Indice dei contenuti per November 2022 in Sporting Gun

Enter the dragon Brooding skies over Snowdonia and bowed heads before the gun salute marked a rather sombre opening to the Welsh Game Fair. The death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II had been announced a little more than 12 hours earlier. Not the start the organisers would have envisaged or wished for, but it was not long before the sun appeared revealing the magnificence of the Vaynol estate near the Menai Strait. Soon a steady flow of visitors to this inaugural Welsh fair started to make their way onto the ground and take in the many attractions and demonstrations, which on the culinary side had a distinctive Welsh flavour, including contributions from renowned chefs Bryn Williams and Hywel Griffith. In all, over 10,000 people attended the three-day event over…

Trap sensation Lucy Hall has secured a Team GB Olympic quota spot for Paris 2024. She claimed the quota, alongside a silver medal, following an exceptional performance at the European Championships in Cyprus. She narrowly missed the top spot by just one clay, with Italy’s Silvana Stanco straighting the final for the win. Speaking afterwards, Ms Hall said: “All of the hard work I’ve been putting in back home is really paying off now and I’m just so happy.” Nathan Hales took to the stands in the Men’s Trap event, where he claimed bronze, but a controversial ruling meant he missed out on a quota place to Sweden’s Rickard Levin-Andersson, who shot the same score. Tokyo 2020 Olympians Matthew Coward-Holley, Aaron Heading and Kirsty Hegarty also attended the event. Despite…

George Digweed MBE is on top form when we speak in early September, having just taken the CPSA British Open Sportrap title at Barbury Shooting School. The result is all the more remarkable because he shot just hours after flying back from the Compak Sporting World Championship in Cape Town. Straighting the first two layouts, George dropped just three shots to end with a triumphant 97/100, narrowly ahead of John Lee on 96/100 and Sam Green on 95/100. “I am really happy with that kind of score,” says George, “especially after just landing back from South Africa. The conditions were good up on the Marlborough Downs, but it was a very difficult competition, with few competitors getting into the 90s until the final squads. I was so pleased to win;…

I am in the process of compiling deer management reports. Any estate that is involved in woodland management that is part of a government scheme such as Countryside Stewardship has to produce these reports to verify that effective management of deer is in place to reduce the woodland habitat damage that is being caused by the deer. The data now required in such reports has changed over the years from what was a simple cull plan to the current in-depth records. These records include, among other things, ongoing population demographics and the monitoring of habitat damage. All of this data supports the cull figures and corroborates the need for the subsequent cull plan. To enable this to be as accurate as possible, it is logical that there needs to be…

Spending their days foraging in frequently sizeable flocks, parakeets are becoming an increasingly familiar sight in many of our cities and the surrounding areas. The more numerous ring-necked or rose-ringed parakeet is unmistakeable with its predominantly green plumage, long tail and pointed wings in flight. Closer-to, the beak is red while a pink and black ring surrounding the head and neck provide its name. The somewhat smaller monk parakeet is less widespread and easily distinguished by an orange beak, bright green upper parts and pale grey forehead and breast, and light green to yellow rear underparts. The raucous and unmelodic calls of both types of parakeet are typically parrot-like and are unlikely to be mistaken for those of any of our native species. How two species of parrot from South…

The outbreak of avian influenza across north-west Europe over the past year has severely impacted the breeding and movement of partridge and pheasant chicks. Many game shoots, be they the local farm groups or the large commercial estates, have had to reconsider their activities for this season. A significant number of shoots have decided not to operate at all this season or have markedly cut back their number of days. Where the rearing of chicks and their release into the countryside is fully integrated, the shoot arrangements have been less impacted. Where I live in northern England, and where I have mainly shot or loaded over the years, there are shoots that fall into all of the aforementioned. One up in the Borders is not shooting at all. A large…

GOT A QUESTION? CONTACT: sportinggun@futurenet.com Sporting Gun, Future PLC, Unit 415, Eskdale Road, Winnersh RG41 5RA GUNDOGS Good bloodlines shade colour I understand cocker spaniels come in a variety of colours, so I was wondering what colour would make the best gundog? Fran says: There is an old saying “no dog is a bad colour”, and that is true of all breeds. It is true that, especially in cockers, colours go through fashions and trends, but I believe you should never breed for colour. You should breed to improve your lines. Depending on the sire and dam, you could have a number of different colours in a litter of pups. There will be many other factors as to how well they do in the shooting field. Colour will…

