Fishing

Check out Simon gawesworth for casting and some fishing tips on YouTube, as well as some of Luke bannister’s videos which can be quite useful. IB and Andy fishing channel is a bit