Innholdsfortegnelse for Autumn Special 2018 i Trout & Salmon

SANDY LEVENTON RETIRES FROM T&S this month. For the past three years he has edited the Fishing Reports, but due to “inconvenient” monthly deadlines he has been unable to take advantage of regular fishing opportunities and therefore he’s decided to hang up his hat for good. I can’t blame Sandy, but it saddens me that we are losing a tremendous member of the “family” who has lived and breathed this magazine since he was appointed assistant editor in 1985. He edited the magazine for 19 years (1986-2005) - the longest stint of any editor since the magazine was launched in 1955. I know making the decision to retire has been agonising. But he richly deserves to have more time to go fishing. He has been a leading light in…

The work of several angling artists is rarely shown in one place, but a dozen leading names are currently exhibiting at the House of Bruar Wildlife Art Gallery. Among them are renowned painters Terence Lambert, Chris Sharp and Alistair Makinson. However, nothing beats meeting the artists in person and three prominent sculptors will be introducing their work during The House of Bruar fishing department’s Open Weekend on September 14-16. Sam MacDonald from Crieff works in pewter, gold leaf, copper and brass, Tweedside’s Jason Sweeney creates stunning steel figures and Northumbrian Ian Greensitt crafts in memorable bronze. The shop's weekend follows a familiar format with expert casting instructors and leading tackle-makers present to offer customers advice. The House of Bruar is just off the A9, ten miles north of Pitlochry. Web:…

CALLING ALL JUNIORS! Catch a salmon, or trout and send us a picture of you and your fish, including details of its capture…

The Art Of Lake Fishing (1930) In dust-wrapper: £50. Without: £25. Clear-Water Trout Fishing With Worm (1935). Reprinted 1977 & 1985. With dust-wrapper: £50. Without: £25. Reprint in dust-wrapper: £15. Without: £5. Pike On The Plug. Notes on bait-casting by the American method (1936) With dust-wrapper: £100. Without: £25. Salmon And Seatrout In Wild Places (1968) With dust-wrapper: £60. Without: £30. Newly From The Sea (1969) With dust-wrapper: £90. Without: £45. Ways Of Fishing (1972) With dust-wrapper: £40. Without: £25. Game Fishing Tactics (1974) With dust-wrapper: £35. Without: £25. Fishing The Wilder Shores: An Anthology (1991) With dust-wrapper: £30. Without : £20. The Sidney Spencer Omnibus: Salmon And Seatrout In Wild Places and Newly…

Ever been to a symposium? It has nothing to do with orchestras and though it sounds intimidating the word means "drinking party". The Grayling Society’s 42nd Symposium is an annual gathering of members combining talks (this year on science, big fish and underwater filming), a dinner, awards, an auction and a chance to buy tackle. There’s fishing, too. It takes place over the weekend of October 20-21 at Redworth Hall Hotel in Co Durham with fishing on the Tees and Wear. Last year 96 members attended and the society hopes to top 100 this year. You must join the society to attend – only £28. Visit graylingsociety.net…

Making waves If you can catch a fish without wading, it’s usually better to do so. Fish detect low-frequency waves caused by clumsy wading and high-frequency sounds generated by kicking over rocks or the sound of boot studs and wading staffs banging on rocks. These sounds will alert the fish to your presence. Everyone who has waded has probably moved up through a pool and made the comment that “they’ve stopped rising” without making the connection that it was the disturbance they caused that stopped the rise. Move slowly to avoid causing waves and place your feet quietly without disturbance. Keep watching any feeding fish. If you think your entry into the pool has alarmed them in any way, wait until they resume normal feeding activity before you cast. Once…

AUTUMN brings lower water temperatures and triggers a change in salmon. They become aggressive, charged by hormones, territorial, especially around gravel beds. Although you shouldn’t target fish ready to spawn, this is an opportunity. Yes, you’ll catch a few old fish, but you’ve a chance of a fresh one, too. If you hook one past its best, play it fast and handle it quickly with care. One of the problems of fishing at this time of year is the dreaded leaf “hatch”. It’s frustrating how many leaves you may hook. The wind makes matters worse. There are tricks to make fishing more pleasurable under these conditions. As most freshly shed leaves will be high in the water, use sink-tips or sinking lines to fish under them. You’ll be targeting fish…

