Tabla de contenidos para July 2020 en Trout & Salmon

EVERY YEAR, WITHOUT FAIL, A BLACKBIRD nests on the shelves in my wood store. She’s normally fraught, wary of Charlie, my terrier. I’ve been stuck at home and have followed her every move. She laid four eggs in spring and I’ve watched her picking them up in her beak and turning them like sausages on a grill. I didn’t know they did that. Does the size of a bird’s egg correspond with the size of its beak? The eggs hatched in the first week of May and since then I have watched the scrawny chicks with their oversized beaks grow, while mum and dad fetched food. They never stopped and when Charlie wasn’t about I was able to stand quite close to the nest. Mum would arrive, beaks would pop…

EFFORT EQUALS REWARD After 40 years of trying, George Nicholson from Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, can finally claim the honour of having caught the first spring salmon of the season on the River Coquet. George has fished the first day and beyond whenever possible since 1976. He landed this year’s first fish on March 14 when a 17lb 4oz salmon took his 18g Yellow Toby near the White Posts on the tidal section of the river. “It was a gleaming fish and we carefully returned it,” said a very pleased George. He is now waiting for the official presentation from the Duke of Northumberland when better times allow. FOLLOWING IN FAMILY FOOTSTEPS Charlie Dora (15) from Edinburgh is a third-generation fly-fisherman and T&S reader. Here he is keeping up family…

AS I’VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GO fishing or guide over the past few months I thought I’d share the story of my fishing companion and partner in crime, who never leaves my side. Formerly known as Wes, he came from an online dog rescue charity in Romania. I paid £250 to cover his transportation to the UK, passport, neutering and microchip and he joined me in January 2017 when I was moving my belongings from London to North Yorkshire, and the rest, as they say, is history... I decided to name him after one of my favourite trout flies, the Sedge, although during the early stages of getting to know each other, one thing I questioned was whether or not he’d enjoy fishing. Were his short legs going to…

I loved Finlay Wilson’s article about Loch Eck (June) where I fished as a young man. I think you may be interested in the following story. I think it was 1970 or 1971 and we were in the Whistlefield Inn on a Sunday evening of a September weekend. A Sunday — take note! A local man, Jackie, came up to me and two friends and whispered, “Boys, come outside. There is something you must see.” We went outside where a small crowd had gathered around an old VW Beetle. Jackie asked its owner, who was standing with a drink in hand, if the boys could see “the fish”. I expected a leash of several fish, although I immediately reminded myself that today was a Sunday. But, no, when he opened…

• Prime time is two days after a flood when the water still has a little peat stain. • Don’t stick to the same set-up if you are having no success — anglers who change tips to suit different pools and part-pools catch more. • If fish are being difficult, change the speed at which you move the fly, not the fly itself. Cast three times before you take a step, and retrieve differently each time. Slow, fast, faster and squarer. • Faced by low summer levels, be prepared to think outside the box. Make big changes, not small ones. Try a skated Bomber, a hitched fly or a big Snaelda. They all work on the Blackwater.…

Tungsten is sintered with other metals such as iron or bronze. Bead density depends on the percentage of tungsten present. There are no 100% pure tungsten weights, most claim to be 90-97%. Tungsten is an expensive material — if you are buying very cheap beads you might want to remember that. I weighed two similar ‘tungsten’ shellbacks from different manufacturers, one weighed 0.64g and the other 0.50g. A magnet will attract tungsten, but not brass. The heavier, expensive one was magnetic, the lighter, cheaper one was not.…

Run the thread down to the bend and catch in a few dyed yellow/olive pheasant tail fibres, plus a length of red Glo-Brite floss. Apply a pinch of cream fur to the thread. Dub the fur to form a thin rope then wind it along the shank in close turns to create a slim body. Prepare a silver badger cock hackle and catch it in a short distance back from the eye, then wind along the body in evenly spaced turns. Once the hackle has reached the base of the tail, wind the floss up through it in evenly spaced turns, taking care not to trap the fibres. Secure the loose end of the floss then trim off the waste hackle tip. Prepare a dyed French partridge feather and catch…

