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Features Archive

To help navigate through our articles, they can be found in the following sections:

Fly Fishing Technique: covering all aspects of fly-fishing technique.

Viewpoint: From gentle reminisence to excited campaigning - this section covers it all.

Travel: Covering locations around the UK, Euope and maybe even the rest of the world

Stillwater: covering the techniques that you'll need to get the most from your stillwater fishing

Salmon Fishing: for both the beginner and experienced angler.

Saltwater Fly Fishing: coverage of this growing area of our sport

For Beginners: A selection of articles for beginners.

Articles have been cross referenced between sections where applicable.

The list below is a complete chronological listing of all articles within the site:

May 2006: "The truth is that in the world of fly fishing there is an absolutely limitless array of challenges and difficulties waiting to be mastered." We welcome John Bailey to the Fish & Fly team More >

Renowned Spanish fly-fisherman Juan del Carmen discusses fishing for black bass in Spain More...

February 2006: Have you ever wondered what life would be like if instead of working to pay for your fishing, you were paid to fish? Bill Drew shares some of his experiences More >

July 2005: Terry Lawton takes a look at the various fly fishing opportunities in his home county - Norfolk More...

The “F” fly is a very simple fly that is quick and easy to tie. In this article we explain something of its background and how to tie it More...

April 2005: Finding Paradise in Patagonia - Sky Travel presenter Bill Dod writes about wonderful fishing, scenery and hospitality. More...

In his second article on trout fishing in Argentina, Eduardo Marino describes the fishing in ‘trout country’ to the south and west of Neuquén in Andean Patagonia. More...

November 2004: Roland Henrion, a former fishing guide in Seychelles and designer of the Smart Spooler line winder, suggests a number of ways to look after and care for your rods, reels and fly lines to ensure many years of happy fishing. More...

In May, 2004, Fish & Fly rod tester Pete Sutton enjoyed a long-promised week fly fishing in Ireland More...

October 2004: What images does the name of Argentina evoke in your mind? Part One of Eduardo Marino's guide

August 2004: "Two weeks before midsummer an opportunity presented itself when a friend, Andreas Olsson from Norsjo, Sweden, called me with a, to say the least, fantastic story." Jerome Philipon fishes for land locked char More...

Jerome Philipon meets Roger Öhlund, fly fisherman of experience, and asks him to share some of Lapland's best kept secrets. More...

May 2004:"Dorado on a fly - a story of poor planning, is our first contribution from Eduardo Marino who lives and fishes extensively in Argentina" More...

April 2004: "Britain is much blessed with trout. They are everywhere. They live, naturally, in every county in the land. But very few of these trout are even close to a pound in weight and the vast majority are less than half this size." Jon Beer on trout varieties

March 2004: There are two types of haul, front and back and the technique of using them both during a cast is called double hauling. More expert casting tuition from Ally Gowans

In the first of a series of articles for Fish & Fly, guide and instructor Ian Neale describes a typical year on the River Spey More...

January 2004: Regarded by many anglers as a bugbear, wind is usually not a huge problem if you know how to master it. Ally Gowans tells us how to cope with wind whatever the direction. More...

"When you hear of a stretch of river, up in the Arctic in Swedish Lapland, that holds mighty brown trout weighing up to five and more kilos, and it involves some effort to get there, this sounds like a challenge well worth accepting." More...

Choosing a new fly rod is an intensely personal and somewhat subjective exercise. Pete Sutton attempts to point you in the right direction. More...

November 2003: "Once the basic cast can be consistently performed to a good standard, it is time to develop the essential skills for fishing" Part 4 of Ally Gowan's Fly Casting Series

October 2003: "A bloke hands me this book and urges me to read it and one thing leads to another and next thing I know I find myself surrounded by glaciers at four-and-a-half thousand feet and fishing a mountain tarn." Jon Beer in Norway

September 2003: "The clock provides a convenient method of relating rod and arm positions to casts." Part 3 of Ally Gowan's Fly Casting Series

August 2003: "There are two distinct families of casts that encompass all fly casts" Part 2 of Ally Gowan's Fly Casting Series

Patrick Hillard reports on his trip to Mexico where he went in search of Mexican tarpon. More...

July 2003: "That evening I arrived home and walked up the stream that runs through our village. The tall grasses that fringe the stream were bristling with duns and spinners, resting before the fray and frenzy of the mating dance." Jon Beer looks back on a wonderful spring

"Sometimes revered as an art form, often thought difficult, casting with a fly rod is neither of these things" Part 1 of Ally Gowan's Fly Casting Series

There is no one correct way to store flies and every angler will have his or her own ideas. Terry Lawton provides some directional pointers. More...

May 2003: "Legendary rivers appear in the catalogue. Famous and unheard of beats are featured. Action was required." Bill Drew on the Atlantic Salmon Trust Auction

As the techniques for tying salmon flies have been simplified, Swedish salmon fishermen have been in the forefront of designing and developing new patterns for their long and often very big rivers. More...

