tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210912955302733832024-03-13T20:21:21.165-07:00Merry fly fisherAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-8213337191939964862015-05-11T10:13:00.000-07:002015-05-12T08:38:27.183-07:00Taf FechanGot a day ticket for the Taff through the Wye and Usk foundation passport scheme - £10 for 10 miles of fishing from Merthyr Tydfill AA. Far too much fishing to cover in a day so I decided on the upper reaches of the river.<br>
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After a relatively unsuccessful start to the year on some brooks closer to home, the view below was a welcome surprise.<br>
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I started off with a 9 foot tapered leader, with a small copper head nymph on the end. This way I thought I could easily switch to dry if required. The section I fished started off above a small cliff and gorge, so it was pretty deep in sections, other parts were slower and flat, with some real pocket rifles in between. I had no success for the first 30mins with a nymph, so I swapped to a dry to see if I could tempt anything up. I had read that there were wild and spooky fish in the Taf Fechan, so stealth and presentation were key over fly choice. After no success with the dry I swapped back to the nymph, this time on a french leader - immediate success from the first pool, right at the head in the deeper oxygenated water.<br>
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Carried on with the french leader targeting the head of each pool, and got some success. All fish were 6-10" and beautifully coloured. There seems to be a pattern to the pools as well - first or second cast near the head would result in a fish, then nothing else from that pool. On to the next, same again. Best pattern was a slovak gammarus. It was fantastic fun, and I will definitely be heading back.<br>
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<br>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-73793571200702047412015-05-04T02:48:00.001-07:002015-05-04T02:48:05.375-07:00Cam BrookI'd planned a Sunday fish for a few weeks, it was the second available weekend since the start of the trout season so I was keen for a full day.<div><br></div><div>Weather looked good, I was up early and by the river by 10am, not too bad for this time of year. Unfortunately the day was interrupted as I had to turn around and get home to take our poorly cat to the emergency vets (he's fine) - so I was back at the river for 2pm.</div><div><br></div><div>Cam brook looks like a tricky but nice little stream, difficult wading, some areas are too deep, and very close trees so it's a roll cast if you're lucky. But it looks like it holds some nice trout. As this was my first trip there it was more a reccy trip, which included slipping on the bank and takin a swim! Good to get the first one in early... Phone was wrecked when I got out, but a radiator and rice fixed it luckily.</div><div><br></div><div>Not a bad day, could've been better, but looks like Cam brook has potential.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_c2nNGp-xa7W3yHAr7uYArtnVnXRiCTTQr9yMY8jo_p2G7Cjy68t3IO42gOFxdbXaivDlVItk2ZLLlzDDAOxSzskdqmyUb2gU9J9BR2rc00shPpFKM1S2wjo-i1ZmSGA9zwTE0Dk1qrq/s640/blogger-image--469612904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_c2nNGp-xa7W3yHAr7uYArtnVnXRiCTTQr9yMY8jo_p2G7Cjy68t3IO42gOFxdbXaivDlVItk2ZLLlzDDAOxSzskdqmyUb2gU9J9BR2rc00shPpFKM1S2wjo-i1ZmSGA9zwTE0Dk1qrq/s640/blogger-image--469612904.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-14017787620843415122015-04-22T14:38:00.000-07:002015-04-22T14:38:15.072-07:00MayLooking forward to May.<br />
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Idea of this fly is the tails lay flat on the water, with the thorax CDC propping up the fly like a pronounced dun.<br />
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Hook: Daiichi 1270 curved size 14<br />
Tails: Elk hair<br />
Body: Masterclass SLF 09<br />
Rib: Tying thread coloured brown<br />
Wings: 2 large CDC feathers<br />
Thorax: Spun CDCAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-16669070661209168552015-03-30T14:17:00.000-07:002015-03-30T14:17:14.216-07:00Stillwater FliesTied a bunch of lures, buzzers and crunchers for Blagdon and Chew lake. I fished these lakes when I very first started fly fishing 6 years ago. I remember taking a day off work to head to Chew for the opening day. It was blowing a gale, raining with temperatures just in the positive. I stationed myself near the lodge as I didn't know the area. where I could/couldn't fish, and generally worried I would make a fool of myself. A friendly chap next to me ensured me he was there, same spot, same wind straight in the face conditions, exactly a year before and still managed to catch. This gave me a bit of confidence, but seeing as I couldn't cast (I thought teaching myself was an excellent idea) and didn't know what flies I should use (everyone was using "something orange and bright" - which I now know were blobs) it became pretty clear early on the odds were against me.<br />
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I blanked, pretty badly. I remember standing between a group of around 8 anglers, all catching, and thinking what have I got myself into here... I only fished Chew twice, and Blagdon once all year that year, and never had a sniff of a fish. But I am hoping I can redeem myself this year. Hopefully with something below...<br />
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Black Viva</div>
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Crunchers (hot spot on a couple)</div>
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Olive Minkie</div>
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Olive Minkie, Viva, Damsel nymph and buzzers</div>
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White Minkie</div>
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White Woolly buggers</div>
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They aren't perfect, but I am pretty happy for a first try of stillwater flies (had to make some material subs). </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-32051049003302769022015-03-05T05:43:00.000-08:002015-03-05T05:43:03.446-08:00Westcountry Fly FishingAhead of March 15th I've been researching where I will be doing most of my fishing in the upcoming season. So far I have found excellent fishing on Dartmoor (East/West Dart and the Teign) and the Taff/Usk in South Wales (and tributaries named "Wild Streams on Wye and Usk passport scheme).<br />
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Seems to be plenty of choice going through the passport system, with tokens used throughout both West Country and Wye and Usk schemes. So it looks like I won't be joining a club this year, just deciding where to fish the day before - which has it's benefits. Should certainly challenge me as fishing styles/techniques will need to be worked out on new water each time, but hopefully it'll improve the way I look at rivers.<br />
If anyone has some suggestions on good spots gimme a shout!<br />
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In preparation I've also been tying up some early season flies - baetis nymphs, gammarus and JT Olives shown below.<br />
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And purchased some new waders - Vision Ikon with the Hopper II boots. Very light and an excellent fit all round, pretty good first impressions. Good service from Sportfish also, free delivery and arrived with 3 days.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-12476895225560383612015-02-13T10:32:00.001-08:002015-03-19T07:27:28.947-07:00Hiatus and new beginningHad a bit of a fly fishing and fly tying hiatus at the end of 2014. I'd been living in Yorkshire for four years enjoying the many fine rivers it had to offer. I moved up in 2010 for work, and loved my time there, however me and my partner had always planned to return to our roots in the West Country eventually.<br />
