Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2019 i Trout & Salmon

That's how many salmon were caught by rod-and-line in England in 2017 – up 3% on the five-year average. Some 8,472 fish were released (82%) according to the Environment Agency 2017/18 Fisheries Report. In the same year, 12,202 sea-trout were caught – 23% less than the five-year average. Some 9,216 were released (76%). Visit gov.uk (search: Environment Agency Annual Fisheries Report). Sadly, reporting occurs over a year after the game season closes. Figures for the poor 2018 season may prove shocking; those for 2019 may benefit from the closure of net fisheries.…

I’VE ALWAYS ADMIRED THOSE PEOPLE who can turn up to a place and settle into their surroundings as if they’ve been there all their life. I need time for “bedding in” and sometimes it takes me years to acclimatise. Indeed, this year I’ve been ringing the changes so much, I hardly know which way to turn, and the fishing season will soon be half over. It’s an alarming thought, but when you realise you have many more seasons behind you than those ahead, any time for adjustment must be viewed as a luxury. A second trip to the Findhorn beckons - a different beat this year, which we hope will be less arduous than the Lethen Estate we fished last year. I don’t mind admitting that scrambling around those gorge…

IT HAS LONG BEEN STANDARD PRACTICE TO arm sea-trout tube-flies with treble hooks. While smaller flies are dressed on singles, a small treble looks right on the end of a long slim tube-fly. A small treble will hook and hold sea-trout well; however, no more efficiently than a fly dressed on a single. I think I’ve probably lost as many sea-trout on trebles as on single-hook flies. Regardless of the merits of either type, the growing focus on catch-and-release and restrictions on methods and tackle has led to a move away from trebles. They are banned on many fisheries, forcing us to seek alternatives. Single hooks for tubes are now widely sold and with conservation in mind are being adopted by salmon-fishers. Sea-trout fishers seem less enthusiastic as I suspect…

THE SALMON BEATS JUST BELOW Kelso and then all the way upstream to St Boswells and Melrose offer some of the finest fly water on the Tweed. In the right conditions, fishing can be sublime. You are as likely to bump into a big springer here as anywhere and although there are never many fish in the system during the early months, their quality more than compensates. My best Tweed salmon came from these parts: a 24lb bruiser in early February - truly a bolt from the blue. As March and April make progress and May looms large, the odds on a fish improve. Makerstoun marches in the middle of this stretch. The river here is wonderfully secluded and picturesque with deep holding pools, rocky gullies, runs and classic glides…

HOW DOES ONE CHOOSE the right hook? There are a few pointers: a hook should match the size and shape of the creature being imitated, its weight must allow the fly to fish correctly and it has to be strong enough to land the fish. The performance of any hook should be judged in relation to its expected use. My heaviest hook is a saltwater size 7/0, wire diameter 1.87mm, and the lightest is a midge size 30, wire diameter 0.23mm. The cross-sectional area of the saltwater hook is 66 times that of the midge hook. One can subdue a 200kg tuna, while the other might struggle with a 500g trout. All things being equal the thicker the wire, the stronger the hook. So why don’t we always use heavy…

THURSDAY 19/7/1923. “Our” turn at home waters. Went down & off point above Telegraph Poles (Churnside) got 16½ Cock fish on Jock Scott (large). Later on got of 29lbs & of 26. Latter gave a big fight & both went down the rapids & gaffed myself .... Uncle got 1 fish and N’s nothing. Ralph incidentally fell in, a souser in a deep hole. I don’t know what a souser is - but it sounds wet. Donald was clearly getting the hang of salmon fishing. He was halfway through his first, and only, fishing trip - two months on the “Big” Laxa in Adaldal, Iceland. The pages of his diary, faded after nearly 100 years, are filled with the catching of prodigious salmon. This trip with his uncle was a…

WHEN SUMMER ARRIVES, the salmon-fisher can begin to take advantage of shorter rods and lighter lines. More comfortable to cast and fish with, these light combinations enable more delicate presentation with small flies on medium-sized rivers, or in low water. But what if Mother Nature has different ideas? Late spring and summer fishing can still be a mixed bag and you can quickly find yourself facing adverse conditions. Luckily, huge leaps in technology over the last few years mean these shorter, lighter rods now reach a level of performance hitherto the preserve of bigger rods and heavy lines, making them a great all-round choice. We asked AAPGAI Master spey-casting instructors Clive Mitchelhill and Brian Towers to put nine of the latest 13ft and 13ft 6in, 8wt and 9wt rods through…

England & Wales BORDER ESK VERY little has happened on the Border Esk so far with the odd fish caught and a few seen. The first of the sea-trout are likely to enter the river in April and May and by June more anglers will be on the river banks. June should see the first of the serious night fishing get under way as conditions warm up. It is surprising how many fish can actually be in the deeper pools of the river when anglers think they are not there. It is amazing how sea-trout can be there but unseen until they begin jumping or take a fly or bait. Sport should be good given the often regular rises of water the Esk system thrives on. The healthy numbers of…

