Nick Hart Fly Fishing

Iain Barr is World Champion!!!!

2009-06-12T09:32:00.005+01:00

You may have noticed that my blog has been pretty much non existent for the last couple of months, well most of the year really! I have a ton of stuff to get up here but the news I received yesterday morning on my way to a session on Chew Valley lake means I have just got to get something up now .... if you have not heard already ....

IAIN BARR IS WORLD CHAMPION AND THE ENGLAND TEAM WERE GOLD MEDAL WINNERS AT THE 29th FIPS MOUCHE EVENT HELD IN SCOTLAND!

(Above) New world champion ... Iain Barr with 14lb 9oz of Exe Valley Rainbow!

An amazing result guys and an incredible achievement Iain. Huge congratulations go out to you from all the crew here at Hart Flyshop and to the other members including John Horsey who achieved 10th place, Dave Parker, Simon Robinson, Baz Reece and Howard Croston. All English rods were inside the top 30, astounding given the very tough venues and conditions experienced.

See more about the England Fly Fishing Squad here and more about the World Fly Fishing Championships here including official results. Of course we put it down to the practice Iain received while demonstrating at our Open day event held here at Exe Valley on Sat 2nd May 2009 .... it seems like yesterday! I will report some more, promise! During the open day Iain took his personal best Trout of 14lb 9oz (see above) while giving a demo and also wowed the crowd with some river fishing mastery. It was this ability that helped him catch 5 fish in one incredibly tough river section which witnessed some top names in the world drawing a blank! These fish were added to more eeked out from venues mixed between river and lake. Consistent good angling across the board is the only way top succeed.

BREAKING NEWS! If you want to meet double world gold medalist Iain Barr he will be with us on our stand at the CLA gamefair at Bevoir Castle Leics ... Iain will be our guest on the stand on Saturday. We have been selling Iain's "Captains Choice" flies pretty much since we opened up Hart Flyshop ... now you can fish with the World Champions Choice! See a huge selection at the CLA plus much more ... like I said ... more soon!!!!! Right now I am so excited about this news that I think I may need a lie down!

Once again .... WELL DONE ENGLAND!

New Pike & Carp Episode Online

2009-04-07T10:07:00.005+01:00

Have you ever fancied a change from Trout with the fly rod? They are an awesome fish, my trip to Chew with Jon Hettle on Friday was testament to that (read report here) ... but variety is the spice of life. So what do we do for some string pulling action with a fly rod when we have had our fill of Trout? There are of course all sorts of options such as saltwater Bass on Fly or even a trip abroad for some Bonefish ... but how about something much closer to home?

Most of us have a canal or lake nearby and you can bet your bottom dollar that often there will be a Carp or a Pike in residence ................ and both love flies. I am addicted to Fly Fishing for Pike in particular but the thrill of a Carp sipping away at the surface and then, once hooked, charging towards some hidden snag is also pretty special. In fact so much so that I made a programme all about it for onlinefishing.tv last year. You can see the trailer here at Nick Hart Fly Fishing School - Carp And Pike On The Fly The show was shot at the King Sedge Moor drain in Somerset, a favourite Pike venue and a beautiful Devon Carp lake that Henry Gilbey introduced me to. Check it out and go flex your 10 weight!

Its time to Chew ...

2009-04-05T18:55:00.011+01:00

Thanks to Wayne Thomas who pointed out that I incorrectly billed the Hart Flyshop open day as 2nd March, of course our open day is on Sat 2nd May 2009 .... we look forward to seeing you there!

On Thursday and Friday I began winding up into the season, in fact just glancing over my diary I can see that silly season is here! But what a great way to get going. Day 1 was spent with Jon Hettle on Clatworthy where a slow start eventually gave way to a hectic spell and several well conditioned Rainbows. Successful tactic was to fish a Scientific Angler Kelly Green Intermediate and a long fluorocarbon leader. Despite feeding on Buzzers none of the fish went for our imitation, opting instead for a Mini Huey with gold body fished on the point. Fish seem to be holed up in very tight bunches, our success came at the North end.

After supper at Woods in Dulverton (which never fails to impress), Jon and I headed home for some rest and then met up early the next morning for the journey up the M5 to Chew Valley. What a venue this is, the moment I arrive in the car park my adrenalin goes into overdrive ..... and I was guiding! However guiding Jon when boat fishing is always extra special for me as I get to fish with him .... another reason for my state of excitement. I am the first to try and calm guests down when fishing, slow their reaction to situations etc., in the hope that they make the perfect cast. If only I had heeded my own advice then I may not have hurriedly ended the life of my beloved Hardy Demon 10'0" # 7 rod in the tail gate of my truck! Fortunately I had another equally favoured rod as a back up, the Greys G Tec equivalent and so pride just about intact we headed to the boat.

Upon arrival at the jetty I was in complete astonishment at the amount of fly. Buzzers were everywhere including up my nose and in my eyes. Checking above the tree tops the tell tail signs of a massive hatch were only too evident as what appeared to be smoke hovered above. In fact the mass was thousand upon thousand of flies. Although slightly chilly in a lifting fog the fish were right up in the layers and Jon was soon into them using Iain Barr Diawl Bachs (particularly the holo red version) on a floating line. Top areas were North shore, the picnic area, in behind Denny island and Moreton. The fishing was awesome but I have a new toy and it is not fishing tackle. Purchased on the recommendation of my good mate Mike Boniface I was trying out my new digital camera, a Pentax Optio W60. Now I know nothing about cameras really but what I like about this product is that it can be used underwater, for both photography and video. I have had no real time to play with it properly, but did dunk it under for a quick test during the Chew visit as Jon brought a fish to the net. For such a low priced bit of kit I am dead chuffed with the results, all be it I am no BBC cameraman! As soon as I have time to practice I have a whole host of ideas about how this could help me and therefore my guests understand more about what goes on below the waters surface. If you just have to have one then I can highly recommend the company I purchased it from Clifton Cameras

Jon sadly had to depart by 4pm, but I just could not resist the temptation of a boat for the evening on Chew. Returning to the mouth of Heron bay and then zeroing in on a pod of rising fish off Moreton point I was like a kid in a sweet shop. Fish after fish fell to the buzzers until eventually I decided to go for a totally top water approach and switch to Hoppers, taking several fish in quick succession off the surface. Truly stunning fishing that Chew has become rightly famous for and while shaking to sort leaders, degrease them, fluff up flies and make casts to moving fish I realised that more than ever I have the fishing bug ... bad! The sunset was the icing on the cake, an evening I will remember for a long time.

Loads more news for the blog soon but if you are thinking about bagging a heavyweight Exe Valley maybe your venue, here is Mike Hole from Bampton with a stunning 8lb 5oz specimen taken on Saturday. And check out Henry Gilbeys blog for a truly magnificent Pike taken by lure fishing guru Danny Parkins.

Can you believe it?

2009-04-01T17:47:00.007+01:00

I cannot believe that already we have arrived in April. close to 3 weeks have zipped past since I returned from Los Roques. But the memories of that trip will live on forever and another is already organised with Aardvark McLeod. If the reports on Los Roques ... see here (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 , Day 5, Day 6 .. Photo Essay 1 and Essay 2) .... have sent you over the edge and you just have to catch a Bonefish for yourself please drop me a line or contact Pete/Charlotte at Aardvark McLeod on .... 01980 847389 The dates are from 13th to 21st Feb 2010.

But much more unbelievable and not so upbeat is that show ... you know the one ... Extreme Fishing with that aging Z list celeb, Robson Green. My advice to Mr Green is to stick to acting and making crap pop songs. Appearing on breakfast TV to promo a show that features some of the worst fish handling I have ever seen was bad enough, to then state that "9 out of 10 fish die when released" was just the icing on the cake. In fact his entire quote was "I don't see the point in coarse fishing myself, reeling in a fish beyond recovery, just to take a picture then throw it back, as nine out of ten fish will die when thrown back."

(Above) Robson Green ... "what was the man thinking of?"

This is what happens when people such as Mr Green are given the opportunity to present a programme on a subject they obviously know so very little about. What next "Extreme Anti Angling" with Robson Green? The mind boggles! Lack of knowledge aside his presenting style is also cringe worthy. My mate Henry Gilbey gets very excited in front of the camera at catching just about any fish going and his ratings do the talking, viewers love it. But Henry really is passionate and enthusiastic, this is how he is .... camera or no camera. Mr Greens "mans" and "get ins" sound staged, ridiculous and far from extreme. So Robson, do us all a favour and try for a number one single again just make sure its not a cover of "Gone Fishing". For more on this story check here on the Angling Trust site and if you have been lucky enough to miss the programme so far but can't resist a look click here.

