Some will and some won’t have driven through the north-western Icelandic town of Blönduós. Always a happy place signifying progress while driving north. Even the most senior policeman is a very happy, positive man and a wonderful guide, fisherman and photographer. His stories of drug manufacture in remote farm locations in his area and incompetent Chinese tourists wrecking cars left, …
Milkfish Mayhem
“It’s gone,” Toby said with a melancholy look on his face. We had been well and truly defeated. “Did we make the wrong call on which way to go around the coral head?” I asked. The answer was there in the expression on his face. Toby had just hooked and, thirty minutes later, lost his first milkfish. Veteran guide Wayne …
Awesome Antarctica…
Warning – this blog has in excess of 200 photographs – please sit back, take your time and enjoy the spectacle that is Antarctica… Scott, Shackleton, whaling, massive calving icebergs, penguins, the Drake passage, leopard seals, albatross… we all know Antarctica is there but how many of us really believe that one day we’ll actually go there? Not me. The …
Alphonse comes of age…
I have a long history with Alphonse Island. I wish I had known what we have all learned over the past 20+ years about fishing the extraordinary atoll when we were bobbing about living on the catamaran Tam Tam before any hotel had been built. When I was there recently, a small part of their presentation was about how much …
Considering Cosmoledo…
Let’s address what might be the elephant in the room right from the start. There has been much talk in the press about tourism in remote places. We have to travel further and further, and deeper and deeper into the wilderness to experience proper wildness. Cosmoledo might be a case in point for such a debate. A very remote atoll …
The Queens of Dubai…February 2018
“It’s all about the birds” Nick said. We were in Dubai and for a brief moment I was wondering what the association was between people lying on the beaches and catching queenfish. Of course he was talking about the sea birds and he was right, it is indeed all about the birds. There is now a British Airways direct flight …
Farquhar Atoll Adventure…Seychelles April 2018
What do a couple of Lincolnshire farmers, a retired Colonel, a retired banker, a tailor, a diamond dealer, a film critic, a retirement home owner and, finally, a tackle shop owner, have in common? The clue is in the last occupation – a love of fly fishing. And so, it was with great ease that my team settled down to …
Astove Atoll, Seychelles February 2018
How many fly-fishing spots do you know that have become mythical or legendary in the past decade? Rivers like the Ponoi in Russia have risen to greatness in the modern era but over the past 20+ years. Lake Thingvallavatn in Iceland has had a meteoric rise to fame for its extraordinary trout but there are not many… however Astove is …
The Tigers of Tanzania
Before we get into the details, warning: strap up your fingers for this adventure – stripping gloves do not cut it. Bring a roll of tape – the type that sticks to itself not to skin or hair – Vetrap is perfect. This is also good for saltwater flyfishing. You need a roll or two because it can start to …
What about Greenland?
Would Greenland be an excuse to go fishing or would fishing for arctic char be an excuse to go to Greenland? Either is possible and both are excellent excuses. I went to Greenland this summer because I am asked regularly ‘what about Greenland?’ So I thought it best to go and see for myself. I examined quite a few operations …