Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2022 i Trout & Salmon

FAMOUS OVERTHERE Fly-fishing instructor, painter and author Charles Jardine is to be inducted into the American Fly Fishing Hall of Fame, an honour never previously awarded to a living British angler. Previous inductees include Charles Ritz, Tom McGuane, Norman Maclean, Robert Redford, Zane Grey, Charles Orvis, Stanley Bogdan, Joan and Lee Wulff, and Lefty Kreh. The honour is given by the Catskill Fly Fishing Centre and American Museum in New York State. Charles said, “To say I was utterly shocked when I received the call would be an understatement. The list of people honoured by the committee are my heroes. The standing of these individuals represents the cornerstones of our sport – a fly-fishing Olympus. I feel utterly humbled to be in such company and so glad that I have…

I set my drag light to combat my Hebridean habits of being too quick on grilse, which doesn't do me any favours when hooking big fish. Let me explain. Grilse are quick fish — much quicker and less deliberate than big fish. They nip and pull at flies and I've become accustomed to always having a hand on the line (figure-of-eighting the retrieve or “tweaking” the line as it swings). Then, when the take comes, I will instantly clamp the line in my hand and hold tight on to the fish, not giving it anything in the first few moments of head-shaking. I've found that if you can hold on to them like this, the chances of landing them are increased. The exact opposite is required on most other occasions…

YOU OFTEN KNOW FROM A brief encounter if someone can fish. It may be the language they use or the confidence they exude. In Anthony Peynado's case, it was his nonchalance and humility. I'd met him on the banks of the Towy a few seasons back. A committee member of Llandeilo Angling Association, he'd promised to show me the club's 1½-mile beat of the Cothi. Although it was fleeting, I fell in love with this clear and lively river, as Anthony had done many years before. He agreed to show me how to catch a Cothi salmon, and so I returned in the final days of last season (mid-October). I pulled in behind a camper van in a layby on the beat's upper limit. The coolest man in fly-fishing got…

IS IT JUST ME – OR ARE ISLANDS just intrinsically romantic places? Life is different on an island: just getting there is often interesting. And the more remote the island — or the harder it is to get there — then the more romantic and exciting the prospect. Especially if the island is home to wild brown trout. The Shetland Islands are the remotest of British isles. They are also the troutiest with nearly 400 lochs and lochans across 100 islands. Of course, some of these islands are troutier than others. Some aren't trouty at all — being little more than big rocks surrounded by sea — while the 125 lochs featured in the Shetland Anglers Association's handbook can all be found on the half-dozen largest islands. Which leaves plenty…

When making booby eyes from foam cylinders, trim the cylinder first to remove the hard edge, then nibble away to round the eye. Placing the open scissor blades gently against the foam, then closing quickly gives fine control. Figure-of-eight the trimmed cylinder on to the hook shank just behind the eye. See YouTube for tips. When tying in foam backs, trim the end of the strip to a point. Place the point just over the bend then cover half of the point as you tie it in. The remaining angle helps the back fold over the dubbing and looks more pleasing. Fold the back over the dubbing, then fold down in front of the eye. Leave room for a hackle if needed. Alternatively, tie down tightly behind the eye and…

{TACKLE TEST} DON STAZICKER is a highly experienced trout fisherman, fly-tyer and instructor. He co-authored the groundbreaking e-book on trout behaviour Trout and Flies – Getting Closer, and is the river conservancy officer for Cressbrook and Litton Flyfishers in Derbyshire. STILLWATER ANGLERS WHO OWN A single reel and line are rare. Boat anglers, and in particular competition boat anglers, use a wide variety of lines, often in a single day. Interchangeable spools make swapping lines simple but purchasing spare spools for conventional reels when you have upwards of 20 fly-lines can prove very expensive. Enter the cassette reel, a metal reel with removable, inexpensive, lightweight plastic cassettes. Cassettes make it easy and cost effective to assemble a system of lines to meet any occasion. The test intended to look at 11…

DROUGHT RESILIENCE In winter rain falls, rivers flow, drought is forgotten, but the Rivers Trusts are urging Government to Build Back Wetter to make our water resources resilient to increasingly hot and dry summers. It says Government should be encouraging sustainable drainage in urban areas, ideas such as permeable pavements, wetlands and rain gardens (low-lying areas where storm water from roofs can temporarily gather before draining, pictured). These measures help “to build local stores of water in catchments and aquifers, which can recharge watercourses over time, reducing strain on them during drier months.” RT also seeks a rapid reduction in the three billion gallons of water lost to leaks in 2021, and incentives for water customers to install water butts and low-flush toilets, and recycle “grey-water” (use bath, shower, washing-up…