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So when the opportunity came up near Bristol we both took it. This meant the majority of the second half of 2014 was spent house hunting then moving, resulting in very little fishing time (and hence no blogging).<br />
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Since then it has mainly been furniture shopping and decorating, plus a return to 9-5 work from my previous shift job means fly fishing is now relegated to weekends. I will miss the amount of time off spent fishing and tying, I will not miss nights shifts though!<br />
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Having finally found a desk and (almost) setup my study/fly tying desk, I thought I'd take some time to organise the fly boxes before the new year. There is quite a bit of space for new flies which will have to be filled before the start of the season.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before Organisation - 8 half filled boxes, loose flies and 2 new boxes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8d0fRUdjrasOWgwTCa1NhAd3mx6GYH9au4oBN09IrsTIzjGa4aMnRUBiPcWJmSQ-zVPDj3OznizwO_0JetmP41Op4yaaVRNBe-4wkMvnesN12MqToDV1Cm2JaySMTSsOrAwygBDke5Vra/s1600/_MG_0659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8d0fRUdjrasOWgwTCa1NhAd3mx6GYH9au4oBN09IrsTIzjGa4aMnRUBiPcWJmSQ-zVPDj3OznizwO_0JetmP41Op4yaaVRNBe-4wkMvnesN12MqToDV1Cm2JaySMTSsOrAwygBDke5Vra/s1600/_MG_0659.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Organised with plenty of space</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NS9RzN0cTRr0nKMOlOSCcMKsc8RJ6rfQmcBHxOjDzZqjjJtFJLNv612YaGMuAbBveJjITznJUWVXoPdwRsO_CVaBQulI5F6df3cEggMS4NtzdD2c0cR_IfPUygx80XO5r2QNZIMWB9gn/s1600/_MG_0663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NS9RzN0cTRr0nKMOlOSCcMKsc8RJ6rfQmcBHxOjDzZqjjJtFJLNv612YaGMuAbBveJjITznJUWVXoPdwRsO_CVaBQulI5F6df3cEggMS4NtzdD2c0cR_IfPUygx80XO5r2QNZIMWB9gn/s1600/_MG_0663.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clockwise from top left - Czech nymphs, favourite bead heads, jigs and gammarus, CDC dries</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2hs_FSneYJYTkkVZdbqp4bnI_T4KL57MUcrDuZzv6pqITg2G9nNmJ5az0FxsuH_Sxu8DiDF82lbF3y_ASO8eKFN0oEIUZPJqaGHOPnhKtmz6373Y6W0kS0kKOScxYK7LRzgfQEaqRFEI/s1600/_MG_0664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2hs_FSneYJYTkkVZdbqp4bnI_T4KL57MUcrDuZzv6pqITg2G9nNmJ5az0FxsuH_Sxu8DiDF82lbF3y_ASO8eKFN0oEIUZPJqaGHOPnhKtmz6373Y6W0kS0kKOScxYK7LRzgfQEaqRFEI/s1600/_MG_0664.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Klinks and nymphs on the left, Caddis +other dries on the right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As for fishing, I will be testing out Devon/Cornwall and South Wales on the passport scheme, and getting a permit for Dartmoor at first.<br />
<br />
Locally is Chew and Blagdon lakes, so I'll be doing some stillwater fishing too, pretty new to it but we'll see what happens.<br />
<br />
And I'll have to make the effort to head back to Yorkshire for at least a few days a year, just for old times sake.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-4926831005700166932014-08-11T06:01:00.001-07:002014-08-11T06:01:29.019-07:00RIP fujifilm...2004-2014An excerpt from my last blog post<br />
<br />
"Also, before purchasing a brand new DSLR then immediately dropping it in the river, I thought I'd get practice using a camera on the river which wouldn't break my heart if it took a swim."<br />
<br />
Not two weeks after this I was fishing Cod Beck, fujifilm in back pack. I normally stash it down my waders, but I had my waterproof camera there on this day (should've been the other way around...) as I was taking some video.<br />
<br />
Anyway, after a few hours fishing I had waded into a particularly deep section, and had to wade back out the way I had come. As I exited the water my heart sank (despite saying I wouldn't be heart broken) when I realised how wet my non-water proof back pack had become.<br />
<br />
Needless to say the camera was soaked. I dismantled it and left it to dry for a few days, but alas she is no more.<br />
<br />
Lessons learned? Maybe invest in a waterproof back pack, or if that isn't an option store the waterproof camera where it may get wet. Ah well, that's life.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSk4D9CRwu1k3K-Jh_clWAIaHHmUDIvE4PMklnTOlIQ-NnDUjoCG_O8aeSFHT_IslJ50Yo3puFrNCr36-a2V3XL55pC78VCmaNg36OtQdtrOetHvNvZwaUEVghtadQ3N4_yYpHxTT-vJYG/s1600/IMG_2863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSk4D9CRwu1k3K-Jh_clWAIaHHmUDIvE4PMklnTOlIQ-NnDUjoCG_O8aeSFHT_IslJ50Yo3puFrNCr36-a2V3XL55pC78VCmaNg36OtQdtrOetHvNvZwaUEVghtadQ3N4_yYpHxTT-vJYG/s1600/IMG_2863.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-51631748593312975852014-07-29T06:46:00.000-07:002014-08-06T13:23:30.424-07:00Trusty old fujifilmI've wanted a DSLR camera for a long time now, but its always been just a bit too expensive to treat myself too. So, as an effort to prove to myself it would be a good investment (ha!) I've been playing around with my old fujifilm, which although it's not a DSLR, at the time of purchase it was a pretty decent substitute. The only down side is it requires 4xAA batteries, and the memory card it uses is obsolete which means I can only take 26 pictures in a day (a whooping 128mb card...)<br />
<br />
Also, before purchasing a brand new DSLR then immediately dropping it in the river, I thought I'd get practice using a camera on the river which wouldn't break my heart if it took a swim. Couple this with a few days out on the local beck and the River Swale, below are some of my amateur efforts.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn26yq2-Wpsm0TUvHVgq_O3pHgWVQ45BcjFf4L4wEX-d-LQEXu0Y-Gr3XGANvP0JiUO8rMbzZ-QAepf70akCHcv9VJroM3Pqm17WnmMIKBEqDD1u8N0C7v8LZxR58WmhQSwkeP1vUtb9ET/s1600/DSCF0981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn26yq2-Wpsm0TUvHVgq_O3pHgWVQ45BcjFf4L4wEX-d-LQEXu0Y-Gr3XGANvP0JiUO8rMbzZ-QAepf70akCHcv9VJroM3Pqm17WnmMIKBEqDD1u8N0C7v8LZxR58WmhQSwkeP1vUtb9ET/s1600/DSCF0981.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></i></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Bank of the River Swale</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyeh1L4U-U1dwrRXckdkiYLuwzfXb0mnsO_G2ZM_ep-4atusBhd89Qwy76dv9QXck1LysCqlkNckKJjotH0pwS0QdxfxpO1brZVz1fy7iUJF59Z_1gLB0WCiqozTp1z4FnVsVxEPooI2E3/s1600/DSCF1111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyeh1L4U-U1dwrRXckdkiYLuwzfXb0mnsO_G2ZM_ep-4atusBhd89Qwy76dv9QXck1LysCqlkNckKJjotH0pwS0QdxfxpO1brZVz1fy7iUJF59Z_1gLB0WCiqozTp1z4FnVsVxEPooI2E3/s1600/DSCF1111.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></i></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Cream bodied nymph streamside</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kO4MfahAMJUipEzkAoFEfjv7SGMoTD6Pbk0fpn58XNznowJxioIJjI7frRj5NJOHct3noAD1WlUs5XBzIZ-jcCOp1E9rvT5zq81Fy9P-tMKht_u7yzDYhHI398zEOSN4jt_CmpsmC62o/s1600/DSCF0997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kO4MfahAMJUipEzkAoFEfjv7SGMoTD6Pbk0fpn58XNznowJxioIJjI7frRj5NJOHct3noAD1WlUs5XBzIZ-jcCOp1E9rvT5zq81Fy9P-tMKht_u7yzDYhHI398zEOSN4jt_CmpsmC62o/s1600/DSCF0997.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></i></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>My attempt at shutter speed alteration</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2jW20nvH5H8tK3nsD0srBovWFgEt66EBQAte4F2pk1K5ruucXJFVQue_QpPIIL0lE39crtrvKjYiHwTjE-eysf11_zuMFhv_lfj-ZSkO8MQ0kEpnoxFinxUdRRfV8tbUCzOVwVETbVd5/s1600/DSCF1030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2jW20nvH5H8tK3nsD0srBovWFgEt66EBQAte4F2pk1K5ruucXJFVQue_QpPIIL0lE39crtrvKjYiHwTjE-eysf11_zuMFhv_lfj-ZSkO8MQ0kEpnoxFinxUdRRfV8tbUCzOVwVETbVd5/s1600/DSCF1030.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></i></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Macro crane fly</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIShGdOTRRSoZDhbIX2hRLf8SH1BipgCvAyBVjuY48LfvqiaHBPaGngJryjp1UE8YIBT5Lhok7Cm30FgWkmBQzEF1_QuqXmOIrhh9d-HYZ7BxTv4uFREp_Ud443PJpBb0DWFWcMk0y_BaB/s1600/DSCF1031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIShGdOTRRSoZDhbIX2hRLf8SH1BipgCvAyBVjuY48LfvqiaHBPaGngJryjp1UE8YIBT5Lhok7Cm30FgWkmBQzEF1_QuqXmOIrhh9d-HYZ7BxTv4uFREp_Ud443PJpBb0DWFWcMk0y_BaB/s1600/DSCF1031.