Our last Chance For Sea and Brown Trout

As I write, I am surrounded by 2000 or so fishing books, plus many others on wildlife and travel. Fishing titles going back to the 1700’s on big game fishing, coarse, sea, trout and salmon angling. Some are ‘How to do it’ titles, others author tales of travel, adventure and the fighting big fish from all parts of the world. As a youngster I had all the fishing books from my local library, reading them from cover to cover then starting all over again. Many of these books were about fishing that wasn’t even available in my dreams. How I loved to read of angling in foreign parts. Books by by Zane Grey, F.G.Aflalo, Mitchell Hedges, Charles Holder, Ernest Hemingway, the Rt. Hon Sir Edward Grey, Bart, Sheringham, Walker, Venables, BB, William Senior, Bridgett, Scrope and others far to numerous to mention. Through these writers, and others, I could visit many places I could only dream about, never thinking I would visit such places. Today it’s not a dream. I’ve been to Zane Grey’s cabin on the Rogue river, fished at Winkle Bar. Visited his old house on Catalina Island for dinner. Fished the same pools on the Umpqua river in Oregon. I’ve visited other places where Zane Grey lived and fished. I’ve been a guest at Frederick Holder’s Avalon Tuna Club headquarters on Catalina Island during its Centenary Celebrations. It was here in 1929 the late Sir Winston Churchill, on the second day of his visit, went out and caught the first marlin of the season. This after the regulars had been waiting many weeks to get a fish I have also been lucky to meet many great angling writers for dinner or fishing. This great sport has been very kind to me. Today we don’t have to dream about catching tarpon in Florida, marlin in New Zealand, bluefin tuna off Nova Scotia, salmon in Alaska, the stripers of Chesapeake Bay or bonefish in the Bahamas. With the ease of modern air travel, lightweight clothing and some excellent tackle designed for the travelling angler in mind, more and more of us now fish foreign waters. Today you can buy a waterproof camera for about 100GBP which enables you to return home with excellent photographs from that exotic fishing trip. A word of advice, make sure when you get home you take your photographs to be processed to a reputable processing house. You might save a couple of pounds in the high street but the quality is often poor. Send your films to Fuji, Kodak or one of the small professional labs for processing. I feel it’s worth the extra cost.

Our last Chance For Sea and Brown Trout

This month sees the end of brown and seatrout on the rivers and streams of England and Wales. September is one of the nicest months in theFly fishers calendar. All the salmonoid, coarse and sea angling species are available. On the coast we can expect to find bass, pollock, mullet and flounders. In our rivers, canals and lakes there are pike, perch and chub for the fly angler to target. John Harrison of Macclesfield, trout fishing on a local still water, spotted a group of feeding tench. He cast his buzzer nymph to the nearest fish which ate it with gusto. It weighed three and a half pounds. Don’t forget the barbel. Look for them on the shallow gravel runs. I don’t feel it’s worth the effort of fishing blind for barbel. In fact I have never caught a barbel unless I have been able to see them. I really do feel you need to see and cast to the fish. Another species is the grayling, a fish that offers excellent sport to the fly fisher all through the season from June till March. If you’re one of those anglers who put away their fly fishing tackle at the end of the season for brown trout, why not target the grayling with dry flies and nymphs this autumn and winter. Autumn’s a good time for flounders. If you live within driving distance of Arnside on the Cumbrian coast why not target this fish with a fly rod. Pick a day with light winds, blue sky and sunshine. A nine foot nine weight rod, fast sink line or shooting head with two foot of 15lb leader tippet with a selection of Clouser minnows are all you need. If it’s a fast flowing tide then cut the leader back a foot. If you’re planning to visit the coast this month, take along your six or seven weight reservoir or sea trout outfit. You might be lucky to find some mullet. Most harbours, creeksides and backwaters usually have a few of these fish. The number one sporting fish is without a doubt the bass. September is probably the best month for this quarry. Check out your local harbour for school bass. If they are present, your seven weight reservoir outfit will be suitable. If you use your freshwater gear in the ocean make sure you wash it thoroughly in warm soapy water then rinse off in clean water. The days of getting up early or fishing late for the brown trout in our rivers are over. This month you will find the fish willing to accept dry flies and nymphs throughout the day. Over the past couple of months I have been using a 4 weight outfit for my river brown trout fishing. It certainly makes the fishing of dry flies a delight, especially when the average fish goes about 14 inches, and offers more fun with light tackle.