MIKE HANDYSIDE Mike and the trout enjoyed an unseasonably warm February with fish moving into spring and summer lies very early after a mild winter. He welcomed an excellent hatch on one Severn tributary, catching big, superbly-conditioned wild trout. One afternoon he landed two fish of between 3lb-4lb. ANDY HURST After attending the International Salmon Conference in Edinburgh, and the Angling Trust Forum at Penrith, Lune reporter Andy is wondering how the messages apply to the Lune. He will be wetting a line for salmon on the lower river and, if the air temperature permits, making his night-time forays for sea-trout. TOBY COE Toby has just returned from a few weeks "delayed paternity leave" in New Zealand, where he managed to fit in a bit of fishing. With the best…

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

Grey flag sedges Adults of the Grey flag sedges (Hydropsyche spp.) are somewhat under-rated by anglers but their larvae are an important part of the diet of trout in the lower reaches of rivers. The Grey flags are medium-sized insects that can be found in most rivers and streams across Britain and Ireland. Their larvae are dark brown in colour and have distinctive hard plates on the segments behind the head. There are feathery gills below most body segments and the tail end has two brush-like bunches of bristles. They can occur in huge numbers in the lower reaches of rivers where they prefer faster currents over beds of coarse gravel, weed, and woody debris. The Grey flag has a remarkable way of defending its territory on the crowded riverbed.…

A single undressed hook will naturally swim with its point upwards. It seems sensible, therefore, to set our single (and double) tube-fly hooks with points uppermost, thus aiding, rather than opposing, the natural orientation of the hooks, with the following benefits: ■ Improved stability of the tube-fly ■ An upturned hook may be more easily hidden among the hair of the wing and therefore less conspicuous to a fish ■ An upturned hook may be less easily damaged on a rocky riverbed or caught up on riverbed weed ■ An upturned hook may reduce the likelihood of hooking leaves while fishing in the autumn.…

Season: February 1-November 30. Booking: Prices from £55 to £500 per rod. Book at fishpal.com (tel: 01573 470 612) or tweedbeats.com Boatman Colin Pringle divides his time between both beats at Makerstoun and is available from February to the end of June and from September to the end of the season. There is no boatman in July and August. Both huts are equipped with toilets and cooking facilities. There are well-maintained tracks to the huts and easy walks to all the pools. Tackle: Bring 14ft or 15ft rods for spring and back-end fishing, along with a range of lines to cover all eventualities. Lighter rods are ideal for summer when sea-trout and grilse can provide good sport and when there may be ideal water for Sunray and riffle-hitch tactics. With…

The size 12 Orvis hooks show that using thicker wire produces a stronger hook. They are both 2X long-shank hooks and are much lighter than a standard size 8 with the same shank length. A size 12 hook with a 2X long shank has a shank that is the same length as a hook two sizes larger ie a size 8. The gape of the size 12 hook is smaller than that of a size 8, therefore the size 12 hook is the same length but weighs less as it uses less wire. The thicker wire size 10 Ahrex Dry Fly was significantly stronger than the size 14 Ahrex Dry Fly despite the increase in size giving it a leverage disadvantage. The size 10 Ahrex Wet Fly was the strongest…

THERE IS NOT A SINGLE TIME- served fly-fisherman who can deny that insect populations, a vital part of our sport, are in serious decline. Loch Leven, one of my most visited venues, has seen a marked decrease in endemic fly species in the past few decades. Nowhere does this decline show more obviously than in the tactics and techniques most popular on this iconic water. The vast majority of anglers opt for day sessions nowadays, whereas in the past the virtually guaranteed evening hatch and associated rise saw the necessity to book evening boats. Turn up any evening nowadays and you know a boat will be available. Further to this, it’s been three years since I caught a Leven fish on dry-fly. That may not be surprising to those who…

Cold remedy I read with interest the Editor’s Letter (May) in which he laments an infestation of “visitors” decimating his fly-tying materials. He identified the problem as cloth moths, but was uncertain how to eradicate them. Can I suggest packing the vulnerable items of fur and feather into well-sealed plastic boxes or bags and then popping them in the freezer for a few days? I have found most insect pests cannot survive being thoroughly frozen. This method avoids the use of insecticides, which can be long acting. No one would want to introduce even small traces of pesticide into their favourite beat on any river as we all know that flourishing insect life is the basis of a healthy fish population. A note of caution: it might be wise to…

For a tidy bench The TyWheel is like a space station: satellites (attachments) dock onto a central hub (wheel). The magnetic attachments have holes for housing bobbins, scissors, dubbing needles and other tools; there are brass rods on which to seat thread and tinsel bobbins; a pot in which to discard waste; and round trays to keep beads and coneheads under control. The strongly magnetic wheel secures hooks and flies and the heavy base stops the TyWheel from toppling. TyWheel products are a pleasure to assemble – there is something about magnets that brings out the child in us. Whether all the bits and bobs are necessary is for you to decide. We suspect there are fly-tying addicts out there who won’t be able to resist it, while others will…