FINLAY WILSON is an experienced guide and instructor, who runs the Dawyck Estate beat on the upper Tweed. I OFTEN WONDER WHICH IS MY favourite Scottish wild trout loch. It's a somewhat pointless exercise — there are many contenders, the usual suspects constantly change position, and even coming up with a definitive top five is tricky. However, there are special places that have stubbornly lodged themselves in my subconscious. The shallow, fertile waters of the Western Isles loom largest, firing my imagination most, none more so than those of South Uist. Of these brown trout lochs, Grogarry seems to exert the greatest pull. West Ollay runs it close for the chance of connecting with the fish of a lifetime on one of the prettiest, most intriguing and confounding of lochs.…

What can anglers do? How can a salmon angler do their bit to help the fish they are so passionate about? Social-media posts are full of emotion, full of passion, but little substance. The cry to kill this and cull that is less and less likely to happen with successive Governments that seem to care little about these remarkable fish. Charities and NGOs raise more money and employ more people than ever before, but in my opinion seem to achieve little and all the while the plight of the salmon worsens. So, what can the angler do? Can someone tell me the most effective way to communicate their concerns? Not many people can commit £750 over three years to a charity that will invite you to an annual dinner. In…

AS I WRITE, SOUTHERN WATER HAS just imposed a hosepipe ban, the first in ten years. The words horse/bolt/stable/ door immediately spring to mind. Do they actually employ any hydrologists at Southern Water? It has been plain as a pike staff that the aquifers were running towards dry for months. Don't take my word for it — the Environment Agency (EA) rainfall reports predicted as much in May. Heavens, we had just 20% of the usual rainfall in January across the south of England. Doesn't Southern Water know that 80% of river flows are provided by the rain that falls in 25% of the year (November-February)? What exactly were they waiting for? Some sort of divine intervention? Or as many suspect, is the hosepipe ban just a bit of PR?…

If you thought UK rules were strict, spare a thought for German anglers who must first pass an exam before they can buy a fishing rod licence. The test includes fishing rules and regulations such as size limits and general angling law. The same applies in Switzerland where a two-day basic knowledge fishing course is required for anyone wanting to purchase a licence for a duration of a month or more. Under animal protection laws, Germany and Switzerland also ban catch-and-release — the opposite to the UK. In Poland, foreigners do not need a fishing rod licence, only a permit for the particular fishery. But in New York State, USA, you need a fishing licence even if you are just helping someone to land a fish. It's illegal to use…

JIM COATES fishes on the Dee, Spey, Tay and Tweed. He take a keen interest in conservation and fundraising MARK PATERSON IS A fascinating man. A degree in aquaculture, director of a tackle company, a day job in behavioural research and veterinary welfare, not to mention a former gillie and casting tutor. Unsurprisingly he's a devastatingly good angler, connecting years of practical experience and casting prowess with thinking like a fish. JIM What's involved in the day job? MARK I'm one of the managers of a fish behavioural unit and veterinary aquaria. We mostly study salmon, but also several other species like cod and haddock. JIM What sort of research does that include? MARK Things like sea-lice trials, the study of diseases like red belly, red vent, etc, as well…

FEWER FRESH FISH NOW RUN OUR back-end rivers and, therefore, I think the tactics used to catch them need to change. Flies swung years ago – Garry Dog, Willie Gunn, Comet – were gaudy affairs designed to show up against dead leaves blown on to the river. Sinking lines were used to get below the leaves to the fish sitting in deep, cooling water. The approach worked then, but now most autumn salmon have been in the river for weeks, if not months. They've seen multiple flies and fly presentations. A few knowing anglers always had a card up their sleeves – the slow and deep presentation of a Red Frances would succeed when the going got tough. It was noticeable that “Red Whiskers” would work with older resident fish…

A new blue The Blue-flash Damsel (BFD), probably the most popular lure on small stocked stillwaters, has spawned many different olivebased flashy body materials. As the name suggests, BFDs are tied with blue flash added to an olive body, tail and sometimes hackle. This new body straggle hackle from Upavon Fly Fishing replaces the blue with copper. Copper Flash Damsel trips off the tongue as well as the blue version, so why not try it? The fish will decide its fate. Try it for bodies on streamers, lures, dabblers, and larger nymphs. It's available in six lengths (4mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm and 14mm) but if you're not sure which length you need, visit the Upavon web shop — you'll find a handy chart matching hook sizes to material length.…

1936-2022 BRIAN Wells was chairman of Bowland Game-Fishing Association (BGFA) in Lancashire from 1982, having served on the committee from 1972. Under his leadership, the club became one of the premier associations in the North of England. He was instrumental in the acquisition of fishing rights that included beats on the Lune, Ribble, Hodder, Aire, Liddle and Cumbrian Derwent, amounting to over 30 miles of river fishing. His policy of purchase rather than rent has cemented the future security of the Association in the face of potential rising rents. He was a keen sea-trout fisherman and was reluctant to boast about his Hodder sea-trout of 18lb. In later years, he became a seasoned salmon angler, often fishing the Scottish rivers and his favourite beats on the Derwent at Isel and…