Insert the already burred plastic liner into the bottle tube. Add a length of pink silicone tubing before fixing the bottle tube on the mount and running on fluorescent pink floss. Apply a few turns of the floss into the shallow groove at the rear of the bottle tube then apply a small amount of Superglue to the floss. Wind on three or four more turns of floss using a whip finish tool then draw the loop tight to form the butt. Trim off the loose end of the floss then run the black tying thread directly on to the liner in front of the bottle tube. Catch in a few strands of Mirage tinsel then add a slim bunch of black fox hair. Secure the fox hair with tight…

1 Step then cast Many salmon anglers cast at 45 degrees, take a step down the river and then make an upstream mend. By the time the fly starts to swing under tension, it has already covered approximately 15 per cent of the pool. If a salmon were to take the fly before there is tension, it would have time to let go before the take has been registered. To ensure tension from the off, it’s good practice to take the step down before casting. 2 Remember the brake Always set the drag before you start fishing. It’s incredibly frustrating when a hook pulls out of a salmon’s mouth because the drag is set too tightly. Equally, if it’s set too loosely the reel may over-run or the hook won’t…

THE FIRST TIME I CAME across nymph fishing for salmon was John Wilson’s TV series Go Fishing. He was on the River Test at Testwood and was shown the method by the then keeper, Graham Purbrick. They caught one salmon in bright conditions. It was a very different approach to the salmon fishing I knew, using very different-looking flies. Since then I’ve read and heard various accounts of nymphing tactics for salmon: Czech, New Zealand-style and so forth. There are many ways to do it, but I’ve always been fascinated by what I had watched on TV and so to find out more I contacted Howard Taylor, current manager at Testwood. The pattern Howard shared with me (pictured) is a version of one devised by Graham Purbrick in the 1990s.…

“The retrieve must not be too quick and the night need not be as dark as the inside of a pocket” OF ALL THE WAYS THERE are to catch sea-trout I find none more exciting than to cast a surface lure into the velvet night. It can be deadly and often attracts bigger fish. When a take comes, sometimes it is an arm-wrenching pull. In the sea-trout anglers who use it (and there are many who do not) the surface lure instils hope. I think it’s fair to say that most anglers using one simply want it to create a wake, or a “V”, as Arthur Ransome called it. It was Ransome that found an early description of its use and wrote an entertaining article about it for The Manchester…

Dressed short, this delicate-looking Shuttlecock comes into its own with back-end trout that have seen it all. Perfect during a hatch of B-WOs or any other small olive species. The bulk of this fly hangs in the surface film and appears a crumpled mess compared to the usual crucifix attitude of spinners. The foam post acts as a sighter and keeps this distressed-looking pattern afloat.…

Q Last week I was in the company of two very good fly-fishers and their talk of “compound rises” went completely over my head. What is a compound rise? Dave Skelton, by email A I t’s a rise from a well-fed “educated” trout or one that’s on what I call “amber alert” – a state of increased awareness that something is not quite right but which is not serious enough to make it dive for cover. A trout’s view of the world above the surface is through a window of light above its head. This window is small when the trout is near the surface and widens as the fish drops deeper. Just as a stick appears to bend as it is pushed down into the water, the light from…

“Certainly no salmon could currently run” I have recently returned from my annual July trip to a middle Spey beat. Conditions were unlike anything experienced before, with the river at historic lows, a water temperature of 62 deg F, and unsurprisingly no salmon. There were, however, plenty of sea-trout. What was as worrying as the lack of salmon was the huge number of opened and eaten freshwater pearl mussels along the exposed riverbanks, including one spot where I counted 68 opened bivalves, some of them as big as the palm of my hand. Freshwater mussels are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and are currently categorised as “endangered”. The Spey has one of the largest populations in the UK, but to see such wholesale devastation was extremely worrying.…