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></i></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Edited to give a warmer feel</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-F4TJdxnXDXkW8QDragQyWQ4kAiv-aYN5FAmK4I-zi9Bp0NynBz-RWmL6IbauktrGwnCtldWMUJN7uWs9liaPX6hXFB7NSnrnYkA7mi23j_v0J6C8mdbWZ14Q5v3H3XfmxpYputdFXFe3/s1600/DSCF1070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-F4TJdxnXDXkW8QDragQyWQ4kAiv-aYN5FAmK4I-zi9Bp0NynBz-RWmL6IbauktrGwnCtldWMUJN7uWs9liaPX6hXFB7NSnrnYkA7mi23j_v0J6C8mdbWZ14Q5v3H3XfmxpYputdFXFe3/s1600/DSCF1070.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></i></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Red-legged Partridge</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpq5ATINBOTvNcTNiBwV1v2ZUWgPjr4XblxIWBguEO-UkQ_eb_jV7UBfblZ7SDwPK_-r6jFNkuEOnqF9pL3w47C9PPXYm7lkbGydQqMFfT04LfNatqMCxmRKDhmV5G3hEl2zGBhfGOeLnX/s1600/DSCF1060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpq5ATINBOTvNcTNiBwV1v2ZUWgPjr4XblxIWBguEO-UkQ_eb_jV7UBfblZ7SDwPK_-r6jFNkuEOnqF9pL3w47C9PPXYm7lkbGydQqMFfT04LfNatqMCxmRKDhmV5G3hEl2zGBhfGOeLnX/s1600/DSCF1060.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></i></a></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Macro flower</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRE2xhEobW3NfMjzDiuQOsp6pXfwuuG050lAsZwBRPFHLnMOMIPB_WixeaGPYBsKDzhxL04jW_f36w9ywd-KpwWfAe0udKdvB8KjtNnE1ceSZN_yrHRjoWzXfYK25y6ZU14N5w_jszfPa8/s1600/DSCF1101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRE2xhEobW3NfMjzDiuQOsp6pXfwuuG050lAsZwBRPFHLnMOMIPB_WixeaGPYBsKDzhxL04jW_f36w9ywd-KpwWfAe0udKdvB8KjtNnE1ceSZN_yrHRjoWzXfYK25y6ZU14N5w_jszfPa8/s1600/DSCF1101.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></i></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Beck trout</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0lJW-CujSFIzuyL-cNCJv9fgTdF1NxIKDgBqKbosBMP-zdjkRLDDfHAqTbtpdKSGP2Go177nbLcppA-5zixQwkWuB0hZ4FJ8GzZnkj8hd9JVmeMjK7cSGosYZfgRMxJzIsGrtBUTgN5a/s1600/DSCF1057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0lJW-CujSFIzuyL-cNCJv9fgTdF1NxIKDgBqKbosBMP-zdjkRLDDfHAqTbtpdKSGP2Go177nbLcppA-5zixQwkWuB0hZ4FJ8GzZnkj8hd9JVmeMjK7cSGosYZfgRMxJzIsGrtBUTgN5a/s1600/DSCF1057.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></i></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Easingwold countryside</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3QspgOnEz5iCPDzjPZZHJHqP-LaMQZpVeJh6h3xJ9uuYSWOdaOb6P1xzMMjZFn3Z1fnZR5xzA7tnHGjZF22y5qCtrF4GNW7udQikz6yW43-i6VwF8MNa82KuDHpTy4qAIxUB2xmIws00/s1600/DSCF1037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3QspgOnEz5iCPDzjPZZHJHqP-LaMQZpVeJh6h3xJ9uuYSWOdaOb6P1xzMMjZFn3Z1fnZR5xzA7tnHGjZF22y5qCtrF4GNW7udQikz6yW43-i6VwF8MNa82KuDHpTy4qAIxUB2xmIws00/s1600/DSCF1037.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></i></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>CDC and Deer hair</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvAQWxW0Rf2nERrpFbGFf83WCEr_B_BvX5a3z699OtwcFxufgCSYS4Sc_X4SmwyX2fMN0D6Y9ZJcqn6nKbVy-VkHnDWmlmFKu7zh7PsU8EyGV2xqvevbx3XttXvSG1R7T82xvK0L7yQ38/s1600/DSCF1102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvAQWxW0Rf2nERrpFbGFf83WCEr_B_BvX5a3z699OtwcFxufgCSYS4Sc_X4SmwyX2fMN0D6Y9ZJcqn6nKbVy-VkHnDWmlmFKu7zh7PsU8EyGV2xqvevbx3XttXvSG1R7T82xvK0L7yQ38/s1600/DSCF1102.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></i></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Same trout different pose</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoZ5-FaMav2mjs8NLn2YqzNpnDbeT_eTyWi0OTt6pbgjuV5eK1722ChiM1T1PvbyFFSVf2ApWXJSYV1DVocQQKLkfbvBXWZZSstWF_kfWs84umPw2CnCXvrt09hQrkkykXRv7Uq9ZWZGs/s1600/DSCF1108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoZ5-FaMav2mjs8NLn2YqzNpnDbeT_eTyWi0OTt6pbgjuV5eK1722ChiM1T1PvbyFFSVf2ApWXJSYV1DVocQQKLkfbvBXWZZSstWF_kfWs84umPw2CnCXvrt09hQrkkykXRv7Uq9ZWZGs/s1600/DSCF1108.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></i></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Cream nymph again</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
Nothing spectacular but I'm quite happy with the outcome. I have edited a few with iPhoto, which offers all I need (or can get my head around!) at the moment.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-63237701153969756752014-07-29T02:21:00.002-07:002014-07-29T02:21:22.286-07:00Slovenia 2014After the high success of the trip to Slovenia in September 2013, I decided to go again with Stuart Minnikin plus two others, Neil and Stuart J.<br />
<br />
We stayed at Tilnik farm again, which is an amazing place. Remote, beautiful, excellent hosts in Kate and Brett plus some friendly pups.<br />
<br />
It was another absolutely stonking trip. I had purchased a new Hardy 7'6 Jet with the CC reel especially for the trip (and beck fishing in the UK) on which I caught my biggest ever trout, a 3 1/2lb Rainbow which tore through three consecutive pools while I chased after it, before finally netting.<br />
<br />
Revisited a beautiful mountain stream and had some very interesting hiking to get to the fishing spots! Never sweated as much in my life.<br />
<br />
Had some fantastic food and wine, visited a local marble trout farm and had the pleasure of a guided day with Gregor Novak again.<br />
<br />
Caught plenty of fish including nice marbles and rainbows, but still no elusive grayling (unlike Neil).<br />
<br />
Already planning the next trip!<br />
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Fantastic welcome at Tilnik Farm </div>
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"Small" Slovenia lunch on the first day</div>
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Fishing an urban stream...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6KkY-apF_0mCnQeEJFfRItMo0qj_isQHY1swuPL9S4B16denv2nT3IGYBCxJaQVZ6xbizYontp55KBpeMboLsbyprJRI2prEm8WVNJoKvLD5-Pftpk9Nxkbtt-diDmA1UmUOGnTvbGfJ/s1600/Bristol-1118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6KkY-apF_0mCnQeEJFfRItMo0qj_isQHY1swuPL9S4B16denv2nT3IGYBCxJaQVZ6xbizYontp55KBpeMboLsbyprJRI2prEm8WVNJoKvLD5-Pftpk9Nxkbtt-diDmA1UmUOGnTvbGfJ/s1600/Bristol-1118.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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...which produced this 3+lbs Rainbow</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbas1hIAHWDjewBjTtJX0HRu_xsBq51iBvZWYLk1zAzdfRsS_7QrSG43D2sBt50RtvCjNXLUkwvuJ5Mr6i5Kgm3QsjHdnMQU3V_JSBa_x2Kyip0XV5XPpQjH24R2wi4AO9Wp79R00BAUyL/s1600/Bristol-1089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbas1hIAHWDjewBjTtJX0HRu_xsBq51iBvZWYLk1zAzdfRsS_7QrSG43D2sBt50RtvCjNXLUkwvuJ5Mr6i5Kgm3QsjHdnMQU3V_JSBa_x2Kyip0XV5XPpQjH24R2wi4AO9Wp79R00BAUyL/s1600/Bristol-1089.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Another nice Rainbow</div>
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Beautiful Marble</div>
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The only Grayling of the trip</div>
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Precarious access...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWlFEqxwPa-Qpm0mTbvfqte3A_y74N72NLQw6PGGn4oXEF-RJyQ09W8C3Py2NZxmQ9uyTX27v_LLFMEHreij9v85yY8i1EVEcVb2yKg6hQuU9Kvk6zUWG8m5qtclCr9oxPhiSBTkwGMzq/s1600/Bristol-1177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWlFEqxwPa-Qpm0mTbvfqte3A_y74N72NLQw6PGGn4oXEF-RJyQ09W8C3Py2NZxmQ9uyTX27v_LLFMEHreij9v85yY8i1EVEcVb2yKg6hQuU9Kvk6zUWG8m5qtclCr9oxPhiSBTkwGMzq/s1600/Bristol-1177.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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...worth it</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGtTTgB7Vi2YCyJDlAT380GhiistEeQ3_pxvRJRjS1kf-_b4BYvaujdD9EzW94UfYNAXsRfDmrdLnKsqvn6285SD8em4IVugYdqXovNavLgAVw1sWCbwX1jFmMnCTpbkMdhFLrx1UnpZo/s1600/Bristol-1261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGtTTgB7Vi2YCyJDlAT380GhiistEeQ3_pxvRJRjS1kf-_b4BYvaujdD9EzW94UfYNAXsRfDmrdLnKsqvn6285SD8em4IVugYdqXovNavLgAVw1sWCbwX1jFmMnCTpbkMdhFLrx1UnpZo/s1600/Bristol-1261.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Last fish of the trip, my personal best Marble</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-146491002394628622014-05-12T07:17:00.003-07:002014-05-12T07:17:46.596-07:00Late AprilManaged to have three days in a week on the river at the end of April, and they were all very different. Condition were similar throughout the week, low river level, although it rose towards the end of the week, over cast and around 10-15 degrees.<br />