Travel with just the basics in your pocket or a sling/bum bag. • ROD 9ft or 9ft 6in, 5wt or 6wt • LINE Floating • REEL Personal choice but with a reliable, smooth drag. • LEADER Maximum 10ft tapered nylon leader with a 6lb-8lb fluorocarbon tippet. • SUNGLASSES Polaroids with amber or copper lenses for bright days, and a yellow lens option for poor light. You can get prescription polarised glasses, or models that fit on top of conventional spectacles. • HAT To shade your eyes, wear a brimmed hat, baseball-style cap or a sun visor. • NET Should suit the size of target fish. Carry it on your back with a sling or magnetic clip. • ACCESSORIES Pocket-size fly-boxes, snips, and a small camera to record the capture.…

CURLEY’S CDC BUZZER Hook Size 14-16 Kamasan B830 (debarbed) Thread Red UTC 70 or Uni Rib Fine gold wire or clear mono Body Red, yellow and orange seal fur mix Shuttlecock Natural CDC When I first came to Rutland I learned everything I could from local expert Dave “Curley” Doherty. His fly selection wasn’t huge, but the patterns he did have were devastatingly effective, none more so than Curley’s Black Buzzer and his CDC Buzzer, which he tied in red, pearl/orange, an olive mix, and this subtle red/yellow/orange mix. The B830 hook is all important. It is very strong so won’t “gape” when hit hard, and the longer shank ensures more of the fly hangs enticingly under the surface. Dub the body tight so it cuts through the water: too…

ROB EDMUNDS Highly successful competition angler, reservoir bank and boat specialist. RONNIE GLASS Tweed Commissioner and a Scottish national champion on rivers and stillwaters. STEVE CULLEN Guide, instructor and all-round game angler with a wealth of knowledge. PETER GATHERCOLE Photographer, expert tyer and chairman of the Fly Dressers' Guild. PAUL PROCTER Cumbrian-based AAPGAI instructor. Prefers the imitative approach. GARETH JONES Welsh international and stillwater expert. Has fished all over the world. PETER COCKWILL Small water expert with more than 60 years’ fly-fishing experience.…

Run the tying thread down to the bend and catch in a length of pearl tinsel. Dub on a pinch of black seal’s fur and apply two or three turns. With the rear body section of black seal fur in place, dub on a pinch of red seal’s fur and apply two turns to form the middle section. Add a final section of black seal’s fur to complete the body — the effect should be quite rough. Wind on three, evenly spaced turns of tinsel. Secure the loose end of the tinsel and trim off the waste. With a dubbing needle or piece of velcro, brush out the seal’s fur body. Take six dyed-red pheasant tail fibres and apply two knots to each, to suggest leg-joints. Add three legs to…

SENIOR BADGE WINNERS All fish listed were caught before the Government’s stay at home order was issued on March 23. The list is a mixture of March competition entries (fish caught between February 21 and March 20) and a few April competition entries. England ■ BRANSFORD GAME FISHERIES, Bransford, 01905 830548 1 Andrew Martin, Stratford upon Avon, 3lb 4oz rainbow, Blue Flash Damsel. ■ BRICK FARM LAKES, Herstmonceux, 01323 832615 1 Rick Herrera, Hailsham, 5lb 10oz rainbow, on fly. 2 Jim Letham, Kent, 5lb 4oz rainbow, Orange/Yellow FAB. 3 Ronald Ransley, West Sussex, 3lb 2oz rainbow, on fly. ■ CHIPHALL LAKE TROUT FISHERY, Fareham, 0777 6256792 1 Keith Brooker, Harpenden, 4lb 9oz rainbow, Blue Flash Damsel. ■ INNIS FLY FISHERY, Nr St Austell, 01726 852382 1 David Daniells, Launceston, 5lb…

ENGLAND ALBURY ESTATE FISHERIES, Guildford, 07976 810737 ALDIN GRANGE LAKES, Durham, 07957 831711 AMPORT FISHERY, Andover, 07775 953273 AVINGTON TROUT FISHERY, Winchester, 01962 779312 BESSY BECK TROUT FISHERY, Cumbria, 01539 623303 BLITHFIELD ANGLERS, Abbots Bromley, 01283 840284 COLTSFORD MILL TROUT FISHERY, Surrey, 07798 605867 DRAYCOTE TROUT FISHERY, Rugby, 01788 812018 HIGHAM LAKE TROUT FISHERY, Ponteland, 07950 428159 HOLLIES TROUT FARM & FISHERY, Honiton, 01404 841428 KILNSEY PARK FLY FISHERY, Skipton, 07765 688780 LAKEDOWN TROUT FISHERY, Burwash, 01435 883449 LANGLEY DAM, Langley, 01434 688846 LEIGHTON RESERVOIR, Ripon, 07815 114890 MARSTON WYSE TROUT FARM, York, 01904 738383 MOORHEN TROUT FISHERY, Warnford, 01730 829460 NEW MILLS TROUT FISHING PARK, Brampton, 01697 741115 NORTON FISHERY, Stapleford Tawney, 01708 688525 PATSHULL PARK FISHERY, Wolverhampton, 01902 700774 RIB VALLEY FISHING LAKES, Ware, 07812 464323 ROCKBOURNE TROUT…

