Border Game Angling

Where did January go?

2012-02-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

Forgive the woolly hat it was cold

All of a sudden we are into February 2012, "Where does the time go"? Fortunately There has not been much missed in the latter part of January with fluctuating water conditions again which are not conducive to good results, especially for Grayling on the fly. That said, they are definitely there, and in good numbers too. I know this because we experimented with swim feeders on Saturday 28th January at Warwick Hall during a Borderlines session and encountered a dozen or so good sized fish that had been hugging the bottom and playing hard to get, which often happens with Grayling when the water is constantly unsettled. "So not all bad news".

Borderlines Day

I have been out again this month with Russell Williamson who was looking to catch his first ever Grayling on the fly, and although the Grayling continue to prove difficult to catch, he did have a couple of chances early in the day and lost a very good fish that dug deep in the water as the day drew to a close "very unlucky", but he will have his day.

Russell on the River

There are now reports of the first few Spring Salmon being landed on the river Eden, which as I mentioned last month was just a matter of time as the Salmon season gets underway, and they most certainly won't be the last fish caught.

So with the season in it's infancy, all the signs are positive and I am very optimistic with regard to what the Eden has to offer us again this year. "It may be unpredictable, but it never let's us down".

New Season

2012-01-19T06:18:00.000-08:00

With the arrival of Sunday 15th January the Salmon season on the river Eden was once again upon us, and I did venture out on opening day, albeit just to blow the cobwebs away. Although the water conditions were good (at last) the East wind certainly didn't help our cause and subsequently we did not see any fish or Kelts in attendance (early days yet). I haven't heard of any reports (as yet) of fish being caught in the first few days of the season, but it's just a matter of time before one of the usual die hards makes an exciting encounter.

The East wind continued into Monday, but the sun did get out and temperatures weren't bad at all for January (especially in the sheltered areas) as I spent the day with a friend higher up the river fishing for Grayling, which I might add are still playing hard to get.

So unfortunately there's not much to report in these early stages I'm afraid, but speaking from experience it won't be long before things begin to happen on the Eden. "Watch This Space".

Washout in December

2011-12-28T05:13:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, the river Eden has been persistently high throughout the month of December making Grayling on the fly almost impossible and with more heavy rain forecast for the rest of this week there is no sign of improvement in the short term. We have certainly had more than our fair share of wind and water in 2011.

So not much to report I'm afraid, but as soon as the rain stops and the water drops I will be out with people once again, targeting those elusive Grayling. It may also help if the temperature drops a little too, which it may still do, as the temperature over the Christmas period has been uncommonly high for the time of year. This usually encourages Grayling to move into the deeper, slower moving areas of the river, away from the chilled surface area, thus giving you much more of an advantage when sight fishing, as any slight movement of your fly line will give you an indication of a tentative take as these subtle takes can often go unnoticed in faster water. That said, if temperatures do remain as mild as they have been recently then spider fishing in the faster flowing water will still be very effective, and worth taking advantage of.

Well here we are again at the end of another year and I hope you all had a great Christmas, with (I am sure) a few additions to your fishing armoury arriving on Christmas day. I look forward to seeing many familiar faces again in 2012 along with a few new ones, and may I wish you all "Tight Lines" for the New Year.

Wet & Windy

2011-11-30T07:19:00.000-08:00

Nigel Playing a nice Grayling

The Grayling fishing was slowly building up into the third week of November, and although we haven't encountered exceptional amounts of fish, we have caught some good quality fish, mainly around the 2lb mark, but also one or two bigger than that, as we did previously.

In between a couple of casting sessions with people, I had Nigel McCallister out on the river for three days tuition and fishing, experiencing some unbelievably warm weather for the time of year. Nigel was over from Spain on holiday, but his roots are here in the UK and he loves his Grayling fishing, it was not in vain either as he had a few nice fish during his time here, until that is, the weather took a turn for the worst again. "We thought it was too good to be true". Never mind he did get some good fishing in before the river rose again.

A good Result

Yes, Unfortunately, from late in the day on Tuesday 22nd, the river began to rise and it has been consistently high ever since, never settling, scuppering the chances of any decent Grayling fishing on the fly, and to add to that, the strong winds we have been plagued with over the past few days are certainly not helping matters in any way whatsoever, making conditions ever more difficult. Oh well, we will just have to hold back a little longer. "Let's see what December brings".

End of Season Deluge

2011-11-06T07:37:00.000-08:00

A good Eden Grayling being returned

Persistent rain created the worst possible scenario to the end of the Salmon season on the river Eden. The last few days were a wash out, especially for the fly, apart from a couple of fish taken on a spinner on the last day as the water slightly cleared, but still very difficult conditions.

We are now turning our attention to the winter Grayling fishing to which we have already had some success, albeit in small numbers, but some quality fish up to 2lb, and the results have improved with further visits.

The Grayling fishing was put on hold though, with the intervention of the AAPGAI autumn assessment event for potential new instructors, as well as those instructors who were taking the next step on the ladder. The event was held, once again, in Builth Wells, in Wales, one of two biannual events held at either end of the country to allow people from all over the UK to attend, although several international instructors also attended as usual. The event also included a very successful open day which was aimed at those thinking of taking the instructor route with AAPGAI, or those who simply came along to enjoy the many and varied demonstrations delivered by professional AAPGAI instructors, as well as the one to one tuition that followed. You can read more about these events on the AAPGAI website or Blog.

One of the Demo's by AAPGAI instructor Paul Arden

But home again now and back to thoughts of Grayling fishing on the Eden, but I don't have to think about it too long, as I will be out on the river again tomorrow to put it into practice, especially whilst this period of good weather persists, although I do have a sneaky feeling that when the temperatures do begin to fall significantly we will see some good shoaling up of these magnificent fish in the deeper slower moving areas of the river. "Give it a try".

Not Long Now!

2011-10-11T05:14:00.000-07:00

We are once again heading towards the end of the Salmon season on the Eden, and like much of the season the water has continued it's unsettled trend. As I write this, there is more heavy rain forecast for tonight and throughout the early hours of tomorrow morning, which will inevitably raise the river level yet again, putting Wednesday out of commission with only two more days to go, "Grim". Click here to view the river level at Warwick on Eden.

John's Favourite Corner

Since my last post I have been out on the Border Esk with the Borderlines team again, introducing more schools from the surrounding areas to angling and the environment. We were quite lucky with the conditions as the Border Esk has also been prone to high waters of late, but we managed to get out and the kids had a great time.

Chris with his specimen

All is not doom and gloom though, as the short spells of settled water in between the rising water did produce several Salmon up and down the river, which included a few for Border Game Angling visitors too, as well as some good trout before the trout season closed on the 30th of September.

One visitor did get a pleasant surprise when he encountered a very nice fish of over 20lb on the fly, a coloured cock fish which he returned to the water after an epic battle on an Ally's Shrimp. "Nice One".

Russell with one of four Browns

Had to cancel the last two days due to high water, with today not looking much better, but nevertheless if the conditions continue to keep us off the water until the end of the Salmon season, (Friday) there's still the Grayling fishing to keep us going over the winter months, which I am looking forward to immensely, and I already have a few bookings lined up. "It's a really good way to extend your fly fishing season".

From Iceland to Eden

2011-09-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

Into one of Iceland's big Sea Trout

I returned from Iceland on Tuesday to find the Eden running high yet again, nothing seemed to have changed since I left last Thursday, and after talking to a few of the guys on the river it seems I hadn't missed out on much either, although I have heard that there have been a few fish caught during the spells when the water was dropping, but still not as many fish showing as we are used to at this time of year. "Yo Yo water yet again".

A good result

Iceland was certainly a whole different ball game, with plenty of fish being caught by our group over the 4 days we were there, with a grand total of over 100 Salmon between six shared rods, and an additional 22 Sea Trout of over 3lb, a few of which would touch the 10lb mark, and slightly above, not including the many smaller Sea Trout we caught during our time on the river. Just when I thought it could not get any better, I was fortunate enough, (along with a few others) to land one of these leviathans, a Sea Trout of around 10lb (pictured here). A fantastic trip with excellent guides and a group of like minded AAPGAI instructors who are also good friends, how can you top that. I would certainly recommend it to anyone, and I hope to return next year for a second innings.

A nice Salmon at the end of a day

The Eden was still quite high yesterday, although above Lazonby, (where I was busy giving a Salmon fly casting lesson) it was dropping nicely, with the water clearing well as the day progressed. Therefore the water at the lower end of the river should be coming into good form over the weekend, as long as the rain stays away that is. Lets hope it does and a few fish are caught before the closed season is upon us. "Fingers Crossed".

I will be off the Eden tomorrow, as the Borderlines team will be running a family fishing day on the river Esk at Langholm, but I will be back again on Sunday for a tuition & fishing session for two adults on the lower river, so hopefully we may encounter a fish or two.

Latest Happenings

2011-09-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

Allan with a fresh Grilse

A few Grilse started to show up on the river around mid to late August, but not in the numbers expected, with many of the fish caught being in the Salmon category, (generally larger fish) but with the water levels continuously fluctuating Salmon fishing has been hard at times with few fish showing.

Yuichi's First Salmon

Water levels rose yet again today and with only five weeks of the Salmon season remaining, (on the Eden) all we want is the water to fall to hold a few fish up for a while "no more rain please".

