I recently congratulated a client on how quickly he appeared to have mastered the art of ‘The Fishing Excuse’. He’d just returned from a less than fruitful trip and was citing water temperature as a contributing factor, which of course it is.   He was both consoled and commended. I went on to explain that…

The recent good weather was set to break at around 2pm today so I thought I’d head to the river Goyt for a first go at it’s resident Brown Trout.   The river was running a little high and was slightly coloured but it was the best it’s been for some time. There were no…

On Saturday, I finally got my first chance of the season to target the Brown Trout of the river Dee. I was again indebted to the chauffeur and to show my respect and appreciation, I sat in the front and told her that today she could dispense with the cap and gloves.   A bright,…

Fishing and guiding have been pretty thin on the ground recently. A combination of ill health and less than ideal conditions have conspired to keep both me and my fly fishing gear bone dry. So when a friend asked if I’d like two days guiding work on the river Eden, I leapt at the chance….

There is little doubt that membership of the EU has held us more accountable for pollution at an industrial level. Sadly, that responsibility hasn’t filtered down to all of the individuals in our society.   This stretch of one of Yorkshire’s industrial rivers is up against it. It runs through the city centre and is…

The river Goyt rose overnight as the snow melt made its way down from the hills so even though the air temp was a heady 7 degrees, the water temp remained just above freezing.   This brute of a Grayling has sadly seen better days. Initially I thought the scarring was due to predators but…

As the rain has abated temporarily, I was looking forward a few season-salvaging visits to the Dee. However, a recent eye issue has meant that I’ve been unable to drive and so my ongoing Grayling fishing misery has been further compounded.   Sensing my inner pain, my partner generously offered to chauffeur me to a…

The British Fly Fair International was held this weekend. It’s a great precursor to the impending Trout season and gives us frustrated Grayling anglers a chance to whinge about what a hideous season we’re having.   It’s also a great place to catch up with old friends and make some new ones. Oh, and they…

A relatively dry spell has allowed the Dee to fall steadily over the last few days. Today it was at a good height but with yet more rain forecast for the rest of the week, I HAD to try for the years first Grayling.   The bitterly cold wind put paid to any thoughts of…

I’ve just been informed that the program featuring the aboves visit to Chirk fishery will be repeated tomorrow 5th January at 17.30 on Channel 5.   The fishing was to say the least chaotic, but look out for the moment when a real life Sedge flew in to inspect (and presumably attempt to roger) the…