If you have any questions feel free to E-mail me martin@flyfish.demon.co.uk

Up until about the middle of the 1990’s most American anglers looked upon the carp as a trash fish only fit for the roses. I can tell you it’s now a different story. Today many American anglers are chucking flies for carp and thoroughly enjoying the experience. As they tell me “These carp fight hard Martin”. For the past ten years or more I have been telling my American friends that as the salmonoid fish disappear, they will look for another hard fighting fish, and the only ones you have in freshwater apart from the pike is the carp. They can forget the freshwater bass species which couldn’t even compete with our tench, barbel or chub. No longer is the carp destined for the roses. In America today, it’s becoming a sports fish. There is now a book titled Carp on the Fly by Barry Reynolds, Brad Befus and John Berryman. It’s a good read, though I don’t agree with the statement on Page 127. ‘We both like nine-footers, and we typically use four-to six-weight gear’ . My advice is go for a seven or eight weight outfit with a minimum leader tippet of 6lbs. Yes, you can catch carp on light tackle but why distress the fish more than is necessary? In the Rocky Mountain States of Montana and Wyoming many trout anglers today are casting flies for carp. It’s not often the trout will give you some of that reel music we all love so much. The carp WILL, as they go off at a fast rate of knots. They might not be in the bonefish class but they are great fun. Why not try catching carp on the fly this summer? Swindon angler Trevor Gunning who has taken many big carp from Milestone Fishery hopes to catch a thirty pounder this summer.A few weeks ago I had a letter from Mark Leatherwood asking if I would be one of the guest speakers at the PAC Convention Piking 2000. In his letter Mark writes, ‘You will be pleased to learn that most of my pike fishing highlights during the last year have involved the use of a fly rod. On a number of occasions I was fortunate enough to capitalise on situations when the pike seemed almost to be queuing up to take flies – whilst ignoring the plugs and spinners presented to them by those who I was fishing with at the time. Indeed, I have caught more double figure pike on flies in the last year than by all other methods combined”. Just one of the many examples where casting a fly to a fish can be a winner. Remember, a pike on a fly rod is good fun whatever the size and it doesn’t cost as much as trout fishing Nymphs And The Barbel For many years I have listened to other anglers telling their stories about losing big fish when they have been fishing nymphs for trout and grayling. We have all speculated on what these fish could be. Several times barbel were mentioned then the conversation stopped. Didn’t Brian Moorland, writer and river keeper, catch a big barbel from the river Ure during a fly fishing trip in May? A few years ago I was talking to Mike Burden at the Barbel Society Conference. Mike is the Societies Research and Conservation Panel Chairman. As we chatted, he told me “I’ve recently had five barbel from the river Windrush on pheasant tail nymphs when trout fishing”. This was like music to my ears, more evidence that barbel could be caught on a nymph. Back in the 1950’s Dick Walker said “a fish will eat anything unless it’s taught not to”. What is the most natural food for our coarse fish in rivers and lakes? NYMPHS! And barbel eat lots of them. There are three species we should concern ourselves with. The Damsel fly, Dragon fly and the various Sedges. All three offer a good mouthful to a barbel. John Bailey, a thinking angler who isn’t blinkered, told me in a recent letter. ‘Many continental and European anglers fish for barbel with nymphs’ At the start of the 1998 season I was on the river Teme for a couple of weeks chasing barbel, chub, pike, perch and anything else that wanted to eat my baits or flies. Around mid morning at the start of my second week I noticed a big hatch of Mayflies as I crossed the stone footbridge to the island. Looking down into the water I could see half a dozen barbel twisting and turning. I stood watching with great interest at what was happening below the surface. I quickly realised these barbel were snatching the Mayfly nymphs as they made their way to the surface to emerge as adult mayflies where they would mate, lay their eggs then die – all in about a twenty four hour period. In fact, many dead and dying Mayflies littered the surface of the river to the delight of the chub and dace that were picking them off with gusto. Those half a dozen barbel were in some two feet of gin clear water over a clean gravel bottom. Conditions were perfect to put my theory to the test. But it wasn’t just a theory, I could see the barbel eating those Mayfly nymphs.It was time to try and catch one of those barbel and I made my way back to our cabin. As I tackled up, two other members of the Barbel Society arrived and seeing me with a fly rod they asked “Fishing for trout Martin”? “No. Barbel” I said with a smile, knowing I would then get some stick. They rolled about laughing and said “Martin, Barbel don’t eat flies”. I said “Why not, if they’re daft enough to eat luncheon meat and bread then why not a natural looking food item such as a Mayfly nymph?”