Gun test The Rizzini Venus Sporter is one of Rizzini’s latest guns that embodies innovations that the Italian gunmaker has embraced over the last few decades. It is a dedicated ladies’ Sporter. It has a very pretty Rizzini Round Body action, with some very delicate scroll engraving. The engraving really is very nice indeed. When you turn that beautiful round-bodied action over it has a ‘V’ engraved underneath too. There is also engraving on the underside of the trigger guard. The top lever is nicely engraved too. This Rizzini Sporter has some excellent quality walnut on it too, making this a very attractive little gun. Like many guns dedicated for female shooters it has a Monte Carlo stock. This has the dual advantage of raising the comb – women tend…

Antiques USED GUNS Few iconic objects exist in the world of antique firearms from before the time of mass production. Every gun produced was a handmade item and, as a consequence, unique. While pairs of guns existed, no two pairs were identical and even duelling pistols by different manufacturers differed considerably. However, if there is an iconic antique firearm it is probably the ones pictured here: a set of Eggs. These were made by the master gunsmith Joseph Egg. Born in 1775 in Huningue, Alsace, Joseph came from an important line of Huguenot gunmakers and was actually the son of Johann Jakob Egg, who in turn was the brother of the equally famous Durs Egg. Initially trading as a gunmaker in Great Windmill Street, London, by the age of 25…

Scotland is well connected by major roads, train links, airports and ferry ports. Many domestic and international airlines allow passengers to store firearms and ammunition in the hold – though international visitors travelling via connecting flights should ensure their firearms are permitted by each airline. If you want to arrive on your first day refreshed and bright eyed, you can travel overnight on ScotRail’s Caledonian Sleeper train, which runs between London Euston and Scotland. There are also regular services to Scotland from many major stations in England and Wales. AIR TRAVEL Major airlines serving Scotland UK British Airways Tel 0344 493 0787; britishairways.com Eastern Airways Tel 01652 680600; easternairways.com easyJet Tel 0330 5515151; easyjet.com Logan AirwaysTel 0344 800 2855; loganair.co.uk RyanairTel 01279 358395; ryanair.com INTERNATIONAL Air Canada rouge Tel 001…

The connection between the British royal family and field sports is long and illustrious and, happily, permeates down to this year of our late monarch’s Platinum Jubilee. The royal estate at Sandringham has borne witness to many great sporting days, as has Balmoral in Aberdeenshire. Extending to 55,000 acres, and with grouse moors, deerstalking and salmon angling, the Balmoral Estate is a perfect highland microcosm and is rich in species synonymous with the Caledonian pine forest. At its heart is the River Dee, over which the royal estate holds an impressive 16 miles of fishing. “The Dee was running unusually low for late April” It was with considerable good fortune that I received an invitation to cast a fly for a salmon on this very water, on the opening day,…

Like shooting driven grouse and catching a fresh-run salmon, stalking a red stag is often very near the top of many of our sporting bucket lists. The ‘Monarch of the Glen’ is a flagship British species, and even those who have done plenty of lowland stalking will tell you that crawling through the heather in your tweed breeks and catching the whiff of a stag on the wind is a totally different experience. Some of us are lucky enough to receive invitations to stalk stags but for many people, it’s a case of biting the proverbial non-toxic bullet and paying for an outing. Stalking continues to grow in popularity, so if you are after a trip with only a few weeks’ notice, you may be disappointed. Most estates or outfitters…

When we consider the situation of the salmon and sea trout and the fisheries associated with them, we need not look any further than the fishery reports of the 1960s and 1970s as a starting point for what we have today. In those halcyon catching days, enthusiastic fishers would expect to catch in the region of 20 to 30 salmon in a week and expect to replicate that in the following subsequent years. These were the days, primarily, of private beats and cherished tenancies (often with dead-men’s shoes associated with them). Before that era, salmon fishing, and to a slightly lesser extent, sea trout fishing, was seen as being out of the reach of many and the preserve of the well-heeled, very well-connected, or landed folk. “fishers would expect to…

