Table of contents for Autumn 2021 in Trout & Salmon

RAIN IS FINALLY FORECAST. HURRAH! I’M fed up with watering. It’s now August, I’ve only just started eating my second earlies and my tomatoes are still not ripe. It’s been such an odd summer in the garden and on the bank. With the water on my local lake teetering around 20 deg C for a month I’ve been playing cat and mouse with the trout. One day the weather will be hot and humid, the next we’ll have showers and a blow. Then the wind swings round completely and we’ll get a cold night. The fish must be as unsettled as I am. Despite this, and as much as I’ve enjoyed the Olympic BMX and swimming, I’ve not been able to ignore the fluctuation of a degree or two and…

SEASON Brown trout March 15 to September 30. TACKLE AND FLIES Take loch-style rods (9ft-11ft, 5wt-7wt). A powerful 6wt-7wt will deal with big trout and strong winds. Floating line will cover most situations. Traditional loch flies work. Include black and claret (with red or green butts/hotspots), olive, orange, peach. Also muddled Kates or Invictas, Snatchers, Crunchers, lightly dressed Dabblers, and a selection of point lures, eg Alexandra, Peter Ross or stickleback/small fry imitations. In the right conditions, dry-fly can be deadly. PRICES The Machair lochs cost £45 per day for a boat and two anglers (additional anglers charged at half that rate). BOOKINGS Lochs are allocated on a rota system. E-mail: fishing@storasuibhist.com Tel: 01878 700 101 Web: southuistfishing.com ACCOMMODATION Fin And Euan stayed with Chrissie MacPhee, who runs a fine…

Hook Size 8-10 Fulling Mill Competition Heavyweight Thread Black Tail Fluoro red wool over GP crest Rib Flat silver Body Black seal’s fur Body hackle Black and scarlet cock, paired Collar Dyed-scarlet game hackle, followed by a long black hen, with a dyed-blue guinea fowl hackle over all My favourite loch sea-trout pattern, heavily influenced by the Clan Chief. The great thing about it is that it’s that great rarity — a fly that works extremely well in a middle-dropper position. The colour combination contains almost all of the migratory salmonids preferred colours.…

1. OLDER AND WISER PEOPLE I’ve learned much from the people around me. Dad, his gentle manner and ability to teach without trying. George Dyce, my primary teacher in Peterhead; his class stank of formalin, the walls adorned with pickled wings and the feet of birds. His influence was huge. He taught me so much about nature, and the importance of good teaching. Jonathan Taylor (pictured), gillie at Forglen on the Deveron, taught me so much about salmon fishing, not least to short-line and fish the lies close to you. This year, I’ve had four fish with my first cast and I’ve thought of him every time. Jimmy Grey, Spey Superintendent. What he doesn’t know about the Spey isn’t worth knowing. A great fisherman. 2. ORANGE STRING, METEOR LINE The…

The Gala Water is a 21-mile tributary of the Tweed that rises in the Moorfoot Hills. Tweed Foundation research has shown that it is an important spawning tributary for the Tweed’s returning migratory fish, particularly sea-trout. In 2008, the Foundation, with assistance from the European Union LIFE fund, built a fish counter in the Skinworks Cauld at Galashiels. An average of 1,334 salmon and 1,307 trout over 40cm, most of which are believed to be sea-trout, have been through the counter between 2008 and 2019. Video footage is available on the Tweed Foundation Facebook page @TheTweedFoundation or on YouTube and shows surprisingly fresh fish going through the pass.…

STOAT’S TAIL Hook Size 10-16 double or treble Thread Black Tail Glo-brite no. 4 Body Silver tinsel or black floss Rib Medium oval silver Throat/wing Black or dark brown natural stoat’s tail Cheeks Jungle cock (optional) The idea for this variation of a classic pattern came to me in the mid-’70s when I was told about a fly tied with natural stoat’s tail. Procuring tails is not easy but a friendly keeper should be able to supply them. Tails with the longest and darkest hair are best. Leave them in methylated spirits for two weeks, then wash and dry. Sea-trout and salmon have an acute sense of smell. Science and my experience of fishing home waters in Northumberland in the ’80s and ’90s assure me of that. Fishing at dusk…