That said, we have certainly had several Salmon, and lost a few too. Here are some of the recent catches from Border Game Angling visitors, including Yuichi Takayama's first ever Salmon "Excellent".

Andrew with a fish of around 11lb

The trout fishing has also continued in good form with some good quality late season fish (when the water has permitted) to add to the exceptional early season fishing we have encountered on some of the Eden beats, and Doug Douglass (pictured below) has certainly had his fair share of quality trout on a couple of trips with me this year as well as landing and returning a nice cock Salmon of around 9lb on Monday.

Doug with one of his many trout

Plenty of fly casting tuition going on with a couple of people having refresher sessions before travelling abroad, which is exactly where I will be going on Thursday when I will be flying off to Iceland to do some fishing of my own. I will keep you informed.

Persistant High Waters

2011-08-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

Having a go on Monday

With the exception of the odd day here and there, high waters have consistently prevented the fly fisherman venturing out over the last couple of weeks, although there have been a few salmon taken on the spinners, all decent sized fish too, as we see yet another year where the Grilse are later than normal. Every time it looks like the water is going to come good it rises again, with localised heavy rainfall, and today was no exception. On Monday the higher beats on the river were looking very good, and fining down nicely, and I couldn't help give it a try, but to no avail, although now I know why as the river lifted once more, but there is an up side, and once the rain stays off we are in for a treat, with the river having been flushed through ready for the main back end runs. "I can't wait".

Some of the members attending the course

I have been on the river Nith over the last two weekends with a colleague, running a series of fly casting courses arranged by The Dumfries and Galloway Angling Association. The first weekend saw low water, but the second weekend saw a big lift in water, with several large salmon running the edges of the river on their way upstream, especially on the Sunday when fishing for migratory fish is not allowed under Scottish law, but hopefully all those attending the course will now be able to put their new found casting skills to use, in the near future, and target a few of these fish.

Post code directions for SAT/NAV is DG3 4AQ

I'm at the Galloway Country Fair this Saturday. It takes place at Drumlanrig Castle & Country Estate over the weekend of the 20th - 21st August, it should be a great event. Click here for details I will be there to help promote Borderlines and to assist with the casting clinic. "Well worth a visit".

The C.L.A. Game Fair and back to the Eden

2011-08-05T15:27:00.000-07:00

Something for all the family

Following a couple of tuition sessions, and a very well attended family fishing day on the river Nith, (near Dumfries) I was off to the C.L.A. Game Fair (as planned) over the weekend of the 22nd - 24th July. This year the event was held at Blenheim Palace near Oxford, and apart from the odd shower or two, the weather was fantastic and a good show was had by all. I was working with a great bunch of lads as part of the Guide Fly Fishing team, which I do from time to time, simply because I think their products are very good and I am more than happy to use many of them in my everyday fishing activities.

If you have never been to a C.L.A. Game Fair (Country Landowners Association) it is well worth a visit in the future as there is something there for everyone. Next years show is to be held at Belvoir Castle, Grantham, Leicestershire over the weekend of the 20th - 22nd July 2012. For further information visit the C.L.A. Website

Fay with a cracking Grayling

On my return I had a couple of tuition and fishing sessions booked in on the Eden for trout and grayling, which as it turned out were well timed, because when I left for the Game Fair on Thursday evening (21st July) the river rose again due to localised heavy rain, and it was now in good condition, with, I might add, several good sized salmon running the river, and a few being caught.

One of Sam's fish from the lower river

These sessions produced some very good fish, a couple of which are pictured here, and it was nice to see several good grayling coming to the net again, as they have been few and far between on the mid and lower river, both over the winter period, and of late, but they are now turning up again. Grayling are a very nomadic fish and can migrate long distances within a river system, fish that migrate within fresh water only, are classified as Potamodromous fish.

One of the events for C.A.A.

Flying the Borderlines flag again we organised and ran the annual youth day event, in partnership with Carlisle Angling Association. The day was a great success once again with around 80 youngsters taking part. Activities included: Fly Casting, Fly Tying, Fishing and Entomology, culminating in a raffle and prize giving session. "A good day was had by all".

The Best of the Weather in Ireland and Wales

2011-07-18T03:56:00.000-07:00

Killyleagh Castle

I flew over to N. Ireland on the 1st July for the Irish International Fly Fair, held in Killyleagh. This is an annual event, now in it's 4th Year, which is going from strength to Strength, attracting interested parties from all over the world. The show has a fantastic setting with the beautiful Strangford Lough at the bottom of the hill and the casting demonstrations and teaching sessions delivered within the fairytale style castle walls, where we were staying for the three nights, and to top it off the weather for the show was fantastic, which always helps.

On my return I took some time out in the Scottish highlands, where the weather was a bit changeable, but the scenery was awesome, although this was just a stop gap before travelling to Wales in the heart of sea trout country, where I stayed with my good friend Illtyd Griffiths in preparation to spend two nights on the river Dovey. Illtyd's knowledge of sea trout fishing is vast, although he will not put any emphasis on that, but believe me if there are fish about he will put you on to them, and this trip was no exception.

The first night I hooked and lost what felt like a very big fish, and believe me there are some big fish in the Dovey, and just when I thought I had blown my big opportunity, Illtyd took me further down stream and put me straight onto another one, but this time I landed it, a cracking cock fish of 7lb 2oz. "What a night". Anyone thinking of doing some guided sea trout fishing in Wales I recommend you contact Illtyd. His website details are as follows: http://www.sewincaster.co.uk/

Following some exceptionally warm and sunny day time weather, the second night just got better, and when I eventually entered the water, (on dusk) the fun began, and between three of us, we managed to hook around a dozen fish, not all of which were landed, but I did manage to land three of them. Two around the 4lb mark and one about 5lb and that's not to mention the quick grabs and nips that we encountered down the pool. The final outcome was eight fish and the sport was phenomenal.

I returned to the Eden on Saturday to do some casting tuition on the middle river where I saw a couple of nice Salmon showing, and a good sea trout, and my intention was to fish the lower river yesterday, but the water began to rise and colour badly which unfortunately scuppered my plans for a while.

A few casting tuition and fishing sessions lined up for the rest of the week with people coming to learn both trout and Salmon techniques and then I am off to the C.L.A. Game Fair at the weekend. http://www.gamefair.co.uk/ Speak again when I get back.

More Unsettled Weather

2011-06-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

June has continued with some localised heavy rain , although the temperature has risen, which at least gives the impression of a summer month, and the trout fishing, although intermittant at times, has benefitted from these changes, influenced by the general direction of the wind, with some warmer southerlies and westerlies in attendance at times, and a mix of both, which has assissted in producing some nice fish when water conditions allowed.

There has also been an increase in the amount of double figure Salmon spotted on the river, with several being caught on the usual beats, and the lower river will almost certainly benefit from the present conditions over the next few days as the water continues to fall away and clear, with further catches imminent.

I was away from the Eden over the weekend of the 18th & 19th, representing AAPGAI as part of the demonstration team at the British Fly Fair International, which was moved from it's usual November slot at Tretham Gardens, to it's new venue in June at Bingley Hall (The Staffordshire Show Ground). I was also away this weekend, attending an AAPGAI Continued Professional Development weekend, (CPD) which gives members the chance to look at new products on the market and try them out, as well as taking in some of the excellent fly dressing demonstrations given by the members (as seen above). "It was a great weekend".

Off to the Irish International Fly Fair in Killyleagh this weekend to do a bit of demonstrating and teaching, so will probably miss some good Salmon fishing as the water at the moment is looking very promising, but I have managed to do plenty of teaching and a bit of trout fishing in the interim, with some good results once again. "Let's see what July throws up".

Unusual weather for June

2011-06-17T04:16:00.000-07:00

Here we are in June, and the weather up to now gives you the impression that it is still March, "what's going on". Never mind, once the river decided to drop in again we did manage to get amongst the fish at times, although during the periods when we encountered very cold East winds it also proved very difficult.

Sasha with a nice Brown Trout

For me, June began with some Salmon casting tuition with a couple of people on the mid river, but I found once again this month that most people were interested in learning how to cast a trout rod and then put it into practice with some positive results. One particular youngster who came along with her family did very well, whilst using a small six foot split cane fly rod which she proceeded to catch a few small trout with and a very nice fish (pictured here) "Well Done".

I also managed to get out and do a bit of trout fishing with some successful catches on the dry fly and a nice Sea Trout of 3lb just to top it off, (pictured below) which I must admit, went home for the pot on this occasion, as I am partial to a tasty Sea Trout.

Lots of youth days with Borderlines again in the first half of June which saw us taking youngsters out on both rivers and Stillwaters, covering, Entomology, Fishing and Environmental issues, and last weekend I got together with a good friend of mine, Jim Fearn, from Guide Fly Fishing to put on an informal (free) day for the Carlisle Angling Association members (held in Rickerby Park Carlisle) on the river Eden. The day was designed as an opportunity for anglers to come along and try out different products that are on the market and also to receive tuition covering the latest casting techniques etc. The feedback was very good and we will be arranging another day in 2012.

This weekend saw Andrew and Ian Wiper coming along again for some Salmon tuition and fishing, but the fish were not obliging, nor were the trout I might add, as we were plagued once again by an East wind all day, although the last two times they have been here, they have caught some nice Salmon. As from the 16th June (yesterday) anglers on the river are allowed to take two Salmon per day (beat rules allowing) and although many anglers these days do return many of their fish, it is nice to be able to take one home for the pot, and I think we will now see many more Salmon anglers out on the river (water conditions permitting).