A bloody battle, a famous shoot and promising salmon fishing The Urrard Estate in the heart of Perthshire offers salmon fishing, grouse shooting, a renowned driven pheasant shoot and stalking. It is also steeped in history. It is the site of the Battle of Killekrankie in July 1689 when Jacobite forces under John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee – perhaps best known as Bonnie Dundee – defeated the forces of William of Orange. Although the battle lasted only half an hour, some 2,000 were killed, including Bonnie Dundee himself. Claverhouse’s Stone on the estate is said to mark where he fell. The Urrard Estate is half a mile from Killecrankie. Pitlochry is four miles and Perth 37. On the market six years ago with a price tag of £3 million,…

AFTER BREXIT The UK Government wants to know your thoughts on a post-Brexit fisheries policy. Its consultation document Sustainable fisheries for future generations is available to read at www.gov.uk(search Fisheries White Paper, July 4). In his forward Defra minister Michael Gove writes, “As an independent coastal state for the first time in over 40 years, access to UK waters will be on our terms, under our control and for the benefit of UK fishermen”. FLY THERAPY Casting For Recovery (CFR) marked its tenth year of fishing at Kimbridge on the River Test in July. The charity, which offers fly-fishing retreats around the country to women whose lives have been profoundly affected by breast cancer, was formed in 2007. Some 12-14 participants at each retreat are introduced to the therapeutic benefits…

Angling author, sportsman and acclaimed conservationist Art Lee has died, aged 76. For nearly half a century, from his home overlooking the famous Junction pool, at the confluence of New York’s Beaverkill and Willowemoc rivers, Lee built an international reputation as a fly-fishing writer. Possessing an incisive, informative and highly personal style, Lee wrote four angling books (including the influential Fishing Dry Flies For Trout On Rivers and Streams) and hundreds of articles and essays for such magazines as National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Yankee Magazine, Field & Stream and Sports Afield. Additionally, he held the title of editor-at-large and was a long-time contributor to both Fly Fisherman Magazine and the Atlantic Salmon Journal. In 2010 he was inducted into the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum’s “Fly Fishing Hall of Fame”. After…

PAUL PROCTER Owing to high water temperatures (20 deg C), Paul has stopped fishing on his local Cumbrian rivers. He's waiting for rain to arrive and hatches to return. Meantime he’s looking forward to Slovenia in September, where he'll fish with Kevin Smith of Slovenia Fly Fishing and match blue-winged olives on crystal-clear streams. PHILLIP ELLIS Although the rivers Ure and Yorkshire Esk are short of water, like much of the rest of the country, they still offer plenty of fishing to our Ure reporter Phil. When he's not guiding, Phil likes to try his luck at Leighton Reservoir on the Swinton Estate where he has been trying to catch one of its big rainbow trout. ERIC HOPE Our Cumberland Derwent reporter Eric has been enjoying some sea-trout fishing, as…

“Most people today think the lack of salmon is the norm” IN HIS NEW Book, Silver Shoals: The Five Fish That Made Britain , Charles Rangeley-Wilson documents the influence that herring, cod, carp, eels and salmon have had on our country – and more importantly, the effect we’ve had on their populations over the centuries. He delivers an astonishing read that combines high-quality, investigative journalism with astute historical analysis and autobiographical stories that educate and entertain in equal measure. Highlights include him spending a week aboard a trawler out of Peterhead, where he conveys bluntly what life is like for the few remaining commercial fishermen plying their trade catching cod, haddock and hake in the North Sea. His quest to find, and venture to sea with, one of the few…

WE OFTEN SAY SEPTEMBER IS the month the locals go fishing. Those of us who have guided and advised since May without ever having had the urge to pick up a rod quite suddenly become obsessed. The question is why? It might be because this is, from a physical labour point of view, our quietest month of the year. It is too early to start the winter projects. The last weed-cut happened in August. The grass just needs the occasional mow. Fishers are fewer in number as the shooting season peels off some first to the grouse moors and then for early partridge. You might go days without seeing or talking to a living soul. Maybe we don’t have anything better to do. Or is it because the river and…

