Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2022 i Trout & Salmon

A few years ago, I remember a UK Government minister describing a healthy and thriving river as a “ditch” and how its only job was to remove flood water from farmland. I fear that profoundly ignorant attitude still prevails, if the latest policies unveiled by the new regime are as backward and destructive as the National Trust, Wildlife Trust, RSPB and Rivers Trust claim. The NFU and landowning MPs seem to have a stranglehold over policy. Environmental protections are set to be removed, soil-retaining winter crops abandoned so the rivers fill with sediment, the use of indiscriminate pesticides permitted, and mass building allowed that will pollute and unsustainably abstract from aquifers. Are these really good examples of the be-all and end-all growth the Prime Minister seeks? No, in my view…

HAVE YOU HEARD THE ONE ABOUT Scottish Government proposing mandatory catch-and-release (C&R) on rivers regardless of their conservation category? It sounds like a joke, doesn't it? I wish it were, but it seems that, yet again, another thinly veiled attack is being made on game-angling. Government claims “catch-and-release is one of the most effective ways in which anglers can contribute to the future of their sport”. Why are the people most passionate about saving salmon and sea-trout being targeted again? In 2021, 95% of rod-caught salmon were released and 99% of spring salmon (before May 1), which shows how obliging anglers have been. Compulsory C&R is already in place throughout much of England, Ireland and Wales, but no increase in salmon numbers is apparent. I'm no scientist, but I'm fairly…

JACK WESTBURY'S NAME popped up in a conversation between casts. I'd stumbled across Rutland Water bank angler Mick Lacey at Road End on the reservoir's peninsula. Mick had joined Derbyshire County Angling Club (DCAC) the previous season and attended a few club gatherings. At these meetings, he'd met Jack, who had obviously made an impression. Mick doesn't mince his words. He'll call a spade a spade, an Olive Tadpole a lure (not a damsel) and a Blob the work of the devil. “Now listen here,” he announced like a schoolmaster addressing an assembly, “I've got to tell you about a young lad called jack. This lad's the real deal, you know.” He plonked himself down on his seatbox. “He not only catches a lot of fish, but he's also fanatical.…

Coloured mono makes great eyes for shrimps, nymphs and the like. Simply melt the end with a lighter and tie the stalk into the dressing. Try yellow, green, brown and camo. To create the sensual curves and pronounced thorax on nail polish buzzers, you first need to form a starting-point — a spot of nail polish on the underside of the hook. Allow it to dry, then build up the layers one at a time, allowing each layer to dry. Add a tiny touch of red marker pen on the hook before the first spot of polish — this will bleed into the polish, suggesting the rush of haemoglobin. Wine and whisky bottles no longer use lead foil, but the “capsule” is often still metal (usually tin these days). It…

■ Weed means food and safety for fry and trout. Big trout are happy in this rich, protected environment. Structures, draw-off towers, harbour walls, even natural banks offer them an opportunity to feed. ■ Look for gulls. They feed on fry and will focus their attention on the middle of a shoal ■ No matter which flies you choose, only ever use a single fly. You'll fish more effectively. ■ Hookpoints must be needle-sharp. Use a hook hone. ■ Use a tapered leader. They help you to transfer energy on the forward cast, propelling a bulky fly with more accuracy. Fry-feeding trout are high in the water, inches below the surface, and their window of vision is small. If you land your fly too far from a trout, it won't…

The new Guidewater Sling from Patagonia is a 15-litre shoulder pack made from 100 per cent recycled nylon with a polyurethane coating. This makes it durable and IPX-7 waterproof rated, meaning it will keep all the contents dry and safe even after full immersion. The hydrophilic back panel, shoulder strap and lining are 100 per cent recycled polyester which won't absorb or retain water, keeping the pack as light as possible. The back panel also has an integrated net slot for out-of-the-way storage and easy-to-hand access. Both the shoulder strap and quick-release retainer strap are adjustable and interchangeable via velcro loops. This allows the pack to be worn over either shoulder, depending on your preference. Once the retaining strap has been released, grab handles top and bottom make it easy…

{A CLOSER LOOK} Sage's new premium R8 Core rods are the successor to its X range. We were keen to find out what's new and whether they were an improvement on the previous models. The R8 Core has two subtle cosmetic changes. The blank is now a semi-matt, dark graphite green (which Sage describe as “silver pine”) rather than the gloss black-andgreen combination of the X. The uplocking aluminium reel seat is also a lighter shade to match the blank. The smaller 3wt to 6wt models have the same flor-grade snub-nosed half-wells cork handles, although the wooden reel-seat insets have been changed to a more sustainable Ziricote hardwood, with little visible difference. The 5wt to 9wt rods retain the full-wells grip and EVA fighting butt. Both feature Fuji ceramic stripper…

