Fly Fishing Instructor

Lessons

2012-02-01T08:57:00.000Z

Back to completing my lessons now we have some better weather. All stillwater lessons for the remainder of this week and next up to now but then back to the river for Spey casting and some grayling fishing.

THE TACKLE SHOP AT CURLEY'S NOW FULLY OPEN AND STOCKED WITH ALMOST EVERYTHING FOR THE STILLWATER/RESERVOIR FLY FISHER.

Today's lesson

2012-01-23T15:46:00.003Z

Had a great lesson today with John, one of the guys training to become a qualified Instructor.
He did very well in spite of the testing conditions and remains on schedule to take his assessment in the Autumn.

It is hard to avoid all the cr*p that's on the web these days by self promoted "experts" in every field imaginable - but here is one from a true expert and friend of mine Gwilym Hughes
Click here for his latest You tube offering

Bad weather stops play!

2012-01-19T09:38:00.003Z

Unlike the England Cricket team out in Dubia basking in glorious sunshine and struggling against Pakistan, the life of a fly fishing instructor in England and in Winter is a different proposition altogether.
I have had to re-arrange quite a few lessons due to the strength of the prevailing wind.
Normally even if it is a bit too windy at Curley's we can go over the road onto Ridgmont Park and find a good bit of shelter but with no leaves on the trees even this option no longer works. Spring can't come quick enough!

On the fishing front Curley's continues to fish very well in spite of the conditions and am about to put some orders in for new stock for the tackle shop, although it's got everything required by the stillwater/reservoir fly fisher already: Rods, Reels, Lines, Leaders, Flies, Bags, Nets and accessories. Come along and have a look around.

Back in the Swing of things

2012-01-11T18:19:00.001Z

All back to normal (ish) now after Xmas. Lesson bookings are coming in for beginners, intermediates and river sessions all very welcome.
Just get in touch if you want a session getting your casting into shape for the Spring.

Curley's is fishing extremely well at present - good rod averages and big fish to boot. Annual memberships now available.

The shop at Curley's will be open and fully stocked for this weekend so if you are at a loose end come along have a fish and a look around.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T10:15:00.003Z

Hi All
Just time to wish all my clients past, present and future a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

It's been an absolute pleasure meeting you all and working with you.
I hope to see you all again soon - drop in at Curley's and have a look around the new shop, not quite fully stocked yet but will be early in the New Year!

A mate of mine has taken the drinking and driving thing to heart this year and after a few drinks the other night decided to leave his car at the pub and took the bus home.
Really surprised me I didn't know he could drive a bus!!!!

Merry Christmas

Christmas Gift Vouchers

2011-11-30T17:28:00.001Z

Christmas is almost here!!!

Fed up of socks, after shave/Perfume or a whole host of other gifts that you don't want!
Time to drop the subtle hint about what you do want.......

Get in touch for gift vouchers that can be used for Tuition, Fishing Permits or Fishing Tackle.

Payment by cheque, cash debit or credit card welcome.

Fly fishing lessons

2011-11-21T09:17:00.001Z

Had some great lesson over the past few days.
Complete beginners like Bernard from Withnall in Chorley, John from Kearsley in Bolton and Maurice from Colne. Some of my clients who have had lessons recently have returned to Curley's to do some fishing and am delighted that they have now got the bug and into their first Rainbows on the fly!
Mixed into this activity were lessons with my training group - about 12 now who are all working their way to becoming instructors or going for higher qualifications.
Do you want to know more about becoming a Professional Fly Fishing Instructor with a GAIA qualification?? - just get in touch for details.
In between this of course I am trying to get the new tackle shop at Curley's ready for opening and with great help from both my bailiffs, Geoff and Nathan looking after the fishery.

This week is another mixed bag of activities including a couple of sessions on the river Grayling fishing.

Float tubing

2011-11-09T16:13:00.005Z

Some of you may have seen this before - can't really remember if I posted it?? Yes it is my age!!!
Not really the weather for float tubing but if you haven't had a go at it maybe next year....?

Click here

My new enterprise

2011-11-06T17:42:00.002Z

The new tackle shop at Curley's is progressing well now.
I have been trying to impersonate a joiner by making all the new shop counters for the last couple of days. The slatwall boards that will carry most of the stock on display will be fitted on Tuesday.

Been accepting stock deliveries and ordering even more stuff .. it's a great way of spending lots of dosh!!!
Fly displays and rod display racks are all finished.
Is the end nigh I ask myself???

Tackle for u

2011-10-20T08:51:00.001+01:00

Things are progressing a little at a time with the tackle shop, obviously not as quickly as I had wanted or anticipated but when does anything work out exactly???
I went to the Tackle and Gun Trade show a few days ago and made some good contacts and opened up more accounts. I am now happy with the line-up of suppliers and manufacturers and am very confident of being able to offer some really great fly fishing equipment.
The first orders will be delivered end of this week and into next - Just need somewhere to put it all before the shop actually opens!!
The shop itself will be fitted out over the next week - all the fittings are on order and will start to be delivered over the next few days. So it's all hands to paint brushes, screw drivers, saws etc to get it all ready.
I hope you'll all like it when it finally opens!

Good News

2011-10-12T16:56:00.003+01:00

Everybody is a little down about this run of awful weather so time to give a little cheer.

Come along anytime this weekend to Curley's fishery and enjoy a HALF PRICE PERMIT

Yes, that right half price permit prices anytime from Friday (14th Oct) to Sunday (16th Oct)
and to make it even better the forecast for the weekend is looking good AND the fishery has just been stocked!
So do you know what you are doing this weekend???

What bad weather??

2011-10-10T08:59:00.001+01:00

Lousy weather but fortunately it is not putting a lot of people off wanting to learn fly fishing.
I have a full schedule of lessons this week and still a fair few for the coming weeks.
However I can still fit you in... just give me a ring or send me an email.

I haven't had a chance to do some quality salmon fishing much this year - maybe put it down for one of my new year resolutions for next year - More Salmon Fishing !!!

Just ordered a load of stock for my new tackle shop at the fishery - a real good exercise in getting rid of £20 notes!!! I will be shop fitting it over the next couple of weeks and then think about when to officially open it. In the meantime if any of you want any tackle I will have lots to sell!!!

Back into action

2011-10-03T10:06:00.002+01:00

Back from my holidays, had a great time but more than ready to get back into action with the tuition, fishery and tackle shop!

I have some free time for tuition over the next couple of weeks and this will always be the priority.
Missed out on end of season Salmon but plenty of time to get in some of the year's best fishing - Grayling.
If you haven't done any Autumn, early Winter Grayling fishing then you are really missing out.

Availabilty for Lessons

2011-09-22T09:27:00.002+01:00

Hi All
I am abroad for a few days so won't be responding to my phone messages.
If you want a lesson from the beginning of October onwards please send me an email to make a booking or enquiry.

mike@lancashireflyfishing.co.uk

Thanks

Lessons

2011-09-19T09:22:00.003+01:00

Had some great lessons recently, 1to1's and groups and a spate of double handed lessons with guys going to all parts of the world chasing Salmon.
Lessons this weeks with beginners and advanced techniques.

Tackle shop progressing well should be open end of October ish!

Tightlines

Work at Curley's

2011-09-03T08:13:00.004+01:00

Please note that the Fishery will be closed on Wed 7th and Thurs 8th for some maintenance work.
It will then be open as normal from Friday 9th Sept onwards.

This will allows us to get some work done on the fishery in one hit. Sorry if this causes some inconvenience but better this way than disturbing you all when you are fishing!

Fly Tying

2011-08-22T16:58:00.000+01:00

Fly Tying is not an essential part of fly fishing but is a natural extension of the sport. You will always remember your first fish caught on one of your own flies! However just like fly casting - fly tying does have it's own techniques and to catch on fast you can do no better than be taught by an expert.