HERE WE ARE THEN. LOCKED DOWN. Banged up. Fenced in. I did not expect them to ban fishing. Indeed, I expected — in the absence of anything else to do — that I would be fishing a good deal. The pontoons at the lake are further apart than I can cast on a good day, so the concept of anti-social distancing did not seem to me to be a problem. There remained the question of signing in and out of the hut, of course, but one only needs to stretch the usual angling formalities by a pace or three to conform to the new regulations. Although, given the aged and somewhat aurally challenged demographic of the membership there might be some issues. “Any luck?” “Eh?” “ANY LUCK?” “One off the…

In the event of it being difficult to buy a print copy of Trout & Salmon over the coming weeks, we are doing our best to ensure that your favourite magazine will still be available on digital platforms. So, if you can’t find us in stores, or if you’re stuck inside, please consider: • Downloading our Trout & Salmon app from the iOS or Android app stores. We have some superb one-off subscription offers with discounts of up to 50%. You can also purchase single-copy issues if you wish. If you’re a Kindle Fire user, you can download our magazines from Amazon Newsstand. • If you are a print subscriber and we cannot deliver issues to you owing to the Covid-19 situation, please visit: greatmagazines.co.uk where clear updates will be…

There are six other beats on the Blackwater Trout & Salmon Fishery. Bridge beat is split in two. Beat One where Andrew fished, and Beat Two, which also fishes three rods, with two named pools, one of which is long. Ballincurrig beat fishes three rods on four pools, the most famous of which is Churchill’s, named after Winston Churchill, who fished there. It is best in mid-high water. Magners is a short, wooded two-rod beat that comes into its own in high water. Another high-water beat is Ballygarrett. Far up the Blackwater system, it takes two rods and has two named pools. That leaves Cable Island One and Two. At 1.7km, these beats cater for six rods and suit high and low water. All beats are single bank.…

IT’S ALMOST 30 YEARS TO THE DAY that Hogs broke on to the trout-fishing scene. They have been a game-changer, particularly for wild fish. A few years after this happened, my old mucker Norman Irvine devised a slight adaptation in the genre and first used it on the Loch of Stenness (an extremely challenging water on Mainland, Orkney) in a club competition and wiped away the opposition. The Half-Hog had arrived in style. I was fascinated by this new concept and thought I saw great potential for it. Unlike its ancestor, it is a marvellously adaptable pattern that can be used as an emerging dry-fly, a nymph and a straightforward pulling wet-fly — uniquely performing as all three during the same presentation. My standard approach with a Half-Hog is to…

MANY ANGLERS FROWN UPON THE bung method. They say it’s no different to watching a float. Yet many of these same critics think it’s acceptable to use indicators on rivers. The New Zealand method (aka Duo or Klink-and-dink) also presents a fly at a given depth beneath a buoyant indicator pattern. This indicator may be more like a “fly”, but its main purpose is to indicate that the nymph suspended below has been taken. I think that sometimes we should forget our prejudices, especially if we want to be consistently successful. Why is a bung necessary? Fishing a team of Buzzers in the standard way — straight-lining — is a simple method: just cast the team out on a floating line, let it swing gently round in an arc and…

PAUL PRITCHARD IS WELL KNOWN TO many gillies and anglers across Scotland, a popular family man who just loves to fish as often as possible. Paul may also be a familiar face to some readers because he’s an active contributor to many online forums including Salmon Fishing Club and Loop Aktiv, regularly sharing his adventures and pictures. Paul set up the YouTube channel Fin Line & Fly, a great way to lose a few hours in fishing videos. I first met Paul on the Dee about ten years ago and was immediately struck by the way he enthusiastically soaks up information, always listening carefully to fellow rods and gillies, continually adding and connecting pieces to his own practical know-how. Paul is a highly qualified Subsea project engineer, his work taking…