Even in the lee of the moorland edge, the wind pinned me to the steep tussocky hill. Driving onwards, I started to hear the crackle of grouse amid the swirls of air. These came like spectres across my ears, gone before direction or distance was known. Near the top, the final gritstone lip hung over me; as I hid beneath it, the wind fell away, taking all sound with it as if time had stopped. I drew my gun from its slip, dropped a handful of cartridges into my trouser pocket and stashed my bulky top layer among the rocks as I got ready to make the last climb over the parapet and on to the moorland top after my first ever grouse. Wall of wind I leapt over, ready…

The 12th of August has always been an important date in the shooting calendar, but this year it was a very significant date in my diary. I had been invited to be a gun at See Far Hill on Forneth Estate in Perthshire. I have been shooting with a syndicate at home for the last three seasons and have shot other game including partridge and woodcock and have been lucky to be invited grouse shooting twice before but as a beater. My friend Lucas was invited to join me as well as Mum and Dad. My Dad knows firsthand how much time and effort goes into caring for the grouse and their habitat in preparation for this day as he was a grouse keeper for several years before I was…

SNAPSHOTS HM Queen Elizabeth ll has been laid to rest in St George’s Chapel, Windsor. As the UK comes to terms with the loss of one its greatest monarchs, it is only fitting that we remember her life and remarkable reign. Much has been written about The Queen’s life of service. The weight of state fell upon her shoulders at a young age, after the untimely death of her father, George Vl, in 1952. From then on she was a devoted servant to this country. For us, though, it is as a champion of the countryside that we owe her a debt of gratitude. Her genuine enthusiasm for country life helped elevate respect for rural matters in the public mind. You only need to think back to the recent Platinum…

Keeping your gun in good working order will help it stay reliable and maintain its value over the years. But how often should you clean your gun and to what lengths should you go to keep it in the best condition? There are different views on the way guns are cleaned and how often. For example, my own gun is cleaned after every use, whereas at the shooting school where I coach the guns that are out every day are lucky if they get cleaned once a month. But these bare facts could be misleading. My own gun may get a quick once-over when it gets cleaned, but the school guns have a full strip on their monthly clean. What you do with your gun is up to you, but…

With the game shooting season getting under way, there will be many young dogs taking to the field for the first time. This is when both the handler and the dog will see their months of hard work put to the test and whether their training holds up under the pressure. If you are planning to use your young dog to pick-up, then one of the most important aspects of its training will be the transition from dummies to game. How you have dealt with the dog’s initial retrieving training will dictate how this progresses. If you follow social media, you may well see pictures of puppies running around with a partridge and the owners expressing their delight in the ‘fact’ the dog has picked some game. But beware, this…

Blast from the past There are just two major gunmakers remaining in Japan. One is Howa, producing both sporting and military rifles, while the other is Miroku whose output is shotguns and rifles. Miroku’s modern story began in 1946 with harpoon guns for the whaling industry but their fortunes changed following a treaty which legally ended the state of war which had existed between Japan and the Allied Powers. Ending the ban on gun production in Japan enabled Miroku to expand into more mainstream firearm production. Many of Miroku’s products are manufactured on behalf of Browning with whom they have enjoyed a long and close relationship. Miroku guns were once regarded as little more than cheap Brownings, a rather unfair comparison although early Miroku shotguns were very close copies of…

BERWICKSHIRE THE WHEATSHEAF AT SWINTON **** Main Street, Swinton, Berwickshire, TD11 3JJ reception@wheatsheafswinton.co.uk 01890 860257 www.wheatsheaf-swinton.co.uk PERTHSHIRE ATHOLL ESTATES **** Atholl Estates Office, Blair Atholl, Pitlochry, Perthshire PH18 5TH enquiries@atholl-estates.co.uk 01796 481355 www.atholl-estates.co.uk BALLATHIE HOUSE HOTEL **** Kinclaven, Stanley, Perthshire, PH1 4QN email@ballathiehousehotel.com 01250 883268 www.ballathiehousehotel.com BORELAND LOCH TAY *** Dalchiaran, Fearnan, Aberfeldy, Perthshire, PH15 2PG bookings@borelandlochtay.co.uk 01887 827691 www.borelandlochtay.co.uk GLENEAGLES HOTEL ***** Auchterarder, Perthshire, PH3 1NF reservations@gleneagles.com 01764 290003 www.gleneagles.com TAY HOUSE 3 Tay Terrace, Dunkeld, Perthshire, PH8 0AQ reception@thetayhouse.co.uk 07900 995496 www.thetayhouse.co.uk TAY HOUSE SPORTING LODGE Tay Terrace, Dunkeld, Perthshire, PH8 0AQ michael@thetayhouse.co.uk; 07900 995496 www.thetayhouse.co.uk SCOTTISH BORDERS SCHLOSS ROXBURGHE HOTEL AND GOLF COURSE **** SCHLOSS Roxburghe, Heiton by Kelso, Roxburghshire, Scottish Borders, TD5 8JZ info@roxburhge.net 01573 450331 www.schlosshotel-roxburghe.com/en/home…

