The morning slipped away from me but by 11.30 I was behind the wheel and heading off to spend a few hours trout fishing on the River Robe. All the rivers around here are high and this usually improves the fishing on the Robe, so hopes were high as the old green VW rumbled downContinueContinue reading “Monday, bloody Monday”
Category Archives: trout fishing
Jenning’s Dabbler
I was contemplating the Jenning’s Nymph the other day and decided to make a Dabbler based loosely on it. I already have plenty of Claret Dabblers in the box but none sporting a peacock herl body. The more I thought about this the stranger this omission looked. We all know how deadly flies with peacockContinueContinue reading “Jenning’s Dabbler”
Sooty Olive
Picture the scene if you will; it’s early season on the Western lakes and the urge to fish has brought you to the shores of Lough Mask. Still too early for the gorse to bloom, everywhere in sight is coloured in sombre duns and greys. That joyous rush of prescient life, that hope and expectationContinueContinue reading “Sooty Olive”
The wall
This is nothing to do with Trump’s madness. Athletes talk of hitting ‘the wall’ and we anglers face a much less physical, but none the less real challenge too. It is not that our body’s become exhausted, rather it is our reasoning which reaches a limit and we simply can’t figure out what to doContinueContinue reading “The wall”
Rainy day on the Robe
Rain fell from the battleship grey skies, the day had been damp since early this morning. Leaden clouds poured pewter drops on me as I tackled up at the bridge across the river. Wet and cold before I even started, the day took a definite turn for the worse when I found there were noContinueContinue reading “Rainy day on the Robe”
Going to my hometown
I eventually made it back to Aberdeen to visit my family last week. It had been a full year since I was last in Scotland so I was long overdue in the land of my birth. It was great to see everyone again and to catch up on all the news, including meeting my grand-nephewContinueContinue reading “Going to my hometown”
First day of 2018 season
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”
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”
Cool start to the season
It is hard to believe the trout season opens on the River Robe tomorrow. We have snow already on the east coast of Ireland and it will spread across the whole country on Thursday. I am still working in Kildare but finish this contract on Friday and plan to battle my way across the countryContinueContinue reading “Cool start to the season”
A stretch in the days
The days are growing longer again as winter begins to lose her grip on Ireland. I took a drive around North Mayo today for a look around. The weather was cool but bright and (most importantly) dry. Water levels are up due to the heavy rain the west has endured lately. That is good, theContinueContinue reading “A stretch in the days”
Claretbumbler 