. They departed downriver and I continued tackling up. Tony Farhquarson arrived as I was getting ready. “Want a mug of tea Mart”? As he put on the kettle he asked “What are you doing?” Saying nothing, I went down to the river and grabbed a Mayfly. Returning, I picked up the Richard Walker Mayfly nymph I planned to use and showed Tony the imitation alongside the body of the real thing. They looked alike – even the colour was correct. An hour later I had my first barbel on a nymph by design. It was just under five pounds. Tony shot a couple of quick pictures then the fish was returned. Since that day I have taken a total of 18 barbel on nymphs. Flounders With A Fly Rod All around our coastline we have flounders, often in large numbers, a fish that no one wants as they are not a fashionable food item. Of course, there is also no big profit for the ‘couldn’t care less about the future’ greedy commercial fishing industry. Fishing for flounders with the normal beach casting tackle isn’t going to get your adrenaline flowing. Hook that same flounder on a seven weight fly rod and it’s a different story! Dr Malcolm Greenhalgh, a well known fly fisherman, writer, broadcaster, and naturalist often leaves his beloved rivers and stream for the coast with a fly rod in hand, where he wades the flats fishing for flounders. What you need is a fast sinking line with a leader of no more than two feet in length. Many times I use a leader of just a foot in length. The choice of fly pattern is simple. A Clouser minnow is without doubt, in my opinion, probably the best pattern of all. You might have to try several colour combinations before you get the right one. I have found an all black or brown will often work. Different conditions often dictate a different colour. Sometimes it might be Chartreuse and white or some other colour combination. Why not give fly fishing for flounders a try? You don’t even need a rod licence when fishing the ocean and it’s all free. Let’s Protect Our Bass – They Are Worth More Alive Than Dead Another fine saltwater fish for the fly fisher to chase is the bass. It’s probably the best fish you could want to catch on a fly in UK waters. The bass should be designated a sports fish and receive a lot more protection from the commercial fishing industry. If the bass was given a sports fish designation then perhaps we wouldn’t have the present crazy situation as regards our bass nurseries. Most of the power stations around the UK coastline are designated as a bass nurseries, which is an excellent idea. Or it would be, if we didn’t allow the netsmen to come in and take these fish from nursery zones. How stupid can we get? When will the powers that be realise that a dead fish is worth just a few pounds on the fishmongers slab. That same fish alive is worth hundreds of pounds, in some cases, thousands of pounds. Apart from a handful of politicians who are prepared to get off their backsides and help our sport, the rest don’t care about angling or the fisheries. They are only interested in their inflated egos and expense account lunches with a few free trips abroad. Recently, one MP had to apologise to Parliament. He tried to get a loan of several thousands pounds from a businessman in exchange for trying to get that businessman a CBE in the honours list. All because the MP’s girlfriend had expensive tastes. Apologies? He should have resigned! If MP’s don’t agree with this description of themselves, let them show us they care about the sport fishing industry. I have written to the Fisheries Minister, Sports Minister and many others but I haven’t been told of any action being taken to protect our bass which are still being netted in the nursery areas. One MP who does try to help with a better environment and protection for the bass is Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans. Nigel even had a days fishing with Welsh International fly fisherman Vince Gwyllam so he could get to understand some of the problems that face angling today. Let’s Learn From The United States This government, and previous governments, have been dragging their feet for far too long over fish protection. Why can’t we learn from other countries, especially when that country has something far better. Some years ago in the USA, the bass stocks on the east coast were going downhill fast. It was the same in Florida with the redfish and sea trout numbers dropping alarmingly. Urgent action was needed before fish stocks hit rock bottom with no chance of getting back. In Florida it was all because the Orientals thought the mullet roe was an aphrodisiac. Mullet in their millions were slaughtered for the roe while the rest of the fish was dumped. What makes these crazy Orientals think that bear bladders, fish roe etc. will give them a sex drive? It’s certainly a crazy world. Anglers down the east coast, when they realised there was a problem, petitioned the local and State politicians. Thankfully, common-sense prevailed and they all worked together and thrashed out a plan for saving the sports fish species and its industry. Commercial fisherman were bought to heel with many restrictions being imposed. It worked. Today the east coast striper bass fishing is a multi-million dollar tourism business. Hotels, airlines, gas stations, fishing guides, tackle stores, fly tiers, cab drivers restaurants and bars are all seeing the benefit of having a good sports fishing environment. Suddenly that dead bass which was worth four dollars is now replaced with a live bass worth a thousand dollars and more. All those connected with tourism are smiling again.In Florida it’s the same story. Anglers working together and through concerted action, forced the local and State politicians to act in defence of the sports fishing. The netting of mullet was stopped, The sports fish once again had a food source. Their numbers started to increase as did the size of the fish. Today it’s a thriving sports fishery in Florida bringing in millions of dollars in tourism, and everyone gets to benefit. Last year in the small town of Titusville, 803 anglers from all over the United States converged on the town for the ‘Hunt The Reds In October’ tournament. It was all catch and release. Fly fishers, lure anglers and bait fishers took part. Some boat fished, others waded. The winner was the angler who caught a redfish with the most spots. It also had to be in the legal size limit. The winner had a red fish with 23 spots. At the end of the competition the winner also had to take a polygraph test ( Lie detector). It was a great success for all concerned. It bought a lot of people and dollars into the town I was one of those in town that weekend, we all had a ball. I shall be back again in October. Want to join me? Then E-mail me! martin@flyfish.demon.co.uk Don’t Fish The Dangle I’ve done a lot of fly fishing on rivers in Wales and England over the past few weeks. What surprises me is why so many