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The first day I fished the Swale above Richmond. I've only fished it once before and had little success. There is a popular walkway along the river for most of it, and one spot is very popular for throwing sticks in rivers for dogs to retrieve. Obviously puts a dampener on the fishing so I avoid that place. There were a few fish rising so I tried my luck with a jingler, klinkhåmer and quill dry fly with no luck. Once the risers stopped I switched to a quill bead head which brought a single trout to the net. Nothing special, small 10'-er. Moved to a favourite pool below Richmond and managed two more brownies, one around the 1lb mark which jumped 3ft clean out of the water, was not expecting that response!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR9mbWFIC20A3kYQ5EP70qof-X5F44sIGnibIJgSsr-0NEWB_lFlhTN9nPemR47BTFoXd_XNCAAqZexZM4WL3HJ_hZBO-g4dcH-J5NyU4XdWcENoc0j-XF-AaufurC0TcwYLiceVd6PyB/s1600/DSCF0510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR9mbWFIC20A3kYQ5EP70qof-X5F44sIGnibIJgSsr-0NEWB_lFlhTN9nPemR47BTFoXd_XNCAAqZexZM4WL3HJ_hZBO-g4dcH-J5NyU4XdWcENoc0j-XF-AaufurC0TcwYLiceVd6PyB/s1600/DSCF0510.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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The next day was spent on two streams in Huddersfield. I'd fished one before after work down there and managed a decent grayling and nice trout. Fished a mixture of czech nymphing, upstream nymphing and dry fly and managed around 40 fish, which is easily the most I've ever caught in a day! Best fish of the day was a grayling around 1lb on a ryac czech nymph. Picture below is a different grayling, thought still a nice size.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHc0rlAOI0U005MrxM0it20bCF4jc66ezreMBdzGqJ6Qvl3ggD6EkOy6SD_WTzZ38V9QkMa57d2eRhzwcWM2G6t8oBrlBdlg6W2RbeS_kjSsM-NKr3kszn5bRV5C8iH1_H8yYUaPwq0Kv3/s1600/Brown+April+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHc0rlAOI0U005MrxM0it20bCF4jc66ezreMBdzGqJ6Qvl3ggD6EkOy6SD_WTzZ38V9QkMa57d2eRhzwcWM2G6t8oBrlBdlg6W2RbeS_kjSsM-NKr3kszn5bRV5C8iH1_H8yYUaPwq0Kv3/s1600/Brown+April+14.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Brownie on a brown czech nymph</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYG5uVpTDohnNbuV-0M0zhrib7mTaZVMc0UP041LJlZZkVA8CoKqe9WU0YmWykskXN4Fb8y3ROzG3SrAmGg29lO5dn1eWB7ayB1XHiArWddE0feABEAWSQc5DOKU4pPuhaQj2qVyPg6zSt/s1600/DSCF0522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYG5uVpTDohnNbuV-0M0zhrib7mTaZVMc0UP041LJlZZkVA8CoKqe9WU0YmWykskXN4Fb8y3ROzG3SrAmGg29lO5dn1eWB7ayB1XHiArWddE0feABEAWSQc5DOKU4pPuhaQj2qVyPg6zSt/s1600/DSCF0522.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Ryac larva</i></div>
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<i>One of the better Graylings</i></div>
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Then the third day came. Back on the Swale it was obviously the river had risen a little, with a bit of colour and lot of extra power. Wading was very difficult so I had to keep to the tail of a long pool where the flow subsided. Fish were rising semi regularly but there was no obviously fly life coming of the surface. I tried a number of dry flies and emergers covering general upwind/caddis/gnat patterns but only had a few unsuccessful nips. Finally managed one grayling on a Klink, at this point my legs were numb from standing still in the water for a few hours without moving, so I called it a day.<br />
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I've now join a club with some beck fishing very close to home, so I'll be trying that out this week, if the levels are good!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-24860764012378455822014-04-21T11:29:00.000-07:002014-04-21T11:29:16.343-07:00LeadersI have ordered a collection of mono spools in various strengths to start making my own leaders. I came across this leader calculator from Global Flyfisher (<a href="http://globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/leadercalc/download.php">http://globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/leadercalc/download.php</a>) about a year ago via the excellent NCA blog (<a href="http://northcountryangler.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/rolling-my-own.html">http://northcountryangler.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/rolling-my-own.html</a>) and have been toying with the idea ever since. This season I'll be testing some out.<br />
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As it is the first time I have gone for some relatively cheap on sale copolymer from Greys, from 02X down to 6X (a bargain ten spools for a tenner, 30m each), so if it turns out terribly I haven't lost much. I'll also need to add some stronger stuff, but its a decent starting point.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJQasanDb-6aRKStHP8rKdBdeJ_Bh8VhG7Q49fA5IGNsqUCknaUi0JRRvIGTVyfr77N_7ywyKcLFWhqBjefpxUU-xNKQ74WOtOwj3H3UCoDFwLW2hWohzP8XrU1RC9zgmVVx-tWoaSfvG/s1600/IMG_2382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJQasanDb-6aRKStHP8rKdBdeJ_Bh8VhG7Q49fA5IGNsqUCknaUi0JRRvIGTVyfr77N_7ywyKcLFWhqBjefpxUU-xNKQ74WOtOwj3H3UCoDFwLW2hWohzP8XrU1RC9zgmVVx-tWoaSfvG/s1600/IMG_2382.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Most of the time while nymph fishing I'll use furled leaders from Rodney Dibble (now Luke Bannister produces them ) - the Stuarts Croft range. For dry fly fishing I've been using 9ft Orvis superstrong for years, but they are quite pricey and I seem to get through the pretty quick. So the main aim of tapering my own is for dry fly use.<br />
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So far I've made two for a trial run. One 9 feet and one 11 feet, with 3 feet tippet to be added making 12 and 14 feet in total. For these trials I have used old Orvis superstring tapered leader butts which are too short to be used any more, as currently I have no thick stuff. Not sure if it'll make any difference, but I'll be giving it a go.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-56808135947784408802014-04-20T08:25:00.000-07:002014-05-12T06:47:16.668-07:00Trout season 201419th of April before my first day of the trout season. I would normally be disappointed but an early holiday to Thailand and Cambodia means I can't really be.<br />
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I joined a club on the Swale this year for a new stretch of river. I've fished it on day tickets a few times and its excellent value for money. Arriving at around 10.45 I was very happy to see rising fish and a hatch of LDO's, and I immediately tied on a jingler I had prepared the day before for this exact reason. Cast to a rising fish with the jingler, however it just wasn't sitting right, I couldn't get the correct presentation and ended switching to a smaller imitation that sits lower in the water while resting the fish. Its my own design but nothing groundbreaking at all.<br />
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Its a simple stripped herl body with a light dun hackle clipped below the horizontal (coachman hackle in the picture above). Once the fish had risen again, I cast to it and it rose first time. I have heard many a time at this time of year people comment on striking too early, and I have been guilty of it, so I tried to stay calm. However, I was too patience (if possible) and I missed the fish. Third cast it rose again and I struck faster, a small 9-10 inch grayling, so I let myself off for missing it first time.<br />
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I saw another fish rising about 20m downstream so I waded out of the river, walked downstream of it and managed to land another, slightly bigger grayling. A couple of fellow anglers a lot further downstream were having similar luck, so I decided to start from the bottom limit of the stretch and work back up.<br />