And The Rain Came

2011-05-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

As we moved into May the rain held off for a while, with just the odd shower here and there, which to be honest, did suit me, as I had quite a few people coming to do some trout fishing, and apart from the times when the odd top up of fresh water does often prove productive, I tend to find that low water conditions (not too low) can be just as good for targeting trout if you look in the right places, which once again proved to be the case as you can see from the pictures. We did have a few cold North Westerly winds at times, which chilled the surface, and put fish down refusing a dry fly, but when the South Westerlies kicked in we had some cracking catches (some doing better than others) and with a lot more insect life appearing in the form of, Olive Uprights, Iron Blues, Yellow May's, Large Brook Duns and a variety of Sedges and Gnats, to name but a few, fishing was good, with trout to 2 and a half pounds on our outings, and up to 3lbs reported elsewhere on the river. Excellent!

We did get a small rise in water as the weather forecast dictated on the weekend of the 13th and 14th which produced a few Salmon, with one angler taking 5 to his own rod on the Warwick Hall beat of the river, but fish were also caught on other beats. This was good news for those salmon anglers amongst us, and also, during a tuition and fishing session for trout on the lower Eden, with John Priest, he managed to hook a nice Sea Trout of around 3lb, which unfortunately parted company after a few acrobatic crashes on the surface of the water, but we know they are there.

In mid May (Monday 16th) I was involved in the Cumbria Fishing Festival, which is held annually on the river Eden and surrounding areas in Cumbria. It is aimed at anglers of all abilities and offers something for everyone from the beginner to the more advanced angler. My job this year was to introduce anglers to some of the more intricate casts, which included the slack line casts for delaying drag when fishing a dry fly on flowing water, and showing some techniques to use to reach those awkward places on the river. The sessions went better than expected, as they were just really aimed at casting and fishing techniques, but I encouraged the anglers attending to put flies on whilst they were practicing and the outcome was fantastic, with 7 Brown Trout being caught over the two sessions, up to around a pound and a half (all returned at the individuals request) but we did get some excellent pictures to remember the day, one of which is shown above right.

Last week I was delivering a series of school sessions with my colleagues from Borderlines. This is one of the ongoing projects I am presently involved with, known as "The Fishing for Knowledge Project". It takes the youngsters on a progressive journey which gives them an insight into both angling and the environment. This particular stage was aimed at Entomology (the life cycles of the insects that the fish feed upon). It is also a very rewarding, and enjoyable journey for me too.

This weekend saw another big change in the weather system, (in Cumbria) which has brought in more rain and very strong winds up to 80mph, putting the rivers up to unfishable levels, and keeping us all away from the fishing. So I sit peering out of the window at even more rain as I am writing this, and although we did need some water for the Salmon fishing, (and the flora) I can't help wondering if it is going to forget to stop again, as it often does, although the rivers are dropping again at the moment and the forecast does look promising. "I think April and May have swapped places this year".

Persistant Low Water Conditions

2011-05-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

The river has continued to shrink throughout the month as we have just endured the hottest April on record. Great sunbathing weather, but not the best of conditions for fishing. This was not entirely down to the glaring sunshine though, but the easterly winds that have accompanied it.

Despite this, we have at times, encountered some very good trout to 2lb, continuing the trend from last month. We have often had to fish a little deeper with a gold head or two, as the spiders have not been the force they can be at this time of year (yet), although if you were prepared to persevere with a dry fly on very baron looking surface water, you could bring up a good fish or two, as Doug Douglass, who was having a session with me on the lower river will tell you, as will Simon Harris with a nice trout shown in the picture above taken on his mobile phone, as my camera decided to pack up on me, and Fay Larkins who has landed a couple of good fish recently on the middle river of around 1 1/2lb and 1 3/4lb (pictured left).

Adams Dry

When having the patience to persist with the dry fly, the adams was once again top fly and has been quite a consistent fish catcher as there has not been a great deal of fly life in attendance, although we have had some good grannom hatches which did not seem to inspire the fish in any numbers to take the adult fly.

The dedicated Salmon anglers are pulling their hair out at the moment with very low water and generally poor conditions for this type of fishing, but that said, there seems to be a possibility of light at the end of the tunnel, with rain forecast as we move into May toward the end of this week, but the long term forecast seems to predict more of the same dry conditions, we will soon find out. It hasn't stopped anglers coming along to brush up on their casting though, which is what I will be helping people with over the next few days. It makes sense to do it now before the rain does eventually come, because believe me it will, and when it does it usually forgets to stop. Anyway very busy in May, so hopefully there should be a lot more to report. See you next time!

March Update

2011-03-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

A series of youth days took us into March, which included some Grayling fishing events that did produce a few fish, although continuing with the recent trend, not in the numbers we usually encounter. A few spring salmon have also been taken on the fly, mainly on the lower river, and tuition sessions have begun to increase as the weather begins to improve and people are brushing up their skills preparing for their salmon and trout fishing trips this year.

Mid March saw high water on the Eden, which soon gave way to some good trout fishing that provided some excellent sport with fish to around 2lb coming to a selection of dry flies. This usually followed some reasonable hatches of Large Dark Olives during the warmer parts of the day. The successful flies we used included greenwell's glory and Adams in size 14's.

I also got together again with the editor of the Trout & Salmon magazine, Andrew Flitcroft, to do a follow up test of the new 9ft #5 weight rods on the market today. If you read the T&S magazine you may remember the test we did last year on the #5 weight models at that time, well this time we tested the new rods against the winners of the previous test to see how they compared. The results will be in the May issue of the T&S magazine. "Take a look".

The AAPGAI open day and spring assessments event for potential new instructors, was held at the Trout Hotel in Cockermouth, which was a fantastic success once again, with no less than 25 people attending the open day and watching the many demonstrations presented by some of the current AAPGAI instructors. This is a biannual event with the next dates being set for 27th - 29th October which will be held in Builth Wells in Wales. "Well worth a visit". See the AAPGAI website for details on the following link http://www.aapgai.co.uk/home.html

Season Getting Underway

2011-02-21T01:54:00.000-08:00

Despite the cold weather there are early signs of Spring in the air, with Snowdrops appearing, and Daffodils beginning to push through in places, but despite some really good catches of quality fish in recent years, the Grayling fishing has continued in its trend to prove difficult this winter, most certainly on the mid to lower river anyway.

There have been many reports of Salmon still spawning into February this year, which is probably due to the extremely low temperatures we have experienced through the winter months, as low as minus 17 degrees at times. I think that would slow me down a bit too if I were a Salmon. There has also been a few baggots reported, caught and returned, but the good news is that there has already been a handful of spring fish caught too, which is always a good sign.

Still relatively quiet though at the moment, apart from Salmon Kelts, which at least tells us that many fish have already spawned, despite those noticably late spawners. If you do catch a really "well mended" Kelt on your travels, and you are not sure how to distinguish it from a clean fish, (which can be difficult at times, especially if you are new to the game) look out for some of those tell tale giveaways displayed by many Kelts, such as Gill Maggots, (a small parasite living in the fishes gills) or an extended vent, denoting spawning activity, (see pictures) they are also generally narrow in feature with a distinct level belly, and although clean looking, they will not display the lustrous sheen that you will see in a Spring fish.

One or two people are now beginning to venture out though, even if it is only to get in some casting practice, ready for the new season, which I might add, did start (for Salmon) on January 15th on the Eden. Let's hope it's a good one!

High Waters Contribute to Difficult Conditions

2011-01-17T12:59:00.000-08:00

As if we have not had enough to contend with when taking into account the poor Grayling fishing we have encountered on the middle and lower beats of the Eden over the winter period, we are now having to contend with high and coloured water conditions at what is the start of our Salmon season which opened on 15th January. With early spring fish being few and far between these days and with a shortage of anglers out on the river at this time of year, (which does not always help with true catch figures) which is down to a multitude of reasons, such as the catch and release laws that are now in place until June 16th as some anglers used to like to take a Spring fish for the pot, whether right or wrong, as they were once a great prize, and with some anglers not wanting to stress these magnificent fish if they are to be returned anyway. There are also the anglers who do not like to hook Kelt's that are making their way back to sea after spawning. You will find there are many differing opinions on all of these aspects of Salmon fishing which makes for interesting debate at times.

Personally I do not think it is rocket science and I have been in the frame of mind for the last 15 years now that a good gill tagging system (administered correctly) would solve many of the problems we are faced with in both fishing and conserving stocks. If every Salmon angler was given "say" 6 tags (just as a ball park figure) 5 red and 1 blue for instance, then the angler has a choice. He/she can use their 5 red tags for keeping fish throughout the main season and their blue tag can be reserved for a spring fish if desired. This would do away with the need for silly by-laws regarding hen fish etc. and at the same time definitely help to prevent the illegal sale of Salmon and also go some way towards the prevention of poaching as any fish caught by rod and line "if killed" would have to display one of the anglers tags (similar to the tags shown on this Irish Salmon in the picture above). The angler may even choose not to use his/her tags at all if they so wish. If we are all really honest with ourselves, three Salmon is more than enough in a season for any angler to consume and I personally make a point of only keeping up to 3 Salmon in a season anyway and the rest go carefully back.

