Marks Blog

I’ve just returned from an awesome weekend at the Tweed Fair, held at Kelso. Ok, the journey was a bit of a gruelling slog, some 1200-mile round trip but it was well worth the effort. It was really good to meet up with some good mates from AAPGAI and display some of the top-end tackle that we distribute. The journey was made easier with the company of good friend Karl Humpries, who is always up for a joke and a laugh. The big cream cake he brought with him also helped make the journey more bearable.

I picked Karl up mid-way through the journey up to Scotland from Newcastle-under-Lyme, my hometown before moving down to Devon. This is where I first met Karl, who took me under his wing, showing me the skills of ‘proper’ fly casting, fishing and even employed me to help him run a fishery. So it’s always good to meet up and chat about the old days, and listen to stories of what’s been going on since my move.

We arrived at Kelso by mid-afternoon on the Friday and met up with a few of the guys who had been there since the previous day. Our job for the weekend was to support “Gamefish of Edinburgh” and help with the AAPGAI casting clinic. We took up an assortment of tackle including Scott rods, Nautilus and Abel reels, Clear Creek products, and fly lines etc. By late afternoon the stand was ready for the opening of the show, so we decided to blow a few cobwebs away and go outside to the rest of the guys who were busy casting away and chilling-out after a busy days teaching.

It wasn’t long before I had a rod in my hand, and was casting away with some of the sweetest casters, and best instructors around. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, or how much you practice, you always come away from these events, fired up with enthusiasm and that little bit wiser. The thing that I love about meeting up with the guys is the lack of egos. Everyone was out for the same thing. To enjoy the casting and have a laugh.

After been blown away by some stunning casting, we all made our way back to the digs and started to get ready for a night out. The accommodation was top notch. We shared a group of cottages situated not far from the show. It was like a rehab centre for fly-casting addicts. And it wasn’t long before a rod was pulled out again, and we all hit the grass outside the digs casting away whilst we waited for a couple of the guys to finish getting ready.

Finally we were all ready and the rod was confiscated or we would have been there all night. We headed off into Kelso, and had a good night of feeding and drinking. The topic of conversation was varied, but it always came back around to fishing, casting, and teaching. To me, AAPGAI is the ultimate fly fishing organisation around. There are a growing number of younger guys coming through, all of which are awesome. So it was good to meet some of the northern guys who I had heard about, and spend some time getting to know them.

The following morning we were woken by the smell of a fry-up sizzling away. It didn’t take long to get us stirring, and as I walked across the courtyard to the dining room, I bumped into Paul Proctor and T-bone who had been out for an early morning run. Sorry, I meant cast! By 9am we were at the show and the crowds began to enter the main building. It was good to see that there was a lot of interest in all of the stands. Ours been particular busy. It was a good turnout of people, all showing their support for the show. The AAPGAI casting clinic was full to the brim, and alongside running the stand I nipped out to help out with the tuition. By 5pm I was knackered. These events soon take it out of you, explaining and demonstrating the equipment for eight hours solid. Grabbing a brew and grabbing my rod and went out with Jim Fearn and Karl to have a bit of a wind down and crank a few loops. No suprise that everybody else was doing the same.

That night was similar to the previous, but on returning back to the cottages (2am), a few of us decided to go and have a cast in the dark! Using the streetlights in the distance it was possible to make out the loops, and it certainly helps to sharpen your timing. Illtyd came out to join us, and it was interesting to listen to the tips he gave us. Anyone who knows anything about sea-trout fishing will know that Illtyd Griffiths is one of the most successful sea-trout anglers in the country. Mr Nocturnal. So it’s always a pleasure to watch and listen to the advice he gave us. By 4am most of us were ready to get our heads down. I popped over to see a few of the guys before retiring and noticed that Lee was busy studying his laptop. Looking over his shoulder, he was busy analysing ultra slow casting footage. I should of known! Another hour later I’m still talking to him and watching the screen until my eyelids began to shut.

Oh well, a couple of hours in the pit and then back to the show. Sunday was even busier than the Saturday. And with the Spey casting finals been held Karl was asked to help oversee the event. So we were all busy. The show began to wind down around 4pm and we were all ready. Nearly finished I thought. All’s we had to do now was pull the stand down, pack all the things away into the truck, make our way out of the show ground, and then make the 600mile drive back down to Devon. I did a Bailey blow, as Pete would call it ( a sigh). I would call it the sound of a dying man!

