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- SGAIC - Scottish Game Anglers Instructors Certificate
- SANA - Scottish Anglers National Association
- AAPGAI - Association of Advanced Game Angling Instructors
- FFF - Federation of Fly-Fishers
One
of the things I do when I'm not fishing is help out in running the Scottish
Game Angling Instructors Course (SGAIC). This is a course run through
the auspices of the Scottish Anglers National Association (SANA).
SGAIC was my entry point into the world of fly fishing instruction and it really changed the way I think about things. Firstly it made me realise how far I had to go/could go in improving my casting and fishing knowledge; second it showed me how much enjoyment and satisfaction there is to be had in helping people to cast and fish; and third it introduced me to a whole bunch of fantastic people - initially within SGAIC and later through AAPGAI and the FFF.
Last weekend we held our annual SGAIC open day for prospective candidates and we also conducted our autumn round of assessments. Once again the weekend surpassed expectations for me. On the Saturday it was great to meet a new set of people, all keen on becoming instructors. I think it's brilliant when you meet people from widely differing backgrounds but who have a common bond and enthusiasm.
Once again we were
lucky to have Clive Mitchell Hill and Glyn Freeman along, from AAPGAI,
to conduct master-classes on the SGAIC syllabus and to answer any questions
that candidates might have about becoming an instructor. I know that their
demonstrations and presentations went down superbly well (despite the
usual wind and rain) and as usual everyone went away inspired and enthused
about the course.
Clive and Glyn were on hand again on the Sunday as assessors for those people taking their final exam from the 08/09 course. I'm pleased to say that we had a great day and that four out of the five candidates passed - a record! The look on the candidates faces at the end of the day showed how much it meant to them - they'd all obviously put a ton of work in and it showed in their performance on the day. Congratulations to them all.
It was great to catch up with Clive and Glyn once again. Over the last three years we've built up a solid relationship with AAPGAI through these guys. With help from AAPGAI we've successfully increased the number of quality instructors in Scotland, and provided a springboard for several SGAIC instructors to go on to pass the AAPGAI advanced certificate. This boosts the skill-base of Scottish instructors even further and brings more experience and learning back in to the SGAIC fold. Talk about a virtuous circle!
This coming weekend will see the start of the 09/10 SGAIC course. If you'd like any more info on the course drop me a line. If it's half as much fun as last year it'll be a blast.
23rd October 2009 - Don't Strike!
So, this entry is purely an excuse to show you a great picture. In late September my partner and I celebrated 20 years together by going to South Africa for three weeks. What a country! Awesome landscape, fantastic people, and brillant wildlife.
The yawning gap between rich and poor is still there, but I did get a sense of optimism about the future. There are still big problems and massive challenges that I guess will take generations to overcome, but I think they'll get there.
We felt massively privileged, and humbled, to be there experiencing the best that SA can offer, and top of the list for me was realising a long-held ambition to go cage-diving with Great White Sharks.
Now that is a fish! A superb combination of bulk, grace, and power. Seeing that big black eye go past three feet in front of my diving mask is a site that'll stay with me forever.
One of the ways they lure the sharks to the cage is by pulling an imitation baby seal along on a rope. Can't help thinking that he kept striking too early though...
Those of you who buy Fly Fishing and Fly Tying Magazine will already know that it's one of the better fly fishing publications around. You might also have spotted that I had an article published in the August 2009 edition. For those of you who missed it you can now read the article here.
The September issue is now on the shelves and, wonder of wonders, I'm in that one too! Go and buy it, now!
19th August 2009 - Casting From Jupiter
It's funny how things work out isn't it? A couple of months ago my partner and I went to Jupiter Art Land, which is a new sculpture park near us. It's absolutely brilliant, with stunning work from some major artists. For me the highlight was a massive land-form piece by Charles Jenks - Life Mounds. It's curves and swirls and pools just reminded me of spey casts made me want to cast.
Anyway, to cut a long-ish story short: A few e-mails and phone calls later there I was standing in the middle of a work of art, demonstrating fly casting to more than 100 visitors! It was absolutely brilliant. I felt really privileged to be allowed to cast there, Jupiter is a privately owned estate and it was amazing to have a one-off chance to do this.
Some spectators were obviously a little confused. One woman asked me (with a puzzled expression) "why are you here exactly?", and I replied "for the aesthetic loveliness of it!".
"Oh, I see..." she said.
(NB As mentioned Jupiter Art Land is privately owned land - and my casting demo was a one off - so don't turn up expecting to be allowed to have a cast!)
