With no fishing right now due to the ongoing drought I have been amusing myself by sorting through some old gear which was jumbled into an old biscuit tin. There were lots of Mepps and other small spoons which I am unlikely to ever use again but an ABU Killer was tangled up in amongstContinueContinue reading “Killer on Loch Cluanie”
Category Archives: trout fishing
Leaders
Let’s talk about leaders. When I started fishing the fly for trout this was pretty damn straight forward – you tied an overhand knot on the end of the fly line and looped a 9 foot length of 4 pound breaking strain nylon on to it. Life in general has evolved in a variety ofContinueContinue reading “Leaders”
Still quiet on Conn
Conn (again) today. Like some sort of a piscatorial junkie I had to go back there again to get another ‘fix’. Previous disappointments were pushed to the dark recesses of my memory and I packed tons of gear and even more optimism before setting off. Let me get this off my chest straight away -ContinueContinue reading “Still quiet on Conn”
Wickhams variant
For almost as long as I have been fly fishing the Wickham’s Fancy has been a favourite of mine. Rainbows used to love it and brownies accepted it willingly either as a small dry or the wet version, especially in the evenings. Sea trout fell for its undoubted charms too and it could frequently beContinueContinue reading “Wickhams variant”
Clogher
A short spin up a narrow road from Westport there is brown sign which points down an even narrower road to a magical little lough called Clogher. Despite having previously lived in close proximity to Clogher I had never wet a line on it, not until this evening. A single boat resides in the tinyContinueContinue reading “Clogher”
The Gull
The day we walked the Erris Loop provided me with a couple of new fly tying feathers. As we neared the end of our walk I spotted two snowy white breast feathers from a gull just lying there on the sheep nibbled grass. Picking them up I pondered the possibilities and the seeds of anContinueContinue reading “The Gull”
What’s wrong on the Robe?
Mid-May, the height of the trout season in Mayo. The weather forecast was good and I was really really looking forward to a few hours on the River Robe. The fishing can be challenging in low, clear water but fly life should be plentiful. I double checked my dry fly boxes to make sure IContinueContinue reading “What’s wrong on the Robe?”
Around Conn and Cullin
Just some bits and pieces from the Conn/Cullin area to give you a feel for this part of Ireland. Let’s kick off with some figures shall we? The Conn/Cullin catchment drains roughly 800 square miles of north County Mayo Conn is a big lough, it covers roughly 48 km2 and has a maximum depth ofContinueContinue reading “Around Conn and Cullin”
A Sunday afternoon
Sullen, that’s the only way I can describe the weather this morning. No wind to speak of and heavy clouds above. The good news is that it was still reasonably warm, raising hopes there would be a hatch of ephemerids. Off to the Robe! Water levels had dropped since my last visit but the waterContinueContinue reading “A Sunday afternoon”
Sanctuary
Of all the many things I dislike in this world, sitting in the waiting room at a doctor’s surgery is right up there near the top of the list. It was my misfortune to find myself in just such a hell-hole yesterday through no fault of my own. My new employer required me to haveContinueContinue reading “Sanctuary”
Claretbumbler 