Normally it is fished with a very high density sinking line with a short leader so that when it is cast out, the high density line drags the booby under, leaving it suspended off the bottom. It is then retrieved with a slow figure of eight retrieve to produce a ducking, diving action across the…

It was drizzling on the afternoon I went to visit the 88-year-old Pariente, who was quick to point out that he took up fly-fishing in the Forties, when Spain was recovering from its civil war and waders were just beginning to make their way into the country from across the Pyrenees. That one of the…

As such, it is a very bouyant fly that can be fished deep down with a short leader. It can be fished virtually static on the bottom. The slow retrieve, particularly early season, does bring some very good results. When the weather warms up this fly also fishes well up in the water. Reports from…

After a very hard winter with huge amounts of snow the season had been expected to get under way later than usual. Due to the unexpected warm weather the snow has disappeared completely from the valleys and these conditions have led to the salmon running early from the beginning of may. The conditions on Gaula…

This latest fly is based on an earlier marabou tailed damsel nymph that was weighted down with lead wire. By using the latest tungsten weave material the new version is not only slimmer but sinks much faster. This has applications in both river and still water fishing. It certainly makes stalking much easier and fished…

At that time some fisheries like Viaduct Fishery in Somerset were stocking with sebaco salmon. These are American land-locked salmon that originated from Sebaco lake in Maine. It is believed that during the ice age many salmon were trapped in the lake, as the rivers running from the lake to the sea became sealed off….

I have used it at Dever Springs in Hampshire to stalk out big rainbows and browns. The technique is simplicity itself, just fish the bug on a shortish strong leader and let it settle on the bottom. When a trout swims close by lift the fly so that it leaves a puff of mud on…

Due to the declining stocks in most salmon rivers of the North Atlantic, many people feared that the last stocks of big salmon could have gone forever. It seems that we always have to come to that point before the politicians react. Looking back at the “millennium” season in 2000 those problems seemed to lead…

I once had an evening on a Southern chalk stream at the end of June. There were still the odd mayfly hatching but the legendary ‘duffers fortnight’ was over leaving the fish fairly full. However, some fish could still be seen taking the odd mayfly.As I walked around before setting up, I could not fail…

It doesn’t seem that long ago that my old Blue Match rod had to double for roach-pole, pike rod or anything else that came along, or instead of my huge rucksack, my fishing bag was just an old golf bag. One thing that hasn’t changed however is my love for angling and the constant quest…