Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2020 i Trout & Salmon

IT’S OCTOBER AND I’M STILL PICKING THE LAST of my tomatoes. It’s been a delicious and bumper crop. The sloe harvest is around the corner (ready after the first frost), nights are drawing in, the woodburner’s in use and I’m reluctantly pulling woollies from the dresser. For the first time in years, and despite all that’s going on, I feel I can look back on a good fishing season. There have been tales of epic catches and a significant uplift in fishing participation. Many more people are reading T&S. I’ve enjoyed it, despite my catches being thin on the ground. Timing and luck have not been on my side. Like everyone else, my travel has been restricted and local fishing has dominated. I caught three rainbow trout last night in…

WEAR ON FIRE This impressive 15lb sea-trout was caught by Ian Reynolds from Bishop Auckland & District AC’s beat one of the River Wear. With the river up 12in and coloured, Ian fished a double-handed rod, intermediate line and Flamethrower variant of his own design, knowing he stood a chance of catching salmon and sea-trout during the day. He said, “It is a stretch where three pools run into each other. By 9.30am I had fished the first and started in the nice, fast water of the second when the line stopped dead. “I played the fish into the shallows quickly, but the water was too fast for me to land the fish, so I rang my friend Chris Gaines. Thankfully, the fish behaved and sat in shallow water with…

SEASON March 15 - October 6. Standard loch-style tactics will work well, particularly black flies and traditional, big and bushy top droppers. Concentrate on the shallower water and drop offs around the shoreline, islands and skerries. TICKETS AND ACCOMMODATION The fishing on Laidon is controlled by Rannoch Estate. Permits for bank fishing can be bought at the Rannoch Station Tea Room, tel: 07557 271 880 or 01882 633 247. For Rannoch Estate boat hire call George Eveleigh 07990 569 300. Gordon Brown, secretary of the Rannoch and District Angling Club, can be contacted on 07881 822 216 or e-mail: rdac@btinternet.com Jenny and Bill Anderson at the Tea Room also have a self-catering cabin, called the Star Hut, sleeps 2. E-mail: info@ rannochstationtearoom.co.uk www.rannochstationtearoom.co.uk Fine dining and rooms can be found…

Using science and the law In response to Simon Cooper’s article last month, it is correct that S&TC filed the complaint to the EU which hastened the closure of the salmon nets around the Scottish coast. S&TC is very proud indeed that it was this complaint that led to the closure. However, the claim that we “went to law with the help of the Sea Shepherd and Hunt Saboteurs” is false. As to chalkstreams, most conservationists involved are already well aware of the evidence S&TC has gathered over the past five years, using species level invertebrate monitoring, to show that fine sediments, excess phosphate, pesticides and other toxic chemicals are the major stressors on our chalk rivers. Add to this the increasingly poor dilution brought about by excessive water abstraction…

• The golden pheasant body feather can prove tricky first time. Stroke the fibres backwards as you grip four or five fibres at the tip. Align the fibres horizontally, then strip fibres away from the base up until you are left with 10 or 12 fibres on each side. Tie the feather in by the four or five tip fibres that you have trimmed to a couple of millimetres. Gently “double” the fibres back as you would when doubling a standard hen or cock hackle, then wind around the shank. One turn is all you need, and 10/12 fibres should suffice. • We’re aiming for quite a chunky, bulky fly, so be generous with the hen hackle, applying at least five, if not six or seven turns. • As always,…

DAY TICKETS River East Allen and Coatenhill Reservoir £10. (Coatenhill is restricted to four rods at any time). Tickets and detailed beat maps are available from the club’s website (see below). Tickets can also be bought from the Golden Lion Hotel or Allendale Post Office, both in the town’s market square. WEEK PERMITS Adults £40, juniors (under 17) £20. Fishing is free for under 12s, who must be accompanied by a member or adult at all times. MEMBERSHIP Adults £50, juniors (over 12 or under 17) £10. Membership is free for under 12s, who must be accompanied by a member or adult at all times. For more information, please go to the club’s website: allenvalleyanglers.co.ukoremail:info@allenvalleyanglers.co.uk…

