Fly fishing tuition, lessons and information for Sheffield, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire

Fly fishing at Barlow near Chesterfield

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:20:00 +0000

I popped up to Barlow yesterday evening for a spot of fly fishing and I am pleased to report that the lakes have started to fish really well. What I was really pleased about was the amount of cover vegetation they have left around the sides of the lakes. This is giving the fish confidence to come in close to feed which is producing great sport stalking individual fish on the dry fly.

A small black size 20 Klinkhammer accounted for 4 fish in the first couple of hours and then from about 9 until 10 pm which dusk falling around me a Diawl Bach on size 16 twitched through the weeds accounted for a fantastic 12 fish. All the fish are quite small around a pound but providing you are using sensible light tackle are good fun to catch.

Useful Links: Barlow Trout Fishery

Big Carsington Rainbows

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:13:00 +0000

Carp supremo Chad Critchley is used to catching big fish but was over the moon with this cracking 6lb 12oz Rainbow taken at Carsington Reservoir from a boat fished olive lure near Tower Bank. I haven't made it out to Carsington yet this season but after seeing this I think I will!

Fly fishing at Pennine Fishery

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:43:00 +0000

I love my trips up to Pennine Fishery near Rochdale. I come over all giddy about the prospect of hooking huge rainbows. If you are a "purist" or wild trout fisherman then look away! Pennine is all about trying to catch huge rainbows on the fly. By huge I mean over 20lb. There are currently fish in there pushing 30lb and the minimum size for stocking is about 3 lbs.

Despite the rain at the weekend I had a good day landing about 7 fish and probably loosing about as many. I hooked a big fish on my second cast of the day but lost it near the bank after trying to bully it to the net! Best method of the day was dry fly or mini muddler however the biggies tend to lurk lower down and I spent much of the day on sinking line trying to tempt a monster out of the depths.

I love fishing the small brooks and stream for wild brownies on light tackle but equally I love the pure unadulterated fun of fishing for these monster rainbows. Every time you hook in to a fish it makes you smile and make a noise that goes something like "ooopphh" as you feel the fish making it's first run. I finished the day with 2 Rainbows and a Brown weighing in at 10lbs

The fish taste good too, I just had a fillet with Parsley Sauce and some Jersey Royals - delicious.

Useful Links: Pennine Fishery

Trout stuffed with smoked bacon and mushrooms

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:50:00 +0000

If you have a few Rainbow's in the fridge after a good days fly fishing and you are looking for a bit of inspiration then try this trout recipe for size!

Ingredients

1 Trout prepared for stuffing (gutted and filleted but the two fillets left connected at tail)

4 Rashers of smoked bacon diced,

8 Chestnut mushrooms sliced,

4 Cloves of garlic finely,

Handfull of chopped parsley,

1 Lemon,

Butter

Instructions

Heat a frying pan until it is quite hot. Then add the chopped bacon and cook and stir for 3 or 4 minutes until the bacon starts to brown. Then add the chopped garlic and keep stirring for another minute. Now add the sliced mushrooms and keep stirring until they are just cooked through. Put the pan to one side on a very low heat so it keeps warm.

Now melt a knob of butter in another frying pan on a moderate heat, once the butter has melted place the fish in to the pan. Keep cooking on a moderate heat until the trout has cooked through to the middle. Now turn the trout over and repeat the process on the other side. Once the fish has cooked, carefully place on a warm plate and spoon the bacon mixture in to the middle of the fillets. Finally in the hot pan melt some butter and mix with the chopped parsley and the juice of a lemon - pour this over the fish. Serve straight away with a few new potatoes and a chilled glass of white wine

The Bridge Inn Grinton - Fly Fishing the River Swale

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:02:00 +0000

I love reading old fly fishing books, tales of gentleman taking lodgings in famous fishing hotels on the banks of famous rivers, the images of the old smoking rooms adorned with monster trout in cases. After getting myself in the mood by reading "Come Shooting and Fishing" by Major Vivian Bailey, I spent the weekend in the Yorkshire Dales at the Bridge Inn at Grinton, more of a pub than a hotel but it is located on the banks of the beautiful river Swale. Grinton is a small hamlet a few miles from the village of Reeth. The Pub is decorated with fishing pictures and old rods and there is a good library of books and magazines as well. As a foot note to the great fishing on offer the food and local beer is second to none.