If the tagging system was adopted by all, there would be no need for restrictions on numbers of fish caught in any one day on any one beat as once your quota for the season has been taken then that's the end of it. The choice would then be in your hands and rather than be forced to put a fish back that has a slim chance of recovering e.g. a bleeding hen fish, you could add it to your quota by using one of your tags (no waste). There are a few other benefits too, but I won't prattle on as I think you get my drift.

So anyway back to the river! I was out fishing over the winter albeit not much due to some severe weather conditions, but the few times we were out the Grayling fishing was unfortunately still very dour even in places that have fished well in the past. I had Jim and Silas out on the river last week and although the water was up a little it was in relatively good condition but the Grayling were being their recent stubborn selves once again and not giving much away, although Jim did get into what was most definitely a very good fish but it unfortunately parted company after giving a good initial account of itself. I am just waiting for the water levels to drop again now before venturing forth once again to do some early season tuition and fishing sessions. The forecast seems to be improving. Finger crossed!

Fishing Still Slow with Mixed Weather Conditions

2010-12-22T07:12:00.000-08:00

The Grayling are still proving hard to catch in certain middle beats of the Eden despite some good waters and good conditions from time to time, especially taking into account the really bad conditions we have witnessed of late. After saying this, if you are prepared to search the water thoroughly then there are some very good quality fish to be found, but if I am to be totally honest at this moment in time, they are still few and far between. To find these illusive fish we are having to fish deep and slow with bites being very tentative and hardly noticeable at times.

The likelihood that these very enigmatic fish have migrated to new areas of the river is a distinct possibility as they most certainly do this from time to time, possibly to seek food or maybe even better potential spawning areas, I remember reading an article once on Norwegian Grayling, where it was found that they had migrated up to 75 miles within the river system, so anything is possible, but with Christmas almost upon us, and visits to the river becoming fewer, almost certainly due to the much lower than normal temperatures and poor conditions, apart from the die-hards, people are not so keen to venture out, so to find out if the Grayling have migrated elsewhere will be difficult to prove, except by anecdotal evidence. It has to be said though, that if you wrap up warmly, layer your clothing and don your neoprene waders it can be very bearable as well as being good fun.

I have had reports of good catches in places higher up the Eden, but I was not sure what the lower beats were producing, so yesterday I intended to find out for myself, but upon arrival, most of the water was frozen over and the rest of it was made up of rafts of ice (known to some anglers as grue) that you just couldn't get your line to navigate through, even the ducks were finding it difficult. Even though I was itching to have a go, common sense prevailed and I returned home. Maybe after Christmas!

Grayling Fishing Proving Difficult!

2010-11-25T02:05:00.000-08:00

With fluctuating water levels on the Eden and still relatively pleasant days (when well wrapped up) the Grayling are proving hard to catch on the fly of late, even when hugging the bottom with weighted bugs, apart from the odd one as Tony discovered here in the picture, but they are definitely not responding in any numbers.

Whilst trying a different approach with youngsters from a Cumbrian youth club in the form of swim feeders and floats, we did manage a few fish but still nothing like the numbers you would expect on these methods at this time of year, and as far as the fly is concerned, which is my favourite method of catching these enigmatic fish, I am convinced that all we need for good results is the water levels to fall and stay steady for a while coupled with some early morning frosts (which we are getting now) to help lower the level a bit and hopefully induce these fish to take, which usually does the trick over the winter. Let's wait and see!

Too Much Water Again

2010-11-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

Although the water was high in late October, it was not too coloured to fish for Grayling, and even though these beautiful fish are often unpredictable to say the least when the water is consistently unsettled, you can usually catch a few on maggots as opposed to the fly which comes into its own more readily on a water that has stayed reasonably steady for a sustained period of time, especially when temperatures drop and the water remains low for a while (winter). Given these conditions, which generally occur after a good frost or two, the Grayling fishing can be excellent on the fly (I can't wait). Anyway getting back to my earlier thread, in late October in my capacity as an instructor for Borderlines, we took some youngsters out fishing with the maggot, and introduced them to the swim feeder and the float, and although the fishing was difficult they did manage several Grayling to around 1 1/2lb.

Following this I travelled down to the BFFI (British Fly Fair International) at Trentham Gardens near Stoke where I was representing AAPGAI (Association of Advanced Professional Game Angling Instructors) as part of the fly casting demonstration team, which I really enjoy. Oh and by the way, for those of you who are regular visitors to the show, the venue and dates for the BFFI will change next year to the 18th & 19th June and will take place at Bingley Hall in Stafford which is the Staffordshire Show Ground, and in addition to the casting demonstrations, AAPGAI will be running a casting clinic there for those who would like to either learn how to cast for the first time, or improve their existing skills. I look forward to seeing some of you there.

Click Here

Since returning home to Cumbria, the river Eden has been persistently high and today was no exception with the water rising once again. We need the rain to stop, and the water to drop back down for some good Grayling fishing on the fly, which I am looking forward to. Let's hope it is soon! Keep an eye on the weather using the Met Office link on the right.

The End is Nigh

2010-10-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

The end of the Salmon season on the Eden is now upon us once again, where does it go it seems to get shorter every year. We have still been catching a few fish though regardless of the fact that this year has probably seen fewer fish running the river than we saw last year although when Sam and Larissa (originally from New Zealand) came along for a session higher up the river we did see quite a few fish even though they did not connect with any of them. This was there first time fishing for Salmon so much of the time was based around the casting techniques required to present the fly to the fish which they certainly got to grips with later in the day.

David Humble came along later in the week for an annual brush up of his (much improved) Spey casting techniques and almost immediately hooked up with a fish whilst we were going through the mechanics at the start of the day, a really fresh hen fish of around 7lb which was not hanging about as you can see in the picture above and whilst we were having a chat toward the end of the day a coloured cock fish of about 5lb grabbed the fly and also made haste across the pool. Both fish took the cascade a fly which has fished tremendously well for us all season.

Kevin Earl arrived the next day but unfortunately had to cut the session short as he had to get back home to attend to some personal business in the afternoon, but whilst he was there he fished the beat well and was unlucky not to make better contact with a fish that actually grabbed his fly twice as it came across the tail of the pool.

As I now had a spare afternoon I was determined to take full advantage of it and fished for myself a little lower down from where Kevin missed the fish and managed to hook and land a cracking hen fish of approximately 15lb (also on a cascade)which I quickly returned to the water whilst trying to make a few rapid clicks of the camera as I held the fish in the water to give it time to recover, not easy to get a good shot I can assure you as you can see by the picture on the right.

A little bit of mentoring the next day with John who was working towards his advanced trout assessment for his AAPGAI full membership and we both did a little bit of fishing at the end of the day as we had spotted a few Salmon moving through the beat as we were going over one or two things with the trout rod throughout the day but although conditions looked really good in the last hour of daylight we did not conect with any fish at all.

Unfortunately I had to miss the last day of the season as I was off to Wales for one of the AAPGAI biannual assessment events, which I din't mind really as they are very worthwhile events and a great get together with some good assessments and fantastic demonstrations on the open day. These events are most certainly going from strength to strength and this one was the best by far. If anyone is thinking of attending one of these open days I would certainly reccommend it, the next one will be held at Cockermouth on 26th March 2011 and well worth a visit whether you are simply looking for a good informative day out or you wish to learn more about the instructor route and what is involved. Here is the link: http://www.aapgai.co.uk/body/events.html#openday

On returning home things are relatively quiet at the moment with the end of the Salmon season on our river and the inclement weather we have been getting with more to come, although I have been out giving a couple of tuition sessions which were very enjoyable and with the water once again running high and coloured I am now bracing myself for some good Grayling fishing once the water drops and clears again "soon I hope".

Remember Spey casting tuition with both single and double handed rods is available throughout the close season and the Grayling fishing can be phenominal when the temperature drops and the river stays at a constant level for a prolonged period of time and when I am not out with people on the river I will be out myself taking full advantage of this extension to the fly fishing season whilst fishing for these magnificent fish.

Still Catching Fish

2010-10-07T00:34:00.000-07:00

There have been some good waters over the last week or so and some not so good with the water heights up and down like a yoyo, but when the water has been holding steady or falling and clearing, (whilst we are not seeing many fish) there have been a few good opportunities to catch a fish or two and we have taken advantage of them.

Steve Earl and Mike Donaghue were with me toward the end of last week and they were predominantly interested in the Spey casting techniques as aposed to just fishing although they did dabble a little bit toward the end of the day when their casting had most definitely improved, but despite quite a good water the fish did not oblige although to be fair to the guys they only actually fished for a very short time.

Following there successful visit last year Christian Woolfenden (above left) and John Schofield (right) arrived the next day for another two days casting tuition and fishing and once again they kept up there 100% record with two cock Salmon of around 10lb and 5lb both of which they returned as they were a bit on the coloured side, although this did not stop them giving the lads a run for their money as they were very hard fighting fish. Well Done!

Piaras, Conal and Ryan travelled over from N. Ireland for what was to be their second visit to the Eden with me, only to encounter mixed conditions on the river and when there are not many fish showing at a time when there should be plenty it was hard work for the lads at times.

With the water rising slightly during the first day on Warwick Hall and more rain falling with only one or two fish showing, nobody caught, although Piaras did make contact with a fish on the fly but lost it, despite the beat producing 17 fish to 26 and a half pounds the week before.