Liskeard and District Angling Club has access to eight separate beats on the Fowey, as well as water on the Lynher, Inny and Camel. Day-tickets are available for £20 and annual membership for £97.50. Mid-May to the end of July is considered the best time for sea-trout when the main run is in progress with school peal present to the end of the season. Salmon can be caught throughout the season. Web: ldac.org.uk Tickets sold at Fishing Mayhem, Liskeard and Rogers Tackle Shop, Bodmin. The fish counter at Restormel recorded 6,281 salmon and sea-trout in 2015; 8,520 in 2014; and 9,346 in 2013. Seasons: brown trout and sea-trout, April 1 to September 30; salmon, April 1 to December 15.…

1 Never wade through water you haven’t fished first. There may be fish present you haven’t spotted. 2 Don’t stand in known lies – even if the fish have vacated the spot. You may wish to return and cover the lie later. 3 Identify lies and where to stand to present your fly most effectively before stepping into the water. You’ll avoid wandering about the pool. 4 Fish may be facing downstream in backwaters. Consider the best angle to approach them. 5 If you can approach a pool from downstream through faster water this can help to prevent waves from pushing into a pool and disturbing the fish. 6 If more than one fish is feeding, decide on the order in which you will cast to them and how you…

It's strange how old-style bucktail tubes have fallen out of favour, given they’ve accounted for thousands of fish. Although the style looks old fashioned, it has a number of great design points. The metal tube sinks quickly to where fish are lying, especially if the bucktail's tied sparsely. If you wrap the thread tightly, the bucktail will flair, forming a shuttlecock shape. This gives the fly translucency and movement. To some degree the bucktail also protects the hook points from catching on leaves. The best-known pattern is the Willie Gunn, in yellow, orange and black bucktail. Other patterns to try are The Comet, White Wing, Red Devil and Junction Shrimp. The latter was designed to be fished as light fades – white shows up well at dusk – but it…

“Worn areas on the large-scale map a testament to countless conversations about where to fish and when” A CURSORY glance at a map of North Uist will highlight just how much water there is on this Outer Hebridean island. Look more closely and you may be forgiven if your mind starts to unravel, such is its scale and complexity: fresh, brackish, salt, lochs with tidal inlets in all directions and interconnecting streams. There’s a lifetime’s fishing. We were staying at the Lochmaddy Hotel, a cosy, family-run affair with John and Lorna Docherty at the helm. You roll off the Uig ferry and you’ve arrived. It stands with commanding views over the harbour and the Minch beyond and has been welcoming anglers and travellers from all over the world for more…

JUDI, YOU MAY RECALL, appreciates a bit of medieval slaughter: give her a battlefield or a castle and she goes all wistful. So we were heading for a holiday in Gwynedd, a corner of Wales with any amount of both, alongside a lingering resentment towards Edward I. We’d rented a cottage tucked in the hills behind Harlech, above the village of Llanbedr. It was an idyllic spot, an ancient farmhouse hanging over the valley of the Afon Cwmnantcol with its renowned Nantcol waterfalls. The sun shone as we sat in the garden and tucked into the home-made cream cakes left by Eleri, our host. A pied wagtail flitted about, summoning the nerve to ignore us and deliver its beakful of grub to the nest hidden in the clematis over the…

DECADES AGO, I VISITED Draycote on a number of occasions and thoroughly enjoyed it. That was back in the days when a team of traditional flies was de rigueur on the Midlands reservoirs, and nowhere did the fish enjoy them more than on Draycote. I haven’t been back since - I’ve been busy with the wild ones - but many of my southern-orientated fishing pals have kept me informed and nothing much seems to have changed. Draycote is definitely one of best, if not the best, top-of-the-water fisheries in England. I have come to think of it as the dry-fly capital of the world. It’s a funny thing that every reservoir trout population can seem susceptible to a particular fishing style. After all, when one considers that the bulk of…

Burr the end of a length of fine plastic tube and fix it on a tube mount. Run the tying thread down in open turns and catch in a folded barred rubber strand to form two legs. Secure the legs with tight thread turns then select a long-fibred dyed-blue grizzle cock hackle. Stroke back the fibres and catch the hackle in by its tip. Secure the hackle tip with further thread turns then apply a coat of viscous Superglue to the top and underside of the tube. Cut a length of green foam from the sheet – it should be 5mm wide and long enough to fold back to form the wing cases. Fix it to the upper side of the tube. Before the Superglue has set, cut a 5mm…