One such expert is a Pal of mine Pat Stevens who has just organised a fly tying course at the Aspinall Arms at Mitton Bridge, Whalley.

Details as follows:

The 10 week programme will be run from 7.30 – 9.30pm on the following Wednesday eveningsthis coming winter: September 27, October 5, 26, November 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, December 7, 14.

For specific details aboutthe content of the course & payment, contact PatStevens,

tel 01772 684003 or 07788 427560 or email

Need another Bailiff !!

2011-08-04T19:30:00.003+01:00

Anyone fancy being a part time bailiff at Curley's??
Low rates of pay - miserable conditions, very stressful, long hours, no fun at all, have to do some fishing for free and eat discount bacon butties etc etc!
However if you are at a loose end with too much time on your hands and know a thing or three about fly fishing - it might just be for you!!!

Give me a ring -07786682272

The Black Death!

2011-08-02T17:40:00.001+01:00

Do we need to have a system that controls the numbers of Cormorants decimating our waters??

Here's a start at least --- click here

Very trying times fishing at present -we need some settled weather and quick!!!

Curley's Fishery

2011-08-02T10:05:00.003+01:00

So I have now taken over the running of the Fishery - so far so good.
I have a few changes in mind for the venue the first of which has already been introduced - a loyalty scheme.
Every time you visit the type of permit you choose will allow you to earn points and when you have 30 point you get a FREE day's fishing!
So come along and start earning!

We are still using the "old" booking office/tackle shop and I have stocked it with a few of the essentials - lines, leader materials, flies, nets, priests etc but am already gearing up for the move into the new tackle shop which will hopefully be early September. This will be a fully fledged tackle shop with a good range of rods, reels and lines etc from most of the main brands.

Hope to see many of you over the next few days and weeks

Tightlines

New Era!

2011-07-28T11:10:00.003+01:00

ONLY 3 MORE DAYS TO GO!!!!!

Latest Film

2011-07-15T09:24:00.001+01:00

Just got the copy of my last filming exploits with Phil Williams.
It is all about Float Tubing and can bee seen here.
Phil basically filmed a lesson on tubing that I had recently with Mark from Leeds.
Have a look and let me know what you think about it.

When you have viewed it have a look around Phil's site which is www.fishingfilmsandfacts.co.uk.
There is some good stuff on it especially for all you Salt fishers

Stillwater Fly Fishing in the South!

2011-07-06T18:48:00.000+01:00

Just back from a litle break in Dorset - wanted to do some saltwater fishing but the tides were against that idea, so went back to an old stillwater I used to fish long, long ago!
Rockbourne is, typical Southern stillwater commercial fishery. The main difference between these and our superior versions in the North is that we can catch and release - in the South you can't! So if you buy a 3 fish permit - once you have caught them that's your fishing over and done unless you buy another ticket!
These 3 fish were nothing special about 10lbs in total, however these cost me £40 for 40 mins of fishing!

I have (or had!) quite a soft spot for Rockbourne. It is where I used to fish with Bill Sibbons who basically taught me all there is to know about stalking.
Mr Sibbons was a wonderful man and a great fly fisher, who invented the "When All Else Fails" fly a really excellant stalking nymph. If I had been able to practise the techniques that I had learned then maybe I would have got some bigger fish and been fishing a little longer than 40mins. However the fishery lakes, 5 in total were all coloured and 2 were in very poor condition making it almost impossible to see anything.
Back in the year Rockbourne was immaculate - crystal clear waters and big specimen fish, so I was very disappointed and has relgated this fishery to the "do not bother again list"
A great pity!

Float tubing - great fun

2011-06-25T16:45:00.000+01:00

I have had a great few days with lesson -Friday I was doing a bit of filming with Phil Williams for a webcast - the subject - float tubing and by great timing(!) I had a lesson with Mark from Leeds who want to learn all about, you guessed it, float tubing! What a coincidence! So it ended up being quite a good piece although I haven't seen the finished edited version yet!

In this photo I am taking Mark out for his first tubing experience where he learned how to propel and navigate a tube. It wasn't long before caught his first fish from a tube. Another convert!

On Saturday I had a good lesson with Mike from Nelson, who wanted to brush up on his spey casting technique.
Tomorrow will see me back at Curley's for a full day with a complete beginner.

Various updates

2011-06-23T09:19:00.000+01:00

All
Just thought I'd put a few bits and pieces together for your information and or amusement!!!

Firstly look here for the sale of possibly the best rods ever produced by Hardy (IMHO)
Whenever I go salmon fishing the 15ft Swift Mk11 and for reservoir then the 9ft 6in #6 are my "go to" rods -they are just brilliant. I know a lot of the guys in the Academy use these rods all the time. Discontinued - why? I guess nothing stands still and in the tackle world if you do stand still you're out of business in no time! Maybe there's going to be a "Nano" Swift Mk3?? Who knows?But get one while you can! If anyone wants to try my rods first just get in touch.

Fancy doing a bit of salmon fishing at prime time 25th Sept on the best salmon river in England at a very good price - look here the auction on for the Tyne River Festival maybe your answer!

Are you in the market for a good reel - Hardy Offer - 2 FREE Mach lines with every Demon Trout and 1 Mach line with every Uniqua reel online look here
This offer includes salmon reels and Mach Spey lines - So with a demon reel you can get up to £150 worth of lines free!!!! Offer ends 31st July

BFFI Fair

2011-06-19T19:38:00.000+01:00

Was at the fly fair today at the Stafford Show ground, a new venue and date for this show which is normally held in November.

It was great meeting up with old Pals and lots of clients as they milled about looking at the stands working out where to spend their hard earned!
I guess it was a little quieter than previously however it was quite hard to judge as the new venue is a lot bigger and so you didn't have to negotiate the crowds in small aisles and walkways.
I even managed to keep my spending under control for once!

Lessons all next week - good mixed bag of high level technical stuff and some complete beginners.
Might be doing a bit of filming at Curley's on float tubing, next week if the weather is ok!! Should be interesting.

Bailiff Vacancy

2011-06-17T16:58:00.000+01:00

Hi all

There is a vacancy for a part time bailiff at Curley's.

Would suit any active person who has some knowledge of fly and coarse fishing techniques and tackle. Duties include issuing of fishing permits, work in the tackle shop, liaising with fishing clients, giving advice etc and general maintenance duties. Flexible hours but won't always be "office" hours! Training will be given, enthusiasm and a helpful nature essential!

If you want more information or wish to apply please send me an email at
mike@curleysfishery.co.uk

River Fishing

2011-06-17T08:55:00.000+01:00

Great day on the Wharfe yesterday with 3 clients, they had about 17 fish between them and a fair few over 16ins.
It was a strange day - the forecast turned out to be very wrong and in fact it was quite a nice day, very changeable winds - sometime upstream then completely the opposite, bright sky with some sunny spells. Not much of a hatch going at anytime so we started with duo-ing and spiders and in no time at all, the spiders won. All of them were quickly getting takes mostly to Partridge & Orange and Partridge & Yellows and that then was the trend for the day.
The fish wanted the flies presented just a little under the surface. Both upstream and across and down worked well.
All in all a very good day.
Back on Curley's now for the next couple of days then at the BFFI on Sunday then doing some filming on float tubing early next week - weather permitting
Busy busy!!!
What a hard life!

BFFI fair Stafford

2011-06-16T08:12:00.000+01:00

Good day yesterday on the Ribble, I hope it's as good today on the Wharfe!

I will be at the BFFI fair on Sunday on the GAIA stand - if you are around come and have a chat
BFFI more details

River lessons

2011-06-15T09:24:00.000+01:00

On a river for the next couple of days
Today on the Ribble and a second attempt at this lesson as we got blown off the river last time out and got mighty wet into the bargain - should be ok today - hopefully! With the little bit of rain we have had, the rivers should be a little fresher and I know that there have been a few seatrout caught on the ribble recently but it's brownies we are after today!

