A throw of the dice and the best day ever. Part one. For those anglers not familiar with them Smallmouth Yellowfish (Labeobarbus aeneus) are rather like river carp which have been redesigned by Enzo Ferrari. They are what grayling turn into when they imitate the Incredible Hulk although of course going more yellow than green. […]

A throw of the dice and the best day ever. Part two We encounter rain as we sit for a spectacular supper the guides do as good a job on the catering front as they do on the water. The only problem is that the rain pours as much as the whisky and the clouds […]

I have found over the years that most fly anglers and certainly almost all good fly anglers have this intense curiosity about them. People who are interested in “stuff” usually not only fishing “stuff” but all “stuff”. Fly fishing is demanding of this sort of thinking. “What insect is that?” “Why are the fish over […]

I am not sure if it is because the movies always show lots of casting or because art directors love the idea of the line whistling through the air. But it seems to me that much of the casting one sees on video is absolutely excessive. Perhaps it is genuinely because casters enjoy casting or […]

Wednesday was September 4th four days into the river trout fishing season in these parts. It was the first time that I could get away to sample the stream and hopefully catch the first trout of the 2019/2020 season. Waiting three days to test the waters wasn’t simply a result of lack of resolve; […]

It has been quite busy at home and at work with little time to rest and less to get things done around the house. I have been on the road fitting countertops downlighters shelving mirrors and more. There have been some troublesome clients that have delayed jobs and increased workloads. Troublesome more as a result […]

Sixty years ago I came into this world alongside my twin brother Guy. He will tell you “not really alongside” as I was born a few minutes after he was. No matter the amazing adaptations of the human maternal body it doesn’t allow for overtaking and I was stuck in traffic. In my brother’s mind […]

A Phone a Net an Eel and an Ant   It was an odd day on the water guiding an old client who had moved from Cape Town and now resides and fishes in the West Country on the streams of my home county. Andrew had learned to tie flies with us back in the days […]

We have just returned from a tough low water trip to the Bokong River in Lesotho targeting Yellowfish which we had hoped would be in the runs in a faster flowing stream. That wasn’t the case the rains hadn’t come  and the flows were minimal the water gin clear and the fishing tough. Of […]

I have three vices smoking drinking and one to tie flies with I never gamble. I am not sure why perhaps too much the pragmatist I realise that one has about the same chance of winning the lotto whether you own a ticket or not. Statistically speaking the difference isn’t significant. Equally I subscribe to […]

Penpont on the Usk Thoughts on fishing the behavior of trout and people I think that the very best fly fishermen all have inquiring minds about not just fishing but pretty much everything. One of the reasons I am looking forward to meeting up with Peter Hayes in Stoford. He and I share that sort […]

Cefnllysgwynne (and no I don’t have any idea how to pronounce it) This was to be my last day of fishing in Wales this time back on the Irfon and with packing in mind I decided that I should venture out early  instead of late. I hadn’t been on the water at crack of dawn […]

A journey to the Swan at Stoford. Having delayed my departure for one more most welcome breakfast at Pwllgwilym Cottages and a last taste of generous Welsh hospitality I was to head West to Wiltshire and the River Wylye at the invitation of Peter Hayes. I was most thankful for the Sat Nav on the […]

Fishing with Angels two evenings on the Wiltshire Wylye. After all of the hustle and bustle of travelling down from Wales I was finally in the green and pastoral lands of Wiltshire on the banks of the River Wylye with fly fishing guru and author Peter Hayes. There had been no rush to get out […]

The diminutive Brown Trout of Devon and Seatrout on the Yealm River. Having waved my rod at a number of rather pampered fish on the clear waters of the Wylye I was to head South to meet up with Geoff and Paul who specialize in guiding the waters of the Westcountry.  They have been […]

I have enjoyed a most memorable trip to the UK and much of that wouldn’t have been possible without the assistance and good graces of a number of people and organizations. Many people gave of their time and expertise to assist me and organizations which now make accessing river beats on a day ticket basis […]

West Country Angling Passport Beat # 26: Sydenham on the Lyd Well what a privilege to be able to fish a beautiful section of the river Lyd in the grounds of a gorgeous Elizabethan estate. The manor house build between 1600 and 1612 and incorporating an older structure at that time is really quite something […]

River Wye Day One…. Craig Llyn This morning I was in Cornwall and this evening I bed down in Mid-Wales after an uneventful 4hr trip focusing more on the road signs than the scenery. I left early so that I might slot in some fishing time in the afternoon. All (or as you will see […]

Day Two Abernant The missing boots are on their way confirmed by message from DHL so hopefully today will be the last slipping and sliding all over the rocks. As things turned out troublesome as it was I did manage to stay upright for the day. My back feels as though I spent the day […]

Day Three Colonel’s water on the Ifron. The day started slowly I was determined to wait on my boots arriving if at all possible. So I took a stroll around Builth Wells to kill some time and found N J Guns a shop advertising “Guns and Fishing Tackle” a gloriously small and totally cluttered […]