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Switched tactics to czech nymphing and manage to land a much nicer grayling on a ryac, and lose another. The pools upstream didn't lend themselves to czech nymphing, and the hatch had died off, so I switched to a size 12 LT klink with a size 16 mary copperhead beneath. This landed quite a few fish throughout the pools on the way back up the river, the best being a grayling around 15-16 inches and I'd guess around 1 - 1.5 lbs ish. The only disappointment of the day was the lack of trout, and chatting to the other anglers only one person had landed a solitary trout. Ah well, fingers crossed for next time.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-22670360747587694382014-02-09T19:05:00.001-08:002015-03-31T07:28:35.540-07:00Quiet Winter<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">It's been a quiet winter as far as fishing goes. Had a couple of days out but nothing memorable, Christmas and skiing holidays seem to have taken over. But I've tried to keep busy at the fly tying desk, and with most of my Christmas/birthday gifts focused around fly tying there has been plenty of motivation to idle away at my new muskoka vice (fantastic).</span></div>
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Booked up to go back to Slovenia in June this time, can't wait. Hopefully it'll be as successful as Septembers trip, just a lot hotter I imagine!</div>
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Thoughts are moving to the new trout season and where to get a membership this year, tried a few places and I think I'll get a few memberships with the more economical clubs. Polite way of saying I'm a bit cheap...spent all my money on fly tying kit and holidays apparently - results included below.</div>
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Here are my first attempts of patterns from Oliver Edwards fantastic fly tyers master class.</div>
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Baetis nymph</div>
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Beetle</div>
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Ryac pupae</div>
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Cased caddis</div>
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Some simpler, less realistic flys for general restocking for the start of the season.</div>
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Hares ear jig</div>
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Tungsten jig back</div>
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Hot head hares ear</div>
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Black and silver jig</div>
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On another note I am currently researching cameras and lenses that would be good both macro insect/fly tying pictures and also take a decent scenic picture. I'm leaning towards a Nikon D80 with a 50mm f1.8 lense, but I'd love to hear any suggestions!</div>
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Tight lines for the coming season</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-62719044763859546822013-10-01T07:28:00.001-07:002013-10-01T07:28:17.617-07:00Slovenia 2013Way back in Feb I managed to get myself involved in a six day trip to Slovenia which I returned from last week. This was my first ever organised fly fishing trip abroad, and it turned out to be a stunner.<br />
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The rivers where we fished varied from big powerful waters, to tiny streams tree lined streams, with some urban streams thrown in too. The bulk of the catch consisted of rainbow trout but there were some browns and marble trout also. The marble trout is indigenous to Slovenia, and rainbow are stocked by fisheries as they don't breed at the same time as the marbles, and so the marble strain remains pure (this is also why browns aren't stocked as they breed at the same time as marbles resulting in hybrids). There also adriatic grayling with beautiful golden bellies, and I managed to catch all varieties except the grayling - this is one of the many reasons I will be returning!<br />
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Mountain stream</div>
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Brown/marble hybrid</div>
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Fishing a deep flow using v. heavy nymphs</div>
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Into a decent rainbow</div>
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Rainbow on a streamer</div>
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The pictures below give an idea of the scenery in Slovenia. We fished a variety of waters but all were in absolutely stunning environments.</div>
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The majority of my fishing was upstream nymphing, switching to dry fly if the fish were rising. All fishing is single barbless fly only, which can be challenging, but it is done to protect the fish numbers. From what I gather historical almost everything was taken, but now there is definitely a healthy population.<br />
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Rainbow from a stream that didn't look big enough to hold fish this size!</div>
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My fish of the trip, marble trout around 2.25 pounds</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-53279089557804864442013-04-12T03:04:00.003-07:002014-02-09T22:24:27.937-08:00Fly tying progressionI have been thinking about the progression through fly tying for myself recently. For fly fishing I've read a couple of different ones, like:<br />
<br />
1. Catch a fish<br />
2. Catch more fish<br />
3. Catch a fish on a home tied fly<br />
4. Catch bigger fish<br />
5. Catch fish all over the world etc etc<br />
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I've also read about why people get into fly tying, to save money etc so here is my thoughts on the progression through fly tying:<br />
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1. I want to start fly tying to save money, tied nicer flies than some store bought creations and its a challenge to catch fish on home tied flies.<br />
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2. Hmmm.....some stuff is expensive. I'll try cheaper options. Ah, some stuff can be bought cheaper, others (e.g. good quality hackle) I need to shell out for. I may not save money doing this...<br />
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3. I definitely won't save money doing this...<br />
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4. So far, my flies do not look as good as quality store bought flies....<br />
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5. To solve this I need to buy more stuff.<br />
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6. I need more stuff.<br />
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7. I WANT MORE STUFF.<br />
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8. Where can I find fly tying stuff in everyday life (I call this the "magpie effect").<br />
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9. I WANT EVEN MORE STUFF. SERIOUSLY.....MORE STUFF.<br />
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10. Ok, I've reached a standard where I can catch fish on my flies....now I want to tie realistic flies!<br />
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11. Oh man, I need a ridiculous amount of new stuff now....How naive I was 10 bullet points ago saying I could save money....<br />
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12. Ok, I've got a fly box full of (semi) realistic flies. I'm at the river. Which one to choose? Ok, I'll use the same 4-8 fly pattern I use all the time. Why did I start this?!?<br />
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13. I can't stop. I now have no issue spending 45mins to an hour tying one heptagenid or baetis nymph (copying Oliver Edwards et al) whereas before hand I didn't have the patience to sit still for more than 10 minutes...<br />