1. FIRST FLY-ROD Dad bought this 7ft split-cane rod at auction as a present for my fifth birthday. Or rather, he didn’t — he charged me ten shillings saying I’d appreciate it more by paying for it. Raiding the piggy bank and handing over that precious little banknote — hard earned potato picking — still hurts 60 years later. He stripped and re-whipped the rod, wrote my name in the cane with ink, then sealed it with varnish. The following spring, I caught my first trout — in fact, a brace the same day — from the rough and tumble Hodge Beck at Hauld Coldron near Kirkbymoorside on a dry John Storey, tied myself. I’ve been hooked ever since. 2. ABU GAFF This was a useful bit of kit to…

WAY BACK IN TIME THERE WAS really only one generic group of sub-surface flies for trout in the UK, and that was traditional patterns. In 1988, an Orkney team attended the Benson & Hedges International final on Rutland. We only had patterns that we used in the islands, so our choices were limited. After the first day we were lying second and the successful flies were Silver Invicta and Soldier Palmer Muddler. The next day the weather was quieter and our tactics, having not changed, were less successful. However, two years later in 1990, the final was on Grafham, and this time the traditional tactics of the Orkney Trout Fishing Association team won them a gold medal. I wasn’t in that team, but I seem to remember that the Loch…

Q This season, the evening rise on my reservoir was non-existent. It appears to be a thing of the past. What do you put this down to? Rob Price I wouldn’t say the evening rise is a thing of the past, but it certainly isn’t as frequent as it once was. I think there are a number of contributing factors. I believe that reservoir water levels fluctuate much more than they once did. As demand for water rises, the water levels drop significantly and the traditional buzzer beds and weedbeds become exposed, dry out and the larvae die — so no hatches and no evening rise. Greater demand also means more water is pumped in to refill the reservoir. A huge influx of water causes the water temperature to drop…

“I would have been 12 or 13 and we were on holiday near Kilravock Castle, not far from the River Nairn. I think we’d borrowed a cottage, and I escaped to go fishing as quickly as possible. I was using a fly-rod but with a spinning reel attached, carefully legering a worm in the flow just below an old arched stone bridge. I remember catching a few rainbows that must have escaped from somewhere, but most of all I remember my worms being constantly pestered by salmon parr. As I struck into another trout, I got a huge shock when a grilse jumped clean out of the water and shot off upstream under the old bridge. I can still hear the echo it made as it splashed down. It weighed…

WHERE TO STAY Bala Cottages, Dolgadfa. Self-catering cottage and annex sleeps 12. Web: balacottageholidays.co.uk/dolgadfa/ Crogen Estate: self-catering cottage, house or stay in a wing of Crogen Hall. Web: crogenestate.com PUB Bryntirion Inn. Bar open all day, every day. Food 12am-3pm and 6pm-9pm, 12am-8pm Sundays. Tel: 01678 530 205. Web: bryntirioninn.co.uk GUIDE Trevor Heyliger, Rivergreen Fly Fishing School, guides on the Dee for 2-3 rods at Bala Cottages, Dolgadfa property and the Crogen Estate. Tel: 07794 117229. Web: rgflyfishing.co.uk TICKETS Corwen and District Angling Club has day-ticket beats on either side of the piece of private water on which Trevor guides. Tickets are £20 per day from: Corwen Manor Angling, 8 London Rd, Corwen, Denbighshire LL21 0DR. Tel: 01490 413 196. Or from: The Stores, High Street Llandrillo LL21 0ST. Tel:…

TROUT MASTERS Plus this month’s badge winners from Europe’s largest fly-fishing competition See page 120 England & Wales BORDER ESK THE Esk catchment experienced plenty of wet weather since my last report and on four occasions levels were in excess of 4ft at Canonbie. This gave fish plenty of water to move upstream. The Burnfoot Beat below Longtown has had another good season with catches of 341 salmon and grilse to September 15 and 108 sea-trout. The excellent summer runs were fading towards the end of August, although fish were still being caught. On the Esk and Liddel AC waters, Jackie Allan caught a 12lb salmon on fly. Levels were up and down for a week with little reported. On August 25, Alistair Paisley caught a 6lb salmon on fly.…