Jackie Fraser, passionate angler and stalwart of Inverness Angling Club (IAC), has died at the age of 85. He had been in failing health following heart surgery two years ago. A time-served joiner, Jackie became a clerk of works with British Rail following National Service. He then served with the Department of Agriculture before joining the Forestry Commission where he spent the rest of his working life. The skills he developed in these positions enabled him to become a much-respected committee member of IAC, taking on the mantle from his father, John C Fraser, gifted angler and committee member, and councillor and Baillie of the former Inverness Town Council. Jackie was appointed secretary and treasurer of IAC in the mid-1960s, rescuing the club from severe financial problems and managing it…

I WONDER HOW MUCH TIME MOST OF you spend on YouTube? According to statistics recently issued by the company the over-55s are one of their fastest-growing segments. And that’s us. It’s definitely me, anyway. And I only discovered YouTube over the past several months and now I spend a good deal of time looking at all kinds of stuff. No, not that kind of stuff; although I dare say that there are any number of folk out there in the big wide world who’d consider watching a 40lb Atlantic salmon being netted on the banks of the Alta as being the worst form of perversion. Bizarrely, while it is possible, I imagine, to access all sorts of unseemliness on YouTube, when I attempted to review what purported to be the…

No. 10 Pioneers of stillwater fly-fishing I remember, in the 1970s, taking my newly acquired fly-rod to a reservoir for the first time and not having a clue where to start. Straight after that first trip I read Brian Clarke’s The Pursuit of Stillwater Trout and my eyes were opened. The author set out in a logical way the thought processes that led him to be able to choose one fly in preference to another, knowing that he had made a reasoned and sensible choice. The novice, faced with a huge expanse of water, and without the experience of previous successes, finds it hard to believe that a trout would want to eat his patently artificial lure. This book provides the reasoning for him to decide on fly pattern and…

Season (trout): March 15-September 30. Lazonby Estates has two four-rod beats on the Eden, offering trout fishing for £35 per day and salmon fishing from £40-£60 per day. There are four access points: two navigable by car; two by 4x4. They’ll take you to the water’s edge – the rest of the beat can be covered by foot on maintained paths or tracks. For booking, contact Linda Atkinson. Tel: 01768 898 229. Mob: 07899 931 116. The Tufton Arms Hotel, Market Square, Appleby offers two-day salmon- or trout-fishing packages on the River Eden, including two nights’ bed-and-breakfast accommodation, tackle and one full day’s guided fishing for £370 (the price for salmon may vary depending on the beat), based on two people sharing a double or twin room. Alternative packages can…

IN THIS SERIES remembering great salmon-fishers from a modern viewpoint, it was perhaps inevitable it should focus on those who won their spurs in the jousts of fly-fishing. However, this may have created a false impression of what salmon fishing was about - certainly in the first half of the 20th Century. Back then, the “fly-only” salmon-fisher was viewed as something of an eccentric, except in the late spring and summer months. Even then, when the going got tough, the fishers of the time tended to reach for the shrimp, prawn or worm. As for the opening months of the season, spinning was the thing with an artificial - typically a Devon Minnow - or a fresh or preserved natural sprat, sand eel or the likes, mounted on a spinning…

Q My floating line has seen better days, but replacing it could be expensive. Can you explain why some modern lines have a rough surface, and also recommend a line colour? Ronald Armitage, by e-mail A Lines with rough surfaces are not new. A company introduced one in the late 1970s, but it did not catch on. Its microscopic peaks and troughs meant it had less surface area and therefore created less friction as it travelled through the rings, enabling longer casts. Technology has moved on, but the gritty surfaces of today’s lines feel very similar to that original. My first impression of a new one I tried one was that it felt strange in my fingers. However, from the moment I covered a rising trout, I forgot all about…

Stirlingshire estate offers a mixed bag The Muir Estate at Thornhill, on the edge of the Trossachs and close to Loch Lomond in Stirlingshire, is an amenity and woodland estate with farming and tourism potential. Stirling is 12 miles and Glasgow 37. Muir Lodge, built in 2010 by the owner, is a mixture of traditional Scottish features with contemporary Scandinavian influences. L-shaped accommodation includes large living room/dining room/ kitchen, three ground-floor bedrooms of which one is ensuite, and shower room. There are also butchery, larder and boot room. On the first floor are master bedroom and bathroom, large sitting room, and office. Land includes 95 acres of former farmland planted with Christmas trees that might be returned to farming use; 36 acres of commercial conifers; and 42 acres of mixed…

Veteran Spey angler Guy Elgar passed away on March 20, aged 91. Guy enjoyed a long association with and love of the Arndilly beat, and had a warm appreciation of the generations of gillies who looked after him there. He caught his first fish there, on Back of Bog, when he was 15, and had been a regular late-September Arndilly tenant since the 1970s. He caught his last fish, a 16-pounder on Cobble Pot, netted by his son John, not long before reaching his 89th birthday. Guy was a generous host and fishing companion who loved encouraging others to fish. He was a supporter of the Atlantic Salmon Trust. His numerous fishing adventures also included trips to New Zealand, Patagonia, Iceland and Russia.…