TROUT SEASON Sedbergh & District AA: March 15-September 30. TICKETS £20 per day, or £50 per week. Available from Premier Express, 73 Main Street, Sedbergh LA10 5AB. Bookings can also be made online at fishpal.com WHERE TO STAY The Dalesman Country Inn, Main Street, Sedbergh LA10 5BN. Tel: 015396 21183. Web: thedalesman.co.uk Ash Hining Farm B&B, Howgill, Sedbergh LA10 5HU. Tel: 015396 20957. Mob: 07774 281767. Web: ashhiningfarm.co.uk…

This 6lb rainbow trout was caught at Tenterden Trout Waters by Phil Middleton, from Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire on the day before the Government’s Covid-19 lockdown. It fell to a black leech pattern and the photograph was taken by Phil’s eight-year-old son Benjamin. The catch wins Phil an Airflo Superflo line. WHAT YOU CAN WIN Each month Trout & Salmon will award an Airflo Superflo floating fly-line worth £69.99 to the captor of the best fish of the month caught from a Troutmasters water. Trout & Salmon will judge the catch based on fish quality and tactics used. The winner will be the pick of those submitted for that month. The Editor’s decision is final. E-mail your catch pictures to troutandsalmon@bauermedia.co.uk or post to Troutmasters Fish of the Month, H Bauer…

PERMITS Do check that night fishing is allowed. Clubs and associations may be, for good reason, reluctant to allow visitors on to riverbanks at night. On the Eden at Appleby, night fishing is not only allowed but encouraged in the summer months. The Tufton Arms (tuftonarmshotel. co.uk) is a splendid base and some beats are within easy walking distance of the hotel. Fishing between the stone bridge and the Bailey bridge in Appleby — about a mile of good water — is free to those residing in the town (this includes hotel residents), while the hotel also offers permits at special rates for over eight miles of excellent Appleby AA fishing (applebyangling.co.uk). TACKLE AND TACTICS Take a wading staff and a head torch with an extra fleece and a flask.…

Echoes of JR Hartley I have been searching for a 1981 copy of Trout Fisherman in which I wrote an article, having lost my copy during a house move. I e-mailed your office, and in a few days received a very nice reply from your editorial assistant Samantha Toombs, who explained that you do not keep old back issues but do have bound reference volumes. As Samantha and the T&S team are working from home in the current situation, she undertook to confirm the date of my issue during her next office visit (special permission is required to visit – Ed). In just a few days, another e-mail arrived confirming the edition in which my article had appeared. Following a plea posted on Facebook, she had also found a reader,…

SEASON Salmon: February 1-September 30. Trout: February 15-September 30 FISHERY AND TICKETS Blackwater Trout & Salmon Fishery is 50 minutes by car from Cork airport. Salmon rods are 20-70 euros per day. A State Licence is required by every salmon angler. Trout tickets are 25 euros per day. Enquiries can be made for syndicate rods. Book fishing in advance by calling Jason. Tel: +353 87720 5690. Web: blackwatertroutandsalmon.ie RULES This season Jason introduced his own rules regarding the harvesting of salmon and sea-trout on his beats. To see them visit the website.Trout fishing is catch-and-release only. There’s a fully-equipped tackle-shop on site and tackle hire is available.…

1 ALEX MARTIN CALEDONIA FLY REEL This was my father’s reel, bought new from Alex Martin’s in Glasgow. It is a fly reel, but my father also used it for trolling. In May 1956, I was 11 years old and with my dad, Dr John Scott and his son Jim in a boat on Loch Lomond. I was on the tiller while they trolled golden sprats. Forty yards past Balmaha Pier my dad hooked a salmon. As he was playing it the reel’s sideplate fell off. Jim and I frantically searched in the bottom of the boat. Pulling up the boards I found the plate and, incredibly, Jim found the screw. We screwed it back on with a knife and my dad landed the 18lb salmon. I still use the…

TROUT ARE PRIMARILY visual predators. They must see your fly before they will take it. When trout are feeding sub-surface, your fly must be presented at their feeding depth if you’re to succeed. You will need weighted flies to achieve this. Weighted flies can effectively reach fish lying in water up to 10ft deep — deeper than this it becomes more efficient to use sinking lines and leaders. Glass, brass, copper, tin, lead and tungsten can be used to weight flies, ideally without creating bulk that alters appearance and increases water resistance. Weight can contribute to the appearance of the fly, eg wrapping a wire abdomen instead of dubbing it or using beadheads and shellbacks to imitate the thorax or body of the natural. Dense materials, such as tungsten, add…

