Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2018 i Trout & Salmon

“These results suggest that predators are the cause of smolt mortalities” ON FEBRUARY 1, I stood in the grounds of Banchory Lodge for the opening of the Aberdeenshire Dee. I’ve been to a few Dee openings, but this one was special, for me at least. I had the privilege of opening this magnificent river by making the first cast and toasting the season. This task is usually carried out by celebrities - Billy Connolly, Clive Anderson, Formula One’s Ross Brawn and last year, Pointless host Alexander Armstrong - all of whom have the gift of the gab. I don’t. So, it was with a soggy, typed speech that I said what I had to say to the assembled crowd as the wind, rain and hail put in its customary Deeside…

“I have the habit of fishing off the reel when I fish small flies near the surface. No disc drag, just a light pawl setting on my old Hardy. It has worked well for me” WHO DOESN’T LOVE to see a big-fish picture on the hut wall? It’s the stuff of boyhood dreams. Except, we don’t expect to hook a 20lb-plus salmon in the UK. We might discuss it over drinks in an If I Won The Lottery-type conversation, but sadly we haven’t had the same opportunity to catch large salmon as our forebears. I began salmon fishing in the late-1980s. The decades since have seen the grilse/salmon balance lean heavily towards grilse. Those grilse runs have now collapsed and it remains to be seen if we will enter a…

OUT OF THE Brexit maelstrom, I have just witnessed the forging of a special political relationship across the Channel as England and its ally France launch a major fisheries project to fight the decline of salmon and sea-trout. To the tune of nearly 8,000,000 Euros, using state-of-the-art monitoring facilities over the next five years, the Salmonid Management Round the Channel Project (SAMARCH) aims to provide scientific evidence to improve the management of salmon and trout in estuaries and coastal waters. Part funded by the European Union, SAMARCH’s ten organisations, including Exeter and Bournemouth Universities, the Environment Agency (EA), Salmon and Trout Conservation (UK), Institut National de Recherche Agronomique and Agrocampus Ouest, will be led by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT). SAMARCH has a four-point approach. Acoustic tracking will…

“The danger of doing nothing is to encourage the rural underground to go its own way” IF YOU, LIKE me, allow your fishing to overlap with other country pursuits, you cannot escape the conclusion that field sports are under pressure, for a variety of reasons, some of them environmental, some legislative, and some because of changing attitudes. Those who oppose field sports tend to prefer the more provocative description, “blood sports”, so that even people’s choice of language divides society into pro and anti camps. I’ve always thought fishing sits uneasily among an assortment of past-times that, historically, at least, includes bear-baiting and the shooting of elephants. Surely the contemplative angler, standing heron-like among the ranunculus, has little in common with a matador, facing down half a ton of angry…

The Scottish Parliamentary Inquiry into salmon farming, sparked by Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland’s 2016 petition, is now well underway. The Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform (ECCLR) Committee has taken oral and written evidence that has expanded on a lengthy commissioned report reviewing literature on the “environmental impacts of salmon farming in Scotland… and approaches to mitigating the impacts”. It was apparent from the combative and sceptical questioning of the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation representative by MSPs at the evidence session on February 6 that they were far from impressed with the industry’s questionable environmental track record, not least on sea-lice control and mortalities (the BBC’s The One Show in December clearly resonated with MSPs). The industry’s regulators also came under sustained scrutiny. These evidence sessions can be viewed…

IN THE UK you can fly-fish for trout on an amazing variety of rivers from tiny moorland burns to wide crystal-clear chalkstreams. The essence of river trout fishing lies in stealth, delicacy and a knowledge of where fish live, what they eat and how they eat it. The satisfaction gained from stalking a wild, wary creature and deceiving it into taking a well-presented fly as a natural insect is hard to convey. While straightforward skills and simple tackle will get you on the river catching fish, this is often the start of a quest leading you to acquire as much knowledge of your quarry and its behaviour as possible. Spotting a fish, knowing what it is eating, selecting the correct fly and presenting that fly with a skilful cast is…

