Howie,                                                     May 2016

Just wanted to say many thanks for the great fly fishing experience. I haven’t done fly fishing since I was a teenager and really fell for it again particularly with your patient, calm approach to teaching. Would definitely like to book again to go fishing ‘proper’. Would highly recommend you as a teacher. Kate

Very lucky to experience a hatch of mayfly on the river Test yesterday. The weather was quite cold and windy in the morning so we did not expect it to happen. Then late afternoon the conditioned changed and it started to happen. We quickly set up our tackle from nymphing to dry fly and made the most of the hatch which lasted about 2 hours. Below one of the lovely browns which fell for my mayfly pattern.

Getting involved with four big rainbows tonight. Fishing a green damsel 10 foot down on a  444 Clear Camo fly line. A very stealthy line and casts like a dream. Well done Cortland. By the way checkout the tail on that fish.

 

Hi Howard,

Just wanted to say thanks for your guidance and patience yesterday,and that Anita and I enjoyed it and are very keen to carry on.Also apologies for running over time,but it fly’s when you’re having fun! I’ll be in touch soon to take things a stage further.
Regards,

Russ.

I did manage to skive off  this afternoon and so fished into the evening. I was rewarded with two Browns and two rainbows. I lost count of how many fish I missed?  At least a dozen anyway. All on black buzzers again. Fished slow and deep.

And I considered having a lie in?? Pics of 2 cracking fish landed today. Check out the Golden Rainbow Trout.

My first day back on the club waters after my trip to India.  I took the afternoon off yesterday and went to my local club fishery with fishing buddy Dave Peach. Prior to that I heard that fish had been taken on buzzers so I tied up a selection of black black and green patterns. From the first cast I started getting takes from fish in 10 to 12 feet of water but failed to connect until I found my timing. Then I  hooked a fish which tore off and leaped out of the lake twice and tore off fly line down to the backing.  After a long scrap I landed a a cracking 5.5lb rainbow followed by several good size fish including a nice Char. These two fish I returned but took two smaller fish for the table. After cleaning the fish I inspected the stomach contents and found they had been feasting on large black buzzers. Just goes to show that buzzers are on the menu throughout the year.  Top Tip: When fishing in deep water try fishing a team of 3 buzzers tied at 4 foot intervals, let them sink to the bottom then use a sink and draw retrieval so the flies rise and fall through the layers. Keep in touch with the flies so as to be ready for the slightest take. As they say “Tight Lines”

Howie

Waiting for the fish to arrive so sat back with a King Fisher and was shortly rewarded with a nice little Travally.

    

A story to one of my trout lakes recently. To say the least it was bloody hard going. Nothing much rising and not one hook up by lunchtime. So me and my buddy Dave Peach trudged back to the car for lunch and a nip of brandy (purely medicinal on a cold day you see) We concluded that the only real fly hatch that morning were Dragon flies and midges. The later which fed on us.  I had one fly in my box which was something like the one in the picture which was about 1.75 inch long. It can be tied up to 2.5 inch. The first cast resulted in a hard slam as the fly dropped through the water. In the next hour or so I had landed 4 clonking browns and one rainbow that tore off fly down to backing. Also lost several more fish before it all went quiet again.  Dragonflies can hatch all through the year on any water so I suggest carrying  a few nymph patterns in green and brown colours. The pattern I tie is scruffy but shapes up when wet. It needs to be bulky in the body to simulate the natural nymph so tying off the marabou near the end of the tail does the job. Watch out for savage takes so step the leader strength.

Howie’s Dragonfly Nymph

Hook:  Medium size 10 Kamasan B170  or same

Thread: as body colour

Eyes:  I like glass beads or black plug chain.

Body and tail: lots of marabou with felt tip painted stripes

Legs: Rubber Silli Legs, knotted

Wing case: Pheasant tail fibers. Varnished

Tight Lines. Howie