The staff at John Norris (tackle-shop) of Penrith have intimate knowledge of the Eden system. Address: 21 Victoria Road, Penrith. Tel: 01768 864 211. Web: johnnorris.co.uk Kirkby Stephen A.A. controls unspoilt fishing on the Eden headwaters. Day-tickets from Hall’s newsagents, Market Square, Kirkby Stephen. Tel: 01768 371 374. Web: kirkbystephen.net Appleby A.A. offers day-tickets on the upper to middle Eden. Tickets from H. Pigney and Son Ironmongers, High Wiend, Appleby. Tel: 01768 351 240. Web: applebyangling.co.uk Yorkshire Fly Fishers’ Club controls several prime beats of the Eden. Unfortunately, day-tickets are not available. Membership details can be found at yorkshireflyfishers.co.uk Penrith A.A. controls over 40 miles of the Eden system. Day-tickets available from several outlets and can be found on its comprehensive website: penrithanglers.co.uk Eden Lacy is a private beat that…

Crickets on Corrib Jon Beer’s article (August) on unusual fishing methods reminded me of an anecdote from a few years ago. At the time, it was customary for Lough Corrib to go very quiet in the summer, but word got around that there was good fishing to be had with dapped crickets. The local pet shop suddenly found itself doing a roaring trade in crickets. Indeed, they sold out within days and their regular customers, accustomed to an easy supply for their lizards (or whatever exotic animals you feed crickets to), found themselves unable to obtain any. The pet shop owner managed to obtain an emergency supply, but resorted to a strict quota per customer and even interrogated customers as to their intentions regarding the crickets before consenting to a…

IT IS 3.45AM AND YOU ARE just leaving your drought-stricken river after a weary sea-trout outing. Too late for an ice-cold beer to quench your dry throat, and too early for the aroma of ground coffee to sharpen your senses for the fresh day ahead. Sleep deprivation makes you question something that catches your eye in the coming light at the bridge pool, a convenient parking area for the night owl. An unwelcome rush of adrenaline, far more powerful than caffeine, alerts your senses to people who shouldn’t be there, but who have used the accessible location for their clandestine activity. Your gaze focuses on a gang of men half-submerged in the pool. Their net is taking out large numbers of fish, which have a black market price on their…

The only monthly record of catches and news from the major fisheries of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland England and Wales BORDER ESK THE RIVER has been running at minus levels on the gauges. Sport with salmon has been at a standstill but sea-trout rods fishing at night have caught some fish. The very low water has resulted in far fewer anglers, so catches have been lower than expected. Rain is desperately needed. Among the successful anglers was Patrick Laidler with sea-trout of 4 lb, 4 lb and 1 lb 8 oz on fly in the Willow Pool. Richard Booth had sea-trout of 3 lb and 1 lb 8 oz. Colin Rome caught a 12 lb 8 oz salmon. Up on Mid Irvine House, C. Scacey and P. Cabril shared…

THE WING COMMANDER WILL probably bite his biro in two but here goes. So obviously the lucky stone was popped into the fishing bag - along with the lucky Smarties for the magic rock and the packet of Polos I had in my pocket when I caught the 20-pounder, well, nearer 20 than 10 even if it did come off at the net, and the lucky flies and all the assorted lucky nonsense that has accumulated over the decades of fishing where blind luck has probably been the dominant force behind such success as I have enjoyed rather than skill, artistry, application or diligence. And as such it came with me to the Spey where I thought I would show it to the gillie in order to demonstrate how superbly…

FLY-FISHING IS changing fast. Technology is allowing us to cast bigger flies and use heavier and faster-sinking lines, while new materials have created spectacular advances in fly design. As a result, we can now target fish that were once the province of the bait and spin fishermen. If you're about to book another trip to that same old salmon river, consider what else you might be fishing for. HUGE CHAR AND LAKE TROUT The northern wastes of Labrador are a vast wilderness, where mobs of big char and monstrous lake trout offer fishing from another time. During a week’s fishing, your only company may be black bears and sea eagles, and you’ll probably catch more big char and lake trout than you can count. If lucky, you’ll watch the northern…