ENGLAND ALBURY ESTATE FISHERIES, Guildford, 07976 810737 AMPORT FISHERY, Andover, 07775 953273 BLITHFIELD ANGLERS, Abbots Bromley, 01283 840284 CHATTON TROUT FISHERY, Belford, 01668 215226 COLTSFORD MILL TROUT FISHERY, Surrey, 01883 715666 DRAYCOTE TROUT FISHERY, Rugby, 01788 812018 FRENSHAM TROUT FISHERY, Churt, 01252 794321 HIGHAM LAKE TROUT FISHERY, Ponteland, 07950 428159 KNITSLEY MILL, Consett, 07960 747417 LAKEDOWN TROUT FISHERY, Burwash, 01435 883449 LEIGHTON RESERVOIR, Ripon, 01765 689270 LENCHES LAKES, Evesham, 01386 871035 LOYNTON TROUT FISHERY, Stafford, 01785 284261 MOORHEN TROUT FISHERY, Warnford, 01730 829460 NARBOROUGH FISHERIES, King’s Lynn, 01760 338005 NEW MILLS TROUT FISHING PARK, Brampton, 016977 41115 NORTON FISHERY, Stapleford Tawney, 01708 688525 PATSHULL PARK FISHERY, Wolverhampton, 01902 700774 RIB VALLEY FISHING LAKES, Ware, 07812 464323 SIBLYBACK RESERVOIR, Nr Liskeard, 01579 346522 SPRINGHILL TROUT WATERS, Pembury, 01892 826041 SYON PARK,…

Junior ENGLAND ■ AVINGTON TROUT FISHERY, Winchester, 01962 779312 1 Teddy Reynolds, Winchester, 8lb 9oz rainbow, Green-flash Damsel. ■ CHIPHALL LAKE TROUT FISHERY, Fareham, 0777 6256792 1 Robert Blyth, Fareham, 2lb 8oz rainbow, Blue-flash Damsel. ■ INNIS FLY FISHERY, Nr St Austell, 01726 852382 1 Ewan Loturco, Cardiff, 3lb 11oz rainbow, Daddy. ■ MEON SPRINGS, Petersfield, 01730 823134 1 Jacob Holmes, East Sussex, 3lb 5oz rainbow, Covid 9 Pea. 2 Hannah Winser, Huntingdon, 2lb 12oz rainbow, Covid 9 Pea. ■ TAVISTOCK TROUT FISHERY, Tavistock, 01822 615441 1 Ewan Loturco, Cardiff, 5lb 2oz rainbow, Damsel. SCOTLAND ■ GLEN OF ROTHES TROUT FISHERY, Aberlour, 01340 831888 1 Christopher Anderson, Elgin, 3lb rainbow, Phil’s Shrimpy. ■ KINROSS TROUT FISHERY, Kinross, 07376 762057 1 Christopher Beagley, Armdale, 3lb rainbow, on fly. 2 Sam Harrison,…

In the event of it being difficult to buy a print copy of Trout & Salmon in a newsagents, your favourite magazine is available on digital platforms. So, if you can’t find us in stores, or if you’re stuck inside, please consider: • Downloading our Trout & Salmon app from the iOS or Android app stores. We have superb one-off subscription offers. You can also purchase single-copy issues if you wish. If you’re a Kindle Fire user, you can download our magazines from Amazon Newsstand. • If you are a print subscriber and we cannot deliver issues to you owing to the Covid-19 situation, please visit: greatmagazines.co.uk where clear updates will be given. We appreciate your support and readership during this period of uncertainty.…

“As a guide or as a parent, introducing children to an outdoors sport is rewarding” SOME PEOPLE TAKE TO FLY-FISHING quicker than others. Is it a love of the countryside or a hunting instinct? Last October, the Terry family came to visit the fishing school for a three-day adventure and then returned in August for round two. James, Annicka and their three boys — Eben,16, Otto, 14, and Arlo, 10 — are all successful fishers. It’s a rarity to see all the children from one family immersed in the sport. But they’re fixated on catching fish and improving their casting techniques, as well as learning as many methods as possible. Eben and Otto began fishing aged six. They started by catching trout with sweetcorn and a pole rod and then…

