Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2021 i Trout & Salmon

“The cause of the shortfall was a lack of members, not low fees” BACK IN THE 1960S — JUST after England won the World Cup — I embarked on a three-year training course to become a teacher of physical education and technology, a new thing at that time as schools were steeped in the traditions of woodwork, metalwork and technical drawing. During my first year as a teacher, I was observed by the Local Authority Adviser, a respected and often feared gentleman, who could make or break your career should you choose the wrong path. He was keen to see technology on the school curriculum — particularly the aspect of children designing outcomes to solve new and challenging problems. I had scrounged old art folders from a colleague and carefully…

BOOKING Lake Villingavatn can be booked via Icelandic fishing agent Fish Partner (fishpartner.is) for around £100 per angler per day. Located about 45km from Reykjavik, it is a 90-minute drive from the international airport. The track to the lake can be driven in a conventional car. However, to get right up to the shore a 4x4 is necessary. ACCOMMODATION AND GUIDING A total package including flights, car hire, fishing permits and accommodation is around £800-£1,000 per person for three day’s fishing/four night’s accommodation, not including a guide. Toby stayed in an Airbnb about half an hour from the lake. Guide Beggi can be contacted via his Facebook page “Far Away Fishing Adventures”. Costs for up to four anglers are US$500 (around £350) a day or US$750 (around £500) if he…

On small rivers, I use one dropper, on which I put a Snipe and Purple or Partridge and Purple. I’ll use a Pheasant Tail Nymph, Goldhead, Diawl Bach or Black-and-Peacock Spider on the point. On big rivers, I usually use three flies (below I’ve made a few suggestions of teams that might work). On the bob or top dropper, I use a winged pattern such as a Greenwell's Glory, Wickham's Fancy, or Coachman. Claret Bumble or Coch-y-Bondhu are good, too, as are the Partridge series. On the middle dropper, a Snipe and Purple, Partridge Purple (or Orange or Red or Brown), or Waterhen Bloa are all excellent flies in normal conditions when the river is at medium height and clear, with fly hatching. When rivers are full and slightly coloured,…

If you find yourself on a river without an indicator, you can make one from sheep’s wool. Often found snagged on a fence, wool contains lanolin, which has waterproofing properties that will make the wool float. Take a small tuft and attach it to your leader with an open loop indicator knot (follow step-by-step instructions and videos online). Wool beats many plastic alternatives as it is readily available, easy to attach, biodegradable and you can use as much as you wish to support a range of fly weights and sizes. It will waterlog over time and may need treating with a floatant. Or simply replace it with a fresh piece. Baa-gain!…

JOY AFTER THE BLUES This stunning 12lb 6oz blue trout fell to Birmingham rod John Wadrup while fishing on a sporting ticket at Llandegla Trout Fishery, Wrexham, North Wales. John regularly travels with his father, John senior, to fish the Welsh water because of its great fish and lovely scenery. The trout took one of a team of small Black Spiders fished on a 5wt floating line and 6lb leader. “I saw one of the regulars catch a really nice brownie on a previous visit and he told me that the Black Spider did really well for him on the lakes. I decided to tie some up and give them a try,” said John. He scaled down his tackle and has enjoyed great sport on them ever since. The fish…

“The type of rain that somehow seeps through even the most impermeable fabric and leaves you with a soggy shirt” THE AUTUMN MISTS ARE HANGING heavy over the river valley, the once vibrant hues of fallen leaves offering a muted last flash of colour before the descent of winter. The riverbanks, deserted by visiting anglers, are the domain of red squirrels and pine marten foraging for the cold months ahead and birds feasting on the last of the berries as we wait for ground frosts and the first flurry of snow over the hills. Although the season has closed on the Spey, behind the scenes work continues. It’s not just maintenance to huts, boats and banks that goes on over the winter months to make everything as enjoyable as possible…

Mixing dubbing colours makes extremely natural and vibrant colours. It takes experimentation to achieve the desired results, but that’s what winters are for. Apart from the seal’s fur mix* mentioned in the dressings, I often add a dab of scarlet or orange to off-the-shelf claret dubbing to make a warmer, more vibrant tone. There are few “flat” colours in nature so, by employing this technique, you will enhance your flies by an appreciable degree. I haven’t tried it yet, but dubbed-bodied dry-fly patterns with their dependency on translucency would probably be enhanced by a country mile with a blended colour.…

Ian writes: It would have been easy to start the youth programme with a rod, reel and line knotted to fluff, but I felt that if the six participants had a sound understanding of what they were trying to achieve once they could cast a line, we’d be better placed. This was the timetable. ■ A meeting with the parents. ■ Fly dressing day: An opportunity for the group to gel while they attempted to tie several flies. We started with basic techniques but by the end of the day all six Scouts could create buzzer imitations and their final fly was a typical imitation for stillwaters: a marabou-tailed Bloodworm. ■ Knots: An evening spent learning four basic knots. ■ Introduction to casting: Morning on the grass, afternoon on a…

SIMON CASSIDY LIVES IN IRELAND and counts the River Boyne in Co. Meath as his home water, although he fishes all over the country, and far beyond. He’s part of a construction team supplying and operating the machines to build slipform curved barrier walls — it’s highly specialised work and it takes him all over the world. “I would go down to the Knightsbrook on my bike, a steel nut for a weight and a single hook for the worm” JIM It’s always interesting to hear how people began fishing. Where did you start? SIMON I got going on the tributaries of the Boyne, chasing brownies with worms. My dad was in a traffic accident when I was 12, over in Dumfries. On one occasion when we were visiting him…

A GP body feather before (left) and after being prepped for tying in (right). Strip the fluffy waste from the stalk, then spread the barbs horizontally at right angles to the stalk. Snip four to six of the upper central barbs (this is your tying-in point) and remove some lower barbs leaving about a dozen or so on each side of the stalk. Tie in with the trimmed barbs, double (fold feather in half) and wind as a regular hackle. I sometimes straighten GP topping to make it fit better with the Dabbler template (Kate Dabbler, pictured). Select fibres from a long topping feather, then dampen. Place on a hot, flat plate, straighten, and leave for five minutes. Tippet and topping tails can prove tricky to align properly. Here’s a…

Hook Size 6-12 Kamsan B175 (long-shank hooks provide fish with too much leverage) Thread Size 70 orange UTC Ultra (this thicker, flatter thread won’t cut the foam eyes) Eyes Orange closed-cell foam cylinders Tail White marabou Flash Mirage tinsel Body Chartreuse Straggle Fritz Apply close thread wraps just behind the eye as a solid base for the foam eyes. Tie in a short length of orange closed-cell foam cylinder at its mid-point. Park the thread at the rear of the foam cylinder. Using fine-tipped scissors trim the ends of the foam to shape using small precise cuts. Tie white marabou along the whole hook shank to prevent making a lip in the body. Secure with thread and park the thread opposite the hook point. Trim the ends of the tinsel…

TROUT MASTERS Plus this month’s badge winners from Europe’s largest fly-fishing competition England & Wales BORDER ESK THE Burnfoot Beat below Longtown continues to be the Border Esk’s most productive beat. To October 12 it had produced 190 salmon and 132 sea-trout. October 11 saw no fewer than 31 salmon and grilse caught here. After the driest summer for decades the Border Esk at last got rainfall in late September. River levels climbed on September 26-27. Continued rainfall kept levels up and anglers took their chance. On the BELAC beats, Jackie Allan fished a number of days in late September and early October, catching numerous sea-trout to 6lb and salmon to 10lb. Ian Jardine fished a big water in early October and caught a nice 6lb salmon in the Dead…

England ■ BESSY BECK TROUT FISHERY, Cumbria, 01539 623303 1 Craig Teasdale, Bishop Auckland, 15lb 12oz rainbow, Black Beetle. 2 Craig Teasdale, Bishop Auckland, 13lb rainbow, Damsel. ■ BRANSFORD GAME FISHERIES, Bransford, 01905 830548 1 Peter Singleton, Birmingham, 6lb 3oz rainbow, Green Nymph. 2 Peter Singleton, Birmingham, 6lb rainbow, Brown Hopper. 3 Victor Hambury, Swindon, 5lb 10oz rainbow, Black Buzzer. ■ KILNSEY PARK FLY FISHERY, Skipton, 07765 688780 1 Keith Hudson, Shipley, 12lb 10oz rainbow, Buzzer. 2 Eric Croft, Earby, 10lb 6oz rainbow, on fly. ■ MARSTON WYSE TROUT FARM, York, 01904 738383 1 Patrick Benn, Wetherby, 12lb 6oz rainbow, Olive Zonker. ■ NEW MILLS TROUT FISHING PARK, Brampton, 016977 41115 1 Philip Walker, Morpeth, 12lb 1oz rainbow, F fly. ■ SHARPLEY SPRINGS FLY FISHERY, Seaham, 07860 757527 1 Graham…

ENGLAND ALBURY ESTATE FISHERIES, Guildford, 07976 810737 AMPORT FISHERY, Andover, 01264 771233 BLITHFIELD ANGLERS, Abbots Bromley, 01283 840284 DRAYCOTE TROUT FISHERY, Rugby, 01788 812018 HIGHAM LAKE TROUT FISHERY, Ponteland, 07950 428159 LANGLEY DAM, Hexham, 01434 688846 LEIGHTON RESERVOIR, Ripon, 07815 114890 LENCHES LAKES, Evesham, 01386 871035 LOYNTON TROUT FISHERY, Stafford, 01785 284261 MEON SPRINGS, Petersfield, 01730 823134 RIB VALLEY FISHING LAKES, Ware, 07812 464323 SIBLYBACK LAKE, Liskeard, 01566 771930 TENTERDEN TROUT WATERS, Tenterden, 01580 763201 WASHBURN VALLEY FISHERIES, Harrogate, 01943 880658 SCOTLAND DUNLICHITY TROUT FISHERY, Inverness, 01808 521442 JERICHO LOCH, Torthorwald, 07955 060347 MILL OF KELLAS TROUT FISHERY, Elgin, 01343 890478 MOFFAT FISHERY, Moffat, 01683 221220 TARVIE LOCHS, Tarvie, 01997 421250 WELLSFIELD TROUT FISHERY, Denny, 01324 822800 WALES ELAN VALLEY, Rhayader, 01597 810383 GRAIGLWYD SPRINGS, Bangor, 01492 622338 LLYN GWYN,…

Caught a memorable fish? Send a picture and brief story to troutandsalmon@bauermedia.co.uk Each picture published (p10-11) will receive a Sharpe’s of Aberdeen cap. The captor of the Fish of the Month will receive a Sharpe’s rod of their choice. Our winner may have recently landed a big fish, first fish or unusual fish. They may simply have told a wonderful tale. The editor’s decision is final.For terms and conditions, visit: bauerlegal.co.uk/competition-terms.html For our Privacy Policy: bauerdatapromise.co.uk…

Hook Size 14-18 Fulling Mill Competition Heavyweight Thread Rust-brown Rib Gold wire Body Green Peter mix seal’s fur* Palmer Ginger cock Wing Hen or cock pheasant secondary slips Head hackle Ginger hen One of the very best green traditional flies, which will catch almost every game fish, everywhere. Originating in Ireland to match the Green Peter sedge, it will work as a vague imitator of a wide range of aquatic invertebrates where such flies do not exist. The common winging material is hen pheasant secondary slips, but I have always preferred cock pheasant (pictured).…

Hook Size 8-12 Fulling Mill Competition Heavyweight Thread Black Rib Gold wire Body Scarlet and Green Peter mix seal’s fur* Palmer Ginger cock Wing Hen or cock pheasant secondary slips Head West of Ireland golden olive dyed deer hair In previous issues we have discussed mixed seal’s fur bodies in which the body is created from two sections of seal’s fur (woodcock and mixed). This was an underused technique that has seen a revival with the above pattern. A very popular wild trout and salmon pattern.…

1. BOX OF DRY-FLIES When I was 15, my father obtained a permit for me to fly-fish for trout on the River Ribble near our home in Lancashire. My aunt presented me with a plastic box of North Country dry-flies. I have them still, a reminder that the first step of an angling life is the kindness of family and friends. 2. GREENHEART SALMON FLY-ROD In 1965, when I caught my first salmon on a Toby spoon, nearly all salmon were caught spinning or with bait. Soon after, I watched in awe as a new friend cast a fly across the Spey using an inherited, spliced greenheart rod, with sections bound together with leather thongs. It still took me a decade to buy my first double-handed fly-rod and another 20…

The main “hatch’ in Iceland is midge, which can bring trout to the surface in large numbers. The obvious pattern to fish is therefore a dry midge or gnat pattern. However, a friend of mine who fished in Iceland a couple of years ago caught numerous fish on rubber-legged beetle patterns. I tried one on the famous “Minni” River just before we went to Villingavatn and it was lethal. My final fish from Villingavatn took a foam and rubber-legged beetle pattern tight in the margins. While beetle patterns with rubber legs looks a little like heather flies, which are present in numbers at certain times of the year, my opinion is that a trout feeding on the surface takes it because it just can’t ignore the pattern if it floats…

DRAYCOTE BUZZER Hook Size 12-14 Fasna F210 Thread Black, 6/0 Butt Glo-Brite floss, No4 Body Stripped peacock herl, natural Thorax Black thread, built up Cheeks Fluoro yellow goose biots Thorax cover Flat UV mylar Finish Three coats of Hard As Nails My team mates know this as the Draycote Buzzer, but it catches fish on all reservoirs including Grafham Water and my local reservoir, Rutland, where it was particularly successful for me in May this year — a size 12 and 14 on a washing line with a two-tone Prawnzest Fab on the point. I like to fish them on one of my favourite lines, Airflo’s original peach mini-tip. I’ll use a size 10 on the point if straight-line buzzer fishing. I like slim nymphs and buzzers and I’m careful…

ROB EDMUNDS Highly successful competition angler, reservoir bank and boat specialist. RONNIE GLASS Former Scottish champion on rivers and stillwaters and a curator of the Tweed Salmon Fishing Museum. STEVE CULLEN Guide, instructor and all-round game angler with a wealth of knowledge. ALASTAIR & WILLIAM PEAKE Brothers Al and Will (AKA TwinPeakes) have a casting school and tackle shop in Crathes on the Aberdeenshire Dee. 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.…

1 SWITCH THE BOOBY Many of you will be familiar with the washing line method, a Booby on the point and nymphs on the droppers, but at the back-end of the reservoir season, when trout turn their attention to fry, it is often wise to switch the Booby to the top dropper. Cast out and as soon as the flies land on the water impart two or three long, fast strips so that the Booby makes as much disturbance as possible. Aggressive trout feeding high in the water will find this hard to ignore and will come and investigate. This works on most lines, but a floater down to a Di3 are often best through the autumn and winter months. When trout lock on to the booby, they will either…

Fly Fishing The World On A Shoestring, by Duncan Hall, £16.99 (paperback) £24.99 (hardback) A richly illustrated and curated anthology of fishing anecdotes and geopolitical information. Web: bigsalmon.co.uk Salar tweed caps, £49.99 Exclusively designed by the Fly Fishing Centre, Kelso, using sustainably sourced tweed woven in the Scottish Borders. Tel: 07715 977 060 Web: salarwool.com Hardy Marquis LWT reel, £259.99-£323.99 A remodelled classic, this new edition features numerous improvements to the original. Available in 2wt to 7wt trout models and No1 to No3 salmon sizes. Tel: 01665 602 771. Web: hardyfishing.co.uk Stillwater Riverruns wading jacket, £120 This waterproof and breathable jacket has plenty of pockets and clever features like vents under the arms for air flow. Sizes S-XL. Tel: 0141 212 8880 Web: fishingmegastore.com Renomed Flytyer Super Cut…

THE NOT-SO-WILD WEST Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TCS) has accused Scottish Government of trying to bury bad news following the publication of a report that reveals the fitness of wild salmon in the west Highlands and Islands has been severely compromised by interbreeding with escaped farmed salmon of Norwegian origin. The Marine Scotland (MS) report took fish samples from 237 sites across Scotland. MS states “signs of introgression were found in salmon at 55 (23.2%) of the sites with 182 (76.8%) sites classified as Good, 21 (8.9%) as Moderate, 20 (8.4%) as Poor, and 14 (5.9%) as Very Poor”. The Moderate, Poor and Very Poor categories are concentrated almost entirely in areas of Scotland where salmon farms, marine and freshwater, are located (see map). Government agency MS admit that…

1943–2021 IT is with great sadness that I report the passing of Jimmy Hutchison, lifelong member of Perth and District AA, and of Stanley AC — a salmon angler supreme. Jimmy was 78 years old and lived in Luncarty. He was educated at Redgorton Primary, Perth Academy and the University of St Andrews, and became a geography teacher at Goodlyburn School, Perth. He began his fishing on the Shochie Burn as a lad and during his lifetime must have caught thousands of salmon. He kept a written record of each fish. He was a stalwart and firm supporter of PDAA and Stanley AC, and served on the committee several times during his life. Jimmy’s favourite form of salmon fishing was with a red devon, at which he was an expert,…

Junior ENGLAND ■ ALDIN GRANGE LAKES, Durham, 0191 384 6090 1 Harris Armstrong, Co Durham, 3lb 9oz rainbow, Peach Blob. ■ BRICK FARM LAKES, Herstmonceux, 01323 832615 1 Isabella Bloomfield, Kent, 3lb 8oz rainbow, Rainbow Warrior. WALES ■ BIGWELL FLY FISHERY, Monmouth, 01600 772904 1 Wilbur Leoviriyakit, Bristol, 3lb 2oz rainbow, Yellow Blob. ■ TYN-Y-GRAIG FARM, Crynant, 01639 750894 1 Jack Oakley, Port Talbot, 2lb 4oz rainbow, Egg fly. Youth ENGLAND ■ THRUNTON LONG CRAG TROUT FISHERY, Alnwick, 01665 574400 1 Ryan Foggon, Morpeth, 7lb 3oz rainbow, Fry. 2 Owen Palmer, Northumberland, 5lb rainbow, Daddy. SCOTLAND ■ RAEMOIR TROUT FISHERY, Banchory, 01330 820092 1 Jack Wishart, Laurencekirk, 5lb 8oz rainbow, Cat Bug.…

SO, I’M BACK FROM THE FINDHORN. AND, wow, is that a long way! Six-hundred miles in a car, alone. I tried the radio but couldn’t stand it. Is it just me or is mainstream media getting worse? Maybe it’s an age thing but it seems to me there is precious little analysis being done in the news these days; but plenty of opinion. Well, I have my own opinions and I am unlikely to be swayed from them by other peoples’ commentary. What I hanker after is a few facts. Give me facts — accurate, cross-checked and immutable — and I’ll work out where I want to go from there. Even the weather forecast is not free from nuance and opinion. “Looks like we’re heading into another lovely weekend. Dry,…