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May 2006: May 2006: Renowned Spanish fly-fisherman Juan del Carmen fishes for black bass with poppers More...
July 2005: 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...
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...
October 2004: If you have problems seeing dry flies you may be able to
improve things with careful choice of flies or by incorporating highly-visible
materials when tying them More...
September 2004: Ally Gowans takes a look at the roll cast in the next
instalment of our casting tuition series
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
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...
September 2003: Tippet material, Snowbee leaders, May flies and instant
wader repairs - all covered in Terry Lawton's latest
article
"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
June 20003: "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...
March 2003: Looking back to the last fishing day of 2002, Terry Lawton
describes how he felt that he was always one fly, or stage, behind what
the fish were feeding on. More...
February 2003: "Finding fish requires an understanding of their
requirements." More advice from Roger Beck
July 2002: Clubs or owners of rivers and streams where trout spawn, can
do much to help them this coming autumn, writes Terry Lawton. More...
June 2002: "So how did it begin, this strange metamorphosis into
a salmon fisher" The Duffer gives salmon
fishing a try
May 2002: More fly fishing definitions from Lesley Crawford More...
April 2002: "What started out a simple question suddenly became something
of a dilemma the more that thought about it." Alastair
Gowans puts meaning to the mystery of rod buying.
"A rod's handle makes a major contribution to the overall appearance
and pleasure of ownership and use" The
final part of Terry Lawton's rod bulding series
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
"Although I have had pike rise a like a trout to fly when trout and
grayling fishing in rivers, the best pike fishing is in the many lakes
and even along the Baltic coast." Pike
fishing with Terry Lawton
"Youre all kitted out with rod, reel, line and flies, and raring
to go. But wait! Youll need more than that." Nigel Haywood
on saltwater flyfishing accessories
February 2002: "Positioning the rings in relationship to a rod's
spine is critical" Part 2 of our rod building
series
January 2002: "While there are many more fishermen who tie their
own flies than those who build their rods, 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
"Softly wispy, buoyant and subtle, these feathers are tops in the
creation of trout flies." Lesley takes
a look Cul de Canard
December 2001: "Smoked salmon is still a luxury item at four or five
times the cost of the fresh stuff. Why?" Jon
Beer on DIY fish smoking
November 2001: "It is straightforward fishing. There is little in
the way of stuff between the fisherman and the fish" Jon
Beer takes a look at pêche au toc
"So why bother to use different patterns? There are lots of possible
answers..." Nigel Haywood on saltwater
fly selection
In the first of two articles on starting fishing from a boat, Henry Lowe
writes about the basic loch style using a floating line More...
October 2001: Nigel Haywood takes a look at selecting the right fly lines
for saltwater fly fishing More
Autumn for the United Kingdom fly-fisherman starts in September and runs
through to the end of November Ally Gowans on
Autumn salmon
September 2001: The retrieve is a very important part of fly fishing,
whether on stillwaters or rivers. The Fish &
Fly Guide to Retrieves
"Some of the most dramatic trout angling in Scotland takes place
unseen, tucked away in the hills and miles from anywhere." Lesley
Crawford on fishing remote hill lochs
August 2001: "Rises can fool anyone. Sometimes it is impossible to
decide the size of a trout from the rise, other times it is a direct give-away.
" Trout Bum on rising fish
Reels are likely to be the area where the gap between what you need and
what you want is at its largest. Nigel Haywood
on saltwater fly reels
Lesley Crawford takes a look at the feeding habits of her highland trout
- and finds a few surprises... More...
July 2001: "Long, warm summer days are fine for touring and sun bathing
but a hot, dry summer can be a nightmare for the angler." Ally
Gowans on salmon in the summer
"I nailed my colours to the mast in my last piece by saying that
any reasonably salt water proof 7-9 outfit would do. But let's try and
refine this." Nigel Haywood on saltwater
fly rods
June 2001: Saltwater fly fishing is growing in popularity around the world.
In his latest article Trout Bum writes about the fun to be had fly
fishing for sea trout in Sweden
It is easy to see why people should feel daunted when for the first time
they face the sea with a fly rod in their hand. A
Beginner's Guide to Saltwater Flyfishing
May 2001: At the mention of grilse, the first picture that comes to mind
is of sparklingly bright, energetic small salmon showing at the heads
and tails of pools as they charge upstream the like torpedoes Ally
Gowans on ways with grilse
If starting fishing with a team of flies for the first time, it's better
to start with a team of two rather than three. To find out more, read
Fish & Fly's guide to fishing a team of
flies.
April 2001: For anyone with a bit of time and ingenuity, it is possible
to make a multi-piece folding wading staff for 'loose change'. Terry
Lawton shows you how
March 2001: In his second article on tying your own leaders, Terry Lawton
discusses some of the knots that you will need to use and suggests some
basic formulae More...
Sea trout are, as we have already established, basically Brown trout that
have taken advantage of the wonderful feeding opportunities offered in
coastal waters. More on sea-trout from Tony
King
February 2001: Terry Lawton looks at some of the factors that combine
to make a good leader, or cast as it is known in England. More...
Despite the scarcity of springers and the lottery of weather during the
early months of the season spring salmon fishing is still my favourite
sport Ally Gowans on spring salmon fishing
January 2001:Terry Lawton looks at some methods for examining the contents
of a trout's stomach. More ...