We were on the road by 6pm and decided to stop off at the chip shop en-route. Pulling into the lay-by outside we were greeted by a couple of the lads. Lee and T-bone were also feeling peckish. Karl treated us to fish and chips with curry sauce. Top man! The weather coming back down was torrential. I hadn’t driven in rain like that for a long time. Never one to miss a goodnights sleep in my own bed, we persevered until reaching Newcastle-under-Lyme where I dropped Karl back off at home. I couldn’t go on any further. So I spent the night crashing on my mums sofa with the cat. So much for my own bed!

Footnote. Sorry for the delay in the blog. Its been manic here since returning so I’ve only just been able to get it over the command module- (Pete’s laptop). With the school running flat out with tuition and guiding, and the Yak Shack getting busy, we’re in for a good summer.

Jax and myself have just have just returned from a fulfilling teaching session. We were invited to help out at one of the Casting For Recovery retreats held in the SW. It was the first one to be held in the region and was a great pleasure to take part in. For those who haven’t heard of CFR, it is a charity organisation that was originally started in the US to help females who are recovering from breast cancer. It was discovered that the motions of fly-casting are one of the best means of exercise for females who are recovering from the illness. Along with this, there are also the other benefits that fishing can bring. Fresh air, relaxation and of course the camaraderie between the ladies. Many of whom I am sure will become good friends.

The venue for the event was The Arundell Arms Hotel in Devon. There were ten ladies invited to the weekend retreat and were all recovering from breast cancer. I was a little nervous at first. Not about the teaching, but about how I approached things. After all, my usual teaching/guiding approach with The Scott Fly Fishing School is to keep things light-hearted and have a laugh and a joke with the person. I was a bit worried just in case it was going to be a bit of a sombre affair. How wrong I was.

We were given a briefing when we arrived by Sue Shaw, which highlighted a few points in which we were asked to keep to. These were mainly for medical reasons and for the welfare of the ladies. Each instructor was elected to be with one lady at a ratio of 1:1. The lady I was going to spend the day with was called Linda. We drove down to a nearby lake where we began to set all of the rods up and waited for the arrival of the group. Shortly after, the group appeared and we started to pair up with our elected lady. Whilst I was stringing the last rod and waiting for my turn, I heard someone say, “who’s teaching Linda?” and everyone started laughing and making jokes. I looked down at my name badge- it was me! I hoped that this meant that Linda was a bit of a character and a bit of a laugh.

Our aim was to carry off from the casting tuition that the ladies received the previous day and hopefully catch them a fish or two. I was right about Linda! She was off from the minute we started. Jax fished next to us with her elected lady and we all hit it off from the start. Both ladies were really enjoying the experience and were having a ball. Between the banter from both ladies and Jax and myself, we got them both casting and fishing within a short space of time. Jax always eager as ever was spotting fish at a top rate and managed to hook into a couple, whilst Linda and myself were still going on about the hours sleep that we lost due to the time change. But before long I popped on a weighted tadpole and Linda cast out and hooked her first trout. In a fit of screams and laughter she began to play the fish for a couple of minutes before pulling out. Id got a mouth full of biscuits at the time so couldn’t say anything. Linda was screeching and laughing. I just shook my head and grinned.

By midmorning we were ready for a brew and some more biscuits. So we arrived back at the marquee early, to get the first choice. We stood around chatting and it was nice to meet a few more of the ladies from the group and also the retreat staff who work tirelessly over the weekend. It was also good to meet up with Tim Smith and Dave Pilkington who work at the Arundell Arms as full time guides and instructors. It’s always a pleasure to get together with a couple more AAPGAI lads and have a cast and a chinwag. After the tea break we carried on fishing for a while, until Linda was called to do an interview for a local news programme. After the interview Linda was on good form and was making a few nice casts, in between the laughing and joking. We moved around to a new location and Linda was frantically casting at cruising fish, but failed to hook any.

The time flew by and before we knew it the session was over. It had been arranged that we all stayed for lunch. I expected a few butties and a piece of cake. But I was pleasantly surprised when we were invited into the hotel for a full three-course meal. With starters of salmon, mains of chicken and puddings of clotted cream and some cake stuff, I was in my element. I was originally planning on cracking open a can of beans when I got back home. But this was good.

