Some Have Finns...

Having spent nearly a month in the wilds of Finland, it is something of a reality check to return to the UK. Returning to what exactly? So many cars, so few trees. So many roads, so few lakes!
Still, Finland has been an idyllic escape.
Pike fishing may not be at its prime come June and July in this land of a thousand lakes, but little beats a perfectly lazy afternoon, float tubing around the reedy corners of an immense lake and tangling with scores of lean and angry pike. Throwing plugs, softbaits, Kuusamo spoons and flies on a light outfit is a trigger happy way to ensure plenty of action. In the somewhat coloured water of summer here, bright and especially red offerings seemed the most effective. Slightly further out into deeper water offers the chance of somewhat bigger samples, albeit slower sport. I have to confess, most of the time though, it was the draw of classic pikey haunts and regular rod pulverising takes in the edges that had me hooked. Tons of pike then, nothing huge- but lots of beautifully marked predators to 8lbs.

This years adventure also saw new tricks. Lasakoski rapids are home to some cracking trout. Sadly our visit saw boiling hot weather and the best chance in the cool of the midnight sun- it never gets truly dark here in mid summer. Insect life wasn't at it's most active however. These trout are tough, supremely educated customers at the best of times and on the recommendation of Finnish sedge expert and all round bloody nice bloke Juha Vainio, we resorted to wind up tactics with streamers in the end. Just one sizable trout took a violent swipe at a big streamer- but missed and we had to be content with just a few smaller samples- gorgeous creatures all the same to one pound.
In fact the real highlight of the trip was the unexpected target of other species. Ide are fantastic predatory fish on a fly rod- attractive, broad sided beasts that proved obliging. We also caught roach, bleak, perch, pike and even bream in the slower water, all on flies! The ballistic, head shaking antics of an insanely fit seven pound pike provided further thrills.
The ide was a welcome new species for me then, but another must catch was a Finnish Zander. In spite of local advise that a boat was essential, I finally managed to take two from a float tube on a cloudy evening. Spinners tipped with worms seemed to get plenty of curious taps, before finally the ultra light rod hooped round and I landed a splendid looking 20" zander.
Of course, nothing beats local knowledge for these late feeders, especially given my limited understanding of the species. I tracked down two local anglers Juha and Kalle for an evening of trolling- less fun than casting perhaps, but highly effective. As well as sharing some beer and getting some expert lessons in Finnish swear words, we also took some lovely "Kuha", all to locally made plugs, topped by a superb 3.4KG specimen. Although I'm usually entirely catch and release I did also sample some Finnish fish- zander are absolutely delicious, although I'm certainly not advocating a fry up straight from the Gloucester canal.
It is the quality of life in summer that really appeals in Finland above all though. Late mornings, lazy afternoons and scorching hot saunas; beer, rice pies and sitting on the porch of our summer haunt taking potshots at the empties with an air rifle. Chopping wood with a fiendishly sharp axe. Spotting weasels, woodpeckers, hares and even a badger on the way to or from yet another unique, lost lake. In summer here, the living is certainly easy. The days are long, the woods and the waters are endless and the world seems as young and pure as you dreamed it could be.

From Hell to Heaven, Somewhere in Devon

How typical it is that life tends to get hectic just when you want to fish! Hot as hell and busy as hell don't sit too nicely together in my book. Still, squeezing in a few stolen hours where possible, I've managed to get back on the rivers, this time the Culm at Champerhayes, Devon. A "Westcountry Angling Passport" beat, this place is beautiful at the moment. We were hoping for mayfly, but saw precicely ONE lonely sample in the whole of a scorching hot afternoon. Things certainly took a while to wake up, and I spent most of the session shadowing Ben Garnett with my camera- with amazing light, green and lush scenery and mating damsel flies there was plenty to focus on while the fishing was slow. The fish did finally wake up though, with the best action in the heat coming from the pacier water. I stole Ben's rod to take one on a dry, whilst he quickly grabbed it back to tame a few welcome trout and chub, including a lovely foot long brownie:

So, some sunny sport, but I didn't get to field test my new tinkerings with Mayfly patterns- in particular I'm working on a pattern with a fly line body and deerhair wing. The idea is to make something not only pretty, but pretty indestructible! I'm praying that it won't be kept in the fly box till next May- we'll have to see.

Otherwise, an afternoon at Colliford Lake provided a pleasant afternoon for a party of three Garnetts, with five fish between us. I'm feeling smug because mine was the best, at around the pound mark, taken on a zulu. Just the ticket really- a scenic place, loads of space and a proper challenge for fans of wild settings. Photographer Frazer McBain continues to make me drool with his current crop of images for this grand, 900 acre lake:

May Days

May has got to be one of the best months of the fishing year. Perhaps the only strife has been the agony of choice with so many possible destinations to try. Naturally though, May wouldn't be May without a trip or three to the rivers for trout. With an afternoon off today, I was off to Gortleigh like a shot, encouraged by reports that odd Mayfly were showing. And how! From around three in the afternoon the first juicy sample showed up. Another then landed on my sleeve- other smaller olives were also out and although it never went utterly ballistic, it went from being slow to a productive little session:

Best pattern on the day was the "fly line Mayfly"- a real no nonsense job, floats perfectly and doesn't sink after a fish or two. Sadly the trees claimed the one pictured above! Rises were not extremely numerous, strangely, but a dry fly in the steady water accounted for six fish to 11". Great fun- just what afternoons in May were made for!