I don't think I have ever received a warmer welcome at a pub, all the staff are fantastic and treat you like an old friend. You can buy day tickets for Reeth and District Angling Club waters from behind the bar at a cost of £7.50. You can fly fish, spin or fish with an upstream worm. The Landlord of the pub Andrew is very friendly and fishes the river himself, he will happily give you advice on flies that have been catching or pools that are worth a try.

I fished the Bridge pool and some of the pools further downstream, and had three lovely Brown Trout all on Black Pennel. I also had some rises to a black Klinkhammer but missed them all! This is a beautiful area of the world and deserves a visit regardless of whether you are fishing or not. However if you can spare the time, visit the Bridge Inn have pint of Cumberland, a good meal and then catch the evening rise on the river!

Useful Links: The Bridge Inn Website

Salmon & Trout Association call for the catch and release of all Sea Trout

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:28:00 +0000

The Salmon and Trout Association have called for a voluntary ban on killing all Sea Trout. There has been a decrease in the population recently in areas not affected by marine aquaculture and until we know why the S&TA is asking anglers to return all Sea Trout to the river.

Useful Links: The Salmon and Trout Association

The Secret Trout Pool!

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Sat, 16 May 2009 07:41:00 +0000

When I am not working as a Fly Fishing Instructor, you will find me fishing! If I am not fishing I will be found working on my own little fishery. The Secret Trout Pool is hidden away somewhere near the village of Bradfield on the edge of the Peak District. It is tiny but perfect when I am teaching total beginners, it is only every fished by my clients and only occasionally so the fish are very obliging! It's great for people to be able to learn some basic skills in total privacy without other anglers watching.

There is a cracking hatch of flies including a wonderful hatch of Damsels. At the minute I am raising the water level slightly with the construction of a new dam over the outlet and well as trying to regular survey the fly hatches through out the year.

Sheffield's Trout In The Town Project

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Fri, 15 May 2009 08:26:00 +0000

Things are happening in Sheffield's river Don!

Excuse me sir! It's upstream dr fly only here.

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Mon, 04 May 2009 09:05:00 +0000

So, through sheer luck or a chance meeting with a friend of a friends Uncles Dad, you have managed to secure an afternoon on one of our well known Trout streams such as the Itchen, Test or Derbyshire Wye. You've arrived on the bank side with a bulging fly box and high hopes of a memorable day, you can't see any fish rising so you tie on a pheasant tail nymph as a general imitation. Within what seems like seconds, the river keeper materialises out of nowhere and says "Excuse me sir! It's upstream dry fly only here" You mumble something about "being sorry" and fiddle with the pockets of your fishing vest. However what you really wanted to say but didn't have the courage was "Why is that then?"

You will see all sorts of different reasons given for the upstream dry fly rule. You will hear things like "It gives the fish sanctuary below the surface" or "It's more sporting". While there may be elements of truth in this, the real reason could be far more interesting - because a rich bloke decided he knew best over 150 years ago. The gentleman in question is the angling author and self declared fly fishing expert F.M Halford. Halford was born into a wealthy family in 1844, he saw himself as a pioneer of entomology, studying the contents of fish’s stomachs for clues about their diets and observing Trout feeding on the surface.

While this may sound like a dedication to the sport, this was actually Halfords downfall. Halford became obsessed with the winged insects that he saw the trout eating, so much so that he dismissed the idea of fishing below the surface as a waste of time contrary to the fellow fisherman of his era. He also seemingly dismissed the theory that general imitation patterns could be just as effective, trying instead to painstakingly tie perfect imitations. Halfords views were that the only worthwhile of fishing for Trout was to fish with a dry fly and the only way of using the dry fly without it becoming sodden within seconds was to cast upstream and let the current bring the fly downstream naturally, hence the upstream dry fly.