The day ended with certificates and complimentary thanks to everyone who took part. It was a rewarding and satisfying day for everyone involved and all of the ladies went home very positive about the weekend, I’m sure good friendships will be formed. It would be nice if a few of the ladies decided to carry on with the fishing when they returned back home. I know Linda will. After all she does have a spot of prime river running past her house. So thanks for the invite, I’m sure we’ll take her up on the offer and call in when were passing. Err, I think were passing that way tomorrow, better make sure I’ve got my waders in the car!

For anyone wishing to know more about the casting for recovery program, you can find out the details on www.castingforrecovery.com

For those of you wishing to try something different, the W&S team and The Scott Fly Fishing School have just expanded the range and have opened up the new “Yak-Shack”. We have just spent the last few days tirelessly putting the finishing touches to the shop situated at Roadford Lake, just off the A30 in Devon. Roadford Lake is a large water of 700 acres, which caters for both Watersports and Fly fishing.

The theme of the Yak-Shack is a place where we can combine the two elements together and make it possible to bring fly-fishing from kayaks into the mainstream. Not only that, if you’re just into kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, or just enjoy playing around on the water we have something for everyone.

It’s quite a unique place, where 100 yards from our door you can go and tryout something new. Whether you fancy a days guided fly-fishing either by kayak, boat, or walking the banks; or need to buy a new wetsuit, buoyancy aid, or spray-top we have it all. For the angler we have a good range of flies particular to Roadford and carry a range of fly-lines, tippet, chest-packs, polarised sunglasses and many other fishing accessories. If we fail to have it in stock at “The Shack”, our main shop is only 5 minutes away from Roadford.

For the watersports enthusiast we have a massive range of wet/dry suits, buoyancy aids, spray-tops, boots, gloves, helmets, paddles and jackets. Our range of kayaks isn’t bad either. Everything from small white-water boats, sit on tops, sit-ins, traditional canoes and ocean kayaks. If you’re the adventurous type we have just taken stock of a range of top-end tents, sleeping bags, stoves, GPS’s and other expedition equipment.

So if you’re in the neighbourhood and you fancy seeing what were all about, just call in. We can help with advice regarding fishing, kayaking, windsurfing and sailing. If you need any help learning, we would love to help. All of our fly-fishing instructors/guides are AAPGAI instructors from “The Scott Fly Fishing School” and our kayaking instructors are BCU level 4 qualified. (For lessons please book in advance).

At last the 15^th of March- open day for brownies. Our original intention was to hit the rivers and have a do for wild fish. But due to the bad weather that all of the country had been experiencing, our rivers were shot so we decided to try for some over-wintered fish on one of our local lakes in the SW. Pete had decided that it would be good to tackle Colliford Lake. A nice water of around 900 acres, bang on the moors. We thought if that the weather started to pick up a bit, a least we would still get wet! Im sure Ive have been wet since last March, when I moved down here from up north. Move down south everybody kept telling me. The weathers always sunny and warm. Yeah right!

Always eager as ever, Pete turned up early. I was still cleaning my teeth as he knocked on the door. I should of known to be ready half an hour before the arranged time. When it’s brown trout fishing, Im sure Pete is awake half the night with excitement. Tossing and turning and most probably wearing his waders in bed. I hobbled outside with rod in one hand and trying to put my boots on with the other. We climbed into the truck and set off down the A30, arriving at Colliford by 10am. We sat in the truck eating sweets and having a natter, waiting for the weather to ease. By the time it had settled to a steady gale and driving rain, we quickly got set up and made our way down the waterside.

There wasn’t going to be anything fancy involved in the fishing. It would have been nice to try for them with light rods and dry flies, but we opted for a team of tadpoles and an intermediate line. We chose to start with the wind blowing into our bank, expecting the fish to move in, on the wind. We began to cast and fish along the huge expanse of water in front of us. Within minutes- nothing! Apart from the driving rain blowing into my hood and running down my neck. Pete asked why I thought nobody else was fishing on open day? Err I don’t know I thought. Maybe it had something to do with the weather!

