Wild Fish from Wild Places
A delightful diversion, a secret pleasure. Dapping appeals to the eternal child in every fisherman the one that will spend hours dangling a crab line off a Cornish harbour wall or even longer messing around lifting stones in a Hebridean rockpool.
This one is exotic and undoubtedly the biggest trout that I have lost, except I didn’t lose it, my incompetence meant I didn’t quite get that far.
The Lower Duart was a gem, and to my dad an obsession.
I say ‘was’ because, although it is still undeniably stunning and a hugely popular beat, in the past it was on an elevated pedestal of being one of the most wonderful, special and unique places to catch a Scottish salmon.
The pollution of the River Wye, the same Wye that inspired the works of Turner and the writings of Gilpin – how has it come to this? Let’s start by playing a game of...
It always starts with a map. In those early days it would be the huge one taking up half a wall in the hotel lounge, all the Scourie hill lochs laid out for after...
My recruitment began at Bisham Abbey where I was meeting my best mate who was on a sports physio course. Weirdly I was introduced to Mike as he came off the netball court having...
Loch Dionard – if I was given the opportunity to spend my last twenty minutes on this earth in any place I desired it would be here, no hesitation, no doubt, it would be here. At the start of a drift just off the tiny islet and onto the rocky shore where salmon lie a mere rods length from the jagged loch side stones.
I love a bit of harmless poaching. It has to be with a fly rod, not impact anybody else’s days fishing and preferably be from a bit of water owned by some absentee English aristocrat.
t’s January 3rd and I’m angry. I’ve just got back from walking Lexi round the orchard and I’ve found the trees are budding, with one even sprouting two partially unfurled leaves – it’s just turned into the New Year for God’s sake – it’s not right! It’s undeniable we are in the midst of a climate crisis – let’s do something!