The question is then, if Halfords views were so blinkered and if other anglers at the time were successfully using subsurface patterns then why were Halfords views taken as gospel by other anglers and fishery owners at the time ?

The answer could be because Halford was living through a period of huge change. He was writing and publishing his theories just as fly fishing was becoming a popular pastime. With the advent of the steam train, more and more people were able to travel to the chalk streams which Halford was now involved in. Crucially this meant that the gentleman of London, with huge disposable incomes and increasing leisure time were able to embrace the chalk streams and pay large amounts of money to have beats to themselves exclusively or even purchase fishing estates and lodges along their banks, they could set off from London in the morning and be home for a nightcap the same evening, something that until then had been impossible.

These gentleman listened to Halford for no other reason other than they didn't know any better - he was one of the few people at the time who was writing lots of literature about the merits of the upstream dry fly. The more people that listened to Halford the more his theories became gospel - that the only worthwhile to fish for trout was with a dry fly! There were many who were successfully fishing with subsurface flies and disagreed fundamentally with Halford, however maybe they just didn't disagree loud enough - Halford certainly didn't listen to them!

So next time the keeper catches you with a downstream Dog Nobbler instead of an upstream Greenwell's Glory, blame it on F.M Halford or if you want to fish there again say sorry and fiddle with your pockets.

Fly fishing for wild brown trout on the river Loxley near Sheffield.

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:40:00 +0000

With shafts of sunlight illuminating columns of flies and the distinctive ring in the water created by a sipping trout you could think you are fishing on an exclusive beat of one of our famous trout rivers. This however, is an evening walking the banks of the River Loxley just outside of Sheffield. Not many years ago this river suffered from the dirge of pollution from the mills, factories and brickwork's along it's banks. Now however it is clean, fresh and more importantly - fishy!

It's not easy fishing however, the trout are wild, small and spooky. Light tackle such as a 6 foot 2 weight rod is what is required. You can afford to make a couple of splashy casts in the riffles and fast water but one error in the slow moving pools will put the fish down and will mean having to move on to the next pool.

If in doubt - try something small and black either dry fly of just subsurface. You may find a gold head takes you down too quickly in the slower water and as the bottom is littered with dead trees and branches, chances are you will loose the fly.

Lot's of the river is owned by Sheffield City Council and therefore is free fishing in line with the councils fishing policy, however if you are in doubt then best check first.

Dry fly fishing at Ladybower reservoir in Derbyshire.

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:23:00 +0000

Having a spare afternoon and a distinct lack of smoked fish in the freezer, I decided to have an afternoon at Ladybower. After putting lots of work on my own little pond for the past few days I didn't feel like a long walk around the banks so I opted to fish from the pontoon outside the fishery office.

The weather was nice and warm with a small breeze creating a perfect little ripple on the water - ideal conditions for the dry fly. I tied on a small black gnat and methodically worked the water round the pontoon. I saw a small rise in towards the bank and covered it quickly, almost as soon as the little black fly hit the water a fish rose and took it. After a short scrap a small (slightly scraggy) rainbow of just over a pound was in the game bag.

I had a lovely afternoon fishing the dry fly and reached my limit of 4 fish in about 4 hours. The bag included 2 rainbows and 2 brown trout, one of the browns was particularly nice weighing in at around 2 pounds. All the fish will be filleted and hot smoked as usual!

Ladybower seems to be starting to fish well and I was surprised to catch 2 brown trout as I wouldn't normally expect to see them until later in the season.

Fly fishing on Barlow Brook in Derbyshire.

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 07:47:00 +0000

I love Barlow Brook. It's a real hidden gem and one of the few day ticket rivers in Derbyshire you can fish for wild brown Trout as well as some large rainbows that have "escaped" from the fish farm.

When I visited for a morning fishing the other day, there were many people slogging it out on the trout lakes while as usual there was no one bothering to fish the brook! Within 5 minutes of carefully dropping my bead head hares ear under the Bridge I was into a wild brownie of about a pound, which on light tackle put up a hell of a fight.