Three flies caught in a bird’s nest of nylon. What to do? Sometimes it takes only one or two moves to untangle a seemingly hopeless fankle, but if you do have a go, the golden rule is to first snip off the flies. It feels drastic but trying to solve a nylon puzzle with heavy hanging, snagging, obstructive flies is much more difficult, although even experienced anglers persist, perhaps because the droppers have become stubs and they don’t want to re-tie a leader. Remove the flies. Then ease your left hand into the mess and form a cat’s cradle under light tension. Use your right thumb and forefinger to poke and untwist the muddle. How long you persevere may reflect your temperament……

Things to look for in a commercially tied EHC: • The hook should have a sharp point and wide gape to securely hook fish. • Ensure the body is smooth because this shows that the tyer has taken the time to use touching and even turns. • Elk or deer hair fibres in the wing should all be the same length — extended just slightly beyond the length of the hook. • The trimmed and flared head of hair should be big enough to create a slight “V” when twitched during fishing but not be overly large. • Look for a tidy head, ensuring you can thread tippet through the hook eye.…

I HAVE JUST RETURNED FROM A WEEK ON A noble highland river and there is, as they say, much to unpack. Let me begin by saying that if any of you have not yet managed to visit a river, I urge you most strongly to do so as soon as possible. I don’t know how the past year has left you feeling, but I can assure you a few days standing in rushing water waving a stick with the sun on your face and a sense of purpose in mind is some of the best therapy there is. Even the Great Red Bearded Gillie seemed genuinely pleased to see me. At least I think he was because he didn’t dismiss every fly in my box with his usual “Tsach! Whit…

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AS A GUIDE I NOT ONLY WANT TO actively promote the river but also conservation. One way that I’ve found to combine the two is to offer a guided day’s fishing in the annual Salmon & Trout Conservation Auction. Last year, Adam Vicary had the winning bid but the pandemic put paid to our plans. We rescheduled for this year and spent a day on Beat 4 of the Brae Water at beautiful Gordon Castle. This is one of the few remaining estates where the gillies still line up in their tweeds to meet the guests each morning before escorting them to their allocated beat. As had been the case for the past few weeks, the sky was virtually cloudless, the sun was blazing, and the water was warm and…

FOR SOME, FLY-FISHING IS AN all-consuming obsession and the time and money expended is no object in the pursuit of more and bigger fish. For others, it is a relaxing pastime and their love of the sport is more enduring, taking over their lives one bit at a time until it is simply a part of who they are. That’s how it is with Swedish angler Johan Klingberg. Having enjoyed a successful career as a schoolteacher, Johan has continued his aptitude for education by guiding, lecturing, instructing and writing all about fly-fishing and fly-tying. Since 1988, he has written numerous articles for Swedish fly-fishing magazines and now edits Allt om Flugfiske (All About Fly Fishing). He has also published a number of books, including Flugfiske på mitt sätt (Fly Fishing…

LIVING NEAR MANY tempestuous Cumbrian spate rivers, I jump at the opportunity to fish on streams that move slowly through pasture. They usually have a chalk or limestone birth and run as clear as tap water. Therefore, I can see a fish’s response to my flies. Even when the trout or grayling have been fickle, the experience provides me with clues for future outings. The Wye, deep in the Derbyshire Peak District, not only provides a privileged view into the trout’s living room but also has a reputation for epic fly hatches, with Ephemera danica topping the list. While I’d missed the magical Duffer’s Fortnight, the settled spell of weather that followed had me champing at the bit to pay a visit. Cressbrook & Litton Flyfishers (C&L) is an angling…

Adding a splash of sparkle to seal’s fur can give extra zing to your flies. Apart from catching the light, the sparkle also suggests trapped gases in and around the body of the natural insect. Add small amounts of very fine, shiny dubbing to the seal’s fur, then pinch and mix between forefinger and thumb. Olive and pearl, and black and gold are two very successful combinations. Mixing several colours from the same area of the spectrum can give a mouthwatering kaleidoscope of colour when bathed in light and water. The technique also mimics nature where one single, solid colour seldom occurs. Invertebrates usually transmit an array of hues. On the left is fiery brown, ginger, yellow, Orkney peach and fluoro orange. The resulting mix is on the right. Seal’s…