We are into July and with it comes the opening of the red stag season. It’s strange, though, that this date seems to drift past with little interest when compared with the buzz surrounding 1 April and the start of the roebucks. However, I have always eagerly looked forward to stalking the first of the red stags, and for the deer manager, it makes perfect sense to start early on the cull and try to get ahead of the game. In Scotland, red deer have been off the stalking agenda while roe deer have been the focus, so it’s nice to get back out on the largest of our native species. However, there is a downside. July coincides with an explosion of biting insects, including the Scottish midge. As my…

Galloway is famous for its goats. Some of the old herds have been living wild since the days of Robert the Bruce and, while they can’t be classified as truly native, it’s hard to ignore centuries of freedom and independence. It’s not uncommon to find goats on the loneliest hilltops during the summer months and I’m often cheered by the jolly sound of their bleating in steep, desolate mountain places between Newton Stewart and Carsphairn. The Galloway Hills have some excellent place names to describe steep cliffs and treacherous mountain passes. When I was a teenager, I found an immaculately preserved billy goat’s skeleton in a lonely spot called Nick o’ the Dungeon. Ignoring the horrible smell, I pulled off the skull and brought it home on my back. “I…

A brace of English setters, creamy patches in a haze of purple, are working into the wind ahead. They’re covering the moor quickly, but as effortlessly as the zephyr trembling the bell heather. Abruptly, the lead dog—the older, more experienced bitch—stops her tacking as the scent of grouse fills her nostrils. Seconds later, the younger dog also collects the waft and they lower their supple bodies, heads level, to gather in and analyse the strength and direction of the smell. At this stage, they are still dog-like—but, as the scent grows hotter, they grow more feline, placing each slow step with the care of a stalking tiger. Finally, they halt. They have ‘set’ their game. Within feet is a covey of grouse, the birds’ eyes fixed on the setter and…

Think of grey partridge habitat and most of us will imagine the flatlands of East Anglia; arable country and the tight cover of carefully managed hedgerows. It’s interesting to realise that many of the associations we make with partridge habitat are actually quite recent. These beautiful and exciting birds have declined so rapidly over the past half-century that it’s now hard to see them as our predecessors saw them; a widespread and adaptable bird with the ability to thrive in all manner of different habitats. As a good example, I love listening to the tales of sporting folk in Wales who remember shooting extraordinary numbers of partridges around the mine workings and spoil heaps of major industrial sites during the 1970s. It’s a telling reminder that, while we have come…

I’m going on a low-carbon holiday. While I wish that ice-cap preserving self-sacrifice was the motive for my modest getaway, an anaemic bank balance has more to do with it. Whatever the motive, I’m off for a planet-friendly getaway. I’m going to walk out of the village. After about a mile, I will turn left and head up into the trees. After about five miles, I will reach a little-visited loch. There I will cast a team of flies, watch otters sport and drift to sleep under the dancing stars, though midges, rain and tangles may also be involved. Then, I will hike on through a series of lochs, travelling by foot and canoe, angling for wild fish and fending off either sunstroke or hypothermia. It will be brilliant and…

The packing up and loading of gear came with special anticipation. A Christmas or New Year trip to south-west Scotland is an annual event for the Swans, but late October for autumn half-term is less common. By Christmas, the local wildfowlers have thoroughly educated the birds and most morning flights involve watching the geese fly low over the flats before climbing at least two gunshots high as they cross the shoreline where someone might be hiding. Come evening flight, the routine is reversed, with skein after skein coming out high before whiffling down way out over the tide or flats to settle for the night. By late December, the duck are just as wary and a blank week is a distinct possibility, even in the supposedly easier inland situations. So…