April 2003: "There’s a certain pattern to fly fishing. No, not that kind of pattern. I’m talking about a sort of predestination or cosmic fishing karma that forms a thread that runs so strongly through the fabric of this sport" A feature by JM Hruby

Terry Lawton paid a flying visit to the island of Islay, where the European Fly Fishing Championship is being held in September, and spent a short time fishing on two of the championship lochs. More...

March 2003: Nick Sawyer, grandson of the late Frank Sawyer, writes about fishing in Bosnia and picking his way through minefields to get to the rivers. More...

"He was Scotland's Izaak Walton with a hefty slice of Wordsworth thrown in. Stoddart was fan of Wordsworth and damned nearly met him when the poet dropped in for dinner at the house" Jon Beer on angling songs

"Have you ever noticed how lost fish usually lodge in the memory far more than the fish we catch and dispatch." More from Lesley Crawford

February 2003: "Finding fish requires an understanding of their requirements." More advice from Roger Beck

"While looking for bass in estuaries is a fairly genteel occupation, and one not too far removed from river fishing, the surf is something else." Nigel Haywood on bass from beaches

January 2003: "Many years ago, when the internet was just half-a-dozen baldy blokes talking to each other with computers the size of refrigerators, I had a yen to catch trout in every land where trout could be caught." Jon Beer needs your help with foreign fishing regulations.

In his first article for Fish & Fly, Theo Pike reports on his recent fly fishing trip to the French Alps.

December 2002: "I would never rush out to fish if it was raining, in expectation of catching more fish, as I don't enjoy fishing in the rain that much." Terry Lawton on weather and fly fishing

"A garfish is not designed for a prolonged fight and before long the twisting silver shape was lifted from the water." Part 2 of Jon Beer's McNab Challenge

November 2002: "When fishing Northampton-style, or on the rudder, the boat is set-up so that it is propelled bow-first by the wind, as opposed to drifting sideways..." Terry Lawton on fishing Northampton-style

"Bass are probably the most sought after species for the flyrodder." Nigel Haywood on estuary bass

"Someone once described a river as being 'good enough for who it’s for', but ultimately I believe we fish the river we deserve." More from Bill Drew

"Flowing around the edges of the North Yorkshire Moors there are a series of rivers and streams such as the river Rye and Derwent" Roger Beck discusses fishing in Yorkshire

October 2002: "In any type of angling that life event of a first fish always sets the tone for the future." Lesley Crawford looks back on her fishing career

September 2002: "Timing is everything in salmon fishing. If there are no fish you will not catch any. This frighteningly obvious statement is a slight shock to trout types." More from The Duffer

"I was fishing last week on a small trouty tributary of the Thames. It is not a big river: a springy sort of bloke could probably jump over it in places and in other places he could wade across in wellingtons." Jon Beer on crayfish

August 2002: Terry Lawton with some guidance on buying fly fishing tackle More...

"Received wisdom has it that July and August are the worst months for trout fishing in Britain so I expect nothing. And sometimes nothing is just what I get." Jon Beer on summer fly fishing

In the second of two articles, Terry Lawton looks at sink rates, special tapers, multi-tip lines, line colour, and care and maintenance. More...

July 2002: Lesley Crawford reports on the 2002 World Fly Fishing Championships held in France. More...

Clubs or owners of rivers and streams where trout spawn, can do much to help them this coming autumn, writes Terry Lawton. More...

"Why don't you go and fish my favourites stretch?" Terry Lawton describes some favourite places that he has fished - and got friends to fish! More...

June 2002: "So how did it begin, this strange metamorphosis into a salmon fisher" The Duffer gives salmon fishing a try

Jon Beer on expanding fly-fishing travel opportunities and the responsibilities that come with it. More...

In the first of two articles, Terry Lawton attempts to get to the bottom of the design designation and selection of fly lines. More...

April 2002: "Unfortunately I have never met a fellow lady angler whilst trout or salmon fishing, I don't understand why..." Our first contribution from Jayne Denton

In the run up to the launch of our new Fish & Fly Glossary, Lesley Crawford takes a look at some common fly fishing terms. More...

March 2002: "Whipping the rings takes time and patience and must be done in a good light" Part 3 of our rod building series

"You’re all kitted out with rod, reel, line and flies, and raring to go. But wait! You’ll need more than that." Nigel Haywood on saltwater flyfishing accessories

Jerome Phillipon describes his do-it-yourself visit to Västerbotten, just south of the Arctic Circle More...

"It must have been nearly 24 inches long: a truly magnificent fish. It made my holiday" Terry Lawton fishes in Sweden

"The case of the carp is fascinating. I came to carp late in life and I came by accident." Jon Beer on carp

February 2002: Jan Rigden reports back from his tropical SWFF mission to Mexico More...

"Positioning the rings in relationship to a rod's spine is critical" Part 2 of our rod building series

January 2002: "Who has heard of a golfer who makes his own clubs or a cricketer who makes his own bat and ball?" Part 1 of our rod building series

In the second of our new series on casting, Master Caster looks at the best way to achieve effortless double hauls. More...

"Softly wispy, buoyant and subtle, these feathers are tops in the creation of trout flies." Lesley takes a look Cul de Canard

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