AS SNUG AS A BUG SIMMS G3 GUIDE TACTICAL WADING JACKET £499 When it comes to weather protection, no one does it better than Simms, and this new Tactical Wading Jacket adds to the brand’s new range of G3 Guide waders and apparel. It’s made from three layers of durable and lightweight Gore-Tex – a fabric famous among outdoors enthusiasts for its exceptional waterproof and breathable qualities. Watertight cuffs provide a seal that stops water running up your arm when releasing a fish. There are two micro-fleece lined hand-warming pockets and a four-point adjustable tuck-away storm hood. The jacket’s high cut makes it perfect for wading. There are seven further pockets, two integrated retractors, a fly patch and a D-ring on the back for your net. At £499, it is…

APRIL IS A capricious month. It offers all the traditional signs of spring - budding trees, waving daffodils and sunshine - and then, just as you are about to pack the long underwear away at last, it hits you hard and fast with a brutal frost and squalling snow showers. Before lunch you are in shirt-sleeve order in a gentle stream dreaming of hatching ephemera and by tea-time you have icicles dangling off your top ring and freezing snow melt surging round your nethers. Aye, April can be a funny month. Which is probably why the start of the month is characterised by japing and pranksterism. April foolery. No one seems entirely certain quite why the 1st of April should be a festival of silliness and yet the tradition is…

“Eight hours’ fishing with hope versus 15 minutes’ fishing with certainty” LOCHS ARE IN short supply on the east coast of Scotland. Surprising really when you consider that you could fish every day, for a lifetime, and never dabble in all the west coast lochs. Even fewer are the lochs taking runs of migratory fish. I can only think of a few: Wester Loch in Caithness is a diminished water with poor runs; a very occasional salmon is caught on Watten; the lochs at the head of the Helmsdale contain loads of kippers in the summer months; Loch Evelix is a mystery, and will probably remain so, but has to have a sea-trout run; Ailsh is up there among the best; Loch na Croic takes a fair head of salmon…

WATERWAYS ACROSS London are becoming cleaner and more accessible than they’ve been in decades, attracting a new generation of fly-fishers. With younger anglers taking up the sport and documenting their time on the riverbank across social media, fly-fishing is becoming a “cool” sport. Established fly-fishers are finding more opportunities, too: from the River Wandle in Wandsworth to Walthamstow Reservoirs, many of these locations are just a Tube trip away. Even longer journeys to Home Counties streams are worth it, offering respite from busy city lives. There is also now a dedicated London Fly Fair, taking place on March 23-24 in Islington. With a population of nine million – 22 million if you include the commuter belt – the number of fly-fishers in London is potentially huge. We asked a handful…

Q I’M NEW TO salmon fishing, and already fascinated by these wonderful fish. I know they spend part of their lives in the river, and the rest in the sea, but beyond that, I don’t know much more. For example, is a grilse the same species as a salmon – and so on? Alice Wilson, via email A: ADULT SALMON RETURN from the sea to the rivers of their birth where they spawn in late autumn and early winter. Thousands of eggs are laid by each hen (female) fish, which are then fertilised by a cock fish. With their task completed, most spawned fish (kelts) will die, though a few survive and return to the sea. In the following spring, their eggs hatch into alevins which grow into fry and…

“That’s why I recommend trying a CDC-winged or hackled fly if you’ve been missing grayling” Q When dry-fly fishing on rivers I often “prick” fish or miss them altogether. Am I getting my timing wrong or should I be striking downstream, upstream or up in the air? Toby Braithwaite, via email A: THIS QUESTION really had me thinking because, provided I have covered the fish within my comfortable casting zone, I seldom miss a trout. Outside the zone, I can have problems. There are occasions when a trout has risen very close to me and I have had to drop the fly under the rod tip. These fish I struggle to hook. Dropping the fly from a rod still held high immediately after casting results in a sag in the…

TROUT, A GRANARY AND A CIDER HOUSE In Somerset, Hill Farm at Stawley, six miles from Wellington, is a grade II listed house set in 30 acres, bounded to the south-west by the River Tone. Accommodation includes three reception rooms and family room, main bedroom with ensuite bathroom and dressing room, three further bedrooms and bathroom. Malt House, a further cottage, has two reception rooms and two ensuite bedrooms. Grounds include traditional farm buildings with granary and cider house, walled vegetable garden, extensive lawns and woodland. The Tone, a tributary of the Parrett, holds trout and coarse fish and there are single-bank fishing rights. £1.7 million Knight Frank (Exeter) 01392 423 111 WESTCOUNTRY ACRES Extensive fishing on the River Exe comes with the sale of Upexe Mill, eight miles north…