They ran from daybreak to nightfall. Seventy athletes, young and old, completing a 50-mile relay from Exmouth to Exmoor on Sunday, September 25 to raise public awareness of the challenges faced by migrating salmon. The event was organised by Tidelines, a project that connects the Exmouth estuary to the local Devon community by combining aspects of history, art, geography and biology. On their journey upstream, the runners were introduced to poetry, costume and ritual, meeting experts from West Country Rivers Trust, University of Exeter, Royal Albert Memorial Museum, an author, net-fisher and angler. Many runners were unaware salmon have lived in the Exe for millennia, yet Exeter comes from the word Isca, meaning “fish” or “fish place”. In the 1970s, it was not uncommon to see hundreds of salmon under…

Although the two loves of my life seem fairly separate, occasionally I've had the chance to catch a wave and a salmon on the same day. The Barvas estate river empties into the bay at Barvas and is home to a very good “point break” (surfing terminology for a wave that breaks along a headland or point). It doesn't usually get a swell big enough in the calm summer months to make it work, but twice in the years I've worked at Barvas I have caught a salmon and then paddled out and caught a wave on the same day at the same spot. It's got me thinking about other places in the UK where this might be possible… I can feel a new obsession brewing.…

IN A SMALL TRIANGLE OF agricultural land to the northeast of Basingstoke lie the rivers Loddon and Lyde. Only a few country roads cross this secluded Hampshire oasis, the home of Gresham Angling Society. In existence for 141 years, the Gresham has more than eight miles of river available to its 80 fee-paying and ten honorary members. The membership is composed of fly-fishers from all walks of life. Many live within a 20-mile radius or come from the Greater London area. The club does not issue day-tickets, but members may bring up to two guests for a nominal charge. The number of paying members has slightly increased over the last few years to support expansion of the sub-contracted element of the society's river management activities. James Watson, an experienced river…

Jack's a great fly-tyer, which provides a little payback for Steve. His neat rows of nymphs in regiments of different weights and sizes would make the most seasoned angler envious. He sticks to tried-and-trusted patterns but occasionally heads off piste, when inspired. The most important thing: he ties each pattern in a wide range of weights and sizes, using 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.5mm and 5mm beads and various jig backs. Because grayling have small mouths and natural nymphs are tiny, he uses as small a hook as he can for a given bead size. For example, a size 16 with a 4mm bead, a size 18 with a 3.5mm bead, and a size 20 with a 2mm bead.…

SHORT COLD WINTER DAYS ARE WHEN many of us begin grayling fishing in earnest. We have a genuine love for this beautiful game fish which takes us to beautiful places and makes us happy to be alive. Tim Wood is one of the finest tyers of grayling flies and a damn good angler. Maybe I'm biased: he's one of my best mates. We enjoy fishing new water together, searching for three-pounders. We like to share a rod, enjoying the battles we win and suffering the losses. Sight-fishing is particularly fun, as the non-fisher can watch the grayling's reaction to flies drifted down to them. One of our favourite bugging patterns is imaginatively called Tim's Shrimp, which imitates the freshwater shrimps eaten by grayling all year. Having a confidence pattern like…

EST. 1955 TROUT & SALMON RECOMMENDS 2022 Ice cool Sometimes, when you add a flashy synthetic to a fly it can overwhelm or dominate other materials. Too much flash can also put fish off, especially if they are pressured fish and have seen it all before. This is most likely with dubbing that has wide individual fibres and lacks mobility. In which case, ice dubbing — there are various brands — offers a more subtle alternative. Not only can ice dubbing be used for bodies and collars on flies, but it is so fine and long in fibre that it can be brushed out (with a comb or velcro) and merged into wings and tails, giving them added life. Celtic Blob Company's ice dub is so soft, fine and mobile…

HISTORIC MILL WITH VISITOR APPEAL The Mill House at the hamlet of Mortimer's Cross in attractive Herefordshire countryside includes the historic Mortimer's Cross Mill, a fine example of a post-medieval water mill, under the guardianship of English Heritage. In the past, the current owner has had an agreement to open it as a visitor attraction. There are also a cottage, some land and fishing on the River Lugg. Leominster is six miles away and Ludlow 10. The Mill House dates from the 1700s. In need of some improvement, it provides two cellars; two reception rooms, family room and kitchen-breakfast room on the ground floor; one ensuite bedroom, two bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor; and a further bedroom on the second. The adjacent cottage has a sitting room,…

Cruives (fish traps) were in place at Morphie from 1450, but these were likely to be individual traps rather than part of the Dyke. The term cruive can refer to many types of trap, from willow and clay to fairly large stone structures. The first reference found mentioning the “cruive dyke” is 1762. A 1768 diagram in the book Fishing Communities of Angus and the Mearns by David G. Adams (2013), clearly shows a dyke spanning the whole river and a mill lade (stream) on the south bank feeding Kinnaber Mill and Morphie Mill on the north side, both of which date from the mid-18th century. The North Water Bridge (road bridge next to the hut) dates from 1750 and its design suggests the lade was there at the time.…