Tomorrow I am on the River Wharfe with a couple of my regular clients wanting to brush up on their techniques and try this river for the first time.

When it comes to river work I offer two services - tuition and guiding and sometimes both at the same time.

Sometimes I love this work and then other times I really love it!!!!

Distance Casting

2011-06-11T08:44:00.000+01:00

The British Fly Casting Club, is just a group of casting junkies who meet up to swap techniques and skill on how to cast a very long way.
They only breach the North once a year, as most of them are Southern Softies and on this occasion the meeting is at Wrexham Rugby Club, tomorrow 12th June. (Yes, I know that's not quite the North but it's still a breakthrough for these guys!)

Now I realise that distance casting is not for everyone and from my perspective as an Instructor there are some rare techniques that are sometimes employed to cast a long way that I certainly would not attempt to teach - Have you seen the bouncing bomb!

However the one thing I would say is if you practise the skills that allow you to cast a full fly line and much further then it is amazing how much your shorter casting improves as well.

Maybe we all ought to join this club, it's only £20 and then we can start a proper Northern Branch!!!

Lessons

2011-06-05T14:48:00.000+01:00

Been going all day everyday for awhile now but I do have a couple of gaps during this next week for lessons if anyone wants a last minute bit of tuition. Just give me a ring on 07786682272 or email.

River cams

2011-05-26T16:14:00.000+01:00

You can get some great information about river levels from the E.A. website
but sometimes its good to be able to have a ganders and see the level for yourself and maybe even get an basic view of the colour. This website has a growing list of web cams - click here that can be useful.

Beginner's tips

2011-05-20T17:33:00.000+01:00

Really having some great lessons lately like the one today with Alan from Thornton Cleveleys and Jim from Pilling.

When it comes to actually fishing you can increase your opportunities to catch by following some very basic rules:

Always start with a leader at least the length of your rod - never any shorter. This will allow you to get good turnover with your fly and reach a little bit of depth if fishing sub-surface.
If you don't hit fish immediately (and who does?) then keep changing things around - alter the depth, change your fly, alter the type and speed of retrieve and if none of these work then you MUST MOVE and keep moving!

REMEMBER IT IS NEVER THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FISH TO FIND YOUR FLY!!!!

Great lessons

2011-05-17T18:09:00.000+01:00

I have quite a full diary at the moment which is great, of course but what makes it brilliant is meeting loads of new guys to fly fishing and seeing how enthusiastic they are about wanting to learn.
Over the last few days I have meet up with Graham from Accrington, Peter from Ramsbottom, Paul from Preston and Tony from Atherton. All of these guys were complete beginners or in Peter's case an improver.

All of them got to grips with the basics really well and am sure will go onto become good fly fishers and make progress with their techniques.

Fawcetts of Lancaster Open Day

2011-05-11T07:55:00.002+01:00

I will be representing

Hardy/Greys at Fawcetts Open day

Sunday 15th May

The venue is on the River Lune at Kirkby Lonsdale.
Come off the M6 at Junction 36 and follow the signs for Kirkby Lonsdale till you reach a roundabout with Booths Supermarket.
From here follow the "casting day signs" all the way to the river

New Instructors

2011-05-08T15:21:00.001+01:00

Pleased to announce two of my trainees were successful over the weekend, at the GAIA meeting in Wales.

Pat Stevens passed his APGAI single handed assessment and Bernie Ratcliffe got his GAIC in single handed.

Big congratulations to both of them on a job well done - just rewards for the hard work they have put in over the least months.
Great weekend as always meeting up with some of the best Instructors and fly casters in Britain.

On another note the mighty Chorley FC managed to get promoted - the only down note was that because I was in Wales I couldn't get to the final play-off but was updated regularly by mobile!

A full week of teaching coming up and another of my river trips on Tuesday, this time to the River Wharfe.

Podcast

2011-05-01T18:07:00.000+01:00

Hi

Just listened to a recent podcast I did with Phil Williams from Fishing Films and Facts.

You can listen to it here

and look at Phil's website for more fishing stuff here

I will be doing some filming with Phil very soon on one of my favorite subjects - "Float Tubing"

Radio Lancashire

2011-04-22T12:23:00.000+01:00

My interview with Martin James on his programme "At the Water's Edge" was broadcast last night on Radio Lancashire.
I am sure many of you had better things to do than tune in then but if you are interested then you can still catch the programme on the BBCi Player - here and it will be available for a few days.

I really enjoyed this interview, maybe I am a little more relaxed in the studio now having experienced it a few times but have a listen and let me know what you thought about it.

Fishing trips

2011-04-19T16:06:00.000+01:00

Hi All

Just an update on the fishing trips planned so far this year.

The next trip to the river for Brown trout on May 10th is full but there are vacancies on the trip planned for 19th May - this is likely to be on the river Eden at Kirkby Stephens. For those of you who haven't fished here before it is one of the prettiest rivers in the North West with some very good sized absolutely wild Browns.

My salmon trip to the River Nith(Dumfries) w/c September 12th has just 2 vacancies

Email me for more details

Lessons in Fly Fishing

2011-04-14T09:07:00.000+01:00

I have had some really enjoyable lessons recently - good mix - river, stillwater, beginners and advanced, double handed and single handed.

Yesterday's lesson was a typical example - Paul from Great Harwood, Lancs, had originally been bought a 2 hour lesson voucher by his wife, Julie but then upgraded it to a full day.
I could tell immediately he was keen and enthusiastic and eager to learn and the lesson went very well.

Julie later that day sent me this email
"Dear Mike, Just a quick thank you for Paul's lesson today, he had a great time and has definitely caught the fishing bug- so to speak. In fact I,ve heard nothing else for the past hour!"

I do hope that Julie is still happy when all Paul wants to do is go fly fishing!!!!

Open days

2011-04-11T12:58:00.000+01:00

After a very busy open day with Linsley Bros at Bolton Abbey yesterday I will be doing another open day this time with Fawcetts of Lancaster on the 15th May. This will be held somewhere on the River Lune - more details to follow.

I am on Martin James' programme "At the Water's Edge" on Thurs 14th April at 7.30pm but you can also tune it from the BBCi player for a few days after.

First river trip of the season

2011-04-07T20:41:00.000+01:00

The first river trip of the season looked like being an uneventful day. The Eden had come up quite a bit with the previous day's rainfall but fortunately the colour was still reasonably good, so we went ahead regardless.

We started off with general nymph patterns, fishing the margins with no luck. So I showed the party how to use heavier weighted flies - czech nymphing and this started to pay dividends.
A few takes were missed but then Tom from Warrington, who was a little upstream, phoned to tell me rather excitedly that he had just latched onto a good wild Brownie.
It was indeed a very good fish!

My next river trip is on 10th May - a few places left.

Bolton Fly Tying Club

2011-04-03T18:57:00.001+01:00

I will be at Bolton Fly Tying Club on Tuesday night having an informal chat about all things fly fishing!
Sorry but this is for members only but if you contact John Vautier from the Bolton Fly Tyers blogsite here - I am sure he'll sort out a members ticket for you!

Rest of the week teaching - real mixed bag this week - complete beginners, advanced casting techniques, some double handed spey casting - Will be at Curley's fly fishery and on the river Ribble and Eden! It's a hard life!!

I have my first trip of the season on Wednesday. A group of my clients and I will be trying our hand on the River Eden. I hope the conditions will be good!

Have you had a look at my Facebook page? - see opp - just click the "like button"

Fly casting all day!

2011-04-02T17:37:00.000+01:00

Had a great day today at the GAIA regional open day held at the Royal Oak Golf Club at Withnell nr Chorley. Must have been over 25 guys there with members and guests - all of them enthusiastic about casting with a desire to get better.
Plenty of demos and workshops going on as well as little informal group discussions. Good to meet up again with some old friends as well as make new ones.