Go Chase The Rainbows!

September is a month of blackberries, hops, apples and mushrooms. It’s also one of the best months to visit a stillwater fishery in search of rainbow trout. Waters that spring to mind are Grafham, Rutland, Chew,Blagdon or one of the other reservoirs in England and Wales where you can expect good quality fishing. My choice would be Rutland where you can expect some exciting sport with rainbows. Who knows, you might hook into one of the big grown-on brown trout. In the 1970’s and 80’s I, along with others, fished with lead core lines, heavy carp type rods and tandem lures but other days it was a seven weight rod with a floating and slow sink line, usually fishing small lures. We caught our share of trout, including some big ones, on all methods and it was great fun. Today my fishing is different. It’s done with nine foot, six weight rod, floating line with a twelve foot fluorocarbon leader. I enjoy fishing imitative patterns, especially dry flies. Occasionally I will go to an intermediate line but not often. These days I don’t use fast sink lines or fish lures for trout, though no doubt there have been many days when had I decided to use lures, I could have caught a lot more fish. It’s my choice to use imitative patterns because I enjoy this type of fly fishing. In fact this season on a local stillwater, I used my eight foot six, four weight rod with great success when fishing chironomids (commonly called buzzers). If you’re fishing Rutland or other stillwaters, check to see if you’re able to fly fish for the pike. If it’s permissible then take along a nine or ten weight floating line outfit. You never know, you could have some real fun. You might be lucky and hook into a thirty pounder. I had planned to visit Blagdon and Chew this season but time is running out fast. There is so much fishing to do in just a short time. Still, there’s always next season.

A Book For Everyone

Recently I picked up a new book titled ‘The Stream’ by Brian Clark published by Swan Hill at just £14-95. It’s an excellent read and one that should be read by all the family and not just the angler. This is not another, ‘How to catch them’ book It’s a far more important book than that. Brian has written an original novel that deals with the countryside, waterways, animals and wildlife that are fighting for survival in a cruel wicked world where only the Dollar, Yen, Mark, Euro or Pound Sterling rules. Profit is the aim whatever the cost. As you read the book you will recognise several similar events that have happened in real life over the past years. The building of motorways, out of town shopping complexes, housing and industrial estates, All have happened in the name of progress and profit to the detriment of our waterways and countryside. As you read through this novel you will no doubt say “I know that place and that incident” Brian has certainly given us a book where you will learn a lot about nature and one that will make us think a little bit more about the future of Planet Earth. It’s been said ‘The Stream’ is one of the best reads since Rachel Carson’s book ‘Silent Spring’ which was first published in 1963 and one of my favourites. When I am seeking inspiration in my fight with government Ministers, the Environment Agency or English Nature and others for a better environment and the protection for our rivers and streams, the fish and wildlife, it’s Rachel Carson I turn to. Now I also have Brian’s book ‘The Stream’. Why not visit your local bookshop or library and pick up a copy. Take time out to read the book and understand the messages within its pages. Then pass it on to your wife or girlfriend and any youngsters you know. For £14-95 its an excellent buy