Tell the politicians Calum McRoberts’ letter (October) raises an important question about what anglers can do to help our wild salmon, and we believe Trout and Salmon readers can play a crucial role. While Fisheries Management Scotland does not represent anglers, we absolutely recognise the crucial part that the angling community continues to play in salmon conservation, including through many years of voluntary catch-and-release. Now, more than ever, it is vital that those who care about wild salmon speak with one voice, to ensure that decision-makers act. Fisheries managers, anglers and gillies across Scotland have been highlighting the wild salmon crisis for many years. To help empower individuals to take positive action, Fisheries Management Scotland launched a Call to Action earlier this year. There are many issues that must be…

WHY ARE THE BRITISH PUBLIC and media now kicking up such a stink about sewage? How is it that every media outlet from primetime BBC news to the leader column of The Times is carrying stories and opinion about the unacceptable dumping of raw waste into our rivers and coastal waters? Why, finally, is Ofwat and their fellow traveller in the destruction of our rivers, the Environment Agency, finally getting the kicking they richly deserve? The answer lies in the data. Now, we anglers have known for years of the rich cocktail of nasties seeping into our rivers, even if we could not exactly identify or explain the precise nature of the pollution. I say seeping because for the most part it's been just that. Unobtrusive to the casual observer.…

FLY-TYING TODAY IS OFTEN a convenient synthesis of the traditional and modern. The fur and feather used when fly-fishing as we know it began are combined with synthetic products such as plastic foam, poly-yarn and tinsel to catch fish in fresh and saltwater. Combine this mix with a dash of “keep it simple” and that sums up Stefan Biehl's approach to tying flies. In his late thirties, Stefan is based in Stockholm. And when it comes to tying flies, he is a complete all-rounder, endeavouring to master all methods of fishing and fly-tying from the smallest dry-flies and nymphs for trout to great articulated streamers for pike and tube-flies for sea-trout. While he ties flies for all fish species, Stefan's favourite quarry are large brown trout. His largest, which took…

THE DELICATE ART OF LOCH-style wet-fly fishing is one that has sadly fallen out of fashion on the larger reservoirs and stillwaters of England and Wales. Once the first-choice style of boat fishing, it has given way to undeniably productive, if gauche, techniques like Blobs, the washing line and the bung. Thankfully, the lochs and loughs of Scotland and Ireland remain a stronghold of the wet-fly. And expert anglers from those shores ply their top-of-the-water trade with great success on the English Midlands reservoirs, proving there is still a place for this technique in every angler's arsenal. One of the wet-fly's chief exponents is quietly spoken Irishman Frank Reilly from Glencorrib, whose laidback disposition and wicked sense of humour belie his thoughtful and methodical approach to trout-fishing, something he's honed…

I'VE LOST COUNT OF THE NUMBER OF TIMES I've heard people ask, “Can you tie with sewing thread?” The answer is the same for cat fur or polythene bags: if it doesn't dissolve in water, then give it a try. The important thing with any “found” materials is that they suit the application. The curious and cunning fly-tyer will find that many household bits and pieces have properties worth exploiting to give fly patterns that killer edge. My shortlist of items for this article suddenly became very long. I've whittled it down to my favourites, which I can talk about from experience. These items and flies should keep you busy for a week or two and catch you plenty of fish — they have done for me and my pals.…

My flies are not fancy; in fact, I'm convinced a lump of foam would work. I use three. My little Popper fry takes some beating. It's small and unobtrusive and won't freak out the fish; a nice easy mouthful often taken without hesitation. My next fly is similar but far bigger: 3in of Popper Minkie. Finally, I use a deer-hair pattern, small but fat, although you can change its size to match the fry the trout are eating. It was shown to me by the former Rutland guide and fry-feeding supremo Dave Docherty, AKA Curly. I fish all three flies in the same way. Hooks are important. They should have a very long point. For my small fly, I use the now defunct Hanak 266 — I bought all the…

Quality combination Bring together a legendary rod designer and a man who can cast a fly 191ft with a 15ft spey rod and you have something of a dream team in fly-rod development. CND founder Nobuo Nodera and double world distance casting record-holder Geir Hansen pooled their expertise and created the new CND Gravity rod series. The rods use ground-breaking nano-pitch technology which allows thinner layers of carbon than ever before (0.5mm instead of the standard 1.2mm) to be used, first at 90 degrees to the mandrel and then at an opposing 45-degree bias. This multi-layer construction creates a rod that is very light and stable with exceptionally fast recovery. We looked at the new Gravity 11ft 6in, 7/8wt Switch, a lightweight double-handed rod made for fishing smaller rivers, summer…

Three keen fly-fishermen — Vince Ting, Ken Myers (both chemists) and Dennis Eversole — were so concerned that most existing fly floatants were solvent-based, flammable and environmentally unfriendly that they decided to develop high-performing, solvent-free alternatives. The result is High N Dry, which comes in gel, liquid and powder formulas. High N Dry Gel Floatant has a low viscosity to easily penetrate a fly's material without clogging fibres. It is suitable for all types of floating flies and emergers, even ones tied with CDC. It can also be used for treating strike indicators. The gel is non-toxic and environmentally friendly so it's safe for the angler and the fish. The gels consistency will remain constant regardless of temperature and the fine-tip bottle is handy for when you only want to…