GAME WOODCOCK Here in North America we only have our woodcock in the eastern regions. I live in the far west, so I’ve never had the opportunity to hunt them. They are a popular bird in their range and are frequently written about in books and magazines. Wanting to try woodcock shooting for myself, my wife and I in 1985 made a trip to New Brunswick, Canada, principally for woodcock. The experience couldn’t have turned out better. Not only did we encounter very good numbers of woodcock – along with ruffed grouse as a bonus — our guide had a drop-dead beautiful Irish setter that was extremely good at finding the birds in heavy cover. But in most cases I found the shooting to be a little too easy. This…

OPINION CONSERVATION It was recently put to me that without grouse shooting in the UK, red grouse would soon be gone. To the average member of the public this defies reason, but within the shooting community we are well aware that shooting and conservation often — if not always — go hand in hand. In an era of increasing pressure on many traditional gamebirds — grey partridge and capercaillie spring immediately to mind — sharp focus inevitably falls on the conservation and survival of these species. But against the backdrop of a rapidly changing landscape and increasingly unfriendly politics, what role does shooting have in the future of these birds? Although poorly managed shooting can place pressure on bird numbers, this pales into insignificance when compared with the effects of…

I hope your season’s shaping up better than mine. Back in March things didn’t look at all bad, but since then hopes and plans have suffered a series of cancellations and setbacks, some of my making, most of them not. The biggest annoyance has been the demise of our stewardship wild bird seed cover, which shrivelled in the summer heat like a pan of stir-fried bean sprouts. Goodness knows what the finches and the rest are going to survive on if the weather now turns nasty. And, of course, that missing cover means reduced chances of a shot at a partridge or pheasant. Then again, with luck, there’s an outside possibility extra days could come along at the eleventh hour. But I’m not banking on it. I’ve more hope of…

While writing this in the last week of August, we in the south-east are still ‘enjoying’ unprecedented levels of sunshine, with daytime temperatures rarely dipping below 25°C. Here in Essex, we have had no rain for six weeks, and the effect it has had on the local pigeon population has been remarkable. Last month, I described how Paul and I managed to scrape together a 100-bird bag from a situation that promised much more, purely because the majority of pigeons I had watched the day before simply failed to appear on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year. Since that day, harvest has been completed, with any number of stubbles that are rich in food and in prime locations for the birds to choose from. Because…

Shooting has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up around gamekeeping and the countryside and it seems that almost from as soon as I could walk I was using a gun in some form or another. These days as a professional rabbit controller, guns are more of a means to earn a living. Much of the work I do is in the evenings or at night. Some success can be had at dusk but it’s not a time of day I favour, and I try to avoid it. Rabbits are creatures of habit and they normally live in one area and feed in another not too far away, although this can be a considerably greater distance than you might think. They are…

I haven’t had many days out decoying this year. Partly because of work but also due to a lack of wood pigeons. It has clearly been an exceptional year with regards to the weather. The heat and subsequent drought have had quite an effect on hedgerow wildlife. I was sitting in a hide recently for a short decoying session and the lack of small birds was very noticeable. Usually the hedgerows are a hive of activity at this time of year but there was hardly a small bird or songbird in sight. It has been so dry these past few months. You usually get morning dew or the odd shower to keep some moisture in the land, but it has even been bone dry at dawn for ages. This must…

Knowledge to grub up on I was half-watching BBC1’s Countryfile recently (4 September) when a report on alternative feeds for laying hens to produce carbon-neutral eggs caught my attention. It seems that ongoing research has proven that feeding chickens on a ration of maggots (produced on farms where the maggots are fed on food-waste from supermarkets) will drastically save on carbon emissions when compared to high carbon-emission feeds derived from imported soya. The presenters seemed taken aback by this research but I didn’t think it was ground-breaking science. During shooting’s ‘golden age’ many shoots relied on wild game, while others reared pheasants under broody hens and bantams. The rearing fields had lots of small coops that were moved onto fresh grass every day (a system I have used on a…