Lets Clean Up Mother Earth

Have you noticed the filth being left at the waterside? In the parks and streets of our towns and cities? Yes, we certainly deserve the title ‘Dirty Man of Europe’. On my latest trip to Swedish Lapland, the only rubbish was one beer can and some cigarette butts. In Wisconsin I didn’t find a can, plastic bag or cigarette butts. Go to any of our fly fishing waters and you will find rubbish, especially nylon line. I didn’t find any nylon line on the spring creeks of Michigan or the countryside of Sweden. We cannot blame the hikers or bird watchers for nylon line at the waterside! As more and more people escape the towns for the parks and the countryside, more beer cans, bottles, plastic carrier bags, fast food containers etc get dumped. We have farmer’s fertilizer bags, sheets of plastic plus the odd dead sheep. Try reporting a dead sheep and you will be passed from one agency to another. No one is interested or wants to know. Try getting the RSPCA out to a sheep that’s in distress, or fish dying from a pollution incident They don’t really want to know! The same goes for the anti-angling groups. Then we find piles of grass cuttings or builders rubbish at the waterside, in the hope next flood will sweep it away. Should you report it to the EA they could take many weeks to make a site visit. I do not jest. I reported one such offence in June of 1998. It was inspected in November of that year. Of course by the time a site visit was made, the rubbish had been swept away in the floods. I did have photographs but the EA were not interested. Don’t tell me the majority of farmers or all the officials of the EA or English Nature care about the countryside. Some do, but it’s a few. Most farmers it seems, are more interested in moaning about their hard life and waiting for the next big Government grant. If your companydoesn’t sell all it produces and you can’t pay the bills, the Government doesn’t come along with a grant to tide you over. Why should the farmers be any different? As you drive along the country lanes that take you to some quiet beach, river or lake, think how lucky you are to be a fly fisher. As you walk through a meadow with its wildflowers and the hum of insects, make sure you keep to the footpath and close all the gates. Should you see any rubbish, please take it home. Don’t say ‘it’s not mine’, clean it away for the slob who dumped it. As our equipment becomes increasingly technical and efficient, old Mother Earth remains finite and fragile and since there is no viable alternative to living on Earth, it’s high time that we treated her with respect and leave no rubbish. We have to make her last a lot longer and she needs all the help we can give her.What is to be done? Since summer, our litter strewn woodlands, river banks, lakesides and shorelines have started to resemble rubbish tips. Mother Earth urgently needs our help and we can all help. It’s easy to deal with at very little cost to our precious time. Here is how you can help Mother Earth with just a few minutes your fishing time. All you need to accomplish this effective yet unappreciated task is a plastic rubbish bag and some gloves. Then go out and pick up those short lengths ofmonofilament line at your trout fishery. Where you park your car there will, no doubt, be litter left by other anglers or members of the general public who delight in dropping their rubbish. Clean up your area on every visit, You will now feel a lot better having done your bit. Next week it might just be a little cleaner. For several weeks I cleared away the rubbish at a riverside lay-bye where anglers and the general public would park. It’s noticeable there is less litter these days. Could the slobs have got the message?

Famous Trout Waters

Up and down this country there are special waters, either made famous by the anglers who fished them or the size of fish caught. Sometimes though, it’s by the beautiful countryside they flow through. One river that fits all three categories is the river Usk, flowing through the lovely Gwent countryside. Brown trout and salmon are the two fish most anglers seek, with April the time for the March Brown. The Usk Town Water was a favourite venue of the late Ollie Kite. Who will ever forget his television series ‘Kites Country’? Ollie loved to visit the Usk early in the season, fishing his simple tying of the March Brown with great success. You can follow in Ollie’s footsteps. The Usk Town Fishery Association water can be fished on a day permit. The Association holds 2 miles of double bank fishing extending from Llanbadoc Church, situated about half a mile below the town to one and a half miles above. A map is provided to assist you. Permit costs are; season 90GBP, weekly 25GBP with a day permit costing just 10GBP.The rules for trout fishing are traditional. For non migratory trout fly patterns, the largest hook size is ten. Still water lures and sea trout patterns are forbidden. Bag limit is 4 fish, size limit nine inches. (I would recommend you return your fish for another fly fisher to catch). Trout anglers must give way to salmon anglers to fish through a pool. The silliest rule I have ever heard of is the rule forbidding chest waders. There is no night or sea trout fishing. Fly patterns to have in your box are Dark or Medium Olive, March Brown, Stone Fly Nymph, Hare’s Ear, Greenwells Glory, Black Gnat, Red Spinner and Pheasant Tail. If you plan a day or two on the Usk, visit Sweet’s historic tackle shop for your permit where you will step back in time. It’s a delightful experience. On my visits, I use a six weight nine foot rod with a double taper floating line and nine foot leader.