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This is about the stage I have reached right now. I think it is becoming a full blown addiction, fulfilling my fix of fly fishing during the weekdays, ready for actuall fishing over the weekends. Luckily I have a supportive girlfriend and family who like like to feed the addiction at any birthday or xmas!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-25578314830217549742013-04-12T01:19:00.002-07:002013-04-12T01:19:27.074-07:00First day, new stretchSo last Sunday was my first day on the NAC stretch of the River Nidd. I was pretty keen to get out on the river, as most of us were after the terrible condition over the past year. To be honest, the day could've gone better....<br />
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1. I got 20 minutes down the road before I realised I'd left my membership card, parking ticket, fly vest and all my fly boxes, tippets and leaders at home.<br />
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2. I accidently chose the wrong road name on the sat nav and drove to the middle of nowhere meaning a 40 minute drive now took 1hr 30 (not including the turn around to get my gear).<br />
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3. I realised when I finally got the the river I'd left my full coffee pot at home and I was gagging for a cup.<br />
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4. I blanked. I'm not that bothered about this, as I rose three fish under poor conditions, but I was a little annoyed at how rusty I'd got as I rose three and missed them all!<br />
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Conditions weren't great, around 8 degrees air temperature, maybe 4 in the water (legs went numb at one point while targeting a sporadic riser). Had tied a few CdC olive patterns in anticipation for a hatch, which obliged at around 1.30pm. Nothing major, just a trickle of small olives. Speaking of identifying upwings, read Oliver Edwards article in FFFT this month, very interesting.<br />
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Rose the fish using a klinkhamer, no interest using the upwings. In total I think I saw around 10 dimples in the space of 2 hours, which isn't bad considering. Absolutely no interest in any of the nymphs I tried, had some baetis imitations on, a tungsten PTN flashback, striped quill nymph (from barbless flies - very good!).<br />
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Saying this, it was still a great day getting back out. It's a cliche heard a lot but I still love being on the river in beautiful surrounding, catching fish is the bonus. It's also a great stretch of river, tricky casting with alot of over hanging branches and trees common to the Nidd which meant I was casting over the wrong shoulder or left handed most of the day. Good practise though!<br />
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All in all, things could've gone smoother, but I am heading back this Sunday (15-18 degrees apparently!) so I'm hoping I'll be casting better...and I'll remember everything this time, fingers crossed.<br />
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Picture above is where some smaller fish were rising. Standing at 45 degrees to them I had to cast over the wrong shoulder to avoid getting hooked up into the tree behind, and side cast to keep in under the branches seen above. A bit tricky to say the least!<br />
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Tight lines to all out this weekend.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-49093638026098672332013-03-05T02:54:00.004-08:002013-10-30T19:29:54.560-07:00Last day before the new seasonLast Sunday I had nothing to do, and with my girlfriend doing a craft fair/workshop I thought I'd get out on the river for one last time before the new season. As a member of Bradford city AA the majority of rivers are closed from the 14th - 31st of March, and the River Swale and Cod beck is one of these.<br />
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I'd never fished this section before, but I'd driven past the Swale a few times and been intrigued. I decided to give it a go, the weather and levels were good, overcast and around 8 degrees celcius, so I was inwardly optimistic.<br />
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I managed to get to the river around 10am, after a rather precarious drive down a bridle path/road which quickly turned into a mud path. I suited up into the new waders I treated myself to in the January sales (Patagonia Gallegos and river walkers, both half price, absolute bargain) and set off to the river.<br />
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First impression were good, the Swale was a bit larger and deeper than I am used to having predominantly fished the Wharfe at Buckden last year, but I started with a home tied tungsten bead pheasant tail with a flash of tinsel along the back. I normally get a feeling about how each section will fish after 5-10 mins, and I wasn't too hopeful that I'd pull anything out in this section. I don't know if it was the time of year or conditions, but it was pushing through very fast and deep in parts, which meant I struggled to get into certain positions, nearly getting my legs taken away once! Anyway, there is always Cod beck I thought.<br />
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So, after a coffee break and a quick chat with a fellw Bradford member who was up for some coarse fishing (good chubb and barbel I was told), I headed over to the beck. It looked fantastic, only about 6-8 feet wide but reasonably deep, and very clear, I could see the bottom for almost the whole stretch.<br />
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I swapped between an unweighted and weighted pheasant tail depending on the depth, turned a few stones to see some tiny stoneclingers (heptagenids I believe...I'm trying to learn as much as possible about entomolgy!). Unfortunately I didn't see a single fish in the whole stretch. I was as stealthy as possible, although access was tough with steep banks, but I persisted with some prospecting but the day was a blank. Still, its always nice to see a new stretch of river and I'd like to come back over the summer.<br />
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Also looking at joining a club on the Nidd this year which will mean some fishing a little closer to home. I always like a picture or two, so here is what I'll be thinking about for the next 30 days.<br />
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Tight lines for the coming season everyone!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-34689785361243062792013-01-22T01:14:00.002-08:002013-01-22T01:14:34.793-08:00Lack of fishingThere has been a distinct lack of fishing for me recently. Due to weather, birthdays, moving house and the like, I haven't been out since 26/10. This has also resulted in a distinct lack of blogging...mostly due to my laziness but in part due to a lack on internet in the new house.<br />
<br />
I have, however, joined Leeds fly tying group, which has been a fantastic weekly fix of fly tying and fly fishing chat. I was previsouly self taught, which wasn't too bad with the plethora of youtube videos and other instructional material available. But what I've learnt from the group so far has been invaluable, and the ability to ask questions is a massive bonus. So, if its feasible, I definitely recommend joining a group if you're thinking about taking up tying.<br />
<br />
Anyway, after a few weeks of fly tying inspiration I sat down last night to tie a few to fill some of the (many) spaces left in my fly box from lost flies. Somehow this quickly turned into reorganising my fly boxes which resulted in all flies emptied onto large piece of white paper on the floor. Not the best idea I've ever had, but (fingers crossed) none escaped. It did let me filter out some of my earlier attempts at flies, which now look awful. They went to the recycling box, which begs the question, does anyone else attempt to "un-tie" flies just to reuse the hooks?! I have a couple of times, but it always seems like way too much effort.<br />