I had a lovely day down on the River Tyne in Northumberland, helping out on a club day. There were four of us doing demonstrations, one-to-one instruction, and a river walk, for around 15 club members.
The club members were a great bunch of guys; really interested in what we had to say and full of enthusiasm for the river and their fishing. And it's great to work with other instructors too. I think we all learned from each other.
The Tyne is a great place to be and, given a little more water may even have given up some of the sea trout it's known for. Northumberland itself is a beautiful area - I hope to be back soon.
I was uneasy. The fish likewise. Neither of us was quite sure what we were going to do next.
After about thirty seconds the fish proved more decisive and lazily, but determinedly, snaked away across the river; into deeper, safer, currents - there to collect its nerves and to wait until whatever it was that made it feel uneasy (i.e. me) went away.
Spooked.
How do I spook thee? Let me count the ways:
One: You saw me, suddenly, before I saw you. You, bolting, panicked across the shallows; me cursing that I hadn't kept lower/further back/walked slower/looked more carefully.
Two: You saw me, disinterestedly. Gently, and with some decorum, you sink to the bottom - just in sight but safe from attack. Lips tightly shut. If you could you'd probably purse them.
Three: I make you uneasy. You're still there but you've stopped feeding. It could go either way. There's nothing to run from, but something's not right - what was that blink of light on the bank? Why does that weird looking fly keep going by in an odd way? … Every five seconds?! You keep very still, but look tense. If anything else weird happens you'll sidle off to somewhere more peaceful.
Four: I irritate you. That bloody fly again - invading your fin-space! Bump it with your nose, or maybe just flash at it. That'll scare it away - if not you're off.
In the first two spooks, the game's over before it has begun. I blew it, and all I can do is remember where you live and call again later. Much later.
In the last two spooks I still have a chance. I only have one option though, and that is to STOP! Stop moving, stop casting. And I watch you. Sometimes just a minute or two (the time taken to change flies?) calms you down and you visibly relax. You're actively finning again. You may swing easily out to investigate a potential food item. You might even show the telltale blink of white as you start eating again. Sometimes the minutes drag on and you're still frozen to the spot. I'll come back later…
…creeping lower, moving slower, side-casting, with a longer leader.
My season has been a funny one so far. I've had a real mix of results. Early on it was the usual case of sparse hatches and not much moving, and me picking up the odd good fish on nymphs or wet flies; but generally pretty hard work.
Late May and into June things started to get interesting with some proper hatches of various olives, and small stoneflies. And rising fish! Yipee! For me, when the fish are moving and up on top, this is when I fish best - a low-down-and-dirty stalking and hunting game where you can see the whites of their eyes. It's also the best way to get the adrenalin pumping.
Matching an olive hatch for me, usually means a Klinkhammer, Deerhair Emerger, CDC emerger, or quill-bodied parachute, in the right size and colour. I think size is way more important than colour.
And I think the attitude of the fly is more important than size.
By attitude I mean how it sits in the water, and the footprint it makes in the water surface. A Klink. has a starburst pattern created by the hackle and a body hanging beneath the surface; a DHE has the body hanging even lower, but no starburst; a quill bodied para. is flush in the film with a starburst; and my CDC emerger is flush with no starburst. I generally find the fish have a preference for one or the other of these attitudes, and running through the above options usually gets the fish to rise.
The other surface fly I wouldn't be without as summer gets going is a simple spinner pattern. Size 14 to 18 usually suffice: a wing of antron, or Aero Dry Wing, a dubbed body in olive or rusty orange, and split hackle tails. Late evening spinner falls can be just dreamy - soft light, gentle sipping rises, and driving home in the dark with a grin on my face!
Finally, it's around now that I start to squint hard into the Caenis section of the fly box, curse my deteriorating eye-sight, and spend 15 minutes threading on a #22 or #24 Caenis spinner in failing light.
Anybody know how to pronounce Caenis? Most people I know say "Kay-nis", but my dad, who in his youth was an entomologist, says "See-nis". Which means I now call them "See-I-mean-Kay-nis"...
11th March 2009 - Salmon Farming In Ireland
Until the late 1980’s the Ballynahinch System in Connemara, Ireland was regarded as the best sea trout fishery in Ireland with up to 5,500 sea trout and 500 salmon being caught annually.
The introduction of salmon farming in the estuary at Ballynahinch in 1988 destroyed the stocks of both salmon and sea trout. Annual sea trout rod catches collapsed from 5,500 to 100 whilst the salmon catch fell from 500 to 50. The sea lice emanating from these salmon farms have been proven to be the cause of this utter decimation of the wild stock of salmonids. The population of these tiny creatures, which naturally occur in the wild, exploded due to the massive increase in available hosts (ie over one million salmon in up to 30 open pens in the estuary).