Ollie’s book is back

In 1963 Ollie Kite’s book ‘Nymph Fishing in Practice’ was published by Herbert Jenkins. Ollie stood alongside great angling writers such as Richard Walker and Reg Righyni. Nymph Fishing In Practice was not only an educational one on fishing nymphs in rivers, it changed my outlook on this branch of angling. Ollie’s writings taught me about life in the southern chalk streams where I had fished so often. Nymph Fishing In Practice was followed in 1969 by A Fisherman’s Diary. As I look around my study I can see both of Ollie’s books alongside Still Water Angling by Richard Walker. Two great anglers who had given us so much and both sadly no longer with us. Recently Swan Hill press released a new edition of Nymph Fishing In Practice with an introduction by Robert Spaight. Some of the extra material includes 23 pages titled ‘An Appreciation of Oliver Kite’ which makes fascinating reading. There is another chapter ‘Memories of Oliver Kite’ by such notable anglers as Moc Morgan OBE, Yves Rameaux, Preben Torp Jacobsen, John Goddard, Geoffrey Bucknall, Arthur Oglesby and Ted Channell. Ted was Ollie’s cameraman for Southern Independent TV and spent a lot of time with Ollie filming the Kite’s Country series. This is followed by ‘The Flies of Oliver Kite’. It’s an excellent and interesting read, with the growth of nymph fishing today it’s a book from one of the Masters. Well worth the 19-95 GBP for it’s historical information, the nymph fishing knowledge and the techniques. Swan Hill press have done an excellent job.Another book from Publishers Swan Hill press is Ian Neale’s book ‘Shadows in the Stream’. Ian takes us through what I suppose can be called a game fishers year. It’s his diary of fishing in the UK with trips to New Zealand, Russia and Ireland. Ian starts off in February by taking us to an ice covered, Aberdeenshire river. The Dee salmon river, with snow on the bank where Neil and his friends Bill Currie and Johnnie Sutherland spent the morning breaking the ice so they could fish after lunch. That’s keenness for you. You will have to buy the book to read what happened after lunch and the gin and tonics. It’s an interesting read costing 24-95 GBP. If you have a birthday coming up, this book will make an excellent present. My only complaint, and this is a personal one, in these days of catch and release, there are too many dead salmon on display throughout the book. How can we educate the new generation of salmon anglers with catch and release when they see these dead fish. Apart from that, it’s a book to have on your shelf.

Llangorse Lake Brecon Powys

One of the great things about this great sport are the delightful areas of the British Isles we visit in search of our quarry. Recently I visited Llangorse lake to sample the delightful pike fishing available. The 400 acre lake with the Black Mountains on one side and the well known Brecon Beacons on the other make this a delightful venue. If you travel a bit further west you come to the wonderful Usk valley. At Crickhowell you will find some excellent brown trout fishing in countryside to match any other place in the world for its beauty. On my visit to Llangorse lake I had a super days fishing, taking 14 pike all on surface fished lures, or flies, call them what you like. I used a nine weight outfit and floating line and imitation frog or popper patterns. All fishing is from boats. Make sure you take an anchor. You are also allowed to take your own outboard motor.

Young Conservation 2000

Each year, Llandysul Angling Association encourage youngsters from 6 to 90 to take part in several three hour projects on conservation. Each session starts at the Tysul Hall in Llandysul, where wildlife photographer Melvin Grey gets everyone in the mood with a super slide show of wildlife flora and fauna. Then, it’s off to the river Cerdin, a nearby tributary of the river Teifi. During the waterside session, teams of 4 are given various jobs to complete. Once completed, they move on to other projects. These include water flow and water quality measurements, survey of fish and insect life, the planting of waterside flowers and plants, learning the identification of wildlife, trees, shrubs and much more. I attended the last Young Conservation project which was also supported by the ACA and the Environment Agency. I was most impressed with the youngsters commitment and their enthusiasm. Pat O’Reilly, Melvin Grey and the Llandysul AA must be congratulated. It would be nice to see all fly fishing clubs organise a similar Conservation project on their waters.

More Water for Prince Albert AS

Cheshire based Prince Albert AS have two more great stretches of the river Wye to go with their Huntsham Bridge and the Forge water near Symond’s Yat. They now have the Lydbrook Fishery near Ross on Wye. Some three miles downstream of that famous town of books, Hay on Wye, the society have the Caermawr fishery. Both are prime salmon water, when salmon are running the river. I have just been on the river for a couple of days. Though I didn’t take any fish, it was just wonderful working a fly down some of the pools made famous by Prime Ministers and Captains of Industry. Pools such as Pope’s Rock and Park Pool, who knows if we get our act together, we might once again see a fifty pound salmon from the river. During my visit I met up with Prince Albert river keeper Richard Owen and was most impressed with his commitment to the river. Richard also told me about the shad fishing in spring and the Peregrine falcons at Yat rock. The Wye certainly flows through some of the nicest countryside in the world. Finally, with school out many youngsters have been at the waterside. Non of them keener than 9 year old Nathaniel Roe of St. Ann’s near Blackpool Lancashire who fished a local river catching some nice brown trout.

If you want any advice or help with your fly fishing please E-mail me martin@flyfish.demon.co.uk