Run on thread and tie in a few strands of chartreuse Glo-brite floss, securing the waste along the shank. Trim the ends with a clean cut to form a small tail. On the underside of the hook, catch in a large grey CDC plume with the stalk pointing to the eye. Begin securing it along the shank with thread turns. Apply the thread in groups of two or three turns with a space in between to create a banded effect. With the thread near the eye, trim the excess CDC stem. Manoeuvre the CDC tips on top of the shank without dislodging the tail, then draw them over the body to form a “shellback”. Secure, then fold the CDC back over the body to form an underwing. With the underwing…

AS TECHNOLOGY HAS MADE RODS ever lighter and stronger, and the latest fly-lines more adaptable and efficient, many anglers have turned to shorter salmon rods. The variety of fly-lines available makes these rods capable of most tasks, including heavy spring or autumn methods on big rivers. But if you find yourself on a small or shrunken river, rods in the 12ft range will offer a more delicate presentation and leave you less tired after a day’s fishing. A 12ft rod bridges the gap between a switch rod (11ft-11ft 6in) and the 13-footers that have become the mainstay on small and medium-sized rivers. A 12-footer may not be first choice for distance, but it will offer unrivalled delicacy and is a pleasure to fish with. It has many uses, such as…

CITIZEN SCIENCE Fisheries Management Scotland is encouraging anglers to report captures of pink salmon, escaped farmed salmon, and salmon suffering from Red Skin Disease. Incidents are compiled into “Live records maps” viewable, river by river, at the website: fms.scot Pink salmon are invasive nonnative species that arrive in the UK every “odd” year (ie, 2019, 2021). They are believed to migrate from Norway or Russia where they were introduced in the 1960s. If a pink is caught and identified, it should be killed and reported to the local district fishery board. Red Skin Disease has been found in salmon in 2019 and 2021 but its cause is unknown. Dietary deficiency is a theory under investigation. The fish should not be killed, but if “moribund”, send details and pictures to the…

England ■ BESSY BECK TROUT FISHERY, Cumbria, 01539 623303 1 Jordan Firby, Bishop Auckland, 15lb 8oz rainbow, Diawl Bach. 2 John Davies, Cumbria, 8lb 8oz rainbow, on fly. ■ KILNSEY PARK FLY FISHERY, Skipton, 07765 688780 1 Graeme Wilson, Shipley, 17lb 4oz rainbow, on fly. ■ NEW MILLS TROUT FISHING PARK, Brampton, 016977 41115 1 Colin Marshall, Blyth, 12lb rainbow, Bloodworm. 2 David Soulsby, Stanley, 10lb 8oz rainbow, on fly. 3 Malcolm Proudlock, Stanley, 10lb 2oz rainbow, Shammy. ¦ SHARPLEY SPRINGS, Seaham, 0191 581 8045  1 Tracy Birkbeck, Gateshead, 10lb 2oz rainbow, Blue-flash Damsel. ■ TAVISTOCK TROUT FISHERY, Tavistock, 01822 615441 1 Dan Cooper, Salterton, 11lb 10oz rainbow, white beaded fly. 2 Malcolm Palmer, Dorset, 8lb 10oz golden, Blue-flash Damsel. 3 Robert Mugridge, Plymouth, 6lb 9oz sparctic, Damsel Nymph. ■…

ENGLAND ALBURY ESTATE FISHERIES, Guildford, 07976 810737 ALDIN GRANGE LAKES, Durham, 0191 384 6090 AMPORT FISHERY, Andover, 01264 771233 BLITHFIELD ANGLERS, Abbots Bromley, 01283 840284 BRANSFORD GAME FISHERIES, Bransford, 01905 830548 BRICK FARM LAKES, Herstmonceux, 01323 832615 DRAYCOTE TROUT FISHERY, Rugby, 01788 812018 HIGHAM LAKE TROUT FISHERY, Ponteland, 07950 428159 LANGLEY DAM, Hexham, 01434 688846 LEIGHTON RESERVOIR, Ripon, 07815 114890 LENCHES LAKES, Evesham, 01386 871035 LOYNTON TROUT FISHERY, Stafford, 01785 284261 MARSTON WYSE TROUT FARM, York, 01904 738383 MEON SPRINGS, Petersfield, 01730 823134 RIB VALLEY FISHING LAKES, Ware, 07812 464323 SIBLYBACK LAKE, Liskeard, 01566 771930 TENTERDEN TROUT WATERS, Tenterden, 01580 763201 WASHBURN VALLEY FISHERIES, Harrogate, 01943 880658 WITHERN MILL TROUT FARM, Alford, 01507 450356 SCOTLAND ALDERNEUK FISHERY, Dumfries, 07901 602020 BURNS TROUT FISHERY, Tarbolton, 01292 540214 DUNLICHITY TROUT FISHERY, Inverness,…