Full diary of lessons next week starting with a session on the river with the trainees. Looking forward to to as always.

E.A. Rod licence

2011-03-30T19:14:00.000+01:00

Hi all
Just a reminder that you have 1 more day to go (Thurs 31st) before you need to have a new rod licence.
E.A. bailiffs will be active at any river or fishery - so be warned
Is it worth the risk??

Indicators or not - that is the question???

2011-03-23T08:45:00.000Z

Had a great lesson with Gary and his wife Lindsay from Burnley. They did really well with the casting both overhead and rolls. Difficult afternoon for actually fishing - bright sun but with the water temps still well down, no signs at all of rises.
When it's like this you really need to sort out a technique to handle to conditions - hit and hope just won't work.
So what are the options - floater long leader with a team of buzzers? Intermediate line, slow retrieve with lures? or??
Try a static lure -could be a blob or an egg fly but must be absolutely still no movement at all.
If you think about it everything in the water is moving in some way, fast or slow except, in this case, your fly and this can be a source of annoyance for the fish.
When fishing this method 3 things could happen
1/ absolutely nothing! Not the desired result so try something else!
2/ The fish start to nudge the fly basically trying to work out what it is and get it to move.
3/ The fish grab it with a vengeance. If this happens your lift into the fish must be fast, in fact very fast or you will miss the chance!
The question is do you use an indicator?? If there is just one question to stir up so many differing opinions then I guess this is it! For what it's worth if you do try this method then you WILL need to use an indicator. The fly needs to be absolutely still and you will need an indicator to hold the depth. You may however fall into the band of flyfishers who just don't like the idea of using a "coarse fisherman's float" just one question for you - what is a floating line if not a float albeit 90+ft long??? An indicator just makes this method more efficient by stopping the end of the floating line from sinking
Fly fishing is all about opinions and it would not be as good if we all agreed on everything!!

What a week!

2011-03-17T12:24:00.000Z

Great week with lots of varied lessons, beginners and more advanced, just how I like it.
Even managed to get a few hours on the river for a bit of early season trouting!
On the river tomorrow doing rolls and Speys with some of my mentoring group, then it's off to Llangollen for the weekend for a meeting of the GAIA assessors and more training workshops.

I love it when it's busy!!!

Busy busy!

2011-03-13T17:49:00.000Z

Had a great lesson today with Graham from Blackpool. Had him casting well in no time at all and I am sure he will be taking up fly fishing on a regular basis now.
Pretty full diary for next few weeks (that's certainly not a complaint!) mixture of beginner's and advanced stuff at Curley's and on the river. Still will be able to squeeze a few more lessons in if anyone needs them - don't hold back!!!!

Tuesday 15th March - the first day of the Brown Trout season! been a long time coming so dig out all those Large Dark Olive and Grannom patterns!!

This Grannom pattern is from the Gwent Angling Society Site and is an adaptation from Gwilym Hughes' famous Cul de Canon flies

Fly Fishing in France anyone??

2011-03-09T09:51:00.000Z

Found this great article on Fly Fishing in France read here
Doesn't it make you yearn for some great fly fishing on warmer days and some sunshine, especially when it's horrible outside.
I did have a lesson today with John from Bolton Fly Tyers but we decided to re-arrange!!!!

Open day at NWAC

2011-03-08T07:57:00.001Z

Hi All

Friday 25th March

North West Angling Centre at Hindley will be holding an open day with yours truly representing Hardy/Greys. I'll be there to show the latest tackle including the new rod and reel ranges. So if you are in the "market" for some new gear and you want to try before you buy this will be a great opportunity, where you can try all the rods along side each other for direct comparisons. So let the "tackle tart" in to come to the fore and come along for a chat and a play!
Hope to see lots of you on the day.

click here for more details

Spring Fly Fair 2011

2011-03-06T17:10:00.000Z

Hi all
Did any of you go the the Spring Fly Fair at Newark last weekend??
It's the first time I have missed the show in about 4 years but this year it was joined with the Shooting show and didn't have the same flyfishing content as previous years.

My friends at the British Fly Casting Club (BFFC) were there and managed to find some video of Mike Heritage doing his stuff with some commentry from Charles Jardine

Click here to watch

Preparation for the season

2011-03-05T10:53:00.000Z

Apart from getting your ff tackle together as explained in my last blog you may want to consider doing some casting practise! What a surprise me talking about casting practise - however a new twist to the theme

Have a look here for the Salmon & Trout Mag review of the new Hardy Sintrix Zenith rods - apparently they do all the work and anyone can cast with them!!!!

Mmm?? I have cast with a couple of these and they are great rods but......

Brown trout just around the bend!!!

2011-03-02T09:26:00.000Z

Hi all

The start of the "new" season doesn't really mean as much nowadays since we can literally fish all year round. For a most it is really based upon the start of Spring and the promise of better weather.

Either way we should all be looking at our fishing tackle and making sure it's up to scratch, particularly if it has all been in hibernation over the colder months!

Strip your line off the reel and give it a good clean, use a proper line cleaner on all floating lines to re-invigorate the "floatabilty" The 3m line dressing is the best I have found - look here

Inspect your reel, clean and very lightly oil if required. Then give your rod some attention - clean the blank and the rings and carefully inspect the rings for any signs of wear or damage. Damaged rod rings are a major reason for the destruction of your fly line!

Finally look at your fly boxes - no matter how anal some of us are about our fly boxes they always require an overhaul - throw away any that are damaged or rusty!!! Get the rest into some sort of order even if it's just basic grouping, Nymphs, Dries, Wets, Lures, colours, it will help and maybe give you a feeling of satisfaction - or is that just me being very anal?

Last but not least - how about tidying up your bag, get rid of all those bits of leader and loose flies that you couldn't be bothered to put in a box last time out!!!

As the old saying goes "failure to prepare is preparation for failure!!"

Tightlines

Fly Fishing Websites

2011-02-27T14:38:00.001Z

It is of course true that loads of information is now readily available through the cyberspace highway but how many times do you do a bit of surfing and find absolutely nothing new or interesting.

Time and time again I always end up going back the the sites I know and enjoy to read their updates.

Here are just two of those sites you you may also enjoy:

Gwent Angling Society - this is a large site with loads of videos on all aspects of Fly fishing and fly tying.

Sexy Loops -This site has been around for ages but for all those technically minded is just about the best around for casting nerds

There is enough fly fishing info one these two sites to keep you house bound for weeks!!! Handle with care!!

Tightlines

Flu Jabs???

2011-02-25T17:48:00.000Z

Flu jabs - are they having a laugh? Had my jab before Christmas but hasn't stopped my getting pole axed by a bout of serious man flu.!
Still did a few lessons this week, some very technical and some at beginner level - all good stuff.
It was good to meet up with Roger from London, who is taking his GAIC exam in May.

Been surfing the net a bit as well and came across this - Sir Ian Botham talking about his love of fly fishing

Have a ganders here

Day off but early start

2011-02-19T10:01:00.000Z

I am off today as I am going to watch the Mighty Magpies of Chorley take on Chester in what will be one of the biggest games of season with the top and second teams in the Evostick Div One North playing each other. Non league football is brilliant and much better than watching all the overpaid Premier League "superstars"!

It was an early start for me though as I was in Radio Lancashire's studios at 7.30am recording a programme with Martin James "At the water's edge" which will go out early April - I'll let you know the actual date of transmission nearer to the time just in case you are so bored that you might want to tune in!

Martin James is a great guy and an absolutely avid fisher in all disciplines and for all species. Besides being a broadcaster he is also the river keeper for the private stretch of the Ribble where I am a member and he does a great job of looking after the water and us!
I would whole heartedly recommend his book that came out at the end of last year - "At the water's edge" published by First Nature (ISBN13:978-0-9560544-5-4). It is a great read for any fishing fan not just fly fishing.