THE TYING OF INTRICATELY crafted salmon flies has a long, rich history, evoking fly names such as Jock Scott, Green Parson, Durham Ranger and Childers. In their time all of these wonderful creations were deemed “killing” patterns, though now they are more likely to be found in a glazed picture frame than a fly-box. Over time the development of salmon flies took a simpler, more frugal path. Whole feather wings, created by marrying fibres of rare and expensive plumage, gave way to basic strips of feather and then to various types of hair such as squirrel, bucktail and Arctic fox, the latter three being used in the majority of modern salmon flies. However, it’s not all one-way traffic. There are still dedicated fly-tyers around the world who derive great satisfaction…

THRUNTON LONG CRAG: THOSE three words somehow bring to mind an image of a truly remote and wild setting. Northumberland is a fabulous part of the country with a majestic, sweeping landscape and yet here is a thoroughly modern fishery, with a magnificent lodge overlooking two lakes. The home of the Junior Troutmasters final, it is where manager Steve McCann has created an atmosphere that is immediately welcoming. Here is a man who spent a large part of his working life in Thrunton’s former brick kilns, and then when the opportunity arose to be involved with developing the site as a fishery, he seized the chance and began a new career. With my background in fishery work it was inevitable that we had much to talk about. Steve reckons that…

PALMERED MARCH BROWN Hook Size 12-14 Fulling Mill Competition Heavyweight Thread Olive 8/0 Rib Fine oval gold or wire Underbody Sparsely dubbed yellow seal’s fur Body Dubbed hare’s ear Palmer Ginger cock Hackle Brown partridge Once popular on Rutland among competition anglers, who called it the Farmer Tom Brown, so they could name it without outsiders knowing what they were talking about. The yellow underbody shining through hare’s ear gives the fly a unique olive tone. Without it the pattern is not so successful. It suggests much trout food — sedge pupae, shrimp, hoglice and corixa — and will share a cast with a Silver Invicta as it responds well to a similar retrieve and line choices. WINGLESS SILVER INVICTA Hook Size 12-14 Fulling Mill Competition Heavyweight Thread Black 8/0…

ROB EDMUNDS Highly successful competition angler, reservoir bank and boat specialist. RONNIE GLASS Part-time curator of the new River Tweed Salmon Fishing Museum, Kelso. STEVE CULLEN Guide, instructor and all-round game angler with a wealth of knowledge. PETER GATHERCOLE Photographer, expert tyer and chairman of the Fly Dressers' Guild. PAUL PROCTER Cumbrian-based AAPGAI instructor. Prefers the imitative approach. GARETH JONES Welsh international and stillwater expert. Has fished all over the world. PETER COCKWILL Small water expert with more than 60 years’ fly-fishing experience.…

THE WELSH DEE, AFON Dyfrdwy, is one of the finest grayling rivers in Europe. It has hosted many international competitions, including the World Championships, and is the venue for the annual Hanak Grayling Festival. It contains good brown trout and supports runs of salmon and sea-trout. The Dee is born on the eastern border of Snowdonia, but it is soon constrained by the dam at Llyn Tegid, Bala Lake. The Dee Regulation Scheme is fed by four lakes — Brenig, Alwen, Celyn and Tegid — and managed by Natural Resources Wales to regulate the river flow. Water released from the lakes during the summer supplies drinking water, generates electricity and provides sufficient flow to allow the passage of migratory fish and to sustain the fishery. The minimum flow the scheme…

SPRING Large dark olives, medium olives, large brook duns, some grannom in early April and March browns from late March. SUMMER Small dark olives, pale wateries and occasional olive uprights. Yellow Sallies, other small stoneflies and caddis are plentiful. Aphids and chironomids are common. AUTUMN Large dark olives, small dark olives. While nymphs, emergers and dry patterns will be successful, don’t ignore traditional wet-flies such as: Waterhen Bloa, Williams’ Favourite, March Brown Spider, and Partridge and Green in April; Partridge and Yellow from late April onwards; and Partridge and Copper throughout the year. A Grayling Steel Blue dry-fly is excellent for late summer and autumn grayling. Thanks to Louis Noble for the hatch and pattern information.…

