“Hope for the best, but prepare to get filthy” probably sums up recent angling best. I’d have loved a final crack at grayling or river pike on the fly before the season ended, but it has been mud soup everywhere. Such is angling in the early 21st century- not only do we get more concentrated… Read more
Angling might be a good way to slow down time- but the seasons seem to fly past ever faster for me these days. At least for 2023 I don’t have any lingering feeling of what could or should have been, because the finale to the river fly fishing season (which runs to 30th Sept for… Read more
At this stage of a decidedly cool, wet British summer I must be one of a small minority thanking the weather gods. “British summer? What is that?” was the summary of the bloke who cut my hair yesterday. But boy did we need some rain after a freakishly dry spring. The other happy fact for… Read more
What a difference just a few days, and degrees, make. It feels like we’ve finally turned the corner to brighter times and “proper spring”. This is never a strict calendar date but more of a transitional phase or gut feeling. It’s also my favourite time of year of all, I have to say. Even if… Read more
As excellent as so much of it was, another summer feels like it has been and gone all too quickly. Everything is damper and cooler as I sit here in the last evening light and reflect on recent events. I feel weirdly both fulfilled, but also as if I could and should have taken a… Read more
Did you ever get the feeling that much of the best fishing was hidden behind “private fishing” signs in expensive, members only waters? It can be a particular issue in fly fishing, which is why I’m always keen to share low cost and free fishing waters in the South West, both in my guiding and… Read more