You are standing on the bank of a river or stream and there no fish rising
to be seen, or so it seems. Where do you start fishing? Instead of just
casting in the hope of finding a fish, it pays to search out places that
might hold a trout. Terry Lawton on locating
fish
December 2000: Sea trout are brown trout that go to sea to feed. In a
recent magazine article, Peter Lapsley argued a different hypothesis:
that brown trout are sea trout that did not go to sea. Tony
King's introduction to sea trout fly-fishing
During the late spring and summer period I would feel deprived if I did
not have a few of the following flies at my disposal... Ally
Gowans on salmon fly selection
November 2000: I was reading more and more fishing books and as we
all know, the use of Latin is much in evidence in anything to do with
the species of the natural world. So it was that I came across Thymallus
Thymallus Grayling and Dry Flies
A few anglers cut their teeth with salmon but for most of us trying to
catch a salmon becomes an ambition during the later years of our apprenticeship
Advice on catching that first elusive salmon
from Ally Gowans
October 2000: Fly fishing for pike can be an exciting way to fill summer
days unsuitable for trout fishing and something to do during the winter
trout close season. Terry Lawton on catching
pike on a fly
Trout fishing is riddled with cute little old wives tales specially devised
to encompass anything remotely connected to the sport. Lesley
Crawford on myths and legends
September 2000: A spider's web is a breaker's yard in miniature. The fat,
dangerous-looking bloke in the grubby vest sits in the middle surrounded
by bits of bodywork and disassembled parts. Jon
Beer on dapping with daddy-long-lengs
How many times have you enjoyed great success with one particular pattern
on your favourite water only to return in a day or so to find said fly
hardly raises a trout never mind hooks one? Lesley
Crawford on fly selection for wild trout
August 2000: Trout do not eat rods, reels, lines, landing nets, fishing
vests or any of the other glorious items that we are, thankfully, able
to spend our money on in pursuit of piscatorial nirvana Dry
Fly discusses his fly collection
In his second article on buzzers, Terry Lawton gives some hints to help
in selecting suitable patterns and colours of artifical and how to fish
them. Buzzers - Part Two
Terry Lawton writes about probably the most important family of flies
for trout and the stillwater angler, and how to fish for trout feeding
on them. Buzzers
July 2000: Fly fishing is too good a sport to give up or have to stop.
Terry Lawton looks at casting aids for the disabled
angler
The more I fish for wild trout the more I realise just how unpredictable
their behaviour can be... Lesley Crawford on
wild trout behaviour
June 2000: If you are a traditional wet or dry fly fisher, first attempts
at nymph fishing often meet with mixed success... Lesley
Crawford on Fishing the Nymph for Wild Browns
May 2000: The Czech style of nymphing is a high speed, close range and
deadly technique for catching fish in the right type of water. Terry
Lawton's Primer on Czech Nymphing.
In his second article on river fishing, Terry Lawton looks at some of
the problems to be overcome when fishing the dry fly. He stresses the
importance of balanced tackle and good presentation. If you present a
reasonable imitation of a fly or nymph in the right place so that the
trout can see it and where he is expecting to see a food item, then there
is a reasonable chance of catching that fish. An
Introduction to River Fishing - part 2
April 2000: Although some people will accuse me of stating the obvious,
one big difference between stillwater and river fishing is the fact that
the water in rivers is moving - Terry Lawton's
introduction to River Fishing.
Lesley Crawford looks at how both the trout and angler react to weather
conditions - Wild Weather
February 2000: Lesley Crawford takes a seasoned look at various tactics
employed by past masters in Scottish trout fishing and ponders how best
we can apply old skills in the new millennium - Out
with the old and in with the new.
January 2000: Visiting the Highlands of Scotland for the first time you
might be forgiven for thinking you have arrived in loch fishing paradise.
An introduction to fishing for trout in Highland
lochs from Lesley Crawford.
December 1999: For the newcomer to fly fishing, there is a bewildering
amount of tackle available. Go into any good fishing tackle shop that
caters for fly fishermen and you will see more tackle on sale than you
will ever need. But buying ever more fishing tackle - the latest reel,
a new and better rod - is one of the delights of the sport for many people.
Another of Terry Lawton's guides for beginners.
November 1999: Sit on the river bank on a warm spring or early summer's
day and if there are trout in the river, sooner or later you will see
a swirl in the water and a series of rings making their way down stream.
Terry Lawton brings us this beginner's guide
to fly fishing.
Too many anglers do not appreciate what they are missing by either not
fishing nymphs or not developing the skills to fish nymphs successfully.
In his final article, Terry Lawton discusses
Upstream Nymphing.
October 1999: With practice and concentration, detecting takes will
be become a sixth sense: you sense or "feel" that you have a fish on,
even if you cannot always see it. Watch for the tell-tale splash as you
cast to see where your nymph landed, as this will show you where it is
in relation to your fish. In the second in a
series of articles, Terry Lawton discusses Upstream Nymphing.
September 1999: Upstream nymphing is an exciting and challenging way to
take trout in a river - particularly in shallow,clear water when you can
see everything happening. Why do we fish nymphs and upstream? The reason
is that fish take the vast majority of their food below the surface. And
by fishing upstream, you approach the fish from behind so that there is
less chance of it seeing you. In the first in
a series of articles, Terry Lawton discusses Upstream Nymphing.
June 1999: On the last day, in desperation, I brought out the persuader,
the seventeen-foot dapping rod I always carry on such a trip. I tied on
a huge dapping fly and set the thing tumbling across the ripple on a light
breeze, more in hope than expectation. Jon Beer
takes us dapping...
September 1998: The sound of the river always increases at night, sometimes
when all other senses are deprived of input it can reach a deafening crescendo.
Tonight was different, there was the wind, there were the tawny owls and
there was the sound of hounds baying in the hunt kennels somewhere in
the distance. Howard Thresher takes us night fishing.
June 1998: "I do, in fact, have a staircase going up - not long, but it
serves. I do not, however, have one even longer coming down and I certainly
don't have another one going nowhere just for show: I am not a rich man."
Jon Beer trys a bit of DIY.
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