Come on Chorley!!!

Is casting ability a natural talent?

2011-02-11T19:16:00.000Z

I have been teaching fly fishing on a full-time basis for about 9 or 10 years now and I am still no nearer to deciding if a good caster is born or manufactured.

I have witnessed that, hand eye co-ordination, balance, timing and control are vital components of good casting and I have observed that some people possess these skills more than others. However I have been able to teach all clients to cast sufficiently well to allow them to catch fish, albeit with some having to practice a bit more than others. Having said all that I have to say that some of my clients have latched onto techniques quicker than others and as a result have ended up being better casters.

Take today's lesson with David from Rufford who has been fly fishing for about 2 years but having reached the inevitable ceiling in achieving casting objectives, came to me for help. His initial casting was very typical of all self-taught casters - more brawn than technique. However once David understood what he was trying to do and then took all the power and effort out of the cast, allowing the rod and line to do the work, his casting really took off. More practise followed establishing this new style and technique even more, to the extent that he was double hauling before the end of the lesson.
So is David more naturally talented than some of my other clients? Maybe, but what made him stand out for me are 2 of the most important characteristics that we all need in order to learn & improve in anything
1/ listening skills - this is a two way street and not just for the client but probably more for the instructor!
2/ desire to do better and mean it!

Thanks David for a great lesson - really enjoyed it!

Micro Flies

2011-02-02T18:30:00.000Z

This is going to be my "theme" for this year when river fly fishing - using small flies. As the fish generally come under more and more fishing pressure, I am sure that great a presentation of a very inconspicuous fly will pay dividends.
Plus how many times nowadays do we go to the river and not see any real "hatch" to speak of especially early Spring? In fact the only thing we can see moving or should I say flying about are likely to be Chironomids.

A good mate of mine, Gareth Lewis, is a real ambassador for all flies small

Have a look around his blog site you 'll see what I mean.......Look Here

If you tie your own then you'll need some 20's to 28 hooks!!

First Fishing trip of the season

2011-01-31T08:59:00.000Z

At last I have put some dates together for my accompanied fly fishing trips.

The first of which will be on Wed 6th April and the species we'll be targeting is Brown Trout.

Early season river fishing can be a challenge dependant upon the water and weather. If you are lucky then there will be some Grannoms and Large Dark Olives about but on most days you might only see very small Chironomids. The good news is that I will have patterns for all of these and more available

More dates to follow, some midweek and some at weekends and we will do some Trout, Grayling, Salmon and some Saltwater for Bass and Mullet.

Watch this space....!

Just send me an email for more details or to book a place.

Today's lessons

2011-01-16T14:08:00.000Z

Couple of great lessons today.

First off I was with Paul from Prestwich, concentrating on the basic casting techniques for over head and roll casting and how these effect all the other casts we do. If the basics aren't right we cannot expect to be able to cast further or with the correct level of control. We looked at how to get started fly casting on rivers, how to control the line to minimise the drag on the fly.

The second lesson was with Karl and his son Henry from Bury, both very keen to get started but wanted to know all the basics stuff first to form a good foundation of knowledge and skill. I left them both fishing for an hour or so to put all the things thay had picked into practise.

More lessons booked everyday next week - hope the weather is kind!

Fish Discards

2011-01-14T17:15:00.000Z

If you have seen Hugh Fernley Whitingstall's programme on channel-4 for the last three nights, you'll know all about this ridiculous situation. Please follow the link below and add your name to the list protesting at the insanity of 'Discarding' imposed on fishermen by the EU. Send it to all your contacts as well and maybe we can make a difference.

www.fishfight.net

Magazine article

2011-01-13T16:46:00.001Z

Hope this works

Click here to read the article

Total Fly Fisher

2011-01-12T19:08:00.001Z

Well, I guess I am now a magazine contributor!
I did one article some time ago but now I have done two I think the above title is correct??

It's about the "Hang Method" and it's in January's Total Fly Fisher

I'll try to work out a way of uploading it??

Anyway if you get a copy I hope you enjoy reading it

Hardy's get it right (again!)

2011-01-08T18:48:00.000Z

Lots has already been written about the new range of Hardy Sintrix rods and to add my own opinion it will take some beating. I have already "test" driven a couple of the Zenith's and they are very special.
Just to add to your appetites even more - have a read of this report from some rod testing in the States, where they have always have a big bias for rods made in the god damn US of A

To read the full report look here

What suprises me in this report, in particular, is the very low score of the Sage TCX, a rod that I like a lot. However this is where one man's meat is another man's poison -- I only ever used the TCX and the Hardy Angel TE for that matter for pure distance so the results should be differant.

Zenith's should be available end of this month, hopefully. As soon as they are rest assured, I'll have one and if you ask me nicely you can have a play with it!

refresher group casting lesson

2011-01-05T20:37:00.000Z

Hi all
Just got a couple of late vacancies for Saturday's course if anyone is interested??
10.00am till 12.00pm

Just send me an email

Back in the swing of things

2011-01-03T12:36:00.001Z

Well, back to "normal" now. Even the weather is manageble, or have I just spoken too soon!!

Been out a few times to blow the cobwebs away.

I have given myself 2 main objectives this year. Certainly more double handed stuff and of course the single handed distance.

Been surfing around the "t'interweb" as you do and found this stuff.
Maybe something to have a go at in the future?

Tenkara fly fishing
Explanation of Tenkara fishing

I like the idea of this style of fishing, I guess it can be related to dabbling or even duo-ing for that matter.

So what do you think? Serious alternative or gimmick??

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T10:21:00.000Z

I would just like to take this opportunity of wishing all my clients , past, present and future and their families all the very best for Christmas and the New Year.

Have a great time - keep counting the days to the new season!!!

Let it snow, let it snow!

2010-12-19T13:15:00.000Z

Well this cold weather snap doesn't look like going away for some time! The forecast, generally for the North West is continuing cold conditions then more snow on Christmas day. I have now accepted that my usual Christmas visit to the "Ladies of the stream" will more than likely not take place! Pity but that's life! Maybe not much chance for casting practise either but boredom may overcome common sense over the next few days!

Time maybe for some "internet fishing" lots of great info all over cyberspace, on You Tube and Vimeo - I'll put links to the better stuff on here over Xmas

Although the last post before Christmas is tomorrow I can still email gift vouchers right up till Xmas Eve for all those late, late presents! Just get in touch.

Group lessons

2010-12-12T15:02:00.000Z

Had a great group session today with Bolton Fly Tyers and my merry gang of trainees.
It was brilliant to see all the guys casting away with such enthusiasm.
It was certainly a win win scenario, with the Fly tyers learning and improving and the trainee instructors gaining valuable experience.

Bolton Fly tying group are a great bunch of guys who arrange lots of fly tying demos throughout the winter - have a look here for more info - http://boltonflytyers.blogspot.com/

Minus 8 and still practising!

2010-12-06T17:15:00.000Z

Beyond the call of duty!

It's one thing getting guys to practise it's another entirely getting them to practise in a river at minus 8 degrees!

We had to break the ice before we could even get in!!

Now that's dedication or is it just plain insanity! You decide!

Fantastic day nonetheless, really enjoyed it!

Winter casting practise

2010-12-01T15:49:00.000Z

Hi all been out this morning with my buddy Richard, doing some distance work.

Casting in a blizzard is great fun!! It's not the line bending his rod it's the wind!!

It was a bit chilly and a biting wind but got some satisfying casting done all the same. Richard's technique is improving all the time.