The Sharpe’s of Aberdeen Fish of the Month competition celebrates your great fishing achievements. If you’ve caught a big fish, you could be one of our monthly winners. But it’s not always the captor of a big fish that triumphs — other factors that make the catch special are considered: where the fish is caught, method and circumstances (perhaps it’s your first fish. Perhaps you’re a young rod). There are two categories — salmon and trout (brown, rainbow or sea). The trout winner receives a Sharpe’s single-handed rod. The salmon winner receives a double-handed rod. Both winners also receive a landing net or wading staff of their choice. View Sharpe’s tackle at sharpes.net. If the fish is to be returned, please follow good practice: keep the fish in the water,…

In 2018, the Rivers and Lochs Institute at Inverness College (University of Highlands and Islands) found four different “species” of brown trout in Loch Laidon, Perthshire, including one that had never been reported before. What defines a distinct species is sometimes not universally agreed by experts (taxonomists); however, the Laidon study, led by Professor Eric Verspoor, assisted by renowned ferox expert Dr Ron Greer, found four genetically, ecologically and visually distinctive “entities” that have evolved in the loch over the last 10,000 years; ie, species in every sense, awaiting their formal naming. The researchers systematically sampled the loch and used DNA analyses to identify different genetic trout populations. One of the trout species, a Profundal benthivore (pictured below), has not been reported to occur in any other loch in the…

The thought of knocking a wild trout on the head doesn’t appeal to me. However, I like to take a stocked fish, partly because it saves me a trip to the supermarket, and secondly because it’s impressive to “hook and cook” your catch and celebrate it around a table with friends. Here’s a recipe I use (I’ve a Bradley Smoker). Use two rainbow trout fillets and Bradley alder bisquettes. Brine mix: 50g sea salt flakes; 50g brown sugar; one lemon; two teaspoons of garlic powder; one tablespoon of peppercorns; finely chopped dill. 1. Form the brine and sprinkle liberally over the fish on all sides. Refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. 2. Rinse the cure from the trout and pat dry. Leave to air-dry uncovered in the fridge…

Take thread to just before the curve of the bends. Catch in orange Fluoro Fibres and four strands of blue holo Flashabou in varying lengths. Prepare a bunch of black Arctic runner hair that contains plenty of long fine hairs. Fix it over the first section of tail. Catch in the oval silver tinsel. Add a butt of dubbed silver Lite-Brite. Apply a generous amount of Mikkeli Blue dubbing to the thread. Apply in touching turns along the shank. Continue winding the dubbing to create a full, dense body. Apply evenly spaced turns of the oval silver tinsel over the butt and body. Secure the end of the tinsel and trim the waste. Tease out the dubbed body. Catch in Arctic runner and blue Flashabou to form a short wing.…

TICKETS Choose from two to 12 hours and how many fish you wish to keep or release; prices from £13 (one kept, seven released) to £36 (five kept, 18 released). Or choose to release all fish; prices from £11 (eight released) to £28 (23 released). There are concessions and boat hire. DIRECTIONS Thrunton Long Crag is on the A697 at Whittingham, near Alnwick in Northumberland. Sat-nav: NE66 4SD. CONTACT Web: thruntontroutfishery. co.uk Tel: 01665 574 400. E-mail: info@ thruntontroutfishery.co.uk…

CRAFTYE DEVIL Hook Size 10 or 12 Flyshed barbless black-nickel wet-fly Thread UTC 70, black Tail and body Madeira fine red holographic tinsel Throat Black hen hackle Wing Black marabou, with one strand of fine red holographic tinsel either side, with jungle cock I first tied this mini lure at a demo for Edinburgh Fly Dressers over 20 years ago. I made the bodies in advance, using the tinsel like thread, on a bobbin. It had to be untwisted twice while tying. I used 12 tinsel strands from a hank for the tail because it lies straighter than spooled tinsel. I then added five coats of varnish over two days. At the demo, after explaining how I got to this stage, I finished the flies. I was then approached by…