Rant over there has been a great deal on this last few weeks including our preparation for the open day on Saturday 2nd May 2009. So far we have Double Silver European medalist Iain Barr booked to provide both river and stillwater masterclass sessions, demonstrations that are not to be missed as Iain will be travelling all the way from the Midlands to be with us in between practicing for the 2009 World Championships. Meanwhile Peter and Charlotte from Aardvark McLeod will be on hand in our marquee to provide their expertise on International fishing venues and I am also hoping Pete will provide a presentation or two, possibly alongside Pete Gibson of Hardy Greys who is also part of the Latin American Fishing company who have recently joined forces with Aardvark McLeod. There will be food on site, I will provide a casting demonstration aimed at ironing out faults quickly and gaining extra distance while here in the shop we are taking in stock of some fantastic 2009 tackle ranges including products by Hardy, Greys, Fishpond, Vision, Rio and Loop to name just a few. Come and test a rod, ask about a reel ... anything, the doors will be open all day and of course there is no admission charge. A big fish competition will also run throughout the duration of the day, so pack some tackle! That date again ... Saturday 2nd May 2009 ... don't miss it!

(Above) Don't miss Iain Barr at Hart Flyshop on Sat 2nd May 2009

More news soon, including details of my most recent fishing programme soon to be aired, catch reports, club dates, fishing matches, tackle reviews and of course some more adventures with our guests attending fly fishing courses.

Los Roques 2009 - Photo Essay 2

2009-03-18T09:22:00.026Z

Now on to day 4 I think the whole group was amazed at how fresh we felt despite a lot of traveling, a reasonable amount of walking and of course some hard fishing. However ...

Chris Yrazabal who operates the Sightcast team who looked after us use these brilliant Pangas to ferry their clients from island to island. Quick, comfortable and reliable there is plenty of room for gear, with rods neatly stowed in racks along each side of the boat. Leaving more than enough room for tackle backs, anglers and of course the obligatory cooler box. Prepared by our fantastic Posada (Acuarela Lodge) the coolers came complete with fresh salads, sandwiches, biscuits for a sugar rush, watermelon and of course gallons of water. Just the kind of refreshment needed after hours under the sun on a flat. Its well worth remembering too that eating and drinking are not the only important factors to remaining well on these tropical trips, cover up well with a high factor sunblock, use a lip block too and I just cannot imagine a day on the flats anymore without a Buff. These are amazing and especially the new angler series incorporating UV protection which you can see here.

Here's a Buff in use covering my rather large ears! It is also covering my neck which if exposed to the sun is bound to cause illness at some point, be it sickness/diarrhoea within hours or of course the possibility of the big C. I also use my Buff to cover the rest of my face during especially hot periods and when fishing around mangroves the mosi's have no chance of getting up my nose! The cool new shark and offshore patterns don't make them that hard to wear anyway and they cost so little that investing in one for a trip is no hardship. Again I always look to what the guides are wearing and without fail all of them were covered up with Buffs, especially as the sun grew more intense through the day.

The invisible man a.k.a. Al Lambert sporting his Buff and a little snapper caught in the Mangroves. During this session Cayito our guide called to me to head back to the Panga. Thinking that Alasdare had not heard and was deeply engrossed casting at a Mangrove with his back to us I shouted loudly to him. In fact he was staring straight back at me. Very funny at the time!

While there are ridiculous amounts of shallow flats, mangrove areas, beach's and pancake flats, they are surrounded on all sides by deep ocean. Here is the entrance to a lagoon showing the considerable water movement present. This kind of dark water next to light is a particularly good place to look for Cuda. I didn't fish for these seriously during this trip but must do in the future as there are plenty to have a go at. In fact a few were landed during the week by boatmen and we ate a couple back at the lodge. Wow, Cuda is delicious! Like eating chicken. Sadly a couple of my Bonefish fell foul of these aggressive predators, one while still on the line which hit with such ferocity out of no where that I jumped out of my skin and the other had been revived only to swim straight off the flat and disappear in an explosion of water and teeth. Believe me the flats are a tough place to live out your days ... unless you are a Cuda or a Shark!

During our entrance to this lagoon another amusing moment took place as the boatman decided to take a closer look at the mangrove with Cayito the guide bellowing instructions in his ear! Look out for my mission in possible style decamp from the bow and the wave of sympathetic laughter that follows from Sam and Al! And on a serious note see the beautiful colours of the water, the clarity and the big blue sky ... life in the tropics is so tough!

This was the scene of the first Cuda attack. Hard to believe that such a sedate looking flat could unleash carnage on a Bonefish just a few minutes later. This is Alasdare with Raphael, I am out of shot taking the picture while stalking the Bonefish that became Cuda chow down.

Wildlife is an all important part of the Los Roques experience. You will see many different birds, lizards, some big spiders and of course Sharks plus a variety of fish. Now and again you will also catch a glimpse of Turtles, such as these that were being held in a tank ready for release back into the wild. At least that's what the locals told me, I hope they were not about to become soup!

The penultimate day to our trip was awesome, in fact all the days were. But getting a triple hook up on Gummy Minnows was a highlight and lots of fun with guide Raphael.

Especially as the fish were a little like those Russian Dolls ... Big (see mine!), Sam's ... medium and Stu's .... little!

The last day came all too soon. It was cool to head out for the session in the company of Stuart and Alasdare who just a few years ago had never picked up a rod. After a fly fishing course the pair became hooked and met for the first time during a hosted trip that I ran to Los Roques with Aardvark McLeod in Feb 2007. Our venue for the day under the watchful eye of Jesus (a guide who I think has vastly improved in the past few years) was Dos Mosquises, a series of islands 30 to 45 minutes from Gran Roque, situated in the far South West. It is one of the most heavenly places I have ever come across ... it was very hard to leave.

But there was fishing to be done and I was chuffed to hook up a fish patrolling the margins on one of Jesus's mini Clousers. As you can see ... I am just a little happy .... note the customary silly "I have a Bonefish on!" grin!

And the fish was gorgeous, a perfect Bone which gave me a decent scrap in the waves of the beach. This is why I love Los Roques so much, the versatile terrain. I am convinced it is the most diverse Bonefishing in the world. Contrary to popular belief these fish also do not require 25 yard casts into a 30 mile per hour wind. Instead get practiced in short, accurate casts. Gentle presentation. Casting off opposite shoulders. While also being able to kiss the water to stay low enough in a short range attack while a guide shouts instructions in your ear! Double haul would also be helpful. If you need to learn you can book a course with me right here.

Lunch was enjoyed in the shade on a little island all on its own. Stuart and Alasdare mulled over flies and tactics meanwhile ....

I amused myself by fishing for lizards. Water Melon was the top bait, followed by ham, then bread ... water melon seeds were no good so don't tie imitations for your next trip. Who needs Bonefish when you have Lizards! Watching them charge after a bait attached to some 12lb Rio Fluoroflex + (it had to be fluorocarbon!) was very amusing. Well, I found it funny anyway.

Where was Henry Gilbey when we needed him! With his expert eye he would have made so much more of this shot than I did with a hand held digital. You can see just the kind of result Henry comes up with here in his brilliant Los Roques photo essay from the 2007 trip. See the fish in the foreground with Stuart Forsyth manning the rod. I had been tracking down a bunch of Parrot fish which next time I visit Los Roques I will fish for seriously. Meanwhile Stu spotted a pod of Bonefish, chucked at them and hooked up. He had to play the fish hard and fast due to the serious amount of coral in the area. I forgot the Parrots and got behind the camera. Spotting his own fish, casting to and hooking it is a serious achievement considering this is only his 2nd ever Bonefish excursion with a gap of over 2 years.

And what a fine fish it turned out to be. I love these shots with the fish still in the water. After all that adrenalin it is a quiet moment and then seeing the fish swim away into the clear waters of Los Roques does something for the soul which is hard to describe. I can think of only one word ... magical.

Shark Attack. My adrenalin was upped again later in the day when I was abused by two fish, both hooked at short range on beautiful pancakes in the Dos Mosquises region. The first one ate a DNA fry, shot off and my line whipped up behind the butt. Gone. A few minutes later the best fish of the trip that I had a shot at (8lb plus) came into view. Arse in the water, heart rate up and adrenalin pumping I got the fish to eat the fly just yards from the tip ring. It then went into turbo charge in seconds and off the flat, my reel squealing! Afraid that any moment I may lose my fish to the coral I was off in hot pursuit and while stood on the edge of the coral with the deep blue ocean before me I felt suddenly that I may actually land this fish. Then the line just kinda fell limp. It couldn't have been coral, the fish was way out and my knots had held all week. I felt dejected. Then the boatman started waving frantically at me to go back to the boat. With all these fish on the flat and just 1/2 an hour of our trip to go? Not on your life! I just kept shouting "Mas fish, mas fish!!!". Then in the distance I heard Alasdare shout "SHARK"! Turning around I froze as just 30 feet away were 4 BIG Lemon sharks hunting along the edge of the coral. It was one of the most amazing sights I have seen and I was so awe struck that I fumbled the camera but never got to it before they were gone. A shark had devoured my last fish of the trip and it was only later that the boatman said that in fact at one point he could see 7 Lemons up on the surface! It was only afterwards that I realised how stupid I had been to follow that fish to the edge of such deep water, had I tried to land it and the pack had gone into a frenzy ....