I used the trusty Angel TE MK2 #5 for a change, not used it for ages. I have been working on improving my tracking and the speed of the hauls. It seems to be paying off as I am now hitting 110ft plus on a regular basis and it wasn't that long ago that 100ft was the objective. So it is now onwards and upwards to 115ft then the magical 120ft -- I hope!?!?!?!

I must admit to being fairly hooked on distance casting particularly with a #5, which is the blue ribbon event in distance stuff.
Need to buy a couple new lines now and will probably go for the Barrio GT140 and a MED (Mastery Expert Distance) both are great lines with very long heads. The Barrio in particular at only £25.00 is an amazing line in comparison to the MED which is twice the price!

Group casting update
Only a couple of places left for the first class on the 18th Dec.
More will be arranged for early in the New Year - get in touch to reserve your place.

Group refresher lessons

2010-11-24T18:48:00.000Z

I am going to do a short series of group casting sessions over the Winter.

The first one will be on Sat Dec 18th at 10.00am till 12.00 noon (others to follow in January) meeting at Curley's fly fishery.
These will be for all levels but particularly aimed at all of you who have had your first formal lessons with me over the course of this year.

The spaces on these will be limited and cost £25.00 per person for a 2 hour session and so represents great value for money.

I'll do a refresher on the basics of the overhead cast, then move onto wind direction variations, followed by shooting line and maybe double hauling and distance casting. For any of you interested in river fly fishing then we can also look at slack line casts for up, across and downstream presentation.

To reserve your place just send me an email here asap

Back from Wales

2010-11-14T17:35:00.000Z

Just got back form a hectic but very enjoyable 4 days in Mid-Wales for the GAIA autumn meeting.
Great to meet up with some old friends form all over Britain and Ireland.
Thursday and Friday spent holding assessments Some were succesful and other will be next time around I am sure.
Saturday was the training workshops - every minute in this environment was helpful as we all strive to improve our performance as Instructors and finally Sunday was the associations AGM.

Back to reality this next week with lessons booked for most days at Curley's.

Wales again

2010-11-10T15:20:00.001Z

Last weekend in mid Wales was a bit of a wash out as regards the rivers but we managed to find some sport at a large reservoir called Llyn Clywedog. It is about 1000 acres which to put into persepctive - Stocks is 300 acres!!

It is really stunning scenery and well worth another visit in the spring/summer. Good quality fully finned Rainbows.
This weekend back to Wales for the GAIA autumn meeting . On Thursday and Friday I will be assessing some hopeful candidates who have been training for the GAIC - the Game Angling Instructor's Certificate.
Saturday is our main CPPD (Continued, personal, professional, development) Day with lots of workshops going on. Followed by our AGM on Sunday.

Of course all this will be linked to some time at the Bar! - meeting old friends and making new fishing buddies.

Will be back to some sort of normality next week with more 1to1 tuition.

River Wye and Irfon

2010-11-05T13:27:00.000Z

I am off this weekend on the stag party of my buddy Stuart Minnikin, we are all going to mid Wales to heopefully do some Grayling fishing on the Wye, Irfon, Lugg etc..
However I am confident that the river will be far too high so I am throwing in the Pike fly fishing gear as well. Am determined to catch something other than a bad head!!

Next week fully diary of bookings for tuition and then would you believe back to Mid Wales for the GAIA Autumn weekend.

After this I will be sorting out some dates for the Winter group tuition programme and some Grayling dates.

"Speak" next week!

Tightlines

Salmon Season Ends

2010-10-31T11:37:00.000Z

Well, it ends at least in the North West - now it's time to really concentrate on the "Ladies"
More on this to follow......

The BFFI is well underway - a busy day yesterday with lots of folk coming along the the GAIA stand to watch our guys, Mark Roberts, Louis Noble and John Green tying some great flies and explaining the techniques.

I will be holding a few group casting sessions over the winter aimed at 3 differant sections:

1/ Early learners - i.e. all you guys have only really started fly fishing this year and maybe had a starter lesson with me
2/ Intermediate fly fishers who have been fishing a while but could do with a little help with your casting maybe!
3/ More advanced stuff - learn how to double haul, for example.
Again more to follow but if you fancy these group sessions just get in touch for more details

BFFI Trentham Gardens

2010-10-21T12:12:00.000+01:00

Martin, from Ramsbottom who was a complete beginner came to see me this week. It was a horrible day, windy and cold with the odd shower thrown in for good measure!
However the lesson went well and Martin never lost his enthusiasm and seems very keen on taking up fly fishing.

Lots of lessons with my trainees and the ongoing process of getting them all prepared for their assessments.

In addition, just making the final plans and arrangements for the GAIA stand at the forthcoming British Fly Fair (BFFI) at Trentham Gardens near Stoke on the 30th and 31st Oct.
If you haven't been to this fair over the last few years you are missing out - it's a great event and always in my calender each year. Have a look here for this years line-up.

I will be on the GAIA stand off and on over the 2 days, so come along and have a chat.

I will also have Mark Roberts, Louis Noble and John Green tying flies and these guys are really good and will show you how to tie any fly you want!

See you there?

River Ribble

2010-10-15T16:37:00.000+01:00

On the river this morning with Phil and his Dad, Bernie, both of whom are training to be fly fishing instructors.

Went through all the roll casts and spey casts that the guy will have to demonstrate during their assessment. Both did very well and Phil who is taking his assessment next month showed his ability and control to a very good standard and should make it through the assessment.

Whilst on the river only saw 2 salmon but whilst we are casting there were lots of small fish sipping off the surface, these turned out to be Dace with the odd Parr and small Trout thrown in for good measure.
So another good day all round.

Tomorrow I have all my mentoring group together for a session, off on Sunday and a full week of lesson booked Monday onwards. I hope the weather keeps up!

Intermediate casters

2010-10-13T19:31:00.000+01:00

Had some lessons over the last few days with guys that have been fly fishing for a while and wanted to improve their casting techniques.

I enjoy doing any lesson but these I particularly enjoy. It is all about being very accurate with the diagnosis of what is going on with their existing style and technique.
It's very easy to jump to the obvious - too much wrist, not stopping the rod in the right place etc.
However these may not be the only things going wrong.

This is where the 6 point diagnostic technique comes into play - As an instructor I always look at what is happening to the line first - is it going out straight, hitting the water, hooking to the side or falling in a heap?
Then I look at the rod - acceleration, stops, power application?
Then I look at what is happening to the arm, hand and wrist?

Once I have these observations I can "mend the problems" in the reverse order i.e. I alter the movement of the arm, hand or wrist first - then mend anything required in the rod movement - then observe the effects on the line.

A simple formula that works well - provided you know what you are looking for ,of course!!

It certainly worked with Phil from Ormskirk and Oliver from Chorley!

Day off tomorrow but then on the Ribble doing speys and roll casts with 2 of my trainees.

Technical casting

2010-10-07T16:48:00.000+01:00

Lots of lessons this week (and next for that matter) have been with the trainee instructors I am helping.

This is a progressive learning process that requires understanding of how the rod and line work mixed with the ability to demonstrate a variety of technical casts to a very high standard and not forgetting of course, knowledge of fly fishing.

All of them are now really getting to grips with this challenge and are rising to it extremely well.

I am on the river tomorrow with 2 more going through roll casts, spey casts and slack line presentation casts.

Fly fishing Australia

2010-10-05T17:50:00.000+01:00

Had a good lesson today with Stuart from Perth, Australia! Stuart is from Blackburn but has lived in Aussie for 17 years!

Stuart does a lot of sea fishing North of Perth and was telling me that on his last trip he caught 27 different species. Fascinating listening to him listing the many ways you can die just going out fishing - from Blue ringed octopus, Crocks, sharks, box jelly fish etc... and I thought the pontoons at Curley's were sometimes a bit slippy!!!!

Anyway we had a great day together = caught a few rainbows on a variety of methods and hopefully encouraged Stuart to have a go at Salt water fly fishing when he gets home. That's if he is feeling brave enough???