The next day we were higher up the river and fingers crossed for the water to drop, but when we got there it was still holding a fair amount of colour which did begin to clear toward the end of the day and this time it was Conal's turn to make contact with a Salmon on the fly only to lose it too, although he did catch a trout on a tube fly as a consolation prize.

The final day was to be on the lower Eden and with the rain we had encountered the previous day as well as there being three rivers below us all entering the main system I was a bit sceptical of their chances, but after checking it out the evening before I was pleasantly surprised with regard to water clarity which left me a little more optimistic and sure enough when we arrived the next day, although the water was high, the colour was good and the day produced some good sport albeit with mixed results which saw the lads hooking and loosing three fish between them, one of which looked to be a big trout but the other two definitely Salmon including a very good double figure fish which we got a good look at before it parted company and to top it off Ryan managed to hook and land two additional Salmon a cock fish and a hen fish. Nice one lads!

Since the lads returned home the water has yet again been up and down like a yoyo with some unfishable days, but as usual it is coming good again and I will be out on the river tomorrow for more of the same.

Good Salmon Catches on the River

2010-09-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

Although I have had a few people for casting lessons over the last couple of weeks, I have also had to cancel one or two fishing sessions due to high water conditions, but when the water has been dropping and clearing there has been some very good Salmon catches throughout the system.

I even had time to do a little Salmon fishing myself on Friday 16th when I managed to land a nice cock fish of 9lb 3oz on a Rio AFS floating shooting head kit with a 5ft fast sinking tip attached and it was one I kept for the pot, not just because it was a cock fish, but because I always keep three fish per season for personal consumption and this was to be one of them. I am a great believer in conservation and when executed correctly this should be commended, but I also believe that if we are sensible when we go fishing we should not totally dismiss the hunter gatherer inside us all.

Following a casting session on Saturday 17th I managed to wet a line once more with almost the same set up as above but this time with an intermediate tip attached as opposed to a fast sinking tip and I managed to land a very fresh hen fish of around 4lb which gave an impressive account of itself for such a small fish although needless to say it was immediately returned to the water to go about its business.

The following day Angela and Derek Marshall arrived for some Spey casting tuition and Salmon fishing and since the last time I saw them their casting had really improved so with a few fish bouncing around the pool things looked very promising but despite what appeared to be a good water their efforts were not rewarded and towards the end of the day it had become apparent that the river had risen yet again which is not always conducive to good catches as you will know as well as putting many beats out of order again for the following day.

During the week I have been involved with Borderlines the not for profit company that introduces people from all backgrounds to angling and this week we were completing a project for the schools known as the "Future Fish" project in partnership with the S&TA where we as Borderlines introduced 47 youngsters not only to angling and related topics but also to the environment and the benefits of looking after that environment for the future. What better place to do this than the river Eden which is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

"Oh" and whilst we were doing this the river was coming back into good order again ready for some more good Salmon fishing with several reports coming in of fish being caught all along the river. As all you Salmon anglers know it is not so much the height of the river that can often dictate good fishing but predominantly the colour and at the moment it is fining down nicely.

Mixed Conditions on the River

2010-09-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

Low and high water conditions over the past week or so have afforded some mixed opportunities on the river with the middle reaches and above seeing some very difficult conditions for Salmon fishing as Andrew Hall and party found out, with some areas not even giving us a glimpse of fish, whereas David Bowe (pictured left) who was with me on the lower river saw Salmon fishing from the other extreme with at least 30 seperate fish showing in the beat throughout the day and not one tempted by the fly. In fact on more than one occasion Salmon were jumping so close to him you could have almost touched them and some good fish too. Following some tuition, David was trying Salmon fishing for the first time and after a casting session in the morning he was putting out some nice lines but unfortunately in this case the Salmon did not appreciate good casting as those of you who indulge know very well.

with the water staying relatively low upstream this did help the trout fishing and although slow at times I had John Priest with me early and mid week and as well as a few small fish and loosing a good fish he did manage to hook play and land (very skilfully I might add) a cracking fish of around two and a half pounds, which he insisted on returning to the water "well done", but not before getting a quick snap as you can see.

Phil, Lewis and Craig were with me on Saturday, initially to do some Trout fishing but unfortunately although the river was in good order when they first arrived, not long after that it began to rise and continued to do so throughout the day, but they did have the opportunity to do some Salmon fly fishing albeit for a short period before the water became too coloured at which point we concentrated more on the casting techniques that would come in handy for both Trout and Salmon fishing when conditions improved and I have to admit they were good company too.

Yesterday I was with Andrew and Ian who came to do some Salmon fishing on the lower river. With the water still running high but falling and clearing very slowly, (which incidently was almost a carbon copy of their visit last year) Ian landed a very fresh fish of around 6lb and being a hen fish it was promptly returned to the water. In their last two visits they have managed to chalk up a result of two nil in their favour. The only difference this time is that it was Ian who caught the fish whereas last time it was Andrew who landed a nice specimen of around 14lb which incidentally was also a hen fish.

The Rain Came & Went

2010-09-03T05:16:00.000-07:00

On Friday 20th August we did get the rain that was forecast which did put the river up and coloured. This put the majority of Saturday out of order for fishing on the river although it did begin to clear higher up the river towards the end of the day with the lower river still holding plenty of colour. This was a shame because I had Alex and Yuji (originally from Japan) with me for their first taste of Salmon tuition and fishing, needless to say we dedicated the whole of Saturday to casting tuition to get them up to speed partly because of the conditions we encountered, although they did have a chance later on as the water began to slightly clear higher up the river. Sunday saw a nice water higher up the system but with no Salmon obliging, although Alex and Yugi managed a couple of good trout instead, meanwhile on the lower river although still very coloured I had reports of a few Salmon caught on spinners.

Monday and Tuesday saw Alan and Stewart Cape (Father & Son) with me for a bit of Salmon casting tuition and Trout fishing (pictured here) and following a little more heavy rain late Monday afternoon I expected the river to be up again on Tuesday morning, but not so, and the water was once again in good order on the middle river, although the majority of Salmon being caught were further down the system with some good catches.

On Thursday Martin Buss who was on holiday near Ullswater came for a days Brown trout fishing with his son Harrison and between them they caught several small fish on the fly, but the highlight of the day was when 10 year old Harrison (pictured below) played and landed his first ever Brown Trout a nice fish as you can see from the picture.

As the week progressed towards the weekend the weather turned drier and brighter and the forecast for now is for a very dry bright week which we are most certainly getting at the moment, and as you may know this is not good for the Salmon fishing at what is usually a very good time of year. That said we had some mixed chances last Sunday with Doug Douglass and his friend Mike connecting with five Salmon throughout the duration of the day but with fish taking the flies and crashing on the surface at times no fish were actually landed which was very unlucky, but it does show that they are there and willing to take the fly in the first place which is always a good sign.

I was out with Fay Larkins on Monday morning who managed to hook and loose a very nice Brown Trout which gave a good account of itself but unfortunately parted company with the angler once again. In the afternoon I fished on myself for a while and managed to land a couple of small Brown Trout and some very good Grayling on the dry fly, one of which had to easily be weighing in at around two and three quarter pounds, I don't think it would have quite made 3 pounds, but a fantastic specimen all the same. I did manage to get a photograph but it was difficult to hold it far enough away from the camera to get it all in and focussed as I was on my own and it was not behaving itself as any of you who fish for Grayling will know they are very powerfull fish in the hand and can be difficult to hold still. So although I have missed the tail of the photo you can at least get a good indication of the size of the fish from this snap.

Grilse & Salmon Numbers Building up Slowly

2010-08-19T02:16:00.000-07:00

A mixed bag over the last week with one or two reasonable trout to around a pound and a half and Grayling to two pound, but generally a lot of small fish in this category with more Brown Trout than Grayling which has been the trend of late with the dry fly tempting the bigger fish at the moment.

This last week also saw more Grilse entering the river with a few good Salmon showing amongst them and whilst targeting these fish at the weekend we did manage to land a nice fresh Grilse of around 5lb (for the pot) and lost a very nice, very fresh Salmon of around 12-15lb which gave a very acrobatic account of itself before parting company with the fly at the 11th hour, "oh well at least we got a good look at it". With a couple of additional brief encounters with these fish they were certainly up for it and I know there were one or two others taken further up river.

The last couple of days have been away from the Salmon fishing and dedicated to casting tuition and trout fishing higher up the river with some success, however whilst putting his new casting techniques into practice, Tony (pictured here on the left) found that although he did manage at least a dozen fish, as usual the bigger fish were proving harder to tempt as the season marches on.

There are spells of heavy rain forecast over the next week so we will see how this impacts on the Salmon fishing as we draw further into the prime fishing time on the River Eden for these Silver Tourists.

The Grilse Are In

2010-08-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

I was on the river with Fay last Wednesday who is a regular visitor to Border Game Angling. With no surface activity whatsoever we set up with two small pheasant tailed nymphs which turned out to be the business. Unfortunately the larger fish proved to be illusive but Fay did manage to catch and return 13 small Brown Trout which did keep her very busy throughout the session.

At the end of last week we held a youth event for the Carlisle Angling Association under the Borderlines banner and with some very welcome help from committee members Graeme Proud, Colin Pulmer, David Altham and George Pearson, along with some fantastic assisstance from Rebbecca and Joanne from the Eden Rivers Trust, the day was very successful with 88 youngsters attending along with other family members bringing the total attendance to well over 100. The day included fly tying, fly casting, fishing, entomology and lots of information about the environment and fishing related subjects. Hats off to the C.A.A. for sponsoring such a great day and promoting angling and the benefits it can bring to those who care to participate.