And that exciting moment was the last fishing of the trip. For now our trip was at an end, just memories. Before us lay the journey back which I have to admit I never enjoy. Getting out of Venezuela seems harder than getting in! But I don't think anybody in the group begrudges a little discomfort during the journey, this is after all world class fishing. I feel privileged to have hosted a group there for the 2nd time and I am still absolutely buzzing after a few days back in blighty. I have a feeling I could be buzzing for some time yet and already I am planning our next visit which looks like February 2010. And if my words and pictures have not convinced you to visit this archipelago then go to Los Roques for the good looking fruit. Here's Sam getting cosy with one of them on our last night out on the Cerveza!

By Email:

Dear Nick

Just a very short note to thank you - I thoroughly enjoyed last week at Los Roques with a very nice and friendly group, some most enjoyable fishing and your very compitent leadership.

Again, very many thanks

Graham

By Text:

Thanks again Nick.

Had a brilliant time and company could not have been better.

Sam.

Los Roques 2009 - Photo Essay

2009-03-17T10:09:00.013Z

Pictures say a 1000 words and after a truly memorable trip to Los Roques I can think of no better way to demonstrate just how good this venue is than through images from our trip. During our stay I kept the blog up to date and I know plenty of you were watching it, judging by the amount of emails & calls I have received with the word "envious" in them! I can understand why .... Los Roques is just one of those places that gets under your skin ... you should try it sometime! I will certainly be hosting a trip in 2010 so watch this space and if the below is inspiration enough and you want to get on this trip now then contact nick@hartflyfishing.demon.co.uk and of course check out the very best in international fishing destination providers ... Aardvark Mcleod.

This is the team. Back row, far left, Brian Seaby a scrap metal dealer from Birmingham, first from left ... the legendary Mr Fish now retired and hunting down fish on a global scale. Middle, Stu Forsyth, what he may lack in height he makes up for in fishing prowess and you will struggle to meet a better fly tyer, a veteran of Los Roques who fished with me in 2007. First from right, the joker of the pack and Bonefish new boy, Sam MacDonald. A week was just not enough, the practical jokes had just started to get going. Based on Sams reaction to the trip, I reckon we maybe up for round 2 sometime in the future. Far right, Alasdare Lambert from Twickenham. Al fished Los Roques with me in 2007 and that proved to be a life changing trip for me in many ways. As always it was an honour and a privilege to share fishing time with this guy who only picked up a rod for the first time a few years ago. And front row ... the host ready for action!

This is day one, out with Sam MacDonald on a pancake flat. Sam is an awesome artist who specialises in fish which he painstakingly constructs from metal. See some of his work here So he tells us this was a "research trip!" OK Sam, we believe you, but the grin is this picture doesn't scream "research" to me! Instead this is the grin of a man who has just landed his first ever Bonefish. Just like your first Trout, Salmon etc ... you never forget! Well done to Jesus, Sams guide for the day.

At this point I had not landed a fish, only managed to lose them, so instead I revelled in Sams success! In all honesty seeing these guys hook up fish was just as much as a buzz as it was hooking them myself.

Fishing with a real, live ... Mr Fish on day 2, was one of the highlights of my trip. Graham is a charming man who has lead an adventurous life, heli skiing, climbing, racing cars and has spent 99% of his fly fishing career (which he came to late in life), fishing for Bones in Cuba, the Seychelles and now Los Roques. He was top rod on this day taking 12 fish with guide Raphael. I only hope that when I am 71 I am as fit and outgoing as Mr Fish.

Day 3 arrived all too soon but it was a session I had been really looking forward to as I was to fish with Al Lambert. Our guide for the day was Raphael who found us some of the biggest fish of the trip. Here Alasdare displays a superb double figure fish taken on Crasqui (just a short trip from Gran Roque) that took well over 10 minutes to land and had him a long way into the backing on 5 occasions. No doubt our lobster lunch available for an extra $45 helped Alasdare maintain the strength required to land such a fine specimen!

Apologies regrading the quality of this shot, it was only at the end of the day that I realised the lens was dirty! We needed Henry Gilbey for this one!

Releasing the fish I grabbed this shot and looking at it on the monitor it really shows how big it was. It almost looks Tarpon like! The image also shows just how well these fish camouflage themselves. But, check out the shadow below, on sandy flats this is what I look for and then suddenly the fish materialises. Flick out your Gotcha or similar, giving the fish a bit of lead. As it arrives add a bit of life with a couple of short, smooth strips. Often the fish will pounce in the blink of an eye. Set the hook with another strip and then hold on as the reel springs into action .. zzz, zzzzzzz, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! And pray your backing knot holds!

On the way back to the lodge that evening I had the fever, I needed to keep fishing! Raphael had talked up the airport flat and so Alasdare and I stopped off to grab a couple more hours on our own. Within minutes I had spotted and hooked this fish just feet from the shoreline on a Gotcha. Nice .... and just a 15 minute walk from our lodge & cerveza!

The walk home was taken slowly, with much fishing banter. With a sunset like this and having just enjoyed a fantastic days Bonefishing we just didn't want it to end.

More from the next 3 days of our trip in tomorrows post and don't forget to check out Aardvark Mcleod if you would like to join the party in 2010. Many say that these trips are expensive but in fact if you take into account that flights, guides, boats that travel miles everyday, food, lodging etc., is all included for around three grand this has to be one of the best, most diverse and inexpensive tropical saltwater destinations on the planet. And anyway I have a moto that I live by ... we only live once!

What a Blast! - Los Roques Day 6

2009-03-14T03:11:00.003Z

The laptop battery is about to go, its late and we are quaffing Cerveza so I will write more about todays events when I return to the UK. All I can say is this week has been one of the most fun I can ever remember during a foreign fishing adventure. The fishing, the company and the atmosphere has been cool and I so wish we had another week. This is not a sales pitch, just straight from the heart ... I have got the Los Roques bug ... BIG TIME! Check it out for yourself here and my blog in a few days for pictures from the week.

All I will say about today was that it was eventful and included Lemon Sharks! The Bonefishing was some of the most interesting and exciting I have ever enjoyed. And to top it all the day was spent with Alasdare Lambert and Stuart Forsyth who both began their fishing careers with me around 6 years ago. It is quite a leap from Exmoor streams to the pancake flats!

We are now in our hotel in Caracas chilling out prior to our departure this evening for Portugal and then on to London. The last steak I had here was awesome so I am off for a dip in the pool and a decent lunch so I don´t have to suffer the muck they serve on the airline! We are also already planning our next visit, there is so much more to be done in Los Roques. This time around I really feel I have started to learn about its fishing and have also enjoyed the fantastic atmosphere this beautiful island exudes. I have always enjoyed saltwater fly fishing but for some reason during this trip I have been bitten by the Bonefish bug. Thank god it wasn´t by a shark ... more of that next time.

Day Dream Bonefish - Los Roques Day 5

2009-03-13T02:51:00.002Z

Yes that's day, not wet, although the fishing out here is almost that good!

It struck me today that more than any type of fishing I think about other stuff while out searching the massive flats for another Bone. Wandering over many miles, scanning the pristine water sends me into a trance like state and then the old mind gets going. It could be anything ....

For example. What will we have for dinner tonight, at our excellent Posada from the hand of its fine resident chef? Why did we let so many overpaid idiots run the financial world in the UK? Was it the chicken or the egg fir ... oh f**k that is a Bonefish! Or rather was ... as it sods off across the flat at blistering speed. Which sets off another day dream ... how I would like my line to be following!

So my advice is if you ever make the wise decision to book a trip with Aardvark McLeod to enjoy the incredible diversity of Los Roques and its Bonefish ... don't day dream!

Alasdare and Graham certainly had their wits about them today while being guided by Jesus, scoring around 8 fish each to gummy minnow tactics. Al has been really impressed with Jesus and his ability to pass on new skills, despite speaking very little English. Meanwhile Brian took his best Bonefish during this trip so far going 7lb, part of a 12 fish haul with Cayito.