If you wade a bit deep around our coast you just get wet....................?????

Full day format

2010-10-03T10:55:00.001+01:00

Had a great lesson yesterday with Mark from Lostock Hall, Preston. It was a full day gift voucher bought by his girlfriend, Janet.

Mark had done some maggot drowning in years gone by but had always wanted to have a go at Fly Fishing.
My normal full day lesson format for a complete beginner is:

Introduction to equipment - rods, reels, lines, leaders, knots, flies and fly selection covering the basics of entomology.
Safety - hats and glasses, waterside common sense!
Basic casts -roll cast and overhead cast
Variations of the basic casts - wind direction etc..
Watercraft - where to start, what tactics to adopt, working out where the fish might be, depth of the fish, what the fish are feeding on etc...
Finishing up with a session actually fishing.

After 9 years of doing this full time I think I have just about got the balance right - it's a full day but I like to give value for money.

So Mark did all of this and did it very well - his casting was excellent and he even managed to show Janet his newly gained skills as she turned up at the end of the day.

Another satisfied customer who will hopefully go on to enjoy this great sport!

More mentoring

2010-09-30T09:35:00.000+01:00

We are getting down to the "squeaky bum" time for the guys I am mentoring - only a few weeks away from their assessments and hopefully becoming fully qualified instructors with GAIA

Final decisions for some of them - go for it in November or practise a little more and go for it in March next year.

I have been a fulltime fly fishing instructor for over 9 years now and thought I had seen and heard everything till this week, - I had a lesson cancellation because it was raining!!
I didn't know that fly fishing was an indoor activitiy!!

It takes all sorts to make a world!

Fly fishing for Pike

2010-09-26T18:14:00.000+01:00

Had a couple of good lessons today, first off with Peter from Westhoughton who is a complete beginner but a very experienced coarse fisher. Whenever coarse fisherman have a go at fly casting you know what you are going to see. Coarse fisherman do not do any form of backcast and generally speaking always stop the rod low down on the forward cast - and Peter was no exception. Once this was highlighted his casting became much better and a bit more practise should sort it out completely. Hopefully another convert from "maggot" drowning!

The second lesson was with Jeff from Chorley who has been flyfishing for a couple of years but was struggling to use a very stiff Pike rod and cast a huge Pike fly. So firstly we went back to basics with a middle to tip fly rod. Again the most common problem with all leisure fly fishers came to the fore - namely stopping the rod in the right position. We worked on 3 issues:
1/ moving the rod on the same plane for the back and forward casts
2/ the application of power
3/ sticking to the right places to stop the rod.

In no time at all Jeff was casting much further than he had been able to in the past and with much less effort. We then looked at techniques he could use when Pike fishing and we introduced, side casting, roll casting and combination casting for use with a sinking line.
I am confident that Jeff will make further progress in the future.

Autumn is here

2010-09-26T09:18:00.000+01:00

Typical Autumn day yesterday - bright sunlight with a cold biting westerly! The thermals will be out very soon, I think.

Had a great lesson with Andrew and his son Sam ,from Manchester, both complete beginners.

Not much action in the fishing anywhere on the reservoir, almost certainly the fish were well down and not in reach of our floating lines.

An intermediate, sinking at about 1.5 ins per second would have been just about perfect but beginners need a little pratice with the floater before having a go with a sinker.

Tomorrow 2 more beginners will learn all about fly fishing!

Icelandic trout

2010-09-21T18:24:00.000+01:00

I was talking to Steve Cooper (BFFI organisor) the other day and during the conversation on all matters fly fishing, he mentioned that he goes to Iceland (the country not the shop!) most years to fish for Trout and Char. I was suprised as I associate the fishing with Salmon only. So anyway he sent me some photos. Mega gob smacked is the only expression I can come up with ....... and trust me the kids bike is NOT a dinky toy version!

So when are we all going to Iceland???

On a real level had a great lesson today with John from Longridge. and gentleman of 70 years young! John was casting really well in no time at all and reachinig over 60ft with a simple shooting line cast - great technique! He followed that up with catching 3 rainbows all to dry fly!
Very enjoyable day all round.

Killer Bug

2010-09-20T17:18:00.000+01:00

It seems that everybody and his brother is sending me info about the "new" killer shrimp that has been found in Graftham Water!
It sounds pretty bad news and just another invasive predator that shouldn't be here to add to the Mink, Grey Squirrel, Signal Crayfish and 99% of the players in professional football!

On another brighter note I had a good lesson with Steve, one of my trainees today. We did a full "dress rehersal" of the GAIA assessment and with a bit of tweeking here and there, Steve is pretty much bang on time in his preparations for the real thing in November.

The Midland Game Fair went well over the weekend with my merry group of GAIA instructors doing a splendid job of teaching fly fishing to both new and old to the sport.
It's great to see everyone enjoying these first steps into the great world of fly fishing.

Tomorrow an experienced fly fisher who is using his gift voucher for a full days tuition and the weather forecast looks better!

Tyne

2010-09-17T10:28:00.000+01:00

Well just back for a few fishing days on the Tyne. As normal I judged this trip to perfection - NOT!

After a drought of weeks I get there just in time for a full on spate! The river came up about 5 ft in half a day, The persistant fly fisher never gives up and we didn't either until the trees started to come down on the flood!

Loads of fish moving upstream but they weren't going to delay their journey for any of our flies!
Had a great couple of days though with Mike and Steve - good company and an even better laugh!

Then I was with Sam from London for 2 days, who wanted to learn about Salmon fishing with a double hander. The first day it was litterally blowing a gale but we managed to find a little shelter and got some spey casting done. Then on the second day we put it all into practise on the river. Sam did really well being able to cast up to 80ft off both shoulders with a good degree of control. Sadly this went completely unrewarded by any Salmon, although the conditions looked very good, no one on our beat touched a fish.

Hey! that's salmon fishing for you!

Just time now to unload the car then load up again with all the GAIA banners and stand material for the Midland Show at Weston Park near Telford.
I will be there with a team of instructors doing the casting clinic - come along and say hello!

Casting Control

2010-09-10T17:25:00.000+01:00

Yesterday's lesson was with Graham from Foulridge, nr Colne. Graham has been fly fishing for about 2 years on reservoirs and wanted to improve his casting and have more control and distance.

He soon made vast improvements to his basic casting and so I was able to move onto more advanced stuff and soon had him double hauling.

Double hauling why do we do it and what advantages does it give us?
Firstly let's get rid of the popular belief that DH is all about distance - it isn't. It is about control !! The extra control we get from DH allows us to be more accurate and certainly the ability to be able to cope with the wind better -in fact it is essential when it is windy.
A bi-product of this extra control is that it allows us to aerialise and shoot more line and therefore to achieve more distance. However I always double haul when I am river fishing and only casting very short distances because I will always have a more controlled and accurate cast - and therefore more fish!!

Tomorrow my mentoring group again....

And Sunday I am representing Hardy/Greys at Westlow Mere Fishery with Stockport Fly Fishing.
It's a charity day for "Help for Heroes" so it goes without saying that I will be more than happy to be there.

Thunder & Lightening

2010-09-07T18:40:00.000+01:00

Hi All
Was with Andy from Preston, today who was using his gift voucher bought for him by his wife.
Andy is part of a mountain rescue team and so is used to the outdoors and the changeable nature of our weather, which is just as well. Today we saw just about everything except snow.

The one weather condition that all fly fishers need to be wary of, is of course, lightening. When it starts you stop and put to rod down! Carbon and electricity are not a good mix.

The lesson went very well and Andy learned 2 variations of the roll cast which he did well and then ended up with a very good basic overhead cast. Just a little bit of overpower on the forward cast which is very common in most self taught fly fishers and nearly all beginners.

