Where are the fish????

As I wonder around the countryside aimlessly with my dog it continues to remind me of how late things are this year. The newly seeded grass on the 'mud patch' in the garden has only really taken hold over the last 3 weeks and the Buddleia I carefully manicured (hacked) has still to do anything worth noting. As usual the weeds are rampant as ever. This lateness to proceedings has been most noted on the river Frome. Normally by this time of year the fish will be well spread throughout the lower beats and a fair few will have been caught.

Long term test - Hardy Swift Mk II 13' 8#

I thought it might be an idea to share my thought on some of the tackle I have been using over the years, I, like most of us, am susceptible to the effective marketing of the major tackle companies. Happily, I have not made any particularly bad purchases as of yet.

My 13' Hardy Swift Mk II has seen more abuse than any of my fly rods and has served me very well!

First casts on new water

Although cold and miserable, tonight was an evening that marks the start of a very exciting journey - I had my first casts on one of the new beats.

Bank Holiday Forays

I managed to get out over the bank holiday for a few hours to fish my usual beat on the river. Having seen a fish on a lower beat whilst walking along the banks hopes were high. The river looked perfect, it had dropped to an almost normal level and clarity was OK. There was just the right amount of water to fish the fly properly