Favo fly reels from £109.99 These high-tech fly reels are inspired by design elements from the Fario and Vosso reels. Guideline have given each reel individual features to best suit its purpose and to make it match nicely with the rod it is suited to. Part of the design is unique and can only be achieved by using a die casting method where reels are produced from high-precision tooling and then CNC finished before being coated with the final finish. The drag system is smooth, precise and well proven. It will give good performance even though it is not sealed. Normal care and maintenance is required when using the reels in saltwater. There are three models available and they will fit rods from 4wt up to 10/11wt. The 79 and…

MOST modern fly rods are powerful, but accuracy is the new frontier in fly rod design. Putting a dry fly in front of a rising trout or a crab fly in front of a tailing permit is fishing. Everything else is just hope. Success is defined by inches. Accuracy is everything. The Helios 3 represents the next great leap forwards in fly rod technology. Tracking is vastly improved through much-reduced oscillation and ovalisation. Maximum energy is transferred through a tighter window for the most precise and accurate casts you have ever experienced. It's a rifle in a world of muskets. All Helios 3 rods feature a matte storm grey (3F) or matte midnight black (3D) blank, anodised reel seat and REC recoil snake guides. Choose between the Helios 3D for…

RODS to rival Sage can now be bought in Britain via the Gloucester-based Lure Lounge Wholesale. The St Croix brand simply oozes quality in all their models – the entry-level Rio Santo and the top-of-the-range Legend Elite, with a mid-range Imperial version bridging the gap. All offer superb value for money and the high performance expected from a premium brand. All models are four-piece with exquisite cosmetics and fittings. UK anglers yet to try them are advised to do so... “This is a rod for the discerning fly-fisher.” Legend Elite £425 to £485 The best of the best. St Croix’s flagship model has a fast, smooth action and needs to be cast to be truly appreciated. Coping easily with floating and sinking lines, UK small water anglers should opt for…

HAVE YOU BEEN cooped up all winter? I’ll bet you’ve spent time dreaming of fooling fish with a dry-fly. I have. Sadly, I have been deluding myself a little because on opening day most trout will be getting their fill of nymphs and bugs. Although there’s always a chance… Many anglers think that trout feed from dawn until dusk, mopping up all and sundry. But like all wild creatures they know the great risks that are involved every time they search for food. Feeding lies are generally exposed, making them vulnerable to predators. It’s risk versus reward: how long they occupy a feeding station is pitted against the amount of food they can eat. During a sparse hatch, a fish may feed for only 30 minutes. It will expend little…

“We are moving away from our human-centric attitude to flora and fauna” THIS IS A story of hope and restoration. A happy tale of environmental renewal. In Ireland, we are blessed with a dazzling tracery of rivers that pulses across our wet landscape. In many ways, these waters are the lifeblood of a prolific agriculture that is the mainstay of rural Ireland, but chiefly, they drain it. There are the principal arteries like the Shannon, the Suir, the Liffey the Blackwater, the Slaney, the Erne … I could go on. But this story is about the lesser players - it is about the tributaries of the tributaries of the tributaries; those rivers and streams that are run by small fishing clubs in the townlands and villages of every county. And…

DON’T MISS the second annual London Fly Fishing Fair on March 23-24 at Business Design Centre, Islington. Among the attractions are casting displays from leading fly-fishers, such as Charles Jardine, Hywel Morgan, Marina Gibson, James Stokoe and Paul Procter. Thinking of fishing abroad? There will be exhibitors from as far afield as Mongolia, South America and Alaska. Web: thelondonflyfishingfair.co.uk FIND OUT about Orvis’s 50:50 campaign at www.orvis.com/s/women-on-the-water FOR DETAILS about fishing at Walthamstow Reservoirs 4 and 5, visit walthamstowffc.org.uk Call Walthamstow gate office: 020 8808 1527. Mobile: 07747 641 179. TO FISH on the Albury Estate (Syon Park, Brentford and Albury, Guildford), visit alburyestatefisheries.co.uk TO JOIN the Wandle Piscators, visit: www.wandlepiscators.net…