I HAVE BEEN COMMISSIONED TO WRITE a few articles about fly pattern colour. And it has occurred to me that selecting a colour for a fly which I want to attract trout is certainly more complicated than selecting the colour of my socks. Fly pattern colour comes in a huge variety of subtle tones and shades, and its varied use is a vital aspect of fly-acceptability to trout. Colour, in all its forms, is a product of light, and as trout are vision-feeders, light is as important to them as it is to us. It is widely recognised that most fish see as we do. The old theory that trout are colour blind has little credence anymore. But light is not a constant factor as we all know and can…

Hook Size 8-12 Fulling Mill Competition Heavyweight Thread Black Butt Two turns of flat silver Tail Red floss over yellow Rib Red wire Body Black seal’s fur Body hackle Black and scarlet cock, paired Head hackle Long black hen I slightly varied the original pattern by switching the rib from silver to red for evening work. The late John Kennedy’s original pattern is fast becoming one of the most popular wet-flies for wild fish and the red hackle component has much to do with this.…

The 1st Baronet of Abbotsford (1771-1832) was a Scottish historical novelist, poet, playwright and historian whose books, including Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, Waverley and The Bride of Lammermoor, remain classics of Scottish literature. A keen angler and countryman, he lived at Abbotsford House on the banks of the Tweed, overlooking the Boleside beat, above Upper Pavilion. Reputed to be a skilled caster, he was also a pioneer of salmon conservation and with his friend and fellow angler Lord Somerville helped to found the Western Association, forerunner of the Tweed Commissioners.…

Run the thread down the shank in touching turns. Stop it just before the bend, then select a dyed black turkey biot and catch it in by its tip. Take the thread two-thirds of the way back up the shank, building a slightly tapered base for the body. Wind the turkey biot over the thread base in slightly overlapping turns. With biot covering two-thirds of the shank, secure and trim off the waste end. Catch in a slim bunch of grey fluoro fibre so that it projects past both the bend and the eye. Pull back the front end of the fluoro fibre and apply turns of thread at its base to form an upright wing-post. Prepare a small grizzle hackle and catch it in at the base of the…

Glenda writes: If I was granted a last day’s fishing, I’d go back to the Inler and fish for those wonderful little brownies and perhaps a sea-trout. My dad would bring down soda farls loaded with fresh runny eggs and bacon. I think that would be just perfect. I’d also have loved to have fished a day with my Uncle Michael (pictured) — we never managed that. I know he was keen because he used to travel over the border to fish in the west, but I’ve often wondered if he was any good.…

CDC HOTSPOT EMERGER Hook Size 18-20 Partridge K4AY-SE Thread Semperfli 12/0 pale olive, waxed Body Pearsall’s yellow gossamer silk Hotspot Semperfli 12/0 fluoro orange waxed thread Thorax Pine squirrel dubbing Wing Natural CDC A simple emerger with a tiny hotspot that often makes the difference. A slender thread body ensures the hook shank penetrates stubborn surface tension to “cock” the fly immediately. PERDIGON NYMPH Hook Size 20 Partridge SLD Thread and body Semperfli 12/0 brown, waxed Tail Coq de Leon Rib Fine copper wire Thorax Semperfli 12/0 fluoro orange, waxed Bead 1mm-1.5mm black Coating Clear UV resin/epoxy While endless dressings exist for the perdigon, the overall effect should be that of a minute, unassuming nymph. Dressed using a brass bead, rather than tungsten, this little number doesn’t sink too quickly…

ROB EDMUNDS Highly successful competition angler, reservoir bank and boat specialist. RONNIE GLASS Former Scottish champion on rivers and stillwaters and curator of the Tweed Salmon Fishing Museum. STEVE CULLEN Guide, instructor and all-round game angler with a wealth of knowledge. ALASTAIR & WILLIAM PEAKE Brothers Al and Will (AKA TwinPeakes) have a casting school and tackle shop in Crathes on the Aberdeenshire Dee. PAUL PROCTER Cumbrian-based AAPGAI instructor. Prefers the imitative approach. PETER GATHERCOLE Photographer, expert tyer and chairman of the Fly Dressers' Guild. PETER COCKWILL Small water expert with more than 60 years’ fly-fishing experience.…