I have also been involved in many more fishing sessions with Borderlines over the last couple of weeks introducing younsters and families to fishing of all kinds on both stillwaters and rivers including the River Nith and the Border Esk which has been very rewarding.

Plenty of Spey casting tuition with the Salmon fly rods again, and as people were getting to grips with the techniques required whilst on the river Eden we saw on more than one occasion several fresh run Grilse arriving in the system at last, but up to now despite some of the guys covering the fish very well they are certainly not in a taking mood, but with the Haaf Net operators also seeing very large Grilse runs entering the estuary then it should only be a matter of time before more fish are caught.

We did get an additional small rise of water on the Eden on Saturday albeit very peaty which usually indicates that the river Eden has been influenced by one of its upstream tributaries known as the river Irthing, this can seriously effect (for a period of time until it begins to clear) the fishing downstream in a negative way, but that said, I was much higher up the river yesterday above this tributary and the water was also very peaty suggesting that at least not all of the additional water was from the Irthing alone. This certainly did make the fishing difficult though as Fay found out on her return for another Trout session with only one small fish.

I continued on Yesterday afternoon for a couple of hours on my own and despite missing a couple of offers on the nymphs and one lost fish, I did manage a nice Brown Trout of around one and a half pounds at the 11th hour on a size 14 Dry Greenwell's Glory. A nice way to end the afternoon.

Water At Last

2010-07-27T04:24:00.000-07:00

Through the night on Saturday 10th July the river Eden rose around two foot and coloured which made Sunday 11th on the lower river unfishable which would normally be a bit disappointing, especially as I had to cancel a trout fishing session, but as we have had no significant water whatsoever for many weeks this was very welcome and gave us hope for the Salmon fishing as this water could certainly encourage fish to enter the system.

Although there were a few fish caught and a few good ones at that, as well as a few Sea Trout in places, it was not spectacular, but the water did hold it's level for a while with the upper river a good colour to fish the fly and on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 13th - 15th I enjoyed the company of Chris, Andrew and Alan who were up from Wales on a fishing holiday with me. Alan was one of a party of four that came to Norway with me on one of the Salmon trips I used to arrange with a friend in Norway. All three came into contact with Salmon on the last day but unfortunately only briefly. Chris also indulged in a bit of trout and grayling fishing with some success.

Saturday and Sunday 18th & 19th were taken up with some single and double handed fly casting tuition with Sean and Stephen (pictured here) and Monday was to be a trout fishing session but the water rose again and the day became a tuition day looking at casting and fishing techniques.

Bit of me time on 20th - 22nd July as I headed off with a friend to the Dovey in Wales for some Sea Trout fishing only to find upon arrival the river in full flood for almost the whole duration of the trip apart from the last four hours when I did manage to wet a line but to no avail, although the guy in front of me proceeded to pull out a nice Sea Trout of 8lb. As the river was out of order we were given a real treat as we were taken by our very good friend and host Illtyd Griffiths to the most beautiful lake up in the Welsh hills to fish for wild brown trout and despite the rain water which had also effected the lakes clarity we did catch (between the two of us) 15 nice wild brownies of which we kept five and returned ten. In addition to this whilst we were away the river Eden rose again approximately four to five feet which gave it the good flush through it needed for the Salmon fishing.

By Saturday the lower river Eden was still holding a bit of colour although a few fish had been caught on spinners, but the upper river was running nice with just a little colour and in the afternoon I had Jake and his young nephew Tom with me to do some Brown trout fishing, with the intension of Sea Trout fishing later on that evening until the early hours. Jake managed a couple of nice Brown trout up to just under 2lb and as for the Sea Trout fishing, he hooked two very good fish one of which parted company quite early and the second proceeded to crash about on the surface (which Sea Trout have a tendancy to do when first hooked) before it too parted company, this would be a fish of about 3 -4lb as we both got a good look at it on the surface.

Sunday saw the lower river still high but coming into good condition with the water still coloured but clearing nicely and after a short casting session with Mike and despite not seeing any fish at all I did manage to hook and land a nice fish of around 9lb on the fly which was promptly returned as it was a coloured fish likely to be a Spring fish that entered the river a while ago although it gave a very good account of itself during the fight which is often the case with a well rested fish. Several other fish have also recently been caught throughout the system with fish of around 17lb being recorded. Large Grilse runs have yet to be seen although I am sure they are on their way as they did arrive late last year.

The Brown trout fishing was also very good yesterday and I managed 14 fish on the upper river up to one and a quarter pounds on goldheads, spiders and on the dry fly as fish began to rise in the evening. I kept one for the pot.

Killyleagh & Lough Melvin

2010-07-10T04:36:00.000-07:00

On Friday 2nd July I flew over to Ireland with three fellow instructors and very good friends, Illtyd Griffiths, Gary Champion and Karl Humphries to represent AAPGAI at the Irish International Fly Fair, a very successful event which has gone from strength to strength since it's inception in 2008. The event encorporates fly casters, fly dressers and many other angling related parties from around the world in the beautiful setting that is Killyleagh which overlooks strangford Lough. The event evolved from an environmental enhancement programme based around the local Dibney River through an organisation formed in 2007 and now known as the Dibney River Conservation Trust which does excellent work with both adults and youngsters alike to promote a better understanding of the benefits local rivers can provide to the community.

Whilst over there we met up with several friends from APGAI Ireland (Advanced Professional Game Angling Instructors) many of whom are also members of AAPGAI in England who were also involved with the casting instruction at the Fly Fair.

Following the Killyleagh event I travelled from there with Jim Hoy, (a very good friend of mine and member of both AAPGAI & APGAI Ireland) 3 hours down the road to where Jim lives on the banks of Lough Melvin (literally) where I had the good fortune to spend 3 days with Jim and his lovely partner Lillian in such an idyllic setting where we fished very successfully for two species of trout known as Gillaroo and Sonaghan which are unique to Lough Melvin. Jim is the Head Water Keeper for the Southern side of the Lough and has fished Melvin most of his life which certainly showed in his ability to catch these hard fighting fish as well as being able to locate them in often changeable conditions. Anyone wishing to take a trip to Lough Melvin to fish for these fantastic creatures as well as having a chance to hook one of the many Salmon we saw jumping on the Lough, I can certainly recommend Jim who can arrange all the facilities you require for your trip. You can contact Jim on the following email address: jimhoyflycasting@gmail.com

The Gillaroo (which comes from the Irish for Red Fellow) are generally found in the medium to shallower areas of the Lough (just offshore) as they are predominantly bottom feeders, feeding on such things as snails and caddis larvae etc and are great fighters themselves with there butter coloured bellies and deep bright red spots, but when you get hold of a good sonaghan (which generally prefer open water) which I would describe as a dark steely looking fish with black spots, long pectoral fins and a tail that is disproportionate to it's body (bigger) you soon know it, and sometimes you even think you have hooked into a grilse, as although they are not big fish they do have the tendancy to pull the rod tip under the boat. A fantastic experience and one I suggest you should try.

Searching For Fish

2010-06-30T03:38:00.000-07:00

Over the last three weeks the river Eden has suffered badly especially for the Salmon angler with yet more dry weather and low water conditions. In the more oxygenated areas of the river there are still some good trout to be had on spiders and dries or even very small goldheads in the pocket water, but you do have to search for them and if you are prepared to do so then it can be quite productive.

When I have not had people out on the river I have been putting my free time to good use and recently attended an AAPGAI professional delopment weekend which was held at the Three Acres near Huddersfield. The weekend was based around casting and fishing techniques with a variety of rods and reels, which allows us as instructors to keep up with some of the latest outfits on the market today as well as continuing our own development, but even more important it was good fun and very enjoyable.

Off to Ireland in a couple of days for the Irish International Killyleagh Fly Fair and to fish Lough Melvin for 3 days for Sonaghan and Gillaroo trout. Speak to you all soon with an update.

Some Rain but not Enough

2010-06-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

As I suspected, the rain, albeit heavy at times, was not enough to bring the river Eden into the good order we desperately need for the Salmon fishing to improve, although there is some fresh water in the system and one particular area on the lower Eden has still been producing a few good fish with one angler taking three nice Salmon to his own rod in one day, but in the general scheme of things we do still need some rain.

There continues to be some good trout fishing available to those who make the effort which tends to be on the more overcast days or later in the evening which always tends to be a good option, and following a session on Monday I managed to land seven Brown Trout and a Grayling all on the dry fly, but I cannot claim that there were any specimens amongst them this time, never the less, good sport and I will hopefully meet those fish again in the future.

Some good feedback confirmed another very successful weekend with Dumfries & Galloway Angling Association members on the river Nith, from beginners learning how to Spey cast for the very first time to some good improving anglers (who have been before) who were looking at some of the more advanced Spey casting techniques with both full Spey Lines and shooting heads etc.

Also during the week we had some further school day sessions with the fishing for knowledge project in the Port Willam area of Scotland delivered by us at Borderlines, and whilst it does temporarily keep us away from our local rivers, it is a very worthwhile experience and one that gives us the opportunity to get the message accross (regarding angling and the environment) to many youngsters who will hopefully carry this message forward long after we have gone.

