While most of us today fish just for sport, the story was very different in our not so distant history. To our ancestors that fish on the line was not just a fun detour, but the difference between eating and going hungry. Does the game change when you depend on catching to eat? Massively! I'm not about to revert to hunter gatherer status, but came pretty close in the mountains of North Wales recently.
Accompanied by Frazer Mcbain, whose shots from "up in the gods" you can see here, we took up the challenge of surviving for a couple of days with only the most basic supplies to see if we could live just by exploring and catching trout to eat.
Above Blaenau Ffestiniog, the gods had it in for us. The rain lashed and hissed up in the Welsh mountains, the very paths becoming streams as we climbed steep paths in search of the areas fabled, high flung lakes. It was an eerie place in the rain- the mist only adding to that feeling amidst ruined houses, abandoned works and great piles of slate. Never mind catching a trout or two for dinner, for the initial climb I wondered whether we'd even find the lakes.
How do you decide which gear to bring when everything must be stored an carried up hundreds of yards? With difficulty is the answer, and an eye to taking a basic but lightweight outfit. Fly gear is ideal for this, because apart from the rod, you can easily stow a reel, line and a box or two of flies in the pockets of a fly vest. If only the rest of our hiking kit was that light!
When it's catch or go hungry, fly selection becomes dominated by the patterns you have most confidence in. There is perhaps no wild lake in Brtain I would want to arrive at without flies like the Bibio and Daiwl Bach, while so far this summer the Sedgehog is an absolute must have when it's rough- and it was this the trout really wanted to batter most!
The weather alternated between thick fog and gruesome downpour most of the trip, but in spite of this we got by. My catch and Frazer's fire building skills combined to make us a warm meal- how he got it going with mostly damp firewood is beyond me. And does fresh trout ever taste better than up a mountain when you're knackered and really hungry? We ate no monsters or really small fish, but a trio of decent ones made for a good supper.
Sadly we never found it up to the utmost heights and the loftiest of these lakes, but with a decent slog we caught fish and lived to tell the tale.
Otherwise, the rain continues to screw up a summer that was meant to be spent by sunny rivers and drains casting flies. Instead my efforts have been focussed on saltier waters lately, like Brixham Breakwater.
I tried but failed to catch a wrasse on the fly on this occasion. A couple of small ones harried a bright streamer, but I couldn't hook one. However, I did connect with mackerel, small pollack and one or two other mini species- like this odd herring-like fish that took a bloodworm! Anyone know what this one is?
There was no mistaking the mackerel though- as they charged through prey at the surface and sometimes came within a short cast of the wall
I also made the most of one less drenched afternoon to spin for mullet on the Exe with Darren "Easybourne" Ketteringham. This looked a lost cause on first inspection of the mud-stained water, but the baited spinner is a method I have a lot of faith in:
I'm grateful to catch anything the way conditions are at the minute, but rest assured I will soon be back out with the fly rod. The last fish I took on fly was about a week ago now, this strange what looks like a rudd/bream hybrid near Bridgwater.
For those keen to see some fresh footage of coarse species on the fly, my DVD is now available too, which has action with carp, rudd, roach and pike. See for yourself at the usual site, which also has a trailer: www.dgfishing.co.uk
At last, for a few days at least, summer has been more than just a word. Clear, settled conditions have led to some exciting fly fishing. When it gets truly balmy, I'm always surprised by the sheer number of species that will hug the uppermost layers of the water. The Grand Western Canal has been littered with roach and rudd (above), but even fish like bream and pike are seen sunbathing. The rudd are still my favourite for summer strolls, and while I'm still lacking the giant of the canal this year it's impossible to feel disappointed when plenty of rudd in the pound to pound and a half mark accept a fly so willingly. Once again, spider patterns have been the best of all, as was the case with this 1lb 5oz fish:
Another great pleasure is in leading others towards new discoveries, whether through the pages of "Flyfishing for Coarse Fish" or with guiding days. My last guest, David Goodlad from Kent, had a terrific two day fly safari. Despite entering completely new territory, he had five species in total. Spotting takes was tricky at first and so I advised a switch to small dry flies- a good move as it turned out, with this chunky roach rising almost trout like:
Day two was a fresh twist too, hitting the so called "fast stretch" of the River Tone. This is ideal territory for fly fishing, with a great head of chub and plenty of back casting room.
A Pink Shrimp or Hare's Ear suspended just under a decent sized klinkhamer was aimed into various likely looking runs and creases, resulting in some full-blooded takes and a serious bend in Dave's five weight. This was exciting stuff- especially when flies could be aimed just where we'd spotted a chub make a meaty rise for a real insect moments earlier.
A shame really that the summer is rapidly running out, just as things look more encouraging. Fearing the weather wouldn't hold I've spent the last days hurtling across the land from the Wye to the Stour to make the most of it. The Stour was still running a bit high, but with decent clarity and rising fish I enjoyed plenty of bites. It can be busy on Throop- but not if you wade into the sort of shallow, weedy, pacy swims that the bait anglers avoid.
Dace were the main target on this occasion, a species so few anglers make any fuss about. With really light tackle I find them a refreshing challenge. The takes are "blink and you'll miss it" at the surface, and they do give a nice twisting fight.
I had one or two better dace along with the midgets, but fancy that a much bigger one might be possible to those who conquer deeper water and tougher swims. I had a good crack at the Tidal Stour to attempt this, finding more than I bargained for. Several times I saw a little flounder in the margins- and then became totally distracted by a shoal of gudgeon, who themselves seemed driven to distraction by a Czech Nymph. Each time they'd follow the fly as it sank; a twitch would generally see them scatter, while a gentle lift of just an inch or two and one of the whiskery buggers would gobble the thing up! I took two in this fashion, in between admiring a stalking heron on the far bank, and a half pound perch which nearly grounded itself chasing bleak in the stony shallows.
Ironically, I caught more chub fishing for these dace than I did on my last Stour day targeting them deliberately- and I can't emphasise enough just how perfect fly fishing is as a method for the species. You can cast exceptionally gently for those fish hugging shallow water, mimicking exactly the food they expect to find whether that means a freshwater shrimp or a drowning insect. I had several net-sized fish on both dry flies and nymphs:
Last but not least I must mention the Wye. Perhaps it serves me right for leaving so long a gap between blogs that one entry becomes a bloody essay! The river near Hereford was rising sadly- and by the time I'd had a couple of chub on the fly, any further plans at dace or barbel were getting quite literally muddied. Feeder fishing is not my favourite tactic, but a heavy feeder and a smelly bait definitely works for barbel:
It was also good to catch up with Bob James on the bank. He still aims to clear his name surrounding the mud slinging earlier this season. It seems that the maxim "innocent until proven guilty" doesn't apply to todays internet forums. Whatever the outcome, I can only speak positively about an angler prepared to offer friendship and support to an emerging writer for little personal gain. As for his philosophy on river fishing, I can't think of anyone whose ideas are more consistently enlightening or thought-provoking. It's always a nice problem for a writer when you look through your notes and think "bloody hell, how do I fit all of the interesting bits into a few hundred words?!"