By the time my boots were squelching and my back was sodden, we decided to move around to the far side point where it would be more sheltered. We found a nice sheltered bay where we expected to find a few fish. It was good to be fishing in comfortable conditions whilst watching the Whitehorse’s roll across the lake. It wasn’t long before Pete was into the first fish of the day. A real stunner. It looked more like a sea trout. Pete was lucky to hook into a few more fish, but unfortunately they didn’t stick. I went through the same problem. I starting having takes but kept pulling out of the fish. Oh well, at least we knew they were there.

We soon got to grips with them and started to bank a few. We both had some nice fish up to about 2lbs. It turned into one of those times, whenever you cast your fly into the water you either expected a take or better still a fish. Well for Pete anyway! He was doing the business. Even the fish had moved into the sheltered area and we enjoyed picking them off, as the milled around looking for food. By lunch we had landed about 15 between us from this small area. So deciding to get out of the weather and grab a sandwich we waddled our way back to the truck. I was gutted. No brew and we had eaten all the sweets. Pete had been kind enough to supply lunch again.

After a quick bite to eat, we decided to grab the bull by the horns and stand and fish in the teeth of the storm. Squinting through our rain covered glasses we could pick out a few wind-lanes and the odd fish moving down them. It needed a good cast of around 80 feet to reach some of them. But I suppose this is why we tend to cast most days, to make sure we are ready for these eventualities. Or are we are just casting nerds? Again we were into a few more fish. I think Pete had four takes in four casts. I had a couple more fish in the process.

By mid afternoon things started to slow down a bit, so we decided to call it a day. We had managed a respectable amount of fish and had to make the drive back over the moors. How would I sum up the opening day of the season? Cold, wet, windy, foggy, but most of all AWSOME!

I’m glad to see that the weather has started to pick up again. After spending the winter busy teaching and guiding, it’s nice to get a bit of sun on my back again. I’ve just got in after another weekends teaching; teaching how to cast distance with heavy pike-fly outfits. It was good to meet up with a like minded angler who’s love of pike fishing ruled his life. I’m glad im not the only nut!

I met up with Martyn at 9:30 at the Scott Fly Fishing School HQ and we sat drinking coffee and chatted about pike and pike fishing. It was good to hear his stories and about his pike fishing career. Whilst we were sitting around I explained all about the tackle we would be using, I showed him how to make up tapered leaders and the different knots that we use for attaching traces and flies etc. The aim of the lesson was to get Martyn casting large flies to a respectable distance for his conquest on Chew. I know distance isn’t always necessary, but it certainly helps to be able to cover more water at times.

A lot of the fly-pike fishing that I do tends to be with intermediate and sinking lines, so It was important to explain to Martyn about learning the values of the roll cast, overhead cast, shooting line and hauling. Once Martyn had understood the concept of the AFTM system and about rod load etc, it wasn’t long before he was making nice overhead casts and shooting line. As a bit of a loop freak, I got Martyn to understand the importance of loop shapes and sizes. Casting big bushy pike flies often needs all the help they can get, so it wasn’t long before we got onto hauling.

In my opinion hauling is the vital element of the cast to achieve a desired distance. So it was worth spending time making sure that Martyn learnt the fundamentals of the single and double haul. Within a few hours Martyn was double hauling and casting his line to about 60ft. I explained about rod tip paths, casting planes, increased line speed and tip speed etc. All nerdy stuff, but so important to making effortless casts. It was good to see the look on Martyn’s face as he made his cast and watched as the line shot through the guides of his rod. With a few tweaks here and there, he looked like he had been fly-fishing for years. He had got it cracked. By the end of the lesson Martyn was hitting 70-80ft consistently. A good distance for winding up and chucking out large flies.

It was nice to help a fellow piker spread his wings and enter the world of fly-fishing. I warned him about the obsessive dangers that fly-fishing tends to grip you in. And explained how it can get you hooked. I would like to wish Martyn all the best with his fly piking career and hope he does well on Chew.

For those wishing to have a shot at pike on the fly, I’ll explain about the tackle that you will require.

9’ 8-10 weight fast action rod.

Line to match. (Buy a purpose-designed pike line).

Large harbour reel and backing.

Selection of mono, Co-polymer and fluorocarbon leaders.

Spool of wire trace. AFW Surflon® Micro wire.

Selection of Pike flies.

Large landing net.

Un-hooking mat.