November crossword CLUES ACROSS 6 Gun specification indicative of quality? (7)7 The tail of a hound (5)9 One type of cartridge wad (4)10 Clumbers and the like (8)11 Adjustable as opposed to fixed, in terms of scope power (8)13 Quantity in a brace (3)14 A retriever, for short (3)16 Key faculty of shooters, you see? (8)18 Form of shooting, good footwork required (6-2)19 A teal or pochard (4)21 What some hounds follow, nose first (5)22 Rearing hut for gamebirds (7) CLUES DOWN 1 Large bundle of hay – useful for building hides (4)2 Fratelli _ , Brescia gunmakers (6)3 Mixed dogs such as sprockers (11)4 Like gundog trainers with a no-nonsense approach (6)5 Gut shot deer (8)8 Estate managers (11)12 Countryside _ , campaign group (8) 15 Cooking a game…

USED GUNS Blast from the past Those of us who are old enough may be able to cast our minds back to the early 1970s, a time when even the sporting goods section of your mother’s Littlewoods catalogue included not just air rifles but also shotguns. If you were lucky enough you might be able to afford a Webley or BSA, but very often a teenager’s carefully saved pocket money or Saturday job wages would not stretch to these longed-for luxuries, so instead you might have had to settle for a more affordable alternative. Such an air rifle might have been a Relum air rifle or similar import. Relum was actually the name of the London-based importer whose products originated in eastern Europe. Early Relum models, all break-barrel varieties, originated…

Find ‘Country Sport Scotland’ on social media for the latest news, offers and events COUNTRY SPORTS Discover your memorable Scottish sporting experience now FIND SPORTING The directory is free to use, search through quarry species, location and book directly with trusted Scottish sporting estates and providers ACCOMMODATION Browse sport-friendly accommodation, from B&Bs, Hotels, Castles, Self-Catering – we’ve got something for everyone SPORTING AGENTS For tailored and bespoke packaged experiences, contact one of our sporting agents SPORTING OFFERS Browse through the latest last-minute deals on shooting, fishing and stalking opportunities from our sporting providers OTHER INFORMATION Regularly updated section with all sorts of useful information about country sports in Scotland, including etiquette and guidance on travelling with firearms…

Nestling below the towering mass of Creag Dhubh, and mantled by the fragrant pine woods of the Rothiemurchus Forest, Loch an Eilein is a jewel set in the crown of the Cairngorms National Park. A shallow loch, with an average depth of only 10m, this secluded water has long drawn me to its sandy shores in search of large but capricious highland pike. Loch an Eilein, from the Gaelic ‘loch of the island’, has a tranquil beauty that belies its turbulent past. On an island close to shore sits a castle ruin that was once the stronghold of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan. Stewart, the son of King Robert II of Scotland — the man responsible for the sacking and burning of Elgin Cathedral — had such a reputation for…

Everybody knows about the Glorious Twelfth. The very words seem to conjure up whimsical images of pointers in the purple heather; sunshine, gunpowder smoke and bottles of beer left to cool for lunch in some pretty beck or burn. The Twelfth is famous as the opening of the grouse shooting season, but the sport often seems to fall quiet after the first few enthusiastic weeks. As September approaches, partridges start to beckon on the low ground. It’s not long until pheasants come powering in to grab our attention and grouse become rather more obscure. By the time that the heather flowers have wilted and the hill has turned red with failing grass, grouse have become something rather different. Balance Early-season days are well suited to walked-up shooting. The Glorious Twelfth…

Sporting agents are a fantastic go-to when it comes to organising your next sporting trip. Not only will they take you to tried and tested, reputable places, but they can organise everything from accommodation to equipment, travel and other activities, to ensure you have a truly memorable experience. International Hunting Scotland is a long-established and reliable agency that provides a wide range of unique hunting, shooting, and fishing experiences, in Scotland, the rest of the UK, and at many locations around the world. The husband and wife team have an impressive fifty years of combined experience in the industry and pride themselves on having a high number of returning clientele. Their bespoke packages are equipped for novices, single guns, couples, small groups, and teams, or they can even customise an…

Salmon exist at every edge of the North Atlantic sea board. From Canada in the west, to Russia in the east, Portugal in the south and Greenland in the north, Salmo salar run these rivers. Yet it is only in the British Isles that you can legally catch a salmon in every month of the year. Starting on 1 January in Donegal and ending on 15 December in Cornwall, it is not unreasonable to hope for a bar of silver to inhale your carefully cast fly. Our temperate clime, avoiding both the Arctic ice and the Mediterranean sun, means that British salmon can run into the rivers on almost any day of the year. “The river was 4ft over the gauge, but if your fly’s in there’s a chance” As…