THE LEADER IS THE MOST misunderstood and overlooked item of fly-fishing equipment. Problems ascribed to poor casting are often caused by unsuitable leaders. A well designed knotless tapered leader effectively delivers your fly, allows it to act realistically and keeps your heavy, opaque fly-line well away from the fish. Fundamentals Level fly-lines turn over powerfully and land heavily, so floating lines have tapered tips to dissipate the energy of the cast for gentle delivery. Tapered leaders transfer that energy smoothly through to the fly. Stillwater anglers often use leaders consisting of long lengths of fine level monofilament. These work when cast downwind from a drifting boat and will turn over a weighted fly when combined with a long heavy fly-line. However, they perform poorly on rivers where accurate casting at…

TROUT MASTERS Plus this month’s badge winners from Europe’s largest fly-fishing competition England & Wales BORDER ESK SPORT on much of the river has been very hard work. A quote from Martin Coulthard of the Border Esk and Liddell Angling Club summed up just how poor conditions and fish numbers have been so far this season, “For the first time in a long time, I literally have nothing to report, no water, no anglers and no fish”. The really long dry spell has seen very few fish moving upstream. Odd areas have had small pockets of sea-trout present and some were caught under the cover of darkness. Looking at the Esk at Longtown, it looked pitifully low with masses of bedrock showing and virtually no flow; in areas where local…

I HEARD about him and knew his name long before I ever met him. It’s not often you meet legends but we all fished with one and knew him as a friend. Donald was and always will be a legend of the River Brora. His whole life had been spent there, all 82 years. He recently retired to Nairn but still came back regularly to fish and see his friends. He grew up on a croft in the Doll on the banks of the river. There he learned his craft by fishing for sea-trout. He had seen the river over a lifetime and how it changes and he understood it in every condition. No one ever knew more about the River Brora than Donald. John Bray used to say that…

Junior ENGLAND ■ KILNSEY PARK FLY FISHERY, Skipton, 07765 688780 1 Jack Blakey, Northallerton, 4lb 8oz brown, on fly. ■ NEW MILLS TROUT FISHING PARK, Brampton, 016977 41115 1 Jack Blakey, Northallerton, 10lb 6oz rainbow, Apps Worm. ■ THRUNTON LONG CRAG TROUT FISHERY, Alnwick, 01665 574 400 1 Sonny Kerr, Co Armagh, 3lb 10oz rainbow, Blob. SCOTLAND ■ KINROSS TROUT FISHERY, Kinross, 07376 762057 1 Danny Johnston, Fife, 2lb 8oz rainbow, Cat’s Whisker. ■ RAEMOIR TROUT FISHERY, Banchory, 01330 820092 1 Ryan Taylor, Aberdeen, 8lb rainbow, Wotsit. 2 Aiden Butters, Aberdeen, 7lb 8oz rainbow, Buzzer. WALES ■ BIGWELL FLY FISHERY, Monmouth, 01600 772904 1 Francis Hopson, Hawkesbury, 2lb 5oz rainbow, Damsel. ■ TYN-Y-GRAIG FARM, Crynant, 01639 750894 1 Ewan Loturco, Cardiff, 5lb 2oz rainbow, Montana. Youth SCOTLAND ■ KINROSS TROUT…

The River Ythan, which rises in the Wells of Ythan seven miles east of Huntly in Aberdeenshire and flows for 35 miles before entering the North Sea at Newburgh, is noted for both its sea-trout and salmon. Aberdeen is 13 miles to the south. It has a large estuary, tidal for some miles. Extensive fishing and netting rights are now for sale. The Newburgh and Foveran Fishings, a ½-mile from Newburgh and five from Ellon, provide double-bank fishing for salmon and sea-trout over four miles. Last season, 836 sea-trout were caught. The extent of the estuary ensures that there are bank and boat opportunities for fly-fishing and spinning over the 17 main pools. Included in the sale are 670 acres. Corf House, used for storage and with development potential subject…