Chances are that if you’ve fished on a stillwater you've encountered one of the most successful mayflies on the planet. The pond olive (Cloeon dipterum) is found in still or slow-flowing waters on all continents apart from Antarctica. It’s success is probably down to the fact that once mated the female doesn’t immediately return to the water to her eggs. Instead she rests in bankside vegetation as the eggs mature inside her. After 10 to 14 days she returns to the water and lays around 1,200 eggs that immediately hatch and the tiny nymphs swim away. This strategy gives the pond olive a massive advantage as the female can be transported accidentally to other waters on clothing and equipment or even to other countries in freight. Nymphs are 6mm-9mm long…

“A fishing boat arrived, blankets draped over its registration numbers, and netted the lot” ANYONE WHO HAS SPENT YEARS salmon fishing will have experienced the need to abandon the river when conditions take a turn for the worse - either a wash-off or grue in the early season or drought on a spate river. With a shrug of the shoulders, lamenting our bad luck, we leave and hope for better prospects next time. I’m loath to give up on a river. It needs to be pretty murky in a flood to force me off since there’s often a chance with a bright heavy fly fished close to the banks where salmon gather to escape the heaviest flow. Equally, when the river is low, there are oxygenated runs and deep pools…

“The slip and slide, the rush and ripple of the river were the loudest sounds on the quiet air” I HAD FISHED THE DAY before; at least I had gone through the motions. My drive over to Wharfedale had taken me along stretches of the upper Eden that were flowing full and shining bright. The Ure above Hawes looked beautiful and Gayle Beck looked even better. When I had crossed Cam Fell and driven down to the Wharfe just below the tiny hamlet of Beckermonds, the water seemed to be telling me that I should soon be catching lots of trout. It was the sort of water that fishers of upstream flies dream about, flowing with that welcome and glowing stain of peat. Before tackling up I ate a sandwich…

Careless wading kills a number of anglers every year. Assess the situation, your abilities and the consequences of a fall. This is essential if you are to wade safely. If in doubt, don’t wade. It's much easier to see river features from the bank than when you are waist-deep in the water. Polarising sunglasses allow you to gauge depth and spot hazards. Watch out for refraction, which makes clear deep water appear much shallower than it is. Use wading boots with studded soles or cleats if necessary. Rubber soles without studs are very slippery on algae-covered rocks. Felt soles are slippery on mud and grass. Wear a wading belt to prevent water entering the legs of the waders if you take a spill. Use a wading staff as a third…

Accommodation: Fin and Euan stayed at the Lochmaddy Hotel and were looked after incredibly well by John and Lorna Docherty. John organises the fishing for North Uist Estate. Guests at the hotel are given priority when booking fishing. Web: lochmaddyhotel.co.uk Tel: 01876 500 331. Season: The best time for brown trout is late May onwards, once the water has had a chance to warm up. Before then, fishing is best concentrated in the shallower lochs. Loch-style – floating line, traditional wet-flies – is as good a method as any when the fish are on. Dry-fly works a treat in favourable conditions. Intermediate lines and fast-sinking tips are worth having in the locker for adverse conditions and for covering deeper water. Tackle: Fin mostly fished dry-flies with a 10ft five-weight rod…

JOHN SCOTT WAS born at Branxholme, Roxburghshire in February 1817. Branxholme lies a few miles south of Hawick and its main claim to fame, perhaps, is that it was the home of the Duke of Buccleuch and his family until the early 1830s when they moved to the remodelled Bowhill House near Selkirk. The significance of this will soon emerge… Getting back to young John, or “Jock” as he was known, it was in 1830, when he was just 13, that he gained employment on the estates of the Marquis of Lothian, while learning to tie salmon flies under the supervision of the estate keeper, Robert Kerss. And there Jock might have remained but for a fateful meeting in 1832. Lord John Douglas Montagu Douglas Scott (Lord John Scott) was…