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After the reorganisation I only had time to tie a couple of dries and nymphs, nothing special, but fun as always. One thing I definitely need asap is some good quality hackles, another lesson learnt from the fly tying group!<br />
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And since I drafted this post three weeks agon I have in fact been out fishing using my new Tenkara USA Iwana. Lovely presentation and a fun addition to my fly fishing kit, but unfortunately no fish.... Oh well. To cheer myself up I bought some new Patagonia Rio Gallegos waders in preparation for the (fingers crossed) good spring/summer weather!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-64889643289701512402012-10-18T05:10:00.000-07:002014-02-09T22:19:49.206-08:00SeptemberSo, I've been meaning to write about an excursion with Steve at goflyfishinguk.com for what seems like an age, but due to breaking my laptop charger, holidays and work, I've been sidetracked. The aforementioned also means its been almost a month since my last fishing trip.<br />
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I posted about a day with Steve in June, and due to the success I had booked another within a week. The usual evening before phone call came on the Friday with the message that the River Aire was "cock on" and I should be expected "some big fish". Obviously excited I had to immediately calm myself and realistically lower my expectations if only to get some decent sleep.<br />
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Having only one experience of the Aire before, on a small stretch near Keighly, I didn't fully know what the river had to offer. It distinguishing feature when compared to my usual days on the Wharfe was the colour, more a 'minerally' clear than peat stain tea brown.<br />
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Started the morning off with the klink and dink method which brought success after about 10 minutes, with a beautifully fit brown trout around 3/4 pound. It gave an excellent account for itself and pound for pound an excellent fighter. Things continued this way for most of the morning with a few more around the same size, and one slightly larger taking the klink right on the crease line near the top of a run.<br />
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Moving on, Steve informed me that the next section, a slow arcing deep pool, held some big fish but didn't always produce. Worth a try though. Difficult casting into a head on wind that had many a field to build speed across, but after some duff attempts I eventually got the line straightened out. It was almost the perfect pool for casting towards the top and letting the rod follow the line round with the flies in the foam line the whole way. On the 3rd attempt a big old mouth broke the surface for the klink and I managed to hook into it. I knew instantly this was by far the biggest trout I'd ever hooked, heart rate went through the roof as I struggled for 10 minutes to keep control with an increasingly aching arm. Steve warned the trout would jump, and it obliged. I got the first view of the big paddle tail and was seriously worried, as always, that something would happen to stop me landing it. Eventually, with a huge sigh and adrenaline still pumping, Steve got it into the net. We weighed it at 3 1/2 pounds, a good 2lbs heavier than mmy biggest to date, so very chuffed. Unfortunately, just as we were taking a picture I lost control and it slithered back into the pool....oh well, I know it happened, I just hope I don't forget.<br />
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The rest of the day was spent on the klink and dink with a few hours on the spiders, all in all an excellent day, with another 2lb fish coming to the klink, below.<br />
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Since then I've had only one day out, which was a short four hour stint at Buckden, and I only managed to save a blank with the last cast of the day, using a CDC loop emerger (as seen here <a href="http://www.riverflybox.co.uk/page6cdcloopemerger.html">http://www.riverflybox.co.uk/page6cdcloopemerger.html</a>) except with nymph skin body (I have not got turkey biot...). This has saved me a few times and is one my my favourite patterns when trout are rising to just below the surface. So thanks to you Dave at riverflybox!<br />
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Went to Mexico for two weeks too, except not to a good area for fishing, which pleased my girlfriend. Planning on getting in more grayling fishing this year, fingers crossed the winter will be better weather than the summer. Dare I say the rivers needed that rain though!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-89920973343696876662012-08-17T04:47:00.001-07:002012-08-17T04:47:36.802-07:00Weather and OlympicsObviously, like most other people, fly fishing has taken a back seat recently, what with the weather and Olympics. I've been pretty much glued to the TV for the last two weeks, with the
exception of one evening. The Olympics has been amazing, and I'm feeling
a gaping hole in my TV sports life now, but hopefully that will be
filled with some good evenings of fly fishing in the next few weeks. <br />
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The one exception came last Tuesday evening, when, after busy weekends for the last month, I decided to try out the River Aire. To semi-quote Phil Collins, I could not feel it In the Aire tonight....the other night. Anyways, bad puns aside it was high and coloured, a usually shallow fast riffle was a chocolate maelstrom. Sat on the riverside for an hour before deciding that dinner and yet more Olympics would be a better option.<br />
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So, now that its all over (I even got to see GB win a gold and bronze in the canoe sprint finals on Saturday, epic) I decided to spend an hour at the vice this evening. Below are my first attempts at sedge patterns. Top two are Coyhaique Caddis patterns from this months FF and FT, and the bottom is a deer spun sedge I copied from my fly box (bought a couple of years ago when I didn't know what a sedge was...but it looked nice!).<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-72438710999328329452012-07-30T12:12:00.000-07:002012-07-30T12:12:58.431-07:00Fishing and tweetingStarted using twitter a lot more these days, not for shameless self promotion, more to try and get engaged in the UK and worldwide fly fishing and general angling community. After a year and a half in the north I thought it may be useful to try and connect with more like minded fly fishers, and twitter seems like a decent place considering the about of people/tweeters I've found!<br />
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So, if you want to hear about my fly fishing experiences in less than 150 characters, follow me <a href="https://twitter.com/thomasmerry">here</a> and I'll follow you back.<br />
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Anyway, back to the real reason for this post. Had my best day all season so far last weekend with nine fish in the net including this beaut below<br />
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A little too big for my 11" net and I reckon it was around 12-14", this picture doesn't do it justice. Yeh, yeh, yeh I hear you say but honestly it doesn't! Its kinda wrapped around my hand, didn't want to mess around too long trying to take pictures so its a one shot attempt with my phone. Fell to a nymph pattern I tied using V-rib tubing in olive tied around the hook shank, with hares ear and a black tungsten head. Took me by surprise at he was right close to a gap in the bank, thought I was hooked into the bank until he started thrashing! Just middle left of this photo below is where he was sitting, about 3 metres in front of the large bubbles.<br />
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Had some interesting action on the dry fly, got one on a CDC emerger.