The beauty of Barlow Brook is that it has been left wild. Putting a pair of waders on is all that is needed to discover all the magical pools, eddies and fast water runs that hold a good head of fish. The other wonderful thing about this brook is the fact that most of the time it is gin clear. This enables the fly angler to undertake that most exciting method of fishing; stalking.

With a pair of Polaroid glasses you can target individual fish, we spotted some very large rainbows skulking in the shallow pools that must have been touching 4lbs! Casting has to be accurate and short gentle roll cast tend to be the easier method as there is lots of bank side vegetation making overhead casting tricky in places.

We found it best to start at the downstream boundary of the Brook (the stone bridge) and gradually wade your way upstream investigating each little pool or eddy. If you have a mate with you one can be "spotter" who scouts ahead locating the fish in the pools and then guiding you fly over the right spot. Which is always a good laugh!

Anyway, next time you fancy a bit of a change, try out the brook it is fantastic fun and they do a cracking fry up in the log cabin too!

Useful websites: Barlow Fishery Website

Wild brown trout on the River Rivelin near Sheffield

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Just been for a quick fish on the river Rivelin that flows through the valley just outside of Sheffield. It's a beautiful night with lots of fly life about hovering in columns as the sun goes down through the trees.

The Rivelin is small stream fishing, lots of nooks and cranny's with little eddy's and pools. The river contains a good head of small wild brownies. A quarter of a pound would be a good fish! This kind of river is perfect for a little 2 weight brook rod with no more than 2 pound leader.

A few fish were rising but without any frequency so I opted for a small gold march brown with which I managed to winkle 2 small brownies out of the fast water at the bottom of one of the weir pools. Lovely relaxing evening and fantastic fun!

Boat fishing on Ladybower

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:52:00 +0000

Well it's been a while since I posted last season but I am back and ready for some wonderful fishing this year. I was back out on Ladybower during the week with a fellow angling coach (coarse fishing) who had never fly fished before.

I took the role of ghillie and we worked our way from the Derwent arm of the reservoir through all the hot spots such as Grainfoot, Rasberry Bay and Pickles Meadow until we were drifting down near the dam wall.

Ladybower is a funny old place, yes the quality of the fish are not as good as they could be and yes the quality of the fishing in terms of stock levels and weight variety isn't as ideal as it could be yet it is one of the most enchanting places to fish. The actual experience of being there drifting in the boat in such beautiful scenery is what I love and what keeps me going back year after year.

Anyway, my guest took two rainbows and me just the one. We both were using orange lures with floating line. The fish are all holding close in to the bank with Pickles Meadow and Grainfoot yielding the most fish as well as plenty of plucks on the line.

This year I will be doing lots more river fishing, exploring my local rivers with a small 2 weight brook rod and a pocket full of flies looking for the wild brownies that have made a resurgence in recent years following the reduction of heavy industry along the banks of the Don, Rivelin and Loxley.

End of fly fishing season at Ladybower reservoir in Derbyshire

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:53:00 +0000

As the fly fishing season starts coming to a close on many waters and rivers, it's time to reflect on the fish we caught and the ones we didn't!

I have been looking back over my blog from the past year and though I could summarise how things have been for me at Ladybower this year.

The thing I have enjoyed most this year isn't the fishing so much as being in out in the wilderness with just a game bag and a light rod, stalking the banks and climbing through the undergrowth. I have seen so many birds of prey, voles and animals that I would never have seen if I hadn't have been fishing. This for me is one of the big positive aspects of Ladybower. The reservoir is set n the most beautiful surroundings of the Peak District. If you take the opportunity to fish for the wild brown trout on Howden Reservoir then you will feel truly isolated and in touch with the nature around you.

As for the fishing, the season stated off really well with lots of fish of between one and two pounds being landed in the early months. Looking back, the water fished really well up to about July. There is no doubt about this as I have spoken to many other Ladybower anglers about this, from the middle of July onwards Ladybower does start to become harder to fish. Although the fish seem to be bigger, takes become few and far between and blank days become more commonplace.

