Waders by increasing puncture resistance and improving breathability. They are now made with four layers: an ultra-dense microfibre face fabric, Gore-Tex Pro membrane, hydrophilic film and tricot backing. Fly Fish Europe’s Steve Peterson, the UK distributor of Simms, told us: “Simms are obsessed with improvement. They identified the need for a more breathable wader fabric for the angler who fishes in a wide variety of environments and worked with materials scientists at W.L. Gore to develop a more breathable wader laminate.” Steve said the breathability of the new fabric is a 190 per cent improvement over the previous G3 Guide waders – an impressive figure that is supported by lab and…

HIGHLAND HOUSE WITH TWO WINGS AND TURRET STUDY At Farr, eight miles south of Inverness, is Dunlichity House, which generates income from bed and breakfast, boarding kennels and a trout fishery. Built in 1999 and upgraded since, there are two reception rooms, main ensuite bedroom, turret study, three further double bedrooms and a bathroom. There are two separate wings, one providing two ensuite double bedrooms and the other two ensuite bedrooms, two further bedrooms and bathroom. Boarding kennels that can house up to ten dogs are set away from the house. The trout fishery is based on two lochans, one of three acres and one of an acre, stocked with brown, rainbow and blue trout and with separate car park and fisherman’s bothy. Grounds extend to 12 aces in all.…

Bernard Gordon Lennox, who has died aged 85, was, to many who knew him, the very embodiment of a military man. With a formidable and decisive personality, his reputation for upholding and insisting upon the very highest standards ensured that his presence was felt before, during and after any meeting with him. Highly principled, resolute and with firm views, he commanded the respect of all those he encountered, but it was his understanding, support, concern and care for all, whether family, employees, guardsmen or Generals, that earned him the love and affection of a huge body of devotees. The eldest son of Lieutenant General Sir George and Lady Gordon Lennox (“Nan”), he was Page of Honour to King George V1 between 1946 and 1949. After Eton, where he shone academically…

“I know that my role in life is to provide a bit of light relief on the inside back page” AND SO THE whole thing kicks off once again. The weather may be brutal, the snowdrops may have peeped briefly out and thought better of the whole thing after all; and up and down the land there are anglers looking out of their study windows with a thousand-yard stare and wondering whether it might not be time to start winding together a few flies for the new season. And it is, in my view, a perfectly reasonable question. I know that my role in life is to provide a bit of light relief on the inside back page. A trifling bit of whimsy, softer than a summer breeze, to round…

“Our sport is in danger of becoming ridiculously mannerist in its worship of the fly” “ARE YOU BRINGING the Devil’s Wand?” asked fishing pal, Mark, before a three-day trip to the Tweed in March. “Probably,” I said, knowing full well that the spinning rod would be packed as it always is in the early spring. Mark is not alone among salmon fly-fishers in regarding spinning as dabbling with the “dark side”. Prejudice against spin fishing is deeply embedded among too many fly-fishers - usually those who have never fished any other way. The prejudice goes something like this: spin fishing is easy and unrefined, just whack out a piece of scrap metal attached to a giant treble hook, wind in and chuck again. Sooner or later, something will take the…

FOR TROUT AND grayling fishing over the past few seasons I have carried only a few patterns, either dry, wet or nymph. I was once guilty of carrying far more than I needed, many remaining unused but seeming like a good idea at the time. After a reluctant cull I was left with only a handful of flies in the three types and my catches haven’t diminished - they’ve possibly increased. I normally fish the Welsh Dee, Ceiriog and Alyn, all rain-fed and home to fish that are not particularly concerned with exact imitation, which allows me to use general patterns. One of my all-time favourites is the Baby Sunfly, made famous by the Reverend Edward Powell, who did great things with it on the rivers of the Welsh Marches.…

Q BEFORE HAVING a family restricted my fishing time I regarded myself as a good nymph angler. I had success with a variety of gold-beaded Hare’s Ears and Pheasant Tails. Now I’ve returned to the sport my friends have been pulling my leg because of my old-fashioned fly box. Why are gold-beaded nymphs no longer as popular with river anglers? Douglas Stirling, by email A: WHEN ROMAN Moser introduced gold-beaded nymphs they were an immediate success. For many river fishers, it was the first time they’d been able to get flies down to the depth the fish were lying. The trout and grayling had seldom, if ever, had artificial flies drifting through their lies, and were suddenly easy to tempt. However, on heavily fished waters these fish soon became wary…

England & Wales BORDER ESK A BIG spate on January 3 brought up the river at Canonbie to almost 6 ft. Spawning is reported to have been good, with both salmon and sea-trout on the redds in reasonable numbers. Peter Kinstrey, head bailiff for Buccleuch Estates, told me that a fair number of late-running salmon had been seen in December. The unclear outcome of the salmon consultation and bylaw review casts doubt on the future memberships of clubs, hence the Esk and Liddel Angling Club have yet to set their membership and ticket fees for this season. The club has a new chairman, Ralph Morris, with Martin Coulthard the new secretary. Former chairman Iain Blackett and secretary Stuart Campbell have both stepped aside and great thanks go to them for…