Elsewhere, sport has been challenging, but also fun at Colliford Reservoir, Cornwall. A dry, not especially windy day saw even the regulars scratching for bites. A team of three did prompt odd takes though- and had I taken my chances, the day would have been much better. I did take a brown of 12", but lost two others, one of which leapt clear and looked a good deal better. Most chances came from getting in amongst it by submerged cover and presenting a couple of bushy "loch" style patterns along with a Daiwl Bach or cruncher on point. Hard work, I must admit, but a great fishery for those who enjoy exploring. Also along to capture the bleak, beautiful scenery was Frazer McBain- who was as surprised as I was to spot a group of noisy spawning carp in one corner of the lake!

Poppers for Trout

Taking trout on poppers is a refreshingly different approach to fly fishing, but why has so little been written on it? Admittedly, these bold creations do look big and conspicuous compared to our subtler fly patterns, but they can be surprisingly good. Hatchlands Fishery was the venue to trial a few new poppers and capture some images of the method in action:

For those who have yet to try the method, it is a fun way to wind up the trout, which come chasing after the popper. Sometimes you get attention literally every cast. The problem is getting these fish to take- you can either stop the fly entirely and let the fish decide or, better still, speed up to try and prompt a take. Either way, it is great visual fun, highly active and frustrating in the best possible sense!

I have to admit, the real key tactic was to fish the "popper and dropper" though. A nymph tied on a three to four feet link to the popper was superbly effective at tempting those fish that followed but wouldn't grab the big target at the surface. The popper thus gets fish chasing and aggressively switched on, whilst a nymph then provides a subtler, easy meal in close proximity. A win-win. The dropper took the bigger fish, but the popper also had its moments and Paul Hamilton got some cracking pictures.

On the road again.

The start of that small window of opportunity that is the British Summer is rapidly gathering pace, with a need to get out and fish while the going is good. This is usually with material in mind- but any excuse to escape the office will do, basically.
First stop was a cracking little session at Woolaston Court, South Wales with friend and ace Bristol tyer John Horsfall. On a C&R ticket we had a fun day trying out new patterns. I've never seen such an array of beautifully tied flies on one tackle bag as John's selection. They certainly tempted me, as well as the fish, and it was his own, unnamed tungsten headed lure that was the king, taking four rainbows. I am also itching to try an ingenious looking may fly from John's vise.


Otherwise, it has been back on the stream, hurtling around north Dewvon in search of the perfect, craggy stream. After some stunning urban shots I couldn't wait to see what photographer Frazer McBain would make of a wild setting. I also need to look out perhaps- after giving him a quick casting lesson with my brook rod he took three brownies all on dry flies! This lad is wasted on the golf course.
If the wild images are half as good as these, I'll be drooling:

The Stream that Time Forgot!

Back to my first summer love last weekend, getting lost on a wild, Westcountry stream, the thoroughly beautiful River Okement above Okehampton. On this occasion it was with the Westcountry Rivers Trust's Toby Russell and photographer Simon Steer to get a story together on a truly unspoiled location.
Armchair fishing this isn't. Across a field bursting with spring bluebells, we found the river rocky and sheer in places. Despite some rain in the week, the water was utterly clear and inviting. Shady corners, bright riffles, deep and secretive pools- this place has all the ingredients for an adventure. We carried out a little kick sample along the way to get a few clues and unsurprisingly, found a vast array of invert life- various stoneclinger nymphs especially prominent:

The trout themselves proved a real challenge on the day and were both easily spooked and rather shy. Small sized nymphs proved the best answer, fished NZ style on fine tippets, a little hare's ear or spider as good as anything for several small but very beautiful brownies. On other occasions, I'm sure I simply spooked the fish- easily done in low water with size 14 waders, even when on your guard!
It's the wild magic of the place that will stay with me though- a really rough hewn and stony sided beat, the wet black of rock slopes under lush spring leaves. Perhaps May is the best month of all for a fly fisher?

Caught on Camera

Fishing in front of a lens is never easy- so this week it was a good effort by Russell Hilton, who managed to get the better of several nice carp at Millhayes Fishery near Collumpton, in spite of my distracting questions and photo-taking, including wading into his swim to get some different angles! Russell is a dab hand at fishing sensitive pole tackle on a centrepin rell and running line- a method I also enjoy. You get great sensitivity, but also the capacity to land those bigger than average carp that scream off into the middle of the lake. We didn't quite get that double- albeit a close best fish of 9lb 10oz! Still, a great method and a neat feature in prospect.
Otherwise, I'm also on the trail of one of angling's truly eccentric one offs- fly tying genius from the planet Zog, Mr Leon Guthrie. You'd go a long way to find a more daring, fun and original fly tyer and I would highly recommend his own site www.leonguthrie.co.uk
As well as some deadly and unique ideas (just check out some of his beautifully crafted buzzers and nymphs), the novelty patterns are also well worth a look. Any one fancy fishing with a miniature big mac, Cessna air craft or even a breaded haddock?!!