A life of travel in the field...
“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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
‘Such armaments were often found wanting on the Aaroy steeplechase, like the parade of defeated anglers that had fished its Platforms of Despair. The outbuildings behind the fishing house concealed an elephant’s graveyard of smashed rods and broken tackle.’ Ernest Schwiebert – ‘Extract from Platforms of Despair’ in the book Death of a Riverkeeper. I had read these words and …
My visit to Ryabaga Camp on the Ponoi – 3rd to 10th June 2017. Atlantic salmon fishing in Russia has been a phenomenon that all those that have been lucky enough to enjoy it are thankful for. Let us cast our minds back to the early 1990s. Scotland was in dire straits with the north-east drift nets still active. Catch …
The reason I cannot reveal where this lek was is not to deter all those enthusiastic to see a lek but sadly those who would seek to damage what has been years of sustained hard work and investment. I can tell you that I was in County Durham but there are also blackcock in Scotland, the north of England and …
Let’s get some details straight before we start this adventure. We were a party of three, all paying our way. This was a business trip for me but there was no obligation to be complimentary and, to be honest, if somewhere I visit is poor, I simply do not write about it. Our first team member was Dom Quinlan, a …
I had seen the films, knew of Idi Amin, and recollect the atrocities, but that was about as much as I had focused on Uganda until the opportunity came to go and see the gorillas of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the south-west of the country. Seeing and being in Uganda was a hugely pleasant surprise. Seeing the gorillas was …