We all love that feeling of expectation when planning our first fishing trip of the season. Work commitments this year have meant my own plans were constantly being re-jigged as my contract dragged on for much longer than expected. The hoped for early outing for salmon fell victim to the great lord of work. AContinueContinue reading “First day of 2018 season”
Category Archives: Nymphs
Getting down
A lot of my own fishing in the spring takes place on smallish, wild rivers. There are no carefully manicured lawns sloping gently to the water’s edge here in Mayo! Access to the river ranges from ‘interesting’ to down right life threatening. When you do arrive, sweating and breathless at the river you are facedContinueContinue reading “Getting down”
A look back in…………….disappointment
It’s over. The trout season that is and much of the salmon fishing too. The 2017 season coasted to its finale last weekend and, for me at least, it was a season to forget. Yesterday we fetched the boat in and over the next couple of weekends we will repeat the process with everyone else’sContinueContinue reading “A look back in…………….disappointment”
Crossboyne
I want to focus on a specific stretch of the River Robe in this post. There are two reasons for this; firstly one of my followers tells me he fishes in the area and has struggled to catch much. Secondly I want to run through some basic techniques which have been successful for me inContinueContinue reading “Crossboyne”
Fishing on the Robe picks up
We went to our favourite restaurant last night, my better half and I. Luckily I had booked a table as the place was packed with others similarly engaged in eating and drinking. The food as superb (the spinach gnocchi with clams and prawns was to die for) and we washed the meal down withContinueContinue reading “Fishing on the Robe picks up”
The drought continues
Sunday saw me out with rod and line not once but twice in one day but I am still waiting for a good fish in my net. Loose plans had been agreed for a short session on the Cashel River later on, leaving me time for an exploratory trip to the River Robe. I knewContinueContinue reading “The drought continues”
Green with envy
I seem to recall it is one of the seven deadly sins. Envy. That gnawing wishing that someone has something better than you and you want it – badly! I am not generally prone to this particular sin, others come way higher up my list of deadly vices. Usually I take life pretty much onContinueContinue reading “Green with envy”
How to tie a bead thorax nymph
I use this style of nymph a lot both in ‘traditional’ nymphing and as a point fly on a wet fly cast. Obviously other tyers have developed this style and it is commonly used in different parts of the world for trout and grayling. I love the extra ‘kick’ the bead gives to the hackleContinueContinue reading “How to tie a bead thorax nymph”
The Manulla river
A chilly wind is scattering the last of the leaves in the garden and the daylight rapidly fades to an inky blackness. Winter nights can be so depressing, can’t they? To cheer myself up I’ve been thinking about the coming trout season and places where I will ply the gentle art. One place where IContinueContinue reading “The Manulla river”
The final link
I found this old spool of tippet material and it got me thinking about the huge changes in the line we use these days compared with when I started fishing in the late 1960’s. When I began to fly fish for trout the only line available to make leaders was nylon, and some of thatContinueContinue reading “The final link”
Claretbumbler 