Grannom (Brachycentrus subnubilis) are a member of the Caddis family (Trichoptera order) and are among the first of the UK's major hatches in Spring. Hatches can be huge, and I mean massive, to the point where every Grannom seemingly tries to crawl up your waders, under your glasses, down your…
Summer. The days we dream of. The days that will not be rushed and neither will the trout, who rise when they're gaddamned ready. Late evenings are good but, better yet, are the early mornings; those times of utter silence, when the entire universe seems asleep. But not the trout.…
In October 2020, Semperfli released a range of awesome new products, one of which is their fantastic Kapok Dubbing. Kapok, so I read, is a cotton-like material found in the seed pods of the Ceiba pentandra tree. This fluff-like material absorbs water very slowly and as such, lends itself perfectly…
What an absolute blast! A real privilege to have been invited back onto the Fly Culture Podcast in September to talk about our respective fishing seasons, as well as to talk about another love in our lives - fishing books. With more potential/impending COVID-19 lockdowns heading our way this winter…
Today we discussed (amongst other things) Atherton's, The Fly and the Fish. A beautiful book. I spent the rest of the day thinking about Cree hackle and hare's ear dubbing. Atherton's No.5, a beautiful UK March Brown (Rhithrogena germanica) imitation. This pattern is ( in John's own words) 'the most…
It was a real pleasure to work with Trout & Salmon Magazine recently, where myself and regular fishing buddy, Liam Walsh, chatted with Peter Gathercole and discussed our fishing lives, backgrounds, and six flies which visit quite often. The October edition is on sale from Monday 7th September.
Today I fished the Big Water. In an attempt to keep Her golden treasures concealed, She hit me with brutal westerlies and cloudless skies. Bathed in warm sunshine and accompanied by the sound of rustling alder, I smiled as I watched trout dimple on chironomids in a sheltered pool. September…
I wrote the original content for this guide over a decade ago for Fly Fishing & Fly Tying Magazine. Much of the information is still very relevant for those anglers wanting to explore trout fishing on the smaller and wilder streams of the UK and beyond, however, I've updated the…
I would prefer to be writing a piece about a beautiful summer evening fishing for trout - leaves rustling gently in the warm summer breeze; the river's mirror sheen surface broken here and there by the gentle, dimpling majesty of a feeding brown trout - however, these images of beauty…
It's that time of year, as we patiently await the announcement and dates of the coming year's British Fly Fair International, and as a host of fly dressers around the world wait nervously to hear if they've been lucky enough to have been picked for the famous International Fly Tyers…