I had the pleasure of sharing my fishing with Sam and Stuart. As usual Raphael made us walk miles and today we were not rewarded heavily for our efforts. I picked up 3 to 5lb and should have had more but in the strong winds the guys struggled. So we headed to a beach and while I got far too over excited at a number of tailing fish the guys slammed some nice Bones on Gummies. I could not resist getting in on the act myself and at one point all 3 of us were hooked up as a Bonefish school mopped up minnows ... exciting stuff!!!

Tomorrow is our last day and I cannot believe we will be heading back to the cold UK on Saturday. The grand finale will see the class of 2007 out, being Al, Stuart and myself (we all fished Los Roques in Feb 07), so its time for some Zs and maybe a dream or two!

Comfortable Bonefishing - Los Roques Day 4

2009-03-12T01:59:00.005Z

I started thinking about this post through the day as it struck me that I now feel more comfortable than ever when spending a day on the flats. The trick is to fish light of course but when wading away from the Pangas it is imperative to think about the flies you may need and all the other accessories required to ensure you can make quick changes. For example a few days ago I happened upon a few Permit and yesterday a Cuda. These fish require alternative flies and in the case of the Cuda, a wire trace.

The best way to go about carrying the items required is in some kind of pack. The guys on this trip have packs of all shapes and sizes. Watching them fish I would say most are too big and overfilled. Carrying your pack on your waste also puts strain on your back, so today noticing that the guides sling their packs across their back, I followed suit. Why haven't I before! Far more comfortable and you can wade deep without giving all your hard earned flies and tools a bath. That aside my next tropical saltwater trip will be with a fully waterproof pack, far more sensible.

So pack on my back I am comfortable. But what is in it? Well as discussed, flies and leaders for a variety of species. Lip block ... a must! Spare leaders, tippet, forceps, lens cleaner, reel oil, spare sun block and on the outside a set of nips. This leaves room for a water bottle. On average I will aim to drink a bottle an hour at least.

Another revelation for me during the trip has been Costa Del Mar sunglasses. I am sold on Maui Jims but I find the Costas glass 580 lens truly awesome on the flats. The copper lens comes highly recommended but I have been using a blue mirror version and they are outstanding. The fact that all the guides use them offers further reassurance so I am glad we are adding them to the range in the shop very soon.

So I can see just fine (and today we saw plenty of fish on the pancakes), my pack is dry and not straining my back while dehydration is not an issue and any fish who dares cross my path has a fly waiting for them, all be it they may decide not to take it! But what about the sun? On the advice of world wide traveller and photographer Henry Gilbey I use Bullfrog quick gel which unfortunately is not available in the UK. An amazing product, I am very fair skinned but with just one application a day I do not burn. But there is another secret that Henry let me on years ago, Buffs.

All the guides wear them here and I have an ever growing collection, plus of course we sell them in the shop. A fairly nondescript looking piece of material this amazing garment will shield your neck, ears, nose and face from the sun, especially during the hottest part of the day. Granted we all now look a little like Ninjas wading across the flats and even had one tourist shout "take me to your leader!" as we passed them on a beach today. A convoy of us striding to our next destinaion sporting hat, sunglasses and Buff I can see the reason why we may look a little alien on a sandy beach! Alasdare has become named the invisible man due to his white buff and big black sunglasses incorporated with a sunhat! Today, a way off in the distance I was frantically calling him as we were about to had to a new location. I was shouting loudly thinking Alasdare had his back to me but in fact he was staring straight back! Such is the power of the buff to cover the face.

There are all sorts of other little things I am learning to help make a day on the flats as enjoyable as possible and most of them seem to assist quick changes of tactic and above all comfort. Feeling very comfortable I was really pleased to pick up an early fish of 4lb on a pancake flat which charged off the side and tried to do me on the coral. The light was perfect and there was just a gentle wind, but the fish were very tough. All the guys reported spooky fish and I watched today as 3 separate fish followed my fly and then turned away. If things stay the same tomorrow I am going to break out the 7 weight.

Fishing with Alasdare and Sam we had yet another action packed day with Cayito who took us to some seriously interesting terrain including a lagoon where Sam picked up another 5 Bones to add to his day 3 tally. Alasdare and I came across a few fish but it wasn't until we headed to a beach that the fun really began for us. Fishing Gummy Minnows on the drop we hooked a number of Bones to 4lb by wading out, banging the flies as far as we could and then stroking them back in. Watching Bones pick off Minnows stunned by Pelican attacks it an awesome bit of sport as we threw at nervous water waiting for a hit at any given moment.

The other guys all got Bones today but the general consensus is that it has been tough. Low wind does make for easier casting but the fish spook far more easily and gentle presentation becomes paramount. There has also been a lot of changeable conditions this last few weeks and we don't seem to be seeing large groups of fish, possibly because they are out in deeper water? Most important is that all the party are catching and having a great time. It was certainly not easy fishing today, but it is very challenging and a bit of effort is rewarded.

Writing this at 10.15pm I am the late one up, the guys have been knackered after all the excitement out on the flats and are all in bed by 9pm most nights! I had better head off too. Apologies there are no photos to accompany these posts, I have plenty and will load up a photo essay to show the highlights from the trip upon my return to the UK.

Bonefish & Lobster - Los Roques Day 3

2009-03-11T01:48:00.005Z

It seems like a long time since we were on the plane travelling to Los Roques. We now have three hardcore days fishing under our belt, with Alasdare Lambert and myself putting in 12 hours today. But we had a boost as for lunch we parked up at a small outpost on a beach seemingly in the middle of nowhere. For starters Al promptly hooked up a Bonefish of around 8lb+ that bust him off on the coral!

Main course consisted of shellfish, snapper, conch and as the main event, a huge section of Lobster each. What an awesome way to spend an afternoon, but there was more to come. Returning to the Panga with our guide Raphael, Al hooked up another Bone that just went and went and went. In fact it had him well into the backing half a dozen times. By the end Alasdare was knackered but elated when Raphael finally grasped his prize, a Bone of 10lb+!

This was just part of a spectacular day with Raphael. We have seen a huge range of terrain from shallows close to reef breaks, pancake and sand flats, plus a little mangrove too. I am also really getting into self guiding, spotting the fish far more quickly but still prone to a little Bonefish fever! However I got it together landing half a dozen fish and losing some too. My own highlight after Alasdares big fish, came late on in the day. Heading back to base we had Raphael drop us off at a flat around a mile from our Posada. Almost instantly we found a couple of decent fish mooching around and first cast one of them nailed the fly without hesitation. A solid 6lb this proved to be one of my best fish so far during the trip.

Heading back to the Posada a few hours later we did not contact anymore fish but did see a few. The light conditions were tough as the sun was low but it was the tide which did us no favours staying just a little too high to allow us to target tailing fish. But it did not matter, we had an amazing day and also our thoughts had turned to the tremendous food that out accommodation serves. Sitting around the table the banter is always lively as we swap fishing stories including my own about the moment when one of my Bonefish was chopped clean in half by a Cuda. Curious to see what had become of it I started to pull it back in but realised the Cuda which had demolished the tail in one explosive bite was now tracking the head section. Weighing at least 30lbs I did not relish tangling with it and so when it grabbed the remaining half I opened up the drag, let it charge off (reel screaming!) and waited for the inevitable .... time for a new tippet!

Meanwhile Stuart took a Cuda on conventional gear today, along with a few Bones. Mr Fish has also been amongst the fish while Brian continues to catch consistently. But for me the other high point so far to add to the lost Permit and 10lb Bone was Sams 5 fish. All specimens that he saw, cast to and hooked himself. A newcomer to tropical saltwater fly, this is a hell of achievement for Sam who has just 3 days experience and he could not contain his happiness this evening as he talked us through all that he has learned sop far.

So another fantastic day here in Los Roques. Now already half way through the trip all the guys are heading to bed praying the high light conditions continue, coupled with falling wind speeds. And whacked myself I am going to close the day 3 report here and do the same myself. Although just before going I will add a link to Aardvark McLeod who put this hosted trip together. Check out their site for some amazing fishing locations including Los Roques.

Fishing with Mr Fish - LosRoques Day 2

2009-03-09T22:56:00.002Z

Yes honestly. Today I achieved a lifelong ambition and fished alongside a real Mr Fish. Graham Fish is quite a character. A guy who has fished just a handful of times, but during that time has included the Seychelles twice (and a GT!), Cuba and now Los Roques to his list of must have options. Today he was telling me he hopes to do the Seychelles again soon. Mr Fish can also fish. Granted he could do to learn how to double haul and may head down my way for a course, but right now he can cast a straight accurate line and with the quality of the guiding here that means he is catching. In fact he stuck 12 Bones today to a solid 6lb!