“Science now recognises four species of trout in the British Isles” DOES THIS HAPPEN to you - or is it just me? At a party in our village, a couple of friends were marvelling at the coincidence that, although they lived and worked 100 miles apart, they had both had dealings with the same sleazy character in London. And as they talked about him it dawned on me that this same sleazy character was my cousin. Or another time, when we discovered that close friends we’d known for years were, in fact, relations: his sister was married to my cousin - another cousin, that is, not the sleazy one. Outrageous coincidence or is something going on behind the veil and not telling us? Is it fortune or fate? Either way,…

The Test and Itchen supply water to two-thirds of the population of South Hampshire, primarily in Southampton and the Isle of Wight. Southern Water abstracts 55 million litres per day (Ml/d) from the lower Test at a works on the Testwood & Nursling salmon and sea-trout beat – enough to supply more than 300,000 people. The Itchen – unlike the Test – is a Special Area of Conservation, requiring a high level of protection under the EU Habitats Directive. The Environment Agency has therefore proposed a “Hands-Off Flow” or minimum flow threshold (of 198 Ml/d) to protect the Itchen from abstraction in extreme droughts. Southern Water claims that this would prevent it being able to meet its customers’ demands in drought years unless it can obtain alternative supplies. Its preference…

“It’s thought this triggers the salmon’s predatory instinct” FLIES WITH FEELERS have become de rigueur in recent years. They’re not a new innovation: the matriarch of feeler flies, the Frances, has been with us for decades, and the Pot Belly Pig is a veteran, too. Well-known Helmsdale fly-tyer Ron Sutherland began to take notice of the success of the Frances about ten years ago. Its feelers were widely held to create a disturbance in the water and it’s thought this triggers the salmon’s predatory instinct. Ron set about adding feelers to traditional Scottish patterns, such as the Black and Yellow, and Willie Gunn. Next, he set about creating big-water flies for rods fishing in Russia. He turned to that other famous Icelandic fly, the Snaelda, and after some tweaking married…

WITH THE WILD brown trout season almost upon us, it is with almost immeasurable excitement that I look forward to getting afloat on Malham Tarn. This will be my 29th season, and over the last 16 years Malham has established itself comfortably in the upper echelons of the UK and Ireland’s best wild brown trout fisheries. “Best” is a big word and one I am loath to apply to anything, let alone something as subjective as my idea of Heaven; but I am yet to fish better. “The upper size limit of each season’s best few fish has steadily grown” The funny thing is, brown trout shouldn’t even be there. Mother Nature created as perfect a stillwater wild brown trout habitat as can be found anywhere - but forgot to…

England & Wales BORDER ESK THE PROPOSED new bylaws have been greeted with a lot of anger and frustration, and anglers are still unclear as to whether changes will be made this season. This is unsatisfactory as many rods are waiting to see whether catch-and-release is to be made mandatory. The Esk and Liddel Angling Club ticket prices were to be set at their AGM in March. The ticket outlets will be Canonbie Post Office, The Cross Keys, Canonbie, Stevenson and Johnstone, Langholm, and Copshaw Kitchen, Newcastleton. They are also available from salmon2377@icloud.com or message Facebook page@borderesk. The Esk and Liddel Angling Club season opens on April 1. The occasional salmon has been caught in April in the past couple of seasons. Late April into May sees the arrival of…

ADDING to their highly-reliable and affordable World Class range of fluorocarbon, Fulling Mill now offer the new ultra-high-spec Masterclass range. Brilliantly supple with tremendous abrasion resistance and great knot strength, It has the purest and densest fluorocarbon recipe on the market giving it the fastest sink rate out there. Furthermore, instead of suiting one aspect of fly-fishing, Masterclass can be used in all disciplines – trout, salmon and saltwater game fish. The company claim that the substantially improved performance represents a ‘revolution in your tackle bag’. Available both online from Fulling Mill direct and from any of their 700-plus dealers in the UK, Europe and rest of the world (except for the USA) as of March this year, it's sure to make a stir. QUALITIES INCLUDE ■ Unique pure form…