IAIN WILSON IS MANAGER OF THE FISHING DEPARTMENT AT THE Borders Gunroom in St Boswells on the River Tweed. He’s a great catcher of salmon but is best known as the man behind the much-loved Posh Tosh salmon fly. He was born in East Kilbride. Tragically, his father died when he was just three years old, leaving his mother to raise three children on a war widow’s pension. He lost his mother when he was 17 and moved in with his elder sister Elaine. As a child, Iain always loved the outdoors, spending any and all unsupervised time chasing trout in the River Calder, occasionally resulting in a free ride home from the police, a knock on the door and “Is this yours?” Recognising this passion, Elaine steered Iain to…

HEAVY SILVERHEAD JIG Hook Size 18 Grip 14037BL jig Thread White 8/0 nylon Bead 3.5mm silver tungsten Rib Medium copper wire Tail Coq de Leon fibres Abdomen Dark brown squirrel dubbing Thorax Hends Spectra dubbing: dark brown, shade 435 PINKHEAD JIG Hook Size 14 Hends BL154 jig Thread White 8/0 nylon Bead 2.8mm metallic pink tungsten Rib Fine copper wire Tail Hends Spectra Dubbing: purple, shade 7 over orange, shade 94 Abdomen Brown antron dubbing Legs Light partridge hackle Thorax Purple Ice Dub WHITE COPPER JOHN Hook Size 16 Tiemco 3761 Thread White 8/0 nylon Bead 2.5mm white tungsten Tail Black goose biots Abdomen White medium Ultra Wire Thorax Peacock Hends Spectra dubbing: shade 46…

Bunny colours It’s fry time and if you haven’t stocked up on rabbit fur you should consider these premium-grade Zonker strips from Flybox. Cut to 5mm width they come in an exciting range of colours. For something a little different, try subtle powder pink, vivid fluoro pink, fluoro red, coral, phosphor yellow, flame orange or sunburst. There is even a bold barred yellow and orange if you want to push the boat out. If you are more reserved, two lovely olives (golden and medium) may tempt you along with black, natural, diamond white and chrome grizzle. Standard, popper and booby-style Minkies and Gurglers, as well as Snakes, will see you through the cold months. You should carry these different styles of fly in a range of colours — trout will…

All you have to do is visit a registered Troutmasters water and catch a fish. Fill in the official form, which you will find at the fishery, and then post the form to T&S. Senior, Youth and Junior forms are available. Captors of the three biggest fish from each fishery each month win an exclusive Troutmasters badge. For a full list of entry details and rules go to: www.troutandsalmon.com/troutmasters SENIOR BADGE WINNERS England ■ ALDIN GRANGE LAKES, Durham, 0191 384 6090 1 Matthew Lumley, Stanley, 4lb 1oz brown, Olive Owl Grunter. ■ AVINGTON TROUT FISHERY, Winchester, 01962 779312 1 John Pearn, Orpington, 13lb 11oz brown, Hare’s Ear. 2 Gary Styles, Uckfield, 10lb 12oz blue, Black & White Crewella. 3 Dean Smith, South Croydon, 10lb 2oz rainbow, Yellow Stalking Bug. ■…

In addition to the monthly Troutmasters badge, anglers can also win Gold, Silver and Bronze badges. Gold is awarded to anglers who win monthly badges from ten different fisheries during the Troutmasters season, Silver to anglers who win badges from five different fisheries, and Bronze for badges from three different venues. This month, Senior Bronze badges are awarded to Grant Hughes, from South Stanley, Co Durham, for catches at Alderneuk, Glenquicken and Thrunton; and to John Pearn, from Orpington, Kent for success at Avington, Frensham and Norton. A Junior Gold badge goes to Ewan Loturco, from Cardiff, for catches made at Tyn-y-Graig, Ynys-y-Fro, Eisteddfa, Bransford, Sandford, Woolaston, Temple, Tavistock, Innis and Papermill.…

IT OCCURS TO ME THAT SOME OF YOU might be wondering how the new dog is getting on. Well, first up, Mr Tod is not a puppy anymore but a hefty youth. He’s strong and he’s quick. Which is something of a problem. I have a sense that this might be what having teenagers is like. One forgets that when the last dog was a puppy I was younger and fitter by 15 years. And 15 years makes a difference, let me tell you. I don’t sprint any more. I can’t grab things off the floor as quickly as once I could. I can’t throw things as far as I used to. I can’t keep up. And that’s a fact. Which means that training has to be more diligent, more…