Over the years, my shark traces have evolved into a fifteen foot length of 400 pounds breaking strain monofilament, usually Japanese Momoi because it is the best. A heavy graspable swivel at the reel end and a 400 lb Berkeley Crosslok or 400lb Sampo Coastlok at the other. The three-foot hook-length is traditionally soft stainless…

When Geoff Maynard, the editor,(Sir to me!) asked if I was interested in writing an article on fish, native to England, that are now found in Australia, I thought about it for ten seconds and then said ‘YES’. As a Pommie with dual nationality, now resident in Aussie, any chance of writing on my favourite…

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…

Having read and reread Drop Me a Line I remember being filled with a tremendous sense of anticipation . I’d stared at the photograph of Maurice playing a 17 pounder from the south bank of the carp lake until I felt I knew every twig, leaf and reed personally. Most of my carp lore had…

I run a young company called Ebro Enterprise & Leisure (E.E.L.). My partner Derek who lives in England came out for his last trip of the year before the river started to flood, to try and get the elusive 100lb + Catfish that had managed to elude him for the whole of the year. On…

The French call it Croupion de Canard; to you and me it is C.D.C., or Duck rump feathers. We have been using these feathers in the U.K. for a number of years now, although they have been used on the continent considerably longer. Like it or not, they are here to stay, they have become…

The Flapper bait is very simply a whole fish bait with its backbone removed, so that the two side fillets, well they “flap” in the tide, giving the bait movement and releasing a scent rail down the tide. Originally the shark boats out of Looe pioneered the flapper bait for shark, but it did not…

Water levels are as high as they could be, insects are starting to hatch, the fish are in and growing used to the lake conditions, and the boats will shortly be brought over from their winter quarters. However, I am looking forward to far more than trout this year.I have spoken at length with Bob…

This years gathering of the gold almost didn’t happen (again!). The Venue chosen was the S_____ at E_____ and when he heard about this the old landlord naturally decided to sell up and move on. Luckily the villagers had a whip round, formed a trust and bought the pub, unaware that the G.S.C. were impending.However,…

You ask why? Well, I know there are not many ladies that fish – but there could be! Yes, there are hundreds if not thousands of women all over the country who would like to fish, or to accompany their partners and sit and soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the beautiful surroundings on balmy…