Pliers/forceps.

Scales and weigh sling.

Hat/Cap and sunglasses.

I am at the end of the telephone if anyone wishes to talk to me further about

tackle requirements and rod specs etc . I am always glad to help others wishing to get into the sport. For those of you who are interested, Scott Fly Fishing School will be holding a pike fly-fishing course later in the year. For more details check out the dates on the site or give us a ring. Be nice to meet up with you.

Having read a few recent web sites and forums regarding fly-fishing for pike, there have been a few disagreements between using mono or wire at the terminal end. Having pike fished all of my life, and fly-fished for them for the past eighteen years, I have tried all different sorts of materials over the years. I can understand and see why some anglers opt for ‘mono’ traces. Pike flies in general can be cumbersome things to cast. Not very aerodynamic, and once waterlogged don’t like to hold up in the air during the cast.

Connected to a stiff wire trace, combined with swivels and snap links, the cast can frequently start to hinge, sometimes causing the front end to collapse. Resulting in a collapsed cast, tangled leader, or the fly kicking back on itself. So to get rid of this problem, some anglers opt for a heavy leader/trace constructed from mono or fluorocarbon. Tied directly to the leader with the fly attached, the need for all the metal work of snap links and swivels can be eradicated. Making the turn over of the fly much easier.

But when I have spoken to anglers who use mono traces for fly pike fishing, I would often ask them what they usually use if they go spinning. They all said wire trace for protection, so they wouldn’t get bitten off. So what’s the difference? It’s still the same pike that they are targeting. The most important thing in all of this is the protection of the pike. Personally I would rather not catch, than hook a pike and loose it because it had bitten me off. I would feel bad knowing that there was a fish swimming around with a 6/0 hook still stuck in its mouth.

In my opinion there is only one trace material- and that has to be wire. So how do we make it work for us? First I find it makes things easier if we get rid of the snap link and swivel. So this means we must use a wire that can be supple enough to knot, but stiff enough that the energy from the cast dissipates down the flyline, through the leader and wire trace and turns the fly over at the end.

Let me explain my set up for fly-fishing for pike. I like to use heavier AFTM rated rods and lines. Usually 9 or 10 weight. The length of rod I prefer to use is 9ft. The shorter rod length helps me to control the stop, and helps keep a straighter line path of the rod tip. For those who are new to fly fishing/casting, the straighter you can keep the path of the rod tip throughout the cast the better. This will help to maintain a tight loop. Combined with a haul to increase tip and line speed it is possible to keep even the most cumbersome of flies airborne. You must make sure that you marry the rod and line rating together. So if it’s a 9-weight rod, you use it in conjunction with a 9-weight line. Preferably a weight forward flyline. It’s not rocket science. But I have come across all sorts of combinations throughout my days fishing and guiding.

Attached to the end of the flyline I usually make up a tapered leader. This usually comprises of about five feet of thirty-pound fluorocarbon, then a few feet of twenty pound. The knots are kept simple. My favoured knot is a double grinner. Using the same knot I then attach my wire trace of about 16-20 inches. The length of leader and trace combined is usually kept as short as my fishing allows. If you use the correct wire, you can then choose you own favoured knot to attach the fly.

It was not my intention to plug any gear, but I feel that I have found the perfect wire for making up traces. Thanks to my good mate Pete Tyjas, he put me onto an amazing product called Surflon micro ultra by AFW (American fishing wire). He brought it over from the States a few years ago. It’s a wire designed for tying knots, and is perfect for fly-fishing. Damn, I hate admitting that he teaches me things. But he was right when he said how good it was! It’s a 19-strand nylon coated wire that comes in a massive range of breaking strains. I tend to carry everything from 17-50lb bs.

So as you can see, it is still possible to combine the element of the pikes welfare and still be able to cast and fish proficiently. One argument that I still hear from time to time is that some anglers don’t like the visibility factor of wire. But personally I think this is rubbish! During my jerk-baiting days, it was common to use 80-100lb braid with a solid 200lb steel wire trace. It counted for good numbers of twenty pound pike, a few thirties and a big forty that I had the honour of landing for a friend. Fish of those sizes don’t get that big by being stupid. It’s just that pike aren’t as finicky as some other species. Once locked onto a target, it only has one thing in mind. Food!!!