anglers continue to cast wet flies and nymphs downstream and across the river, then allow the wet flies or nymph to drag back across the current in a most unnatural manner where it comes to rest on the dangle. If you’re lucky a fish will grab hold. It’s a lazy way of fishing and not in the least bit skilful and doesn’t produce a lot of fish. I used to fish this way when I didn’t know any better. But not today. Insects get swept down the stream, not across the stream, except on very rare occasions, when the current sweeps from one bank to another, usually through some obstruction. Take time out to practise the art of upstream wet fly and nymph fishing and watch the tip of the fly line for a take. It could be a sharp stab forward, or the line will move to the right or left, perhaps just stopping for a fraction of a second. Strike at any unusual movement of the line. If you suffer from poor eyesight as I do, then use a small bit of strike indicator dough or a cork indicator. Both work, especially in white swirling broken water where trout love to lie, especially when the water temperatures are high with low oxygen levels. Fish the wet flies or nymphs upstream and you catch a lot more trout. Go on, give it a try. You Need To Clean Those Fly Fishing Lines Have you noticed how after using a new fly line for a few weeks your casting distance gets reduced? Perhaps you have also noticed the line doesn’t flow so easily through the guides. If these are problems you have suffered from, ask yourself this question. Have I cleaned my line recently? If you’re honest, the answer will probably be ‘no’. That’s the reason for your poor casting. When you’re fishing, the line picks up tiny bits of gravel, dirt, algae, scum and grease. All things to offer friction as the line shoots through the rod guides. All fly lines should be cleaned after a days fishing. In fact, if you’re on a long days saltwater fishing it can pay to clean your line during the lunch break. At the end of a days fishing, lines should be washed in hot soapy water then thoroughly rinsed off in clean water. Dry the line then with a soft cloth and some Armorall (available from car accessory shops) or Masterline fly line cleaner. Wipe down the line then give it a good polish. This will give your line a lovely slick finish and another five yards on your cast. Give it a try you will be surprised at the result. Anglers are Great Travellers I have just returned from the United States where I have been fishing for striper bass, redfish, seatrout and Spanish mackerel. I started off by flying across to Newark, New Jersey then drove down to Maryland to fish Chesapeake Bay with Tom Broderidge, Brandon White, John Fisher and other friends. During my late teens and early twenties I had a Chesapeake Bay retriever, a fine wild fowling dog. In fact, one of the best. Through my thirst for knowledge about this breed of dog, I read a lot of books about Chesapeake Bay and its retrievers, never realising that one day I would visit the place to fish for striper bass. I wasn’t disappointed when I arrived to find it a wild and beautiful location. We were fishing the northern most part of the Chesapeake Bay where the Susquehanna Flats empties into the Chesapeake Bay. The area is called the “Susquehanna Flats” due to the fact that it is a big flat at the mouth of the river. All the water that empties into the bay from the water is freshwater. The town we stayed in was Havre De Grace. You will want a good selection of flies: Large Clousers size 1/0, 2/0 and 3/0. Colours: white with grey hackle, chartreuse and white, and tan and white. The fish were feeding on herring, so our flies needed to look like herring. I fished with nine and ten weight fly rods using floating, intermediate and fast sinking lines. Some days the fish were very aggressive, other times they were very choosy. It was a great experience and I will be going back. I then travelled down to fish Florida’s Panhandle. What a delightful place, miles upon miles of saltwater flats where you can stalk big redfish, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, seatrout and tarpon. Leonard Elsie of the Hook Box in Tallahassee and a lecturer at the University of Florida kindly loaned Tom Broderidge and myself his mobile home on the Panhandle coast which enabled us to fish all through the day from dawn to dusk and often during the night, stopping only for food and drink. We had a great time. From the Panhandle, Tom and I made a five hour drive across to the East coast of Florida to fish the India river and Mosquito Lagoon near Titusville with John Kumiski, author of Fly Rodding the Florida Salt. This book is like having a three hundred dollar guide in your back pocket. We also fished with Jay Dee and Captain Patti from Florida Fishing outfitters, John Stanton of Alternative Fishing Charters, Mike Hacula and others. We had a great time stalking redfish in two feet of water with fly or spinning rod, both methods worked for us. Though when conditions allowed, it was an eight weight fly rod. I met several other British anglers who were visiting the area after reading my February 2000 feature titled ‘Florida for Fly Fishing and Sunshine’. Peter Young of Bristol told me “The family are having a great time at Disney World, I’m stalking redfish with a fly rod, so we all get to have a good holiday thanks to you putting us on to this spot”. Roger Hurstwick from London had redfish to 11lbs and many sea trout averaging four to five pounds. As Roger told me “It’s better than catching rainbow trout and I’m hoping to come back in October”. Anglers John and Betty Williams from Gloucestershire were on a fly fishing honeymoon. They decided to have a few days in the Titusville area chasing the redfish before going across to the Bahamas to chase bonefish. Betty told me “The people are so friendly and helpful. A couple of days ago a local angler invited us out on his boat for the day, we had a great time and learnt so much”. Some comments from a few of the Brit’s enjoying fun in the sun with a fly rod.

If you have any questions feel free to E-mail me martin@flyfish.demon.co.uk