Finally, if you like to keep a Salmon or two when you go fishing, then as from today in England and Wales you can do so (dependant on local fishery rules) i.e. from 16th June, which is in line with the Environment Agency National Byelaws, (click on Logo for more info) but be careful as from the 10th September all hen fish must be returned to the water.

In addition to this the Grayling season has now officialy opened as from today!

A Hint of Change

2010-06-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

Early in the week I was on the upper Eden with Ken, Declan and Liam. They are a father and two sons respectively and were spending the day with me for Liam's birthday present. It was a very hot day as usual, but Liam did manage to bag himself a good Brown trout which was his first ever Brownie (well Done!) along with a few smaller fish, and Declan also managed to hook and land two very nice Grayling, which were promptly returned to the water, not just because the season does not begin until June 16th, but as he said with a smile that's what he would normally do. I did get a good underwater shot though (see below).

I fished the Eamont mid week with Tony Bell in very difficult conditions (hot & bright) although we did manage to turn a couple of quality fish on very small dries and caught a few smaller fish, but all in all they were a bit wary in the low clear conditions we encountered. Very small dries or spiders and tiny goldheads have been the order of the day in these difficult conditions.

Later in the week we were in SW Scotland introducing youngsters to angling and all things related and over the weekend I returned to SW Scotland once again with fellow instructor Glyn Freeman to deliver two, one day Spey Casting courses to members of the Dumfries & Galloway Angling Association.

Only on the river Eden for a short tuition and fishing session this morning which was just as well, as the river where we were (higher up the system) began to rise a little and colour up following a heavy downpour in the pennines. I would like to think that this was the beginning of a good flush through as the river desperately needs extra water, but I am not convinced, although the forecast is for some additional heavy rain tomorrow evening so fingers crossed.

Still Awaiting Rain

2010-05-30T02:48:00.000-07:00

For those Salmon fishers amongst us we are now desperate for rain, with some of the lowest water conditions we have seen for a long time at this time of year. Those of you who have recently ventured out though may have encountered an unexpected surprise as quite a few very nice sea liced Salmon have entered the river regardless of the low water conditions and offered some very good sport to anglers on the lower beats.

Once again I have been working with schools under the Borderlines banner, introducing youngsters to the joys of entomology identifying the creatures that the fish feed upon and their importance to the environment, often helping us to identify how healthy our waterways really are, before moving on to future fishing sessions.

On Saturday 22nd May along with fellow AAPGAI instructor Jim Fearn, we set up a casting and fishing demonstration day for Carlisle Anglers on the lower river sponsored by Guide Fly Fishing which was based around the advantages and disadvantages of shooting heads and Skagit lines and their applications. The day was well received by all and the feed back was good.

The low water has not put the trout off and we have had some nice fish up to 2 1/4lb although when the weather gets hot and bright it has been quite difficult at times as you would expect. It does keep threatening to rain and has done in some areas of Scotland, but it is still giving us a wide birth at the moment. Time will tell.

Low Water Conditions Continue

2010-05-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

As previously mentioned, the persistent low water conditions we are all experiencing does not suit everyone, especially the Salmon anglers amongst us. That said, I can never undersatnd why the Salmon anglers do not turn their hand to the excellent trout fishing that is available on our rivers when water is at a premium, especially the river Eden which generally fishes out of it's skin in the early part of the trout season and can continue to do so given the right conditions. The insect life is really building up now and with the wind now predominantly South Westerly (at the moment) as apposed to that persistent North Easterly we have been experiencing things can only get better and I am sure you can all feel the difference in temperature over the last couple of days.

I tested the water for Sea Trout through the night at the weekend with only limited success although I did hear a couple of nice fish in the dark and although we have seen a few good fish throughout the day along with several small Sea Trout and lots of Herling (immature Sea Trout) there were not a lot of fish active in the pool I was fishing, which may have been suited better by a little more cloud cover and not the clear sky that materialised as darkness fell.

I have had some very nice ladies and gents trout fishing with me over the past few days including David, Bill and Fay all pictured here, who between them caught a few good trout and a few smaller ones too. Also a couple of good Spey casting lessons with the double handers with Colin and Bill who turned his hand to both Trout fishing and some of the Salmon Spey casting techniques.

More Good Brown Trout Activity

2010-05-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

In between Spey Casting tuition I have actually had the chance to do some Brown Trout fishing of my own and what a time to get the opportunity to do so as these fish have really switched on especially on the lower river. I was fishing with a friend and we lost count of the amount of good quality fish we caught. I did intend to keep a couple for the pot but found myself caught up in the moment. We also had a few plump little herling which we returned to fight again and following this I had two amazing encounters with a couple of big Sea Trout on light tackle around the 3 and 4lb mark, the second of which proceeded to strip the whole fly line and a bit of the backing from my reel before parting company with my 3lb point.

Following a Spey Casting session higher up the river with Tony who has been preparing for his Provisional AAPGAI casting qualification over this last year, we both took turns with the trout rod whilst the other watched the water for movement and although we had a few Brown Trout they were not as good in quality as the fish in the lower river, which is not uncommon at this time of year, but this certainly did not make it any less enjoyable.

Although it has still not fully warmed up yet with snow still clearly visible on the pennines, the fly hatches are still building up and along with those we have already identified, additional species are now beginning to appear and on Saturday I saw the odd Large Brook Dun being devoured by a trout or two as well as witnessing a few hawthorns yesterday with their distinctive dangling legs.

There are also a few Salmon sneaking into the lower beats on this low water and if we can get some fresh water in the near future there may be one or two caught, although the low water will not prevent the Sea Trout negotiating the faster runs through the twilight hours and into dark and if we can get some overcast (moonless) warmer nights then this could be the time to target them as they are most definitely in the system.

On the river and at the Tweed Angling Fair

2010-05-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

On the river with Pat last week, he was on holiday in the Lake District and wanted to learn how to Spey Cast with the double Handed Salmon rod and by the end of the session he was doing a good job considering it was his first time.

I was then off the river for a few days whilst working with schoools in SW Scotland introducing youngsters to Entomology which was there second session in a series of sessions designed to build up the whole environmental picture. I was then off to the Tweed Angling Fair which I attend annually as part of the AAPGAI demonstration team for fly casting as well as providing the casting tuition at the event with the rest of the team. The show is a great event for anglers and if you haven't been before it is well worth putting next years date in your diary which is usually the first weekend in May.

Back to the river Eden again on Monday and the Salmon smolts are now beginning to drop down the river making there way to the sea to continue natures amazing cycle, and the Brown Trout are now beginning to rise much more readilly on the river just waiting for a nice dry fly to tempt them. Monday morning was difficult but we had one or two in the afternoon although the action was very sporadic due to intermittent North East gusts of wind which kept switching the fish off again. Since then it has got a bit better with plenty of cloud cover and if the weather would make it's mind up and warm up for longer periods we are in for some good sport, and as well as the continuous hatches of Grannom sedges we are still seeing, other insect life is also improving on the river and the Olive Uprights are now increasingly appearing on the water. I have also been hearing good reports from Lake Ullswater of some good catches of Browns. However with low water conditions prevailing this does not suit the Salmon angler and at least a few inches of fresh water would improve the situation, but as we all know, once it begins to rain it seems to forget to stop. We are never happy are we!

A bit more Salmon Casting tuition on Tuesday and a short fishing session yesterday with Ben and his son Rowan who were over on holiday from Holland, but unfortunately they only managed one small fish and lost another, although there were some really good trout breaking surface all around. Well that's Fishing!

With regard to the above reference to Ullswater Lake, if anyone is interested in a boat fishing trip to the more productive bays on the Lake, I can recommend just the man to accommodate you. His name is Geoff Johnston and he is a qualified AAPGAI instructor who has fished the lake very successfully for many years. If you are interested, you can contact him at geoffjohnston@theeden.fsnet.co.uk

Positive Signs on the River

2010-04-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

At last, things are beginning to step up a gear on the river as temperatures begin to warm up, and those of you who do a bit of trout fishing will know that things have been rather slow of late. Not so now though with the insect life increasing in the form of large stoneflies, some very good hatches of Grannom (Sedges) carpeting the river in places and a few sporadic hatches of Large Dark Olives still in attendance, and the Brown trout fishing has really kicked in. I was on the river with Andrew and Charlie toward the end of the week as they proceeded to catch six fish between them to around 1 1/4lb, (all returned) with an added bonus when Charlie actually managed to hook, but unfortunately loose a substantial Rainbow Trout (on the duo) which almost came to the net, obviously an escapee from higher up the system. Andrew also missed a few good fish on the spiders as they nipped the flies in the surface film.

Yesterday I was out with Doug, who I met in 2005 and he has been coming once or twice a year ever since to successfully fish for both Salmon and trout. On this particular occasion he came to do some trout fishing and keep up to speed with his casting which I was really impressed with as I remember when he first came and he has come a long way since then. The day started with a bang and did not stop. He played and landed five really good quality Brown Trout, the smallest being around 1 1/4lb with a couple of good fish around the 2lb mark. He then continued his run with 2 herling (small Sea Trout) 2 Grayling the biggest definitely being over 2lb and just to top it off he hooked and played a nice silver Salmon of around 5 - 6lb which eventually managed to get the upper hand and shed the hook. All of this action was on a 9ft 3inch 6 weight fly rod. After successfully setting the hook on all takes bar three during the day, Doug sat down and in his own words said "did that really happen".