I had a ball too fishing with Mr Fish and legendary guide Raphael. What a dude. This guy seriously knows his stuff and placed us on some top fishing. In fact I even got a couple of shots at Permit, resulting in a fish turning on the fly but no hook up. Brian Seaby, a laid back brummy did far better hooking up a double figure fish that sadly spat the hook and also landing a small fish of 2lb. Still an achievement and under the guidance of Cayito who has also impressed Alasadre Lambert no end. He whacked 8 fish today, smallest 5lb and the biggest a shade under 10lb! Awesome!!!!!! Al is just ever so slightly stoked and as I am rooming with him I can safely say that the various captures have been relived more than a few times!!!

My own Bonefishing today went far better with fish to 7lb alongside Graham and Raphael, the morning session in particular wasexplosive. Watching these guys perform is an education, even for a guide, in fact I have been learning a whole lot that has helped me gain several hook ups to save face after my cheque book and pen event yesterday!

With cerveza waiting and the promise of a Lobster lunch tomorrow (they truly know how to look after you here) I had better sign off with a final word regarding Stuart Forsyth who managed to take fish on pancakes that were far from easy in high water. He has not had numbers today but that does not matter, hooking singles cruising deep water is damn fine fishing. But that's Los Roques all over, damn fine and especially when you have had the privilege, as I have, to fish with Mr Fish!!!

Los Roques - Bonefish Fever

2009-03-08T21:29:00.002Z

I left the UK yesterday to head out to Los Roques, Venezuela with a hosted group on behalf of Aardvark McLeod. I know, its a tough job! And believe it or not it was with mixed feelings as the fishing at home has been awesome recently, the highlight being a mid double figure Pike that a guest caught with me just shortly before I headed over here. That was cool, but there are few things that can compare with the incredible terrain available here in Los Roques for the Bonefish angler. This is my second trip to Los Roques and once again it has blown me away.

Fishing with Jesus (pronounced something like hey-zeus) I paired up with Sam McDonald who is visiting all the way from Orkney. Now Sam is a seriously interesting guy because he makes his living sculpting fish out of metal! And I thought I had an unusual job! He would have us believe that he is here for "research" purposes but having just got back to our fantastic lodge and witnessed his beaming smile I would say he is here for a little more than that! In fact he has done amazingly well as the wind has been pumping, but Jesus, as patient as ever took Sam to some mud's to learn all about hooking up Bonefish. Then after actually casting to and hooking up a number of fish (he never seemed to miss!) which Sam played the rest was down to the man himself. Finally, with just 15 minutes before we were due to head back to base Sam lost his Bonefish virginity, a milestone for any angler but especially for Sam who has never fished outside the UK. What a way to start.

For my own part I had an interesting day, which is a fancy way of saying I blanked! Believe me self guiding over here is not easy, the guides have some of the best "fish eyes" you can imagine and anyone new to Bonefishing could do far worse than book a trip with Aardvark Mcleod and see for themselves just how good they are. I actually saw a ton of fish, including some tailers on the pancake flats but spent my usual first session suffering from Bonefish Fever. This is basically a condition which means that just when you don't need it you will fluff the cast, catch your sun gloves or step on an unseen fish! But I did get it right a few times, especially with one really nice fish which stripped backing at a blistering pace. But like the other fish I stuck during the day, it fell off. I had plenty of other chances but I find that these fish effect me like no other. Watching those torpedo's cruise the flats, or a tail glint in the sun just does something to me. I will try harder tomorrow!

Enough about my own failure. Alasdare and Stuart returned having had an awesome day taking fish to 5lbs and apparently Calito had them hooked up into fish within 10 minutes of starting. They ended the day with 10 fish which in the high wind is some achievement. I am going to go and find out how they did, while also enquiring of Brian & Graham who are also present on the trip. More tomorrow and I will post images when I get back to the UK, with fish cruising around the pier close to our lodge I can stand it no longer, time to thread up the rod once more!

More uplifting fishing

2009-02-22T09:55:00.006Z

Continuing on from that positive note yesterday I was amazed to find that 4 days of last week were booked up for tuition. This is unprecedented in February which is traditionally quiet due to the cooler weather. However this week we have been blessed with mild temps which coincided with my second father and son team of the year taking to the water. Tim and Harry spent a couple of days at Exe Valley and left fully fledged fly fishers keen to return for some river action. At just 12 years old Harry did the younger generation proud by listening intently and learning to cast in just a few hours resulting in some fine fish such as these.

A couple of days later Tim Watson arrived for his regularly early season tune up. Now more than capable of chucking 25 yards+ we got right down to the more advanced elements of fly casting, looking at drift, loop control, haul timing etc., all with the aim of improving distance, accuracy and presentation. After lunch and a serious shopping spree that has added a Hardy Demon Rod to Tim's already impressive arsenal we embarked on a few hours of Spey Casting using on of the Hardy Swift Double Handed Rods. These are incredible blanks and much fun was had as we got through plenty of Switch's, Snakes, Double Speys and Snap Ts, all in readiness for Tim's trip to Inverness later this year. It is well worth learning to Spey cast (essentially a change of direction roll cast) with single handed rods too, believe me once you have learned you will never look back.

"Morning Nick, just a quick thankyou for a great day yesterday. Learning lots of new stuff is always great fun, and making improvements on the old stuff very satisfying!" Tim Watson, Devon, 2009.

As always Tim, my pleasure and it is very cool to watch you casting developing from season to season.

Continuing on the uplifting theme I sat in front of the box on Wednesday in awe. I refer to the mind blowing new BBC production "Nature's Great Events" that Henry Gilbey (currently getting very excited in France!) mentioned in a recent post. The most recent episode charted the 3000 mile journey that half a billion Salmon make to swim up the rivers of British Columbia and Alaska. Their journey provides food to millions of animals and incredibly they are also responsible for the richest temperate rain forest in the world, although you will need to watch if you want to find out why. Perfectly narrated by David Attenborough, it was jaw dropping, spine tingling viewing, the kind of programme that you just don't want to end. I learned a ton of stuff from it too, like the fact that iron particles in a Salmons brain help it to navigate back to the river mouth that it originally used to enter the sea and that they can sense a single drop of freshwater in millions of litres of saltwater. But above all I realised just how hardy these fish are.

The incredible close up footage showed some unbelievable scenes as the Salmon clattered their bodies relentlessly upstream towards their original place of birth. Many do not make it falling foul of predators such as Grizzly Bears (look out for the scene when a fish clouts a bear in the ear ... very funny!) and suffocating in times of low water. But a huge proportion do succeed only to spawn and then die, unlike our own Atlantic Salmon that in some cases make several visits back to their place of birth. The Pacific Salmon species featured were Coho, Chinnook, Sockeye, Pink and Chums but even so the footage would still be applicable to our Atlantics. And this got me thinking. There is so much written these days about the benefits of catch and release while others (old fashioned in their view, in my opinion) say that all we catch should be killed. Recently in Trout & Salmon magazine there has been debate regarding this and a point of view raised that many of the Salmon we catch & release die or fail to spawn. In my view this is man once again believing that we are totally responsible for all the changes in the world. We are mere pinpricks on this earth. Witnessing those Salmon quite literally battle their way to their home river to survive I am more convinced than ever that so long as we treat our captured fish with enormous respect that they will go on to spawn and protect our future sport but most importantly continue the survival of the species.

You must watch this programme! BBC - Natures Great Events - The Great Salmon Run

The Futures Bright ... the futures fishing.

2009-02-21T10:14:00.008Z

Is it me or is there a lot of doom and gloom around right now? Turn on the news and I reckon that the term "credit crunch" (who came up with it!?) is ringing in our ears before we know it. There is of course a lot of bad stuff going on right now but there is also plenty of positive stuff, especially when we talk fishing.

Take rivers for example. A long held view is that many river venues are "dead mans shoes" with vast waiting lists. That is a positive in a way, it means there are plenty of people who want to go fishing! But what if you want some river fishing .... NOW ... that's not going to break the bank? Well the season won't be open for a few weeks yet but come mid March you will be pleased to know that there are literally dozens of budget priced options river fishing options here in the Westcountry offering fantastic Wild Brown Trout & Grayling fishing. Check here for one of the most popular schemes and find about the Fish the Exe scheme here.

But it was the events of last night that got me thinking about low cost fishing in a big way. I was honoured to be asked by the Dulverton Angling Association (DAA) to provide a talk and then afterwards I sat in on the annual general meeting. This is the first DAA AGM I have ever attended and I found it a seriously uplifting, positive experience, which is unusual for an AGM. Formed just a few years ago by Pat Veale the club has grown to over 250 members and now has a very healthy looking bank balance. The cash is being ploughed into projects to provide more and better fishing for its members, all through a network of hard working volunteers. This diligence has allowed the club to keep subscriptions down to an incredible £25.00 for a year. How's that during the "credit crunch"!