What causes this I do not know, while other large reservoirs such as Carsington seem to keep going, Ladybower does definitely slow down. Changes in tactics does help such as stalking or fishing small black dry flies. As a season ticket holder this slow down doesn't bother me too much, I am more than happy spending a few hours walking a stretch of bank and taking in the wildlife but if you are thinking of coming as a day ticket holder then March, April, May and June are the best months.

Also moving on to the river or taking a rod at Howden where the wild brown trout are always hungry is a good idea.

I have smoked hundreds of fish this year and have kept friends and family in smoked trout for most of the season. I have to say if you haven't tried a freshly smoked fillet of trout, you really don't know what you are missing!

All in all I have enjoyed the season this year and I have many memorable trips bot on the boat and on the bank. That's it for Ladybower for this year, I will be back next year and I will still be venturing out to a few different waters that stay open during the winter.

Fly fishing poems. Fishing poetry from the Complete Angler

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:33:00 +0000

As the season draws to a close around us a fishing poem from the Complete Angler comes to mind:

Man's life is but vain, for 'tis subject to pain

And sorrow, and short as a bubble;

'Tis a hodgepodge of business, and money, and care,

And care, and money, and trouble.

But we'll take no care when the weather proves fair;

Nor will we vex now, though it rain;

We'll banish all sorrow, and sing till to-morrow

And angle, and angle again.

Smoking your own fish. Hot smoking and cold smoking techniques. Delicious hot smoked trout!

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:58:00 +0000

Traditionally smoking food was a way to cure your meat, fish or cheese to make them last longer in a world without fridges or freezers. Hot or cold smoking also adds an incredible flavour and texture to food and fish is one of the best foodstuffs to smoke as it absorbs flavour so well.

There are two basic methods of smoking - hot smoking and cold smoking and this article concentrates on hot smoking.

Hot smoking, as the name suggests uses and heat to smoke to cook and smoke the food at the same time. This means that cooking times are quite short compared to cold smoking. You could hot smoke a whole trout in about 30 mins while a fillet will only take around 10 mins.

Choosing a hot smoker

There are lots of different smokers on the market you can also make your own very cheaply and simply. My preference is the Snowebee hot smoker which retails for about £45.

An example of hot smoking trout with a portable smoker.

Step 1 - Add your wood chips to the bottom of the smoker tray, place your wire rack over the chips and lay your fish on top.

Step 2 - Light the meth burners under the tray and place the lid on the smoker

Step 3 - After about 10 mins (for fillets) lift up the lid and check the fish is cooked.

Step 4 - Voila! Delicious smoked trout. Eat straight away!

Autumn Fly Fishing At Ladybower Reservoir In Derbyshire

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:37:00 +0000

At the weekend I was back at my usual haunt - Ladybower Reservoir, a beautiful reservoir nestling in a wooded valley in the Peak District. Autumn is my favorite time of year, after the heady evenings of summer, full of scented air and warm still nights, Autumn brings a fresh and colourful change. This is a time for animals and fish such as the trout to start feeding up ready for the coming winter.

It was a glorious weekend and as I arrived early in the morning there were many landscape photographer's with their wide angle lenses set up to take shots of the Autumn mist rolling on to the reservoir.

The fly fishing at Ladybower can take a bit of a dip during the summer months when the fish have a tendency to put their heads down or cruise the margins picking off the odd water bourne insect. Autumn tends to liven things up a bit and I am looking forward to some good sport over the last few weeks of the season.

I decided to fish down at Raspberry Bay and as it was such a glorious day there were lots of walkers, mountain bikers and day trippers out enjoying the sunshine. It is sad, but I did notice on my return journey down the lane at the end of my session considerably more litter than when I arrived. I have given up asking people to pick up their litter as it always ends with being abused so I know just pick it up myself chuck it in the back of the Land Rover.

I only had a couple of hours to fish so I decided to walk the bay, fishing short and moving constantly looking out for trout cruising the margins and drop offs. I opted to fish a small orange Fritz type lure - Fritz lures have a body made of a tinsel type material which reflects light at different angles, much like the scales of a small injured fish it is a similar lure to a Cats Whiskers or Dog Nobblers. With short casts and quick retrieves this would enable me to cover lots of ground in a short amount of time. I managed 1 rainbow of about one and a half pounds and pricked a couple more fish.

