With today’s clients choosing to postpone their day on the Dee due to yet more rain, I was suddenly presented with a bonus day… so I went fishing! But instead of North Wales, I headed for Stockport and the river Goyt which, despite the rain, was still fishable.   I wasn’t able to open my…

On Sunday, I went in search of my first legal Dee Grayling of the season. With the river at a good height and with more heavy rain forecast for Sunday night and Monday, I figured I would take advantage of the fast shrinking window of opportunity.   The conditions were heavy and humid and when…

For the past few years, the good folk of The Hoylake Flyfishers Club have invited me to one of their summer meetings and it has been my pleasure to hold a casting clinic on the field after the official club business has been dealt with.   Sadly, this years event fell foul of the June…

I was very pleased recently to hear from one of last years ‘Newbies’ Jeremy as it meant that he hadn’t been put off by his first fly fishing experience. Last September, he and his friend Chris were dealt a savage blow by the river Dee when after months of almost drought conditions, the river flooded…

The Mayfly hatch usually spans the end of May and the beginning of June. During this period, known affectionately as ‘Duffers Fortnight’, these huge flies cause great excitement for fish and fishermen alike.   The fish go wild because these flies are huge and packed full of protein. Even the wiliest and most cautious fish…

You never know who you’re going to run into on the river. After my adventures up on the Eden, I headed for an afternoons fishing the Wye near Monsal Dale. To be honest I was hoping to find the car park empty and have the water to myself but when I arrived there were 3…

The Tufton Arms Hotel in Appleby has always been one of my favourite places to visit but my stays there have never without incident. From being trapped in the hotel for 2 extra nights during the floods of 2015 to catching probably my biggest ever Brown Trout from a river, it always provides a story….

  I recently noticed that one of the pockets on my old fly fishing vest was coming apart and after around 10 years of hard fly fishing, the vest in general was looking a little shabby. In order to perpetuate the illusion of professionalism, I decided to finally ‘invest’ in a new one. Even though…

I caught this beautiful Wild Brown Trout on a nymph recently and when I was taking the trophy shot, I noticed that it had something else stuck to it. Occasionally, you’ll find leeches attached to fish in slow, silty water but this fish came from a strong, shallow riffle. Close inspection revealed that it was…