(Above) A truly Wild Brown from the DAA Heale Beat

But it gets better. Do you have a child under 16 who would like to go river fishing? If so that child can do so for one whole pound! Yes that's right £1, 100 pence .... a quid! Which is where it gets slightly worse. Last night the AGM was attended mainly by men over the age of 60 with the exception of one female. Now if you are over 60 please do not be offended by my previous comment, it just struck me that there was very little in the way of youth present at the event! But this is supposed to be a positive post and so I quickly perked up when during the AGM the minimal junior subscription was brought up, along with comments that we should be introducing more youngsters to the joys of river fishing. This was music to my ears, a fishing organisation that realises that we need young anglers to survive.

So I urge you to get out there and take advantage of this crazy deal. Lets face it, even if you fished the DAA waters only once the fee would still be less than the average "monthly" subscription to Sky TV who at the moment are spending most of their time telling us that we have no money. Switch it off, grab your membership card and go fishing .... preferably with your son and/or daughter. You can find out more about the DAA here

Is the NEW LOOK rod licence really a break through?

2009-02-15T12:46:00.008Z

I was really interested to learn of the new look rod licence about to hit the streets on 2nd March 2009. Nobody could deny that these new licences do look pretty cool, which maybe an incentive for people to buy them? They could almost become collectors items, unlike the current paper variety.

However, what has all this cost? Matt Crocker, Head of Fisheries at the Environment Agency says “The new-look rod licence will deliver real benefits to anglers. The system is now cheaper and quicker to administer – which allows us to spend more licence money on habitats improvements and fish stocking, while keeping the increase in rod licence fees to a minimum.”

Now this sounds great but what is the introduction of this new licence going to cost, there is no mention of that. Only a further line stating "Rod licence sales generate over £23 million in revenue each year, which the Environment Agency ploughs directly back into the sport."

If that is the case, why in the last 3 years have I not had my licence checked or one of my guests enjoying a guided fly fishing trip or fly fishing course? During those years I have been on the banks of venues across the West Country and indeed the UK alongside up to half a dozen clients ... not one check! This must mean that there is a huge amount of evasion going on and that those who do abide by the law and pay for a licence are picking up the tab for the rest who can't be bothered or actually know that they are very likely to get away with failing to purchase one.

There are no doubt some great advantages to the new licence such as the modern credit card size and material, which makes it completely waterproof. There are also fewer personal details on the licence to reduce the risk of identity fraud should it be lost or stolen. Even so I still wonder if the money required to implicate this change would have been more wisely spent in policing the banks of our water ways rather than providing us all with a "pretty" card that will spend most of its days in the dark!

Its an interesting subject and I would love to know what you think about it so check out the vote on the right hand side of the blog. And to buy your new 2009 licence go here or better still support your local post office who will also be administering licences. Below follows a table of the 2009/10 rates with some small increases. Concessions apply to persons aged from 65 +, persons in receipt of disability living allowance & blue badge parking concession holders, juniors who are 12 years old on the date of buying the licence but have not reached the age of 17.

Rod licence prices for 2009-10 season

Licence Category	Non-Migratory Trout, Char, Freshwater Fish and Eels	Salmon, Migratory Trout *
Full Annual	£26	£70
Concessionary Annual (1)	£17.25	£46.50
Junior Annual (2)	£5	£5
Eight day Licence	£9.50	£22.50
One day Licence	£3.50	£7.75

New Year, New Gear

2009-02-11T17:23:00.006Z

After all the snow last week it has been great to finally see some blue sky. A bit of time with the family (making snowmen!) was great but once the white stuff has subsided to slush there is not much fun to be had. Well that is of course unless you go fishing! So Henry Gilbey and I did just that, Henry armed with his camera and me with one of the new Greys X-Flite Rods. This new product from the Greys stable is not hugely powerful, (go with the new Greys Competition Platinum XD if you are after something that is!) but it cannot be denied that the X-Flite is a good looking, well priced 4 piece travel rod that will perform perfectly for those who want a mid to tip blank. And if your budget will stretch to more than the £179.99 for a 9'6" #7 model then I would not hesitate to recommend the awesome Hardy Demon Series. I used these rods almost exclusively in 2008 to take all manner of species including a number of Salmon.

(ABOVE : THE NEW GREYS X FLITE)

Back to our trip. We headed out to Blakewell Fishery which as usual is looking in tip top condition and I had been hoping to try out a new indicator which has been taking the UK by storm. The Thingamabobber will not be every ones cup of tea, but they are certainly interesting. I first came across them when Turrall started importing them into the UK and then last year when visiting Montana. Anyway to cut a long story short there was no hope of us using the new product or imitative indicator tactics as snow melt and a night time storm had turned the water to chocolate. These are not ideal fishing conditions but Henry and I are there to do a job for Trout Fisherman magazine, so with the help of a blue sky and a very pretty looking Rainbow Trout we bagged our feature. Check out Henry Gilbeys site for some Blakewell pictures and I will report on the thingamabobbers another day.

(ABOVE : THE NEW GREYS PLATINUM XD COMPETITOR SPECIAL)

After a day out I always have to spend a day in the office although I booked some more fishing last night, so have that to look forward to. In fact the office has been buzzing today as I am working on a new project plus we have some great new gear that has just arrived from Loop. I took this firm on and decided to stock their goods as I have just been hearing so much good stuff about them, particularly from Iain Barr who incidentally supplies our flies. Iain will be at our open day on Saturday 2nd May 2009 demonstrating his skills, almost certainly with one of the Loop Multi rods and I for one cannot wait to see what words of wisdom he has for us! For those of you who have not heard of Iain he just so happens to be one of the most successful UK competition fly anglers ever and is also part of the world team competing in Scotland this year so we were even more chuffed to secure his services. I am also looking forward to showing him just how good our Sea Trouting is!

Other great gear now in stock is the all new Fishpond Range, which I am in the process of reviewing for the site (and look out for site updates too) plus some cool William Joseph products such as these great Nippers and the Richard Wheatley Malvern Fly Boxes. I will also have more news here regarding our popular group fly fishing events at amazing prices (there is something for everyone), and don't forget to add that date to your diary ... Saturday 2nd May 2009 - Hart Flyshop Open Day.

Topical Snowman

2009-02-08T18:23:00.004Z

Even my 4x4 was a little put out by all the snow that fell recently and so taking advantage of the conditions I decided to take a day off with the family. After all this is Chester's first sight of snow! He also had his first ride on a sledge all be it that he seemed to enjoy directing me around the yard and across fields more than anything else! I was bloody knackered after half an hour! I think he has got used to riding his pony and pulling on reigns ....

Hoping for a little rest (well I was!) we turned our attention to making a snowman. It is not the very best snowman ever to be created, granted, but it is topical! Anyway, enough words, here is a picture of our creation. Weather permitting back to more fishy thoughts tomorrow.

Fishing versus Health & Safety

2009-02-05T10:12:00.007Z

I don't know about you but I have become increasingly perplexed by the term "health & safety". Over the last few years it has become a phrase that seems to be attached to just about everything including of course ... fishing. In fact even some of the courses available for wannabe fly fishing instructors now seem to be glorified "risk assessment tests" rather than actually ensuring that the candidate in question has the ability (and experience) to teach.

H&S also reared its ugly head on South West Lakes venue Wimbleball reservoir, a fishery close to my heart and many others. A couple of years back a plan was put in place to move the boat fishing pontoons from their original easily accessible location in the name of health & safety. The justification was that "the steps to the boat are too steep and someone may have a serious accident". This assumption was based on no accidents in the 20 odd year history of the lake! Whats more the many meetings that followed to determine the final outcome were in fact a monumental waste of time, the decision had been made.

So I was saddened to hear this week that Foremark Reservoir in Derbyshire has fallen foul of the H&S onslaught. Run by highly experienced angler, Phil Dixon, the lake has been put back on the map through Phil's determination and enthusiasm. Even more impressive when you consider that Phil is in his early 20s. Now he is threatened by Severn Trents health & safety officials who are about to close down three miles of bank fishing, effectively destroying 2/3rds of the space available. The reason? The authority are "concerned" that the public will get caught by anglers back casts. Anglers have eyes and so do the public. Many can speak too. Whatever happened to communication and common sense? There was another reason too. "Anglers may trip on the uneven surface of the dam wall". Quite incredible! See here for more on this story and check out Phil Dixons Foremark Reservoir here. Sadly I have never had chance to fish Foremark although Iain Barr who supplies a great deal of our shop flies is always raving about the quality and numbers of fish.

This story reminds me of a session I had on Farmoor last year, fishing from a dam. Was I more worried about slipping in or catching the huge, fin perfect fish on offer? Tricky question! And how about Dave Burton who has a really great blog here, check his session on 4th Jan which combined ice skating with fly fishing. He seems happy enough to me without the interference of good old Health and Safety!