Ladybower has filled up considerably over the past month with the rainfall that has collected on the surrounding hills so much of the bay in inaccessible again, however there are still plenty of spots with lots of casting room round this side of the reservoir.

Fly fishing at a foggy Carsington Reservoir in Derbyshire.

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:42:00 +0000

As the end of the season approaches I decided to fish Carsington Reservoir. I remember Carsington when it was being built and being a Derbyshire boy I have been wanting to fish it for a while but always end up at Ladybower where I have a season ticket. The cost of the 6 fish ticket and a petrol boat for the day was about forty quid.

I arrived at a foggy Carsington at about 7.30am and was pleased to find the ticket office open despite not being scheduled to open until 8am. After purchasing my ticket and making my way down to the water I met the fishery ranger who saw me safely away in my boat. The first thing I noticed when I was taking the boat out was lots of floating weed on the surface of the water. However this didn't really interfere with the fishing or the outboard engine.

I made my way over to the mouth of Fish Tale Creek which has been fishing well recently. After seeing a few fish cruising I attached a buzzer. I tried fishing the buzzer for half an hour or so but to no avail. I had a rummage through my fly box and found a couple of my green and black lures. After just a couple of casts with the lure I felt a reassuring pluck on the line and a few casts later I was into a fish which of about 2 pounds in weight.

The Fishery Ranger also mentioned that a long drift right out in the middle of the reservoir was a productive method. This was very enjoyable as I am used to having to keep moving the boat every 5 minutes at Ladybower. I landed two more fish both of about 2 pounds and all in lovely condition with full tails and beautiful markings.

At Carsington you are sharing the reservoir with lots of other users and you will get sailing dinghy's zooming past throughout the day but I don't mind this at all. The areas that are available for fishing are clearly marked on a fisherman's map that you get with your ticket. There are also thousands of resident birds on the reservoir and its surroundings and there are some hides available for anybody who is interested in bird watching.

There were fish cruising all over the water and I would guess there are many thousands of resident fish including some well over 5 pounds.

Carsington has definitely got it sussed when it comes to day ticket reservoir fly fish and I look forward to making another trip back next season.

Useful links: Carsington Fishery Website

Bass fishing - Dinas Head, Newport Sands in North Pembrokeshire

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 07:03:00 +0000

Once a year I decamp from Sheffield with the rods for a week of Sea Fishing. I am no expert at Sea Fishing but I generally like to fish for things I can eat! There is nothing better than fresh fish you have caught yourself. It's delicious, free range, and most of all it's sustainable fishing.

So we arrived at Dinas Head in North Pembrokeshire to find two beautiful bays either side of the headland. Dinas is also on a few miles away from Newport Sands. The sands are a large expanse of darkish fine sand, at each end of the sands there are rocky outcrops. The river Nevern also flows down the sands where it joins the sea close to the rocks on the left hand side of the beach. It was here I decided to start to fish as the tide starts to flood the river swells and the rocks become submerged. This seemed like a cracking spot for Bass fishing. Sure enough a good few hours before the tide started to flood I was joined on the rocks by a local who had arrived to target the Bass.

He told me that just as the tide starts to flood, with barely enough water to cover their backs, the Bass start to move up the channel. The best ways to catch them are using peeler crab, sandeel or spinning. I had my big box full of different lures and spinners so as the tide flooded in I started to spin through the shallows. Unfortunately despite two evenings on the rocks I didn't have any luck.

The local on the rocks didn't have any luck fishing his peeler crabs either. We did however see huge mullet rolling right under our feet. From my limited experience of Mullet I didn't even bother to try and fish for them as they can drive you crazy!

After being unsuccessfully with the spinners I popped to a local tackle shop in Fishguard next to the Tesco Express near the harbour. I purchased some frozen squid, sandeel and mackerel for bait.

The next evening I returned to the rocks just before the tide started to move in and rigged up a squid with just a small lead to hold the bait on the sandy bottom. I cast the squid a few feet out and waited as the tide flooded over the bait. After 5 minutes the rod arched over and I pulled in to a fish. It didn't feel like a Bass and sure enough as the fish surfaced, it's mini shark like appearance told me I had caught a dogfish.