Tickets: One fish plus c-and-r, £18. Four fish plus c-and-r, £24. Six fish plus c-and-r, £28. Full-day boat, two rods, £24.50. Full-day boat, one rod, £19. Season ticket, £435. Draycote offers numerous multi-day packages from £103 (for two days). Packages include fishing on Draycote, Eyebrook, Foremark and Thornton. Tel: 01788 812 018. Web: flyfishdraycote.co.uk Accommodation: Stan Headley stayed at Rob Waddington’s Lodge on the north bank of Rutland Water. It is the perfect base for all the Midlands reservoirs. A fabulous, friendly welcoming service, ideal for anglers of all persuasions. Highly recommended. Address: The Lodge, Barnsdale, North Shore Rutland Water, Oakham LE15 8AB. Tel: 01572 722 422 Web: rutlandwaterflyfishing.co.uk…

THE LAZY SONG OF A ROBIN perched high in a tree tells me that autumn is tightening her grip. I enjoy this time of year as nature’s fruit ripens. Blackberries, crab apples and sloe berries are my favourite snacks as I walk beside the river. There’s a sense of urgency all around as the wild creatures prepare for the hard months ahead. Trout and grayling are eager to add an inch or two around their waists and this appetite works in our favour as our flies have a good chance of being taken. Shorter days are welcome, condensing sport to more sociable hours as heavy dews delay hatches until after midmorning coffee. Much more convenient than a flurry at some ungodly hour of a summer’s night. Rather than be saddened…

PERT AND PERFECTLY proportioned: there’s nothing that makes me drool more than well-tied winged wet-flies. Not only do they represent mastery of the fly-tyer’s craft, they’ve been fooling fish for centuries, and continue to do so, and yet few of us can be bothered to tie them. Sourcing quality wings, selecting matching feathers, trimming matching slips, pinching, looping and … holding your breath. Even if you’re good enough to produce more than one fly per hour there’s still the issue of durability. It’s nothing short of heartbreaking to see the fruits of your labour looking like matted nasal hair after just two casts. There’s no evidence to suggest that feather wing-slips do a better job of suggesting the delicate, gossamer wings of invertebrates than, say, a bunch of poly yarn,…

In November 2003 you published an editorial on the plight of the sandeel population and the effect of their scarcity on migratory salmon. This prompted questions in the House of Lords and indeed I had a letter published later, highlighting specifically the EU allocation of sandeels to the Danish fish quota from our waters and the North Sea. At that time it was alleged that the Danes used this quota for the production of lubrication oil. I suggested that perhaps fish-meal might well replace or supplement this end use. Clearly nothing was changed. The Sunday Times recently carried a report that the EU, 15 years later, has increased the Danish quota from 82,000 tonnes to an incredible 458,000 tonnes. The focus now, as has been reported for some time, is…

Great for starters If you’re thinking of tying your own flies - or in need of a back-up - these starter vices are ideal. There are two, one slightly more expensive than the other, but both affordable. At £14.99, the Hardwear Super AA is a classic, single-cam design. It has a cast adjustable C-clamp that fits worktops up to 40mm thick and a height-adjustable pillar that locks S securely. The jaws hold flies from size 2-24. For an extra £10 you can choose the Hardwear Deluxe Master Vice. The features are the same as the Super AA, but the build quality is higher. It has nicely designed screw-knob fittings, better jaws and a sturdier clamp, which will fit thicker worktops (47mm). The jaws also take hooks of size 2-24. The…

S&TC Freshwater Campaigns Manager Nick Measham writes: This summer’s S&TC Riverfly Census results for the Test and Itchen show how much flylife on these celebrated, highly protected rivers (the Test is a SSSI and the Itchen is SAC) is under the cosh and demonstrates the reasons why. Lack of fly matters: it is the foundation of the food chain and the basis of fly-fishers’ sport. A simple way to capture the state of flylife is to look at the richness of mayfly species (the number of species of mayfly) and freshwater shrimps ( Gammarus ). We have agreed chalkstream targets with the Environment Agency for ten different mayfly species (blue-winged olive, iron blue and so on) across the year and a minimum level of 500 Gammarus in the autumn.…