Spey casting lesson

I was on the Ribble yesterday with a Father and Son combo for a Spey casting lesson.
Alex and Iain had a basic lesson with me 2 weeks ago at Curley's but now was the time to put the basics to the test on moving water.
Firstly we discussed about wading safety - really important as the river had come up about a foot over normal summer levels due to the overnight rain.

Starting off with a static roll cast and then jump roll to blow away the cobwebs we soon moved onto changing direction and "proper" fishing casts.

We looked at the classic double spey to allow us to cast safely when there is a downstream wind and then a snap T to cast safely in an upstream wind. These two fairly simple options allow us to fish in almost all conditions.
As we progressed through the lesson the river was rising steadily but still wade-able until we saw lots of debris being washed down and it was time to get out and we finished the lesson from the safety of the bank.

Keeping yourself safe is obviously important but having the techniques to do so, need be acquired just like any other skill.

Back to Curley's for the rest of the week and weekend with novies and beginners.

Radio Programme

Hi Folks
For any of you who are interested I will be on Martin James programme "At the Water's Edge" on Radio Lancashire on Thursday at 7.00pm
Click here for the link - you can listen to it for 7 days after the scheduled tranmission time.

River Ribble

Had a spey casting lesson on the ribble today so decided after the lesson was over to have a go with a double hander for the first time this year, in anger.

The water levels looked ominous last night at  1m above normal Summer levels but fortunately it had gone down to a very fishable 60cms. The colour was a little dark but definitely fishable so I gave it a go.
Early doors yet for the Ribble and nothing was moving about at all but at least it was a start.
Martin James, broadcaster, author and all round good egg was upstream and briefly latched onto what he thought was a sea-trout but never got to see the fish.

Talking about Martin, I will be on his radio programme "At the water's edge" on Radio Lancashire on April 26th

Extreme Float Tubing

Now most of you will know that I am a float tubing enthusiast, however these guys take it to the max and back again.

Look at this - http://youtu.be/Fv7jJj8ONvM

Fishing time

Been doing  bit of fishing myself over the last couple of days. It's my new years resolution to get out more and practise what I preach. I did so little fishing last year that I am determined to put this right in 2012.
Last few days on the river with my new 11ft #3 streamflex - great river rod. Main set-up includes small nymphs and spiders and then to react to any hatches with my 12ft Tenkara rod and dry flies.
So far as a tactics this is working at treat, quite a few nice Brownies to the net.

I have been amazed at the presentation you can get from both of these rods particularly the Tenkara rod.

Spring Fly Fishing

Ok I know it's more like summer at the moment - sunshine, light breezes and no water but we all know this ain't going to last much longer and then we will be back to "proper" spring like conditions.

I was on the Ribble yesterday with a real nice guy, Tom Holden who wanted help with his spey casting. I enjoy all lessons but this one was particularly good in so far as Tom responded very well to all the fixes I suggested and in no time at all his casting was markedly better.

The river was very low but there was a small hatch of Olives that got limited interest from a few local trout but all of them looked to be a good size. Half way through the lesson there was one big splash from a frustrated Salmon stuck in the pool and not able to make progress upstream.

For those of you intending to get out onto the river, look out for Olives and then as we get into April, large Dark Olives and Grannoms.
For the Stillwater/Reservoir fly fisher, look for Sedges, Hawthorn flies and Heather flies.

Hardy/Greys

Went up to Hardy HQ at Alnwick last Friday with my good friend Stuart Minnikin, a fellow academy member.
The main reason for our visit was to thoroughly test all the new rods and reels for 2012 and also to pick out some equipment that I will be using this year for all my lessons and guiding.

It was quite a task as the range of rods in particular is truly awesome from tiny brook rods to big double handers there is definitely something for everyone and every type of fly fishing.

The standout rods for me were the Zeniths. These are the rods that use the new "Nano" technology that makes them both strong and light.
 I will be using the Zenith 13'8" DH#8 and the Greys XF2 13' #8 for all of my Spey lessons and salmon fishing this year.  I have decided to fish much lighter and smaller this year.  Most of the river I fish like the Ribble, Lune, Tyne and Eden are more than suitable for these shorter rods and the Zenith in particular can handle longer casts with a full range of lines.
For the choice of single handed rods I have the following: Greys XF2 9' #6 and the GRXi 9' 6" #6 for all the stillwater tuition and the Zenith 9' #5 and the Greys Streamflex 11' #3 for all the river tuition and guiding.

All of these rods and a selection of other Greys rods are available for testing at my tackle shop at Curley's Fishery just give me a ring or email me to arrange.

Warming up

Only a day or so away from the Brown Trout Season now.
This starts on the 15th March at least for those of us fortunate to reside in the North West. Yorkshire rivers only open up on the 1st April.

The end of March and on into April see the first hatches of meaningful insects particularly the Large Dark Olive and Grannom and then as the air warms up even more we get all the other species of olives and sedges. Every year these hatched vary a lot from sparse to frequent and numerous. Let's hope for a good showing this year to get the trout looking up and picking insects off the surface.