Unfortunately every bait I cast in over the next few evenings was snaffled almost instantly by ether dogfish or crabs. I had a few peeler crabs which the dogfish wouldn't take but I couldn't get a take from a Bass.

One of the locals did manage a couple of small bass using live sandeel fished under a bubble float but I just kept getting hammered by dogfish, Although doggies are edible I decided to return them as I had my heart set on a Bass.

After becoming slightly disheartened with catch dogfish every 5 minutes I had a try from the beach on Dinas head but again, didn't have any bites.

Overall Dinas Head and North Pemrokeshire is a beautiful part of Wales with lots of fishing opportunities, If I had had more time there I am sure I would have connected with something other than a Dogfish!

Useful links: http://www.pembsrt.org/pembsangling/

Barney the 12 week old Labrador Retriever. Looking forward to his gundog training!

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:06:00 +0000

Fishing has had to take the backseat for the last 3 or for weeks as there is a new man in my life! Barney is a 12 week old Labrador Retriever puppy. He is going to (hopefully!) undertake gun dog training once he grows a bit older which I hope he will enjoy. I am sure he will also be a great companion on my fishing trips and I might also let him retrieve a few rainbow trout for me provided he has a soft enough mouth!

I did manage to take a boat out on Ladybower at the weekend with a good friend of mine. We fished near the cages and I managed 2 rainbows both on large orange lures. I couldn't get a take on dry flies or buzzers and we didn't get a knock anywhere on the reservoir besides near the cages where there were a few fish moving. There were a few others out who seemed to be doing really well using indicators with static flies but that isn't really my thing.

So things are a bit slow still but as we head in to mid to late September I would anticipate that things will pick up again as the fish start feeding properly again for the winter.

Fly Fishing Derbyshire - Dry fly fishing on Ladybower

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:54:00 +0000

Well, after trying all my big lures such as Cats Whisker's and Dog Nobblers, exhausting my Montana Nymphs and Hares Ear Gold Heads, I decided to try going through my dry fly box. Quite often at this time of year Ladybower can go quite flat for people fishing below the first few inches of water as the trout become switched on to the insects on the surface and sub surface. After taking half an hour to observe the insect life on the water I saw a few fish rising to small black flies.

Fishing from the pontoon near the Fishery Office is always a treat on a Summer Evening as you watch the sunset over Lose Hill

I tied on a "F fly" which is the buoyant feather from the Mallard Duck tied in to a small black V. Within 5 minutes I had a rise and to my surprise hooked in to a brown trout. I realised that the side of the reservoir was teeming with Brownies which are probably hardly ever fished for.

I caught a total of 6 Brown Trout 3 of which were keepers and are going in to the hot smoker. Ladybower is an interesting place to fish. It is viewed by many as a lure water and if you chuck a lure in and don't catch a fish then that is because there is no fish there. When it started going quiet for big nymphs and the lure a couple of weeks ago I had to go through my entire collection of flies until a finally found something that the fish are interested in!

I think that the fish are there but it's going to take a little more of a dainty approach to winkle them out at the minute. Small black flies seem to be working, especially in the warmer spell of weather we are having. One of the regulars who was fishing next to me also had some rainbows on small black buzzers fishing just under the surface of the water.

Boat fishing on Ladybower Reservoir in Derbyshire.

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:30:00 +0000

Ladybower is very quiet at the minute but the compulsive angler (and optimist) in me decided to take a motor boat out at the weekend to see if I could find the fish. After tackling up a couple of rods one with floating line and one with sinking I set out up the Derwent arm of the reservoir towards Grainfoot and Pickles Meadow. I attached an Orange blob to the sinker and an orange cats whisker to the floater (these two flies will always winkle a trout out of Ladybower!) I had a drift down the bay using each method but didn't have a take. I repeated the process on Raspberry Bay and on the dam wall but without so much as a look in.