There was no surface action so I guess they were taking either very
small terrestrials or nymphs close to the surface. Also managed one on a
sherry spinner without a spinner in sight!<br />
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Doesn't look like I'll be out for a couple of weeks though, got a day at the cricket then olympic tickets so optimistically I'm thinking the 12th August.<br />
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Tight lines to all, and look me up on twitter if you're bored!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-62025351382585468922012-07-16T13:40:00.001-07:002012-07-16T13:40:25.875-07:00Tenkara fliesSo, tenkara is getting pretty big over in the UK right now and I had the chance to try it out about two months ago. Its different, but fun, and if you get the chance I'd definitely recommend at least giving it a try.<br />
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As everyone knows, the weather has been god awful for fishing, I haven't been out for at least three weeks for various reasons, so my fly box is absolutely rammed. Tonight I thought I'd try something new and tie up some tenkara flies as I needed a change. The resulting flies below are my first four tenkara flies, very quick and relatively easy to tie, now I just need to save up for that new tenkara rod...<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-85731745873315471102012-07-06T14:10:00.000-07:002012-07-06T14:10:20.594-07:00Hmmmm don't think I'll be fishing this weekend! Leeds and the surrounding areas have been hit with some serious rain this morning, I reckon if there was anywhere to fish this weekend and you're feeling brave, head to the hills Sunday for some small stream action in the upper reaches. You would have to be brave mind...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkyZHZLyZ3pwGs6YwN6D0RrPs1l99G6YBaAntW2FxSsf5toZJBJwFWfC9ok-CL1xgwGPUtLVYcSdQhEB4-i-KvaXwQDHfANjthgjo7cf1RfSEbk6BfLBTlt4iRs6_Fh2YfhokBCQPc7qM/s1600/IMAG0434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkyZHZLyZ3pwGs6YwN6D0RrPs1l99G6YBaAntW2FxSsf5toZJBJwFWfC9ok-CL1xgwGPUtLVYcSdQhEB4-i-KvaXwQDHfANjthgjo7cf1RfSEbk6BfLBTlt4iRs6_Fh2YfhokBCQPc7qM/s320/IMAG0434.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>These were taken outside my flat this morning. </i></div>
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<span id="goog_2061258531"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221091295530273383.post-9062623969602547822012-07-06T02:36:00.003-07:002012-07-06T02:36:56.710-07:00One of those days...<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbS562P7FTmd0vfpGOhyphenhyphenQCDIu67AzTpURC0KtT2IFAVllP6qGDZbaLbm1UGjiCKg3aL1Q6vzJOvn34qQmWP0uuivzJvb0uMOwt5p5GKvlvbz9e6gA6jMzxyM6FLanoiSSphrMZqAhZN1o8/s1600/IMAG0326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180px" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbS562P7FTmd0vfpGOhyphenhyphenQCDIu67AzTpURC0KtT2IFAVllP6qGDZbaLbm1UGjiCKg3aL1Q6vzJOvn34qQmWP0uuivzJvb0uMOwt5p5GKvlvbz9e6gA6jMzxyM6FLanoiSSphrMZqAhZN1o8/s320/IMAG0326.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div>
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Looking at the weather forecast thursday morning it seemed that thursday itself was the only day I would fish all weekend, so I headed up to my favourite spot.</div>
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It was nice conditions considering the recent weather and within hald an hour I had a decent fish on, taking a GRHE deep in a pool. If I am honest I was not expecting a fish at all, what I have learnt over the last 2 years fly fishing was completely ignored, and with my fly line dragging ALOT, and my fly in an odd place, I was just retrieving line to cast again and BOOM, fish on. Maybe this is why after 2 minutes he shook me off, just as I was about to get him in the net..."oh well" I thought, decent start and things can only get better (deep breath as I recall my misplaced optimism).</div>
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Next pool, saw a few fish rising so tried a Royal Wulff to try and get them excited, which worked pretty well, although after hooking three and losing them all I started questioning everything. No answers came to mind, so I just carried on.</div>
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Moved on to a tried and tested long straight reasonably deep run and FINALLY landed a half pounder after losing another two, which made the day. Well I say made the day, I would've been perfectly content fishing with hardly any interest from fish, it is pretty relaxing (most of the time)...<br />
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Anyways, here are some pictures from the day, with a nice picture of the fly I used from my phone camera, which decided, for once, to actually focus on something. I need a decent camera quick...<br />
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Tough conditions for this particular day, but managed 4 fish, including a 1 1/2 pounder on a dry fly which was unbelievable for me! Never forget that full head out of the water rise....<br />
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Steve also introduced me to a couple of new techniques. Tried out a tenkara rod, which is tough to get used to but can give the most delicate presentation. Also tried French nymphing, where a 4m nylon leader is used with no fly line out. Again, a different casting technique is needed but the nylon leader means you don't get any disturbance when lifting off.<br />
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Because of the success of the day this annual event has now become a bi-annual event, with a day in September already booked. It is worth the money because I get to fish a new stretch of river, learn heaps about entymology, fishing techniques, fly tying and presentation.<br />
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<i>Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the day, this is just a local stream in Meanwood that I didn't know had small brownies in.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12194243616679077230noreply@blogger.com0