Just remember it does not require any more power in the cast just because you are going forward! Even if you are shooting line - even the power out both forward and backward to the absolute minimum required to flex the rod.

Tomorrow I am on the River - and it's might be in decent condition - with a bit of luck!!

Back to reality

2010-09-07T11:44:00.000+01:00

After the fun of Chatsworth it's back to the day job now. Chatsworth is a unique show that is more a family day out than anything else. It has a bit of fishing, shooting and dogs but most of the show is family entertainment. Even so GAIA taught about a hundred people over the 3 days, how to fly cast for the first time or helped them improve their existing technique and really that's what GAIA is all about.

Click here for the GAIA website

Chatsworth Country Fair

2010-09-02T10:09:00.000+01:00

Hi All
I am going down to Derbyshire today to set up the GAIA (Game Angling Instructors' Association) Stand and the Chatsworth Country Fair near Bakewell.

There will be a group of Instructors there doing the casting clinic for the 3 days on fisherman's row

It's a great show albeit not much fishing content but more a really good family day out.

If you come along be sure to say hello.

Tightlines

Over from the dark side

2010-09-01T09:20:00.000+01:00

Had a good lesson with Andy from Thornton Cleverleys, yesterday. Andy has done a bit of maggot drowning in the past and was bought a full day gift voucher by his children to learn fly fishing.

After talking to Andy I felt confident that fly fishing would offer all the things he was looking and hoping for in a new pastime. He wanted activity and a challenge as much as anything and fly fishing certainly tick all those boxes.

When we got down to it his roll casting was good particularly off the opposite shoulder but his overhead casting was very good. Just a slight tendency to overpower a little but on the whole very good.

Hopefully Andy will go on to become a very keen fly fisher - another one over from the dark side of coarse fishing!

Beach Casters

2010-08-29T09:59:00.000+01:00

The lesson yesterday was with Stuart and Wendy McNair from Preston. Both of them are very keen on sea fishing with powerful beach casting rods. It is normal to expect people who do this sort of fishing regularly to find it difficult to make the transition over to fly fishing. Why? because the technique is so very different and more so on the application of power.
However, once Wendy and Stuart recognised and understood these changes we made terrific progress.

The roll casts were executed with good control and accuracy and the overhead casting was very good. Starting off with a basic overhead we soon got onto false casting and shooting line.

With all these casts we looked at the safety factors and variations of each cast taking into account the very nasty Westerly. This was just as well because when it came to actually fishing the wind was horrible but using the wind behind technique with the roll cast both of them were able to get a good line out with more than sufficient distance and more importantly without putting themselves in danger of being hit with the fly line or the fly.

So in spite of the conditions I was happy with the way the lesson went and we achieved all the original objectives and hopefully Stuart and Wendy will go on to do and enjoy more fly fishing in the future.

Father and Son

2010-08-26T13:53:00.000+01:00

Had a great lesson today with Gareth who lives in Switzerland and his Father, Bill from Bolton.
The lesson went according to plan untill the casting, Bill was good but Gareth was exceptional for a complete beginner.

The main reason for Gareth's performance was that he is one of those rare people who have the ability to control the movement of the wrist from the onset. Most people instinctively cock the wrist whilst trying the overhead cast and it requires a bit of patience and for some a lot of practise to overcome this fault. Gareth however had almost instant control and was therefore moving the rod with only his forearm and shoulder and started to cast some impressive loops straight away.

I teach hundreds of people over the course of a year and probably only about one in 50 have this control, the rest of us mere mortals have to work a bit harder but get there in the end.

Gareth is just visiting on his annual holidays before going back home to Zurich. He did tell me that there are Brown Trout in Lake Zurich but at 500 ft deep you might struggle using fly fishing techniques but got to be worth a go!

Windy conditions

2010-08-24T20:02:00.000+01:00

Today I had a lesson with Anthony from Manchester, a complete beginner. The weather was awful, high winds from the West and very heavy rain and so I had my doubts that we would be able to do the lesson. Rain is not so bad - clothing can protect you against that but strong winds are another thing entirely, especially with a new starter. However we started the lesson with an explanation of the tackle, knots, leader set-ups and fly selection with a bit of entomology thrown in for good measure.
At this time there looked to be a little break in the conditions so we ventured outside. The roll cast went well once Anthony started to stop the rod high, so we progressed onto the basic overhead cast. Then the rain came and the wind picked up. Fortunately Anthony was used to the outdoors and so the conditions didn't put him off and he wanted to continue and in the end he was able to put a good straight line out in spite of the conditions.

High winds can cause problems for any fly fisher, no matter how good you are at casting. Most leisure anglers go the the upwind bank to cast with the wind behind them - this is not the best thing to do!
The prime position for a right hander is to stand with the prevailing wind coming from the left so that the wind keeps "danger" (the fly) downwind of where you are stood. If you are left handed then position yourself with the wind coming from the right.
You will get a decent line out casting across the wind but you won't be in danger!!

Try it!

Gift Voucher

2010-08-23T16:54:00.000+01:00

Had a lesson today with Kevin from Bolton who was bought a gift voucher for his last birthday.

The lesson went very well with Kevin getting to grips with the technical demands of casting. As with all beginners it boils down to the wrist - using it in the roll cast and not using it for overhead casting. Practise makes perfect and I hope to see Kevin putting what he has learned to good effect in the near future.

Unfortunately the weather was horrible, heavy rain interrupted with spells of slightly less heavy rain! As the saying goes there is no such thing as bad weather just inadequate clothing!

It would be good, however, not to have to rely on the "good clothing" sometime in the future!!!!

I have another beginner tomorrow but maybe have a go for the Salmon on Wednesday (day off) if the rivers stay up. Here's hoping!

The new golf??

2010-08-22T20:21:00.000+01:00

Good lesson today with a really great couple from Rochdale, Ryan and his wife Kirsty. They went through my usual day lesson, and ended up with a few hours fishing time. Both of them were casting very well and achieving a decent distance with control and accuracy.
Unfortunately the fish were not in a good mood - water temps way up - fish way down but on another day they would have had fish I am sure.

I am teaching more and more couples and partners to fly fishing I wonder why?
Is it because its is a good healthy sport that both can do equally?
Is it because one or the other doesn't want to be left at home and so joins in?

I don't know for definite but it has been said that fly fishing is becoming the new Golf - both sexes able to do it well, any age, any ability and enjoy doing something different together!

Family Fly Fishing

2010-08-21T13:17:00.000+01:00

Hi all, had another good lesson today with Steve from Bolton with his Son and his Son's friend.
After a little explanation about what fly fishing is, the equipment we use and the fly selection we have, it was off to the water for casting.
I immediately started them off with the Roll cast which is fairly easy to learn but more importantly gives them the ability to get the fly out onto the water safely, in most conditions. They all did really well and so we then moved onto all the other variations of the roll cast taking into account wind direction etc.
We then spent some time on applying this cast to actually fishing, retrieving, playing the fish, fish handling etc. In addition to the vital aspects of "watercraft", where to fish and what to look for.

All in all a good introduction to fly fishing and hopefully giving them all the encouragement to take up this great sport long-term.

I am often asked to teach kids fly fishing and I guess it's one of those areas that promotes a lot of discussion within Instructor circles. My take on it is simple - Kids need to be at least 10 years old and an early teenager better still. In my experience children younger than this are better off having a go at coarse fishing where the technical demands are not as great and the probability of catching fish are greater.

I whole heartedly encourage parent and child lessons where they both learn together - it's a fantastic opportunity to do some bonding and get the kids away from the game consoles and PC's, get some fresh air. Even if the parent is a fly fisher already I will still get them to come along and participate in the lesson. There is no point at all in my teaching the child to do certain casts safely if the parent can't keep them on this path afterwards, through lack of knowledge on their part.

Hey, but that's just my point of vue!?!?!