The most significant piece of information that became apparent throughout the day was the substantial amount of very fresh Grilse between around 4 - 7lb that were creeping through on very low water and we saw between us a couple of dozen on the day of what can only be described as early running Grilse. Long may it last!

Back to Low Water Conditions

2010-04-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

Over the past week the river has been steadily falling to present low water conditions on the Eden and the Sand Martins which arrived in late March are now beginning to build up in numbers. Hopefully if the temperatures can find some kind of normality it might even persuade the fly life to increase and induce some good Brown Trout activity. There is still plenty of snow on the hills to keep a steady flow once it begins to melt and even though the water is low at the moment I have personally seen a good number of spring Salmon entering the river on the tide this weekend with a scattering of fresh Sea Trout in amongst them, so things are looking very healthy.

I have been busy with casting tuition on the river over the past few days and newcomers to Salmon fishing, Richard and Patrick (above) were putting out some nice lines over the weekend and were unfortunate that one of the Springers we saw did not take an interest in their offerings (maybe next time).

Yesterday and today I have been out with Ron and Ian (which is always a pleasure). They have been trying out some shooting head systems (amongst other things) in preperation for their pending Norway trip in June where they will be fishing the Gaula and other rivers whilst they are there. "Good luck to them", I hope they have a successful trip.

Springers Running the River

2010-04-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hi all, I have been off the scene for a few days down in Wales for the AAPGAI biannual assessments, workshops and demonstrations which were once again a roaring success with 9 candidates attaining their qualifications, in all three catagories, which included Trout, Salmon and Fly Dressing disciplines, with 3 successful Provisional members, 5 Advanced members and one Master which is our highest qualification. If anyone is interested in becoming an AAPGAI instructor, then further details can be viewed by clicking here.

Whilst I was away, several Spring Salmon were spotted running the river with a few fish being caught. This is normally the case when I go away and not entirely unexpected as we did have a rise of water just before I left, and just to top it off I received the usual phone call to tell me I should be on the river. "Typical".

The weather remains unpredictable with one day being quite warm and the next turning back to winter again, but one of my regular anglers, Fay, did manage to catch her first Brown Trout of the season all be it a small one.

River Rising again

2010-04-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

The river is on the rise yet again, holding back the trout fishing for at least a couple of days which seems to be the norm lately, although we did manage to target a few trout on Saturday and Charley who was over on a trip from America, managed to land a couple of fish at the eleventh hour on the scud, which is a shrimp representation, and on the Water Hen Bloa which is a spider pattern that was fished just in the surface film as a few trout begun to rise for a very short period in the late afternoon, picking off a few Large Dark Olives that were sparsley hatching. He also had a couple of close calls where the trout got the upper hand, (as they do) but as quick as these trout appeared, they also disappeared, leaving the water looking devoid of fish, just as it did before they became active, but we know they are there.

Sunday saw some Spey casting tuition with the Salmon rods on the lower Eden where the water was much bigger due to there being three main tributaries entering the system downstream of where we were fishing on Saturday, but this did not pose a problem as the day was simply based around casting techniques and not fishing, although for all the water was high, it was clear enough to catch fish, but with the extra rain through the night a lot of the water courses were beginning to colour up today and run into the main system yet again.

New instructors at Loch Leven

2010-03-31T18:06:00.000-07:00

As part of the assessment team for the Association of Advanced Professional Game Angling Instructors I travel to Loch Leven twice a year to jointly assess with the Scotish Anglers National Association, potential new instructors trying to gain their Scottish Game Angling Instructors Certificate and this year was no exception, which I might add, coincided nicely with the heavy rain we were expecting in the Eden valley which would raise river levels again and ruin the fishing for another few days. That said, apart from some strong winds, we got some nice conditions at Loch Leven and when the sun was out it was tempting to go fishing on the Loch, although it was deceiving and besides we had to work instead. Never mind, that's life! and we did get to see some good new instructors coming through the ranks.

When we returned the Eden, true to form it had begun to rise and by yesterday it was chocolate brown ruining the chances of any Salmon fishing and even more important spoiling what should be the start of the good trout fishing, although I have a sneaky feeling that it could be a bit later this year unless things warm up a bit soon.

Today saw the river continuing to run high keeping us all away, but at least the weather is better and hopefully if the forecasters have got it wrong for later in the week we might be able to fish at the weekend with the possibility of a Spring Salmon or a trout or two on the higher reaches where the water will clear first. Watch this space!

Tuition and a bit of Fishing

2010-03-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Mostly busy with casting tuition this week with both single handed and double handed fly rods and although the trout season has started, many anglers are making sure that their casting skills are up to speed especially with the Salmon rods, in anticipation of the new season kicking in proper. There have been a few fresh fish caught throughout the system with both numbers and the fish themselves into double figures although the river is still holding lots of Kelts and even though they are continuing to drop down the river there are still many of these spawned out Salmon holding in the higher beats reluctant to make a move. This in my oppinion has been dictated by the low temperatures we have been experiencing and maybe these slightly warmer days we have had recently will encourage the remainder to drop back down towards the sea. Possibly the snow melt we will get soon coupled with the additional rain we are supposed to get next week will be of some assisstance. I say possibly because believe me, regardless of the amount of water we get if they are not ready to go then they won't.

The trout season has started slowly which was expected and was not made any easier by the slowly rising water level throughout the day, although the beat we were on today did produce a couple of small fish and there was quite a reasonable hatch of Large Dark Olives in attendance and I did see one fish take one off the surface but that was all, everythig else was sub surface and heavy bugs were the order of the day.

Spring is in the air

2010-03-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

It has been very pleasant on the river over the last few days with temperatures continuing to rise and it has actually been quite warm in the Sun in comparison to recent weeks, at last Spring is peeping through with more and more Snowdrops beginning to show and new willow buds appearing on the river banks. Fly life is still very slow as you would expect and I have only been witness to a cluster of tiny Gnats yesterday and nothing more, although this can only be a good sign.

The Brown Trout season is upon us again tomorrow March 15th on the river Eden and although I will not be out myself as I have other commitments with Borderlines which is a not for profit company I am involved with dedicated to introducing people from all backrounds to angling and the environment, mainly children, I will be out later in the week with clients teaching casting and fishing techniques and hopefully we can catch a couple then, although I suspect that later in the month and into April will see some better chances.

As mentioned above we will be with schools tomorrow which is a follow on fishing session from indoor talks and an entomology session we delivered to them last week, so hopefully they will have an insight into the fishes diet before we even get started.

Temperatures Rising at Last

2010-03-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

It was much more enjoyable today on the river as the water temperature had risen to almost 6 degrees C and in the sun the air temperature touched 10 degrees which was quite pleasant in comparison to recent conditions and gave me the incentive to fish on into the early evening. Several Kelts were beginning to splash about in the lower reaches and reports were coming in of a few Spring fish also beginning to show themselves which is always a good sign. I even managed to make contact twice during the latter part of the day, the first of which was a Kelt which was quite apparent from the outset by the way it reacted on the rod, but the second seemed quite a substantial fight and I was not so sure, but as we parted company after about 30 seconds we will never know.

There seems to be more and more goosanders appearing on the river these days and today was no exception. They are very adept at identifying the most productive areas for fishing on the river for obvious reasons which is often a problem especially as they will take small trout and Salmon Parr as well as Smolts which will be showing up in numbers in another month or two.

At last the trout season is just around the corner and as well as having a few people already booked in for tuition, fishing and guiding for these hard fighting over wintered fish, I will also be taking every opportunity to catch a few on the fly myself. Last year was very productive especially between the end of March and the end of May when some of the better quality fish can be targetted before the Summer months get underway when you have to be more selective to avoid a multitude of smaller fish. Good sport though.

Although the Grayling season is closed from the 15th March to the 15th June inclusively, because these beautiful fish are so prolific throughout the river Eden system they are often unavoidable with the fly when fishing for trout especially around April time. This is almost certainly due to the fact that they are shoaling up for spawning at that time. As long as you are not specifically targetting these fish and you do return them as gently as possible without harm then this will not be a problem and from June 16th we can target them once again for some good sport.

Cold Temperatures

2010-02-23T20:30:00.000-08:00

The cold temperatures are definitely keeping anglers from venturing out and the word on the river is that there have still only been three springers caught up to press. There are plenty of Kelts (as shown here) splashing about on beats upstream with several beginning to drop down to the lower river, although still in small numbers at this time compared with previous seasons, but this could be due to the low temperatures once again.

The Grayling fishing on the fly (weighted nymphs) is very slow at the moment on the lower river although this is not uncommon at this time of year, I have also heard reports of a few fish being caught in the upper reaches which again is not that surprising as in my oppinion the Grayling have a tendancy to occupy the upper beats more at this time.

That said, I am involved with a not for profit company known as Borderlines and Chris Bowman and I were running a youth day on the river Eden at Warwick Hall last week (bait fishing) where the youngsters managed to land and return around 40 Grayling during the 4 hour session, not including the ones that got away, so they are there in numbers. If you are going to get them on the fly make sure your flies are heavy enough to get down to the river bed which is where the Grayling are most certainly hugging in these cold conditions.

I for one am certainly looking forward to warmer temperatures as it was pretty cold in the river Salmon fishing at the weekend with the warmest part of the day only making 4 degrees which was just on par with the water temperature.