My last place to fish which you can almost guarantee a fish is to drift near the fishery cages. The fish tend to hang out near here to catch the loose feed that spills out in to the reservoir. Sure enough I had a fish first cast on the floating line using the Orange Cats Whiskers. Over the next to hours I had a further 3 fish - a mixture of Rainbow Trout and Blue Trout on a mixture of the sinking set up at a depth of about 15 feet and the floating line. When I returned to the fishery office I had a chat to two of the other boats both of which had blanked. I also chatted to some of the bank anglers who had all banked too. So my advice, if you are planning a trip to Ladybower at the minute would be to hang fire and try somewhere else until the fishing improves.

I did have a spectacular take from one of the Blue Trout however. The fish nailed the Cats Whisker but as I lifted in to the fish the hooked came out in to the air. Instead of leaving it the Trout leaped out of the water and took the fly a few inches above the water!

Ladybower very quiet at the minute.

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:01:00 +0000

I have had three trips to Ladybower since returning to the UK and have blanked each time. After chatting to the other regulars I have discovered that it isn't just me! Up until a couple of weeks ago the reservoir was fishing really well but all seems to have gone quiet. I am not sure how the boat anglers are fairing but from the shore its very difficult.

I have experienced quiet periods before at Ladybower but it's normally quite obvious why because the fish are switched on to tiny flies on the surface and you can see the trout on the move hoovering them up. It's very difficult to catch the trout when they are switched on like this.

At the minutes there is very little sign of fish anywhere I have only seen a few hitting the surface. Having tried every method from lures to tiny midges on sinking and floating line without so much as a pull I am coming to the conclusion that it's not the choice of fly but the fact the fish aren't there and are holed up out in the middle of the reservoir somewhere.

If you are debating whether or not to make the trip out to the reservoir my advice would be to try somewhere else until the fishing improves.

Fishing in Locquirec, Brittany for Mackerel and Sea Bass

noreply@blogger.com (David Johnson) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:37:00 +0000

With my wedding over, me and the wife jetted of to Locquirec, Brittany for our honeymoon. She was of course delighted when unpacking to discover 2 telescopic travel rods and a bag of lures and Mackerel feathers!

Before I set off I tried to find some local fishing information on the
Internet but I drew a blank so I figured I would have a bit of fun just scrambling around the rocks and the beaches seeing what I could find. My impressions on our first walk down the beach were very positive. I was amazed at the quantity of life on the beach and in the rock pools, it was teeming with thousands of small crabs, mussels and small fish.

My first thoughts were that this would be a haven for sea bass as the tide races through the gulley's and rocks stirring up all the crabs and other crustaceans.

We were staying in the beautiful Grand Hotel Des Bains which has a lovely terrace and private beach. When the tide is in it laps right up to the edge of the hotel lawn and there is some lovely deep water just a small cast away.

The wife turned out to be a great fish spotter and came up to the room to tell me she had seen a couple of fish jumping a few yards out. I tackled up both the rods and went down for a look with a large glass of whiskey. Sure enough after a couple of casts I hooked in to a Mackerel just a few yards out. We soon saw why the Mackerel were there, they seemed to have been hounded in to the bay bay some huge salmon which were jumping, hoovering up a Mackerel supper.

I then caught sight of a truly wonderful sight for a lure fisherman, a big Sea Bass following my lure right in to shore. Unfortunately, despite jigging the lure trying to induce a take I ran out of line and had to reel in. For another couple of nights I tried for Sea Bass and the wife showed her fishing skills by catching 5 Mackerel. Despite the fact that I was trying for Sea Bass most of the timw she is keen to point out that she caught more Mackerel than me!

Anyway we cleaned some of the Mackerel and cooked them fresh on the beach with a glass of the local cider and as usual they were delicious.

The rest of the haul were packed in salt by the hotel and brought back to be smoked and the turned in to pate.

Brittany and especially Locquirec is famous for it's sea food and I can see why. It's teeming with life and for the Angler is a fantastic spot to try. From the bigger towns such as Roscoff there are loads boats you can hire to take you out for a few hours catching Mackerel or a bit longer chasing Bass, Pollock and Ling.