Spotted .... First Salmon of 2009

2009-02-04T15:51:00.007Z

I seem to spend far too much off my time during the winter months staring at a computer monitor, so when I get chance it is good to nip out for a breather and some much needed vitamin enrichment from the sun. Yesterday was a great time to be out as snow had been falling heavily in the morning giving way to a clear blue sky and a picture postcard scene. See here.

Grabbing the digital camera, I rushed into town to sort a few errands and then stopped at the Anchor Bridge for a breather. Just a glance down the river sends a wave of relaxation over me but it doesn't take long until the need for R&R gives way to trying to find a fish in the cool clear waters of the Exe.

It just so happened I was in the right place, at the right time! Peering over the bridge my Maui Jim's reflected back a sight to warm the heart. There, plain as the day, just behind one of the bridge stanchions in a back current lay a Salmon! It was quite clearly a silver tourist and I spent several minutes excitedly trying to get the best shot I could. The result is a little grainy, but I assure you this is a Salmon.

The fish looked very healthy, supporting itself easily in the strong current and chatting with Salmon guru Andrew Maund we arrived at the conclusion that this is quite possibly an early springer. Admittedly in the image it looks a little dark, but I reckon this was the light conditions. Maybe it is a kelt (a spawned Salmon returning to sea) although it seems a strange position for a fish that will have been through so much. Kelts will normally situate themselves in deep pools, resting as they fall back. So with the Salmon season opening in just 2 weeks lets be positive and say this is a Spring Salmon on its way up river!

Last year certainly witnessed one of the best runs of fish for years and I had a ball through the season catching fish such as this one taken during a filming session. The show is due to air on the onlinefishing.tv channel that I reported on a couple of days ago. You can see that story here and take a look at the channel here. Meanwhile if you would like regular updates to include when my Nick Hart Fly Fishing School episodes will air, plus all the latest fishing reports and a whole lot more ... check out the new subscription feature at the top right hand corner of the page.

The Best Office in the World?

2009-02-03T17:17:00.002Z

I could get used to this weather. Just look at this for a scene, Exe Valley Fishery in all its glory just outside the front door of my shop. It has to be one of the best office views in the world!

I managed to get out and grab a few pictures of the river too and while I was there happened upon something quite unexpected, but more of that tomorrow. Isn't the Exe looking awesome! The amount of water this winter means it is looking seriously clean.

The weather seems to have cleared now which will be in favour with the various stricken motorists I met this morning. Thankfully my trusty Toyota which I have covered 1000s of km in eats up snow like it just isn't there and I actually quite enjoy driving in these conditions. Unlike the the South Africans who turned up yesterday during a blizzard to fish in shorts (see here), skidding their way into the car park ... but then a Jeep isn't a real 4X4 is it!

I am hoping for some more snow so I can enjoy a bit of "let's off road" and also being busy in the office means I haven't had chance to get out with Chester and the sledge yet. Maybe tomorrow. My mind is definitely on some fun in the snow but a call from Stuart Forsyth (pictured below in an image by Henry Gilbey) who I have guided for many years turned my attention to something a lot warmer. We will be heading out, along with Al Lambert next month to sample Los Roques and I am looking forward to this trip more than any other. The location is stunning and there are plenty of big Bones to be had that feed extraordinarily on the enormous population of minnows in the area.

Bones are cool but so to are the Tarpon and I remember like it was yesterday the moment when I latched into a very big fish, just moments from our accommodation. Out on the pier I was casually stroking back an intermediate while sharing a conversation with James Warbrick Smith (see what he is up to right now, here) when this thing just slammed the fly. Holding on to the rod for dear life (sign up and see here for what happens when you don't!) I managed to get it under control and enjoyed several enormous leaps and some blistering runs until the hook gave way leaving me fishless! Ah, the pain! How many Tarpon is that I have now jumped but not landed!!!?? Such great memories, its what fishing is all about. Roll on March ....

Online Fishing TV

2009-02-02T17:17:00.007Z

Before I give you news about the exciting new venture which is onlinefishing.tv, let me tell you this. I just looked out of my shop window and a fish turned on the surface of one of the lakes. "Nothing surprising about that" I hear you say "after all your shop is situated on Exe Valley Fishery, which is famous for the quantities of hard fighting fish stocked". This is true of course, but .... its snowing! Nobody obviously told the fish or the 3 South Africans on holiday from London who turned up to fish today, wearing shorts! Yes, honestly, wearing shorts! I had to rub my eyes in disbelief! And they caught ....

Meanwhile as London grinds to a halt (why does the weather affect us Brits so bad!) Henry Gilbey and James WS are out in Belize already tangling with some tropical saltwater torpedoes. Alright for some, although next month it is my turn as I head off to Los Roques hosting a trip for a great company called Aardvark McLeod. Check out just how good Los Roques (Venezuala) is here and if you are yearning to try it for yourself it maybe worth getting in touch as we can
accommodate one or two more rods. Anyway, back to my post.

So what is this onlinefishing.tv all about then?

Launched in December 2008 it is an Internet channel devoted to fishing programmes. Many of the shows are brand new and the channel is promising that new shows will be added every month, in fact every week.

So what's the catch?

That depends how you look at it. Some would say it is a great catch as now it is possible to watch fishing on demand. I have seen the shows wired through a wide screen tv and it means you literally have a fishing channel at your disposal. There are also programmes devoted to all aspects of angling, not just the fly with big names such as Henry Gilbey, John Wilson and Kevin Green featured online.

OK so I can watch fishing on demand .. but what is the catch!

Unlike many forms of video online, this is not a free to view channel. But then this is quite a step up from You Tube. We are talking full length programmes available to be played over and over again. Remember the onlinefishing.tv mission statement .... new programmes will arrive all the time, unlike satellite channels that now seem to loop back to back repeats, week in, week out, these days.

So if it is not free, how much is it?

Surprisingly little. The subscription is just £4.95 per month and the initial sign up need only be for 6 months. I make that less than £30 which based on the fact that many people are giving up smoking and various other vices during these challenging times is not a great deal to pay out for a little piscatorial pleasure beamed to your desktop. Is it? Comments and thoughts on this welcomed.

And why am I so keen on the idea?

Truthfully the more people who sign up to this channel the better, because then it can go from strength to strength. I have yet to meet many anglers who don't like a bit of armchair angling, so why not beam it to your PC? Just think, no more fighting with the kids over Bob the Builder or members of the family hooked on soap operas!

Is that the only reason?

Er no. Alongside established director Shaun Fenton of Diesel Films (who is responsible for many of Matt Hayes and Henry Gilbeys programmes) I agreed to put together a series of 5 episodes based around fly fishing for varied species in varied circumstances. The programmes were designed to provide tuition with a bit of entertainment thrown in, which is not hard for me as we all know how good I am at falling over, juggling fish and wading too deep ... and waffling. See how many "deadlys", "tidies", "absolutelys", "fantastics" and "awesomes" you can spot!

Hang on Nick, your jumping the gun, I haven't signed up yet!

And I don't blame you. After all the idea of TV via the broadband connection is very new. But as a regular user of things like the BBC iPlayer I know it is catching on and that it is no doubt the future. Therefore I decided that it would be cool to get involved in such a project.

Freebies

If you are still not convinced than have a look at my recently uploaded Trout Stream Trailer ... which is FREE! It shows just one of the many tips I provide in this action packed show as we cruise up a section of the River Exe that many of you will know well. There are also programmes available on the channel about small stillwater and reservoir fishing. When I get chance I will add more details here about each programme with a link.

But for the moment when you have 5, check out the trailer and see what you think. If you like it .... awesome, but if you think its pants ... let me know! I have genuinely tried to provide some fun informative viewing and I hope that if you decide to watch, that you find this to be the case, because I certainly enjoyed working on the shows.

Where did January go?

2009-02-01T18:44:00.007Z

Well there goes the first month of 2009! If I said I have been trying to get to the blog for the last 31 days, you probably wouldn't believe me, but it is true! But I haven't been sat on my hands enjoying the close season, far from it, in fact at this time of year I find my days are filled with things to do.

For example Henry Gilbey (who is currently in Belize) and I have been out and about on a regular basis collecting images for Trout Fisherman magazine. 2009 will see a new series of features for this top Trout monthly which will start to appear around issue 390, out at the beginning of April.

I have seen a record number of people attend fly fishing courses ... during January! Yes, it has been cold! Check the image below. At one point the lake was rock solid for 10 days! But some anglers braved the elements whenever enough water had thawed to allow them to cast a line. During my teaching sessions we had several occasions when the rings froze but wrapped up warm we braved the elements and it was good to get some fresh air.