The migrating salmon and trout were attacked by sea lice as soon as they went into the seawater and died as a direct result of the infection or from secondary skin infections due to the breakdown of their immune barrier.
Over the period 1988-2004, the salmon farm went bankrupt 3 times incurring huge financial losses, despite massive government grants. In 2004 the salmon operation ceased and a cod farming operation commenced in the Ballynahinch estuary with a 3 year trial licence. Cod aquaculture does not propagate the harmful salmon louse that has proved so detrimental to the wild stocks at Ballynahinch and other parts of Ireland. From 2004 until 2008, the sea trout rod catches at Ballynahinch improved from 100 to 1,500 and the salmon catches have increased from 50 to 270.
Incredibly, in October 2008, the sudden reintroduction of salmon farming to Bertraghboy Bay shocked anglers worldwide and will certainly result in a repeat of the situation experienced at Ballynahinch in the late 1980’s as the sea lice will definitely cause a collapse in the wild fish stocks. It is without doubt that the resurgence in the wild salmon and sea trout seen over the past four years will be wiped out when the fish migrate from Ballynahinch to the estuary in the spring of 2009.
This is not an alarmist or hysterical kneejerk reaction. The peer reviewed scientific evidence resulting from studies carried out in Ireland and other countries throughout the salmon farming world over the past 20 years proved this beyond all scientific doubt.
This situation cannot be allowed to continue. The strength of a plea from the worldwide fishing community can really help to bring this ludicrous situation to an end. We cannot sit back and watch as another environmental disaster unfolds. This impending catastrophe can be stopped if the Irish Government would only wake up and realise what they are doing.
The value of a wild fishery in this day and age far outweighs an unviable, fundamentally flawed industry that is salmon farming. I would urge you to voice your concerns and take a few seconds to sign this petition to the Irish Government.
Many Thanks
Will
5th March 2009 - Catch and Release
Just added a new article. It outlines my approach to catch and release. We all need to know how to do this stuff well. It's amazing how many people have trouble with C&R, so I thought I'd provide some help.
People who come to trout via coarse or sea fishing often come a cropper. Handling carp, barbel and pike; cod or mackerel; is different to handling trout. Different species require different techniques, and respond to being caught in different ways so I think a trout-centred article is worthwhile.
The basic principles I've outlined do apply to other species, but please don't read the specific techniques as a criticism of different practises used in other areas of the sport.
And even if you catch and kill, you'll still be releasing the odd small fish won't you? So why not have a look and see what you think?
Cheers.
Will
My first diary entry! OK, so this isn't a fishing piece, but it's pretty interesting anyway.
I'd been away for a couple of days down south and drove back to Edinburgh in lovely sunshine, with snow shining on the tops of hills. Incidentally, can I heartily recommend the Westmorland Farm Shop Services on the M6 at Tebay. Proper locally sourced farm food, in a motorway services - superb!
Anyhoo, I arrived back in Edinburgh mid-afternoon. Just to paint a picture, I live smack bang in the middle of Edinburgh, 10 minutes walk from Princes Street. I'm surrounded by multi-storey town houses, and lots of parked cars.
I parked outside the flat and got out of the car. I was unloading my stuff when I heard a flapping next to the car. I looked down to see a pigeon emerge from under the car and fly over to the flat's doorway. A split second later another bird shot around the bonnet and landed on the pigeon - a sparrowhawk! It had obviously just chased the pigeon under the car, that was the flapping noise I heard.
It just sat there on that pigeon! It was a young male I think - blue/grey back and reddish mottling on its breast - and at only 10ft away I could see its beady eye fixed on me. Stunning eh?!
Just then a man came walking down the pavement towards me. The sparrowhawk saw him and flew off, swiftly followed by the pigeon. They flew in formation down the street and into the square at the end of the road. All that remained was a small pile of feathers in the doorway.
"Amazing" I said as the man approached.
"Yeah, probably mating" he said.
"No, that was a sparrowhawk after a pigeon" I replied.
"Well, either way the pigeon was fucked..." And with that, he walked steadily on into town.
You couldn't make it up.
Blog Roll
23/10/09
- Don't Strike!
23/08/09
- In Print!
19/08/09
- Casting From Jupiter
11/07/09 - Club day
29/06/09 - Spooked
26/06/09 - Attitude
11/03/09 - Salmon Farming in Ireland
5th March - C&R
26/01/09 - First Blog