ALTHOUGH THE LABEL “traditional” is often attached to the Irish way of tying wet-flies, it certainly does not mean that the style is locked in the past. While the waters and the quarry remain the same as they were when the legendary Michael Rogan was plying his craft in the 19th Century, there’s now a well-established band of Irish tyers determined to keep the craft firmly in the present. A fine example of the modern Irish fly-tyer is Paul Caslin, from Castlebar in Co Mayo. The town is near the heart of Ireland’s great western trout loughs with Conn to the north and Mask and Carra a 30-minute drive to the south. This proximity provides Paul with ample opportunities to test the effectiveness of his patterns on the loughs’ wonderful…

STALKING IS CHOOSING TO CAST to a particular feeding, cruising or resting fish and is a popular technique on small clear-water fisheries. After 50 years of targeting individual fish I still get a buzz when a “chosen" one inhales my scrap of lead wire wound around a hook. An adept stalker will consistently land larger fish. But his generally short-range casting tactics are considered by some not to be real fly-fishing, and therefore not everyone’s a fan. Nevertheless, it is a speciality that requires a number of skills, not least good eyesight, although simply being able to see see “into” water takes time to become competent. Where to fish Stalking is really only effective when the water is clear enough to see deep down, and that isn’t a feature of…

While some of the most famous are in the south, there are many other fisheries that have perfectly clear water and suit stalking tactics. Alderneuk, Dumfries & Galloway Avington, Hampshire Bigwell, Monmouthshire Broad Oak, Worcestershire Chalk Springs, West Sussex Damerham, Hampshire Dever Springs, Hampshire Green Frog/Moffat, Dumfries & Galloway Kilnsey Park, North Yorkshire Lechlade, Gloucestershire Manningford, Wiltshire Meon Springs, Hampshire Narborough, Norfolk Park View, Fife Rockbourne, Hampshire Tavistock, Devon Tree Meadow, Cornwall…

England & Wales BRISTOL WATER SUCH strange times have unfolded! I have never had such well-equipped fly-boxes and such a tidy fly-tying room. The Angling Trust have been pro-active in trying to get fishing as an early activity to be allowed and in Bristol as a club we have been considering moves that we may need to insist on before we head to the lakes again. Bristol Water too have been considering how it may be possible to get back into fishing, measures they need to put in place and general “rules” in the new post-lockdown normal. Best news of all at the moment is that the hatchery is in good order, the fish are being fed, and, once the normal stocking size has been reached, the fish are being…

John Marshall, the Ettrick gillie and Scourie Hotel Boardmaster, has died aged 67 after a short illness. Born in Duns, he grew up on the family farm, Hoardweel, Berwickshire, where he caught his first trout when he was aged seven in the adjacent Whiteadder. As Forestry Foreman at Bowhill on the Buccleuch Estate, he lived on the banks of the Ettrick for 30 years with his wife, Nan, his working dogs and Nan’s ponies. John loved his dogs and motorbikes but his passion was fishing. He often outfished his companions and took great pride in fly-tying – often tying to the sound of driving rock music. During his working life, John introduced guests to the Ettrick. He was delighted to be appointed full-time river gillie when he retired in 2018.…

Junior ENGLAND ■ BRICK FARM LAKES, Herstmonceux, 01323 832615 1 Wilf Wiles, Tonbridge, 6lb 3oz brown, Montana. WALES ■ TAN-Y-MYNYDD FISHERY, Abergale, 01745 826722 1 Kyle Hutchinson, Broughton, 2lb 8oz blue, on fly. Youth ENGLAND ■ THORNWOOD TROUT FISHERY, Epping, 07588 669255 1 Otto Terry, London, 1lb 15oz rainbow, on fly. 2 Ben Cook, Essex, 1lb 14oz rainbow, on fly. SCOTLAND ■ LOCHTER FISHERY, Inverurie, 01651 872787 1 Charlie Dora, Rosewell, 6lb 8oz rainbow, Straggle Bug. YOUTH/JUNIOR PRIZES Iain Barr of World Champion Flies will be giving three packs of flies each month to one lucky youngster whose name is drawn from a hat. This month’s winner is Kyle Hutchinson, from Chester. www.iainbarrflyfishing.co.uk…