Many of our customers are also readying themselves for the new season, so the phones have been kept busy and the broadband connection as new lines are spooled, leaders packed and flies lovingly stocked. Preparation is half the fun of looking forward to the new season! But, for me the season never ends and so when possible I have been out after Pike. The canals have been tough at times due to cold, coloured and even frozen water but there are still fish to be caught. Never tried Pike on the fly? Well look out for news here soon about courses I will be running throughout 2009 encompassing many elements of fly fishing including Pike.

The club is growing too and the popularity of our competitions. Just before the new year we were oversubscribed for our Christmas Open match which was won by Doug Jefferies (above) with a 4 fish bag weighing over 19lbs! Dates are already in the diary for the 2009 comps and I will publish these soon here on the blog and also look out in your inbox for a news update any day.

Many of you have been asking about my new Nick Hart Fly Fishing school series that I filmed last year. This is now available and I will post details regarding how you can get to see the shows tomorrow. So if you have been suffering the close season blues keep checking back as now the inbox is cleared I will be back to regular posting ... although forgive me if I wet a line too! There is also a new subscription service now installed at the top of the page to make it even easier to follow the blog.

Back up for air with some winter Grayling

2008-12-14T13:54:00.006Z

Apologies to my regular readers, over a month without a post! I will do my best to resume normal service.

It has been quite a month with all sorts going on. In fact it amuses me because I vividly recall the early years when I started out in this business always dreading the quiet winter season. My only option at that point was to work many long hours in a local hotel, but I wouldn't change it for the world because those were exciting times. Ten years on and things are even more exciting as new prospects, adventures and opportunities are never far away. There is always something to be done as although the official season should be 3 months away the fact is that nowadays people are looking for year round sport. Neil and I have been flat out through October and November with guiding while of course at this time of year the shop ups another gear as people prepare for Christmas. Stuck for a gift or desperate for the piscatorial present you have wished for all year? Check out our shop site here for some ideas.

Put our feet up, tie some flies, go fishing all the time ... there is no time for that right now ... although I do intend to sneak another trip to Farmoor before the year is out.

On the river bank I have either been Pike fishing with guests or taking them Grayling Fishing, including Stuart Forsyth from Scotland who took this lovely example of an Exe Grayling during a bitterly cold morning. The Exe is a great venue but hard in the winter, a place to really test your skills. In fact I reckon that one Grayling on our system here is worth at least 10 on a chalkstream. It amazes me how these beautiful fish behave in the different locations, but believe me, in most cases chalkstream Grayling are greedy to point of being glutinous and will even free rise during the coldest of days. Not so up here. Strap on some heavy bugs (probably 3) under a yarn indicator (or just watch the line), cast well upstream and get those flies tumbling along the river bed. Its the only way to enjoy regular success, classic dry or nymph fishing just don't do it. To be honest I love this kind of challenge so long as I am well layered with decent under wader wear. The sight of that indicator or the line suddenly coming to a halt will soon warm you up.!

I have a ton of news but must get back to work so check back for some updates over the next few days. Plus if you need to get away from the family for a few hours, why not enter our Christmas Open Competition? Just £30 to enter, including a 4 fish permit, with £500.00 of prizes on offer! Fishing will be from 10am to 2pm on Sun 28th Dec. Just a few places left so if you fancy a shot yourself please drop me a line.

F*** Me Farmoor!

2008-11-09T11:32:00.024Z

I could have called this post Fantastic Farmoor or Fabulous Farmoor but I spent a fair amount of yesterday turning the air blue as I enjoyed perhaps one of the best, if not the best session of reservoir fishing I have ever had in the UK. From a scenic point of view Farmoor ain't much as you can see but I can assure you that once you have tangled with the fish that roam these waters your surroundings will not matter that much!

You may want a full in depth report regarding the day but to be honest that would require an entire article and I hope that maybe one day I get chance to write it .... Henry Gilbey will freak when he sees this fishing!

My fishing companion for the day was highly talented angler James Warbrick-Smith who has worked these fish out perfectly. His Minky fly caused absolute carnage and for the first couple of hours I was nowhere near emulating his fishing. But after a while I got to grips with it and then to be honest I can only say that both James and I were like kids in a sweet shop! What follows is a blow by blow account of the fish we caught and in actual fact there were more but .... 1) The fishing was so amazing I couldn't be bothered to clear my memory stick and ... 2) The fishing was so amazing that we felt our time was better employed catching another fin perfect 4lb + Rainbow rather than taking another photo!

Anyway more details about the fishing another day, I will let the pictures do the talking .... just take a look at F*** Me Farmoor!

Second Cast!

Third Cast!

Look at the bloom in this tail - Trout Perfection

I'm in! This would usually be the fish of the day on most reservoirs ... on Farmoor its pretty much average!

Sorry about the out of focus shot ... but you get the gist. The fish above took so hard that by the time I landed it the hook was only just staying together aided by the fly tying silk! And this is a Kamasan B175 and we know how strong they are!

But James is still showing me the way ...

James may I relieve you of one of those flies???

James generously hands over the killing pattern and my smug grin says it all!

The grin is now a Cheshire Cat Smile.

I love the Rio Midge Tip and coupled to the JWS Minky it was causing carnage.

I promise these are different fish!

F*** Me!

Outbound for James! (check your backing before you fish Farmoor)

Another for James ... to be honest he had lost a couple of others and I had him running up and down the bank to record my purple patch!

We were like schoolboys ... but seriously, have you seen better conditioned fish?

James said we didn't see any big ones during this session! This year he has had fish to double figures.

You maybe thinking that it is a shame to kill all these awesome fish? In fact Farmoor 1 has a 100% catch & release policy! How cool is that? All these fish were returned ... who was it that said catch & release doesn't work?

One for me and one for James! Again ... just look at those tails!

We had a load more Rainbows but to end the day perfectly I latched into this perfectly conditioned Brown Trout. Farmoor 2 has just produced a 14lb 4oz fish that was stocked originally at just 1lb 8oz!

The conclusion? Probably the best conditioned, hardest fighting reservoir Trout around right now in the UK. Plus what a cool concept to provide a full C&R policy on Farmoor 1 and for just £17.50 per day, less than a couple of rounds in the pub and you won't have a headache afterwards ... far from it. My only problem is I have to trek 2 1/2 hours to get there, but that doesn't worry me. Right now I am frantically going through my diary trying desperately to find some time in beween guiding and the shop so I can visit again!

James ... thank you for showing me this amazing venue and for handing over the killer Minky. It is a day I will never forget and although I am so lucky to be able to fish rivers and all manner of other venues I have to say that tangling with such pristine fish is hard to beat. To coin Henry Gilbeys descriptions holy cow, eat my shorts, awesome and bring it on ... although in this case I think a profound F*** Me says it all .....

Brilliant Blakewell Fishery

2008-11-07T09:17:00.006Z

So October has been and gone and already a week of November has passed, before we know it the season will be here once again! But is there really a season anymore? I reckon there is just as much fishing to be had now as at any other time in the year. I really enjoy my Grayling and Pike sessions but there are plenty of people who love to wet a line on a small still water and Trout Fisherman magazine caters for these anglers extremely well. Working as a main contributor on the magazine this is therefore the time of year when I head to various small waters across the region to put together a few winter features.

Leaving base the weather was not looking so good for pictures as I headed out with Henry Gilbey to perhaps one of the UKs very best small stillwaters, Blakewell. A beautiful 5 acre fishery the lake is run by Richard & John Nickell who employed me during my days as a North Devon college student. In fact I was rarely present at my A Level lectures, spending most of my time either at the local tackle shop or working at the fishery (or fishing some place of course!). As it happened I had already decided long before I enrolled at the college that I wanted to be a fly fishing instructor and so I look back on those missed lectures as a blessing in disguise!

Since then Blakewell has strived forward and I am always blown away by how well managed this venue is. Stringing up my 9' 6" Hardy Demon I was relishing the chance of a few hard fighting fish, although it was strictly work of course! There was a juggernaut cruising that I spotted through my Mauis which took the fly on one occassion but I missed it! After that it staunchly refused to accept anything I threw at it. Even so we got what we needed as the light improved to show Blakewell off in all its glory. Many may think that putting these features together is easy but in fact Henry never stops thinking about the next angle, point of focus, light situation etc., and he certainly rarely picks up a rod while out on a job although it looks like we will be tracking down a few Pike together soon.

Yesterday we were back on the road bound for Temple Fishery, but I will post about our experience another time. Right now I am being called into a meeting as we have a whole bunch of stuff going on over the next few weeks and I must double check my tackle too as James and I are out for a sesh on the Farmoor heavyweights tomorrow. The weather looks a little inclement, but so what .... I am sure that will be the last thing on my mind as my backing fizzes out behind one of the grown on specimens I have been hearing so much about recently! Well ... I hope so anyway.