I was on my annual pilgrimage to the beautiful River Wharfe at Appletreewick and fishing up a pool when I noticed two young children (a boy of about five and a girl of about eight) playing in shallow water ten yards upstream. I was just about to shout a warning as they were heading towards a steeply shelving sandy bottom in a fast current, when the boy suddenly let out a shout as the effect of the current and soft shelving sand took his feet away. His sister made a grab for him and suddenly both were being swept away by the current into deep water with her holding on to him. When I saw the boy starting to lose his footing, I stopped my fishing and ran towards them…

POACHER. IT CONJURES UP AN IMAGE OF a rugged but loveable rogue roaming the countryside in his tweeds and taking one for the pot, doesn't it? But reality is often far different. In the first lockdown of 2020, reported poaching incidents more than doubled on many rivers throughout the UK. There's no knowing how many other incidents went unnoticed — with a lack of gillies and anglers, it was easier to illegally access pools. This upturn has continued and with the current squeeze on living costs it's obviously a tempting way for some to supplement their income on the black market. Poaching is done not only by rod and line but also by organised groups of men with nets who sweep a pool and empty it of fish. While, thankfully,…

NOTHING MAKES THINGS FLOAT LIKE trapped air, which makes foam perfect for keeping flies riding high all day. It's extremely buoyant, flexible, durable, can be shaped and trimmed with ease, and it's cheap. You need to look for “closed-cell foam", which consists of thousands of independently sealed cells and is therefore nonabsorbent. Open-cell foam is absorbent, so not ideal — if a fly takes on water, it eventually sinks. Most fly-tying retailers sell the correct types of foam in sheets, cylinders and blocks in a variety of thicknesses, diameters and colours. Sheet foam gives you the most options, with cylinders — often marketed as “booby cylinders” or in longer lengths as “booby cord” — a close second. Block foam is only of any real use when mass-producing cylinders or when…

Cutting edge Whether filleting and preparing your catch on the bank or in the kitchen, your knife blades should be kept sharp. The HORL 2 sharpening system is compact and easy to use. It contains only two parts — a magnetic wooden block (the S-Pad), and a free-spinning roller-grinder. The S-Pad has strong magnets at either end to hold the knife blade securely at either a 20-degree angle, ideal for sharpening most steel blades, or a finer 15-degree angle for knives with quality, high-carbon Japanese or Damascus blades. Fix the knife, edge up, to the S-Pad, lay the roller grinder against the blade and simply roll back and forth, ensuring fingers are kept well back from the cutting edge. One end of the grinder is fitted with an interchangeable, industrial-grade…

1950-2022 KEITH Robson, a member of Bishop Auckland District Angling Club for over 50 years, was an accomplished angler for all species but particularly sea-trout. He was also a master fly-tyer and his creations have been the downfall of many a River Wear sea-trout. There is no doubt in my mind that the club would not exist today had it not been for Keith's tireless work as membership secretary, but his input went way beyond that role. When the club was in serious crisis in 2017, Keith's loyalty to the membership was invaluable in putting into practice the survival plan the new committee came up with. He was able to see the fruits of his labours when the club was turned round to a stable and healthy position. Keith was…

PRIME FISHING ON THE WYE The Rectory Fishery, classic upper Wye water at Boughrood between Builth Wells and Hereford, is being sold by Seren Bell whose late husband, Dr Stephen Marsh-Smith, was founder and a former director of The Wye and Usk Foundation which achieved so much to preserve and enhance salmon stocks in the two rivers. For sale are 1,380 yards of double bank and 886 yards of single bank with 15 main pools, fishing hut, pedestrian and vehicular access, parking and more than four acres of oak woodland. It is noted fly-fishing water with a five-year annual average up to 2021 of 31.4 salmon (59 in 2017; 49 in 2019). There are also grayling, dace, chub and barbel and the fishery is often let for club coarse fishing…

Autumn has arrived and with our stillwaters cooling after the long, hot summer, sport is about to take off. Trout will be hungry, willing and fighting fit, so it's time to dust off your tackle and enjoy the fruits of autumn. This guide to back-end trout fisheries has ample venues for you to try, all of which promise a memorable and relaxing day's fishing. Give them a go, let us know how you get on and send a photograph of your catch to our Gallery pages (see p8). Tight Lines! CHESHIRE Clay Lane Farm Fly Fishery Contact: 01565 873337 www.claylanetroutfishery.co.uk Stock: Trout including Rainbow, Brown, Brook, Tiger, Blue and Golden Facilities: Car Parking, Fishing Hut with toilet, seating and appliances to make hot drinks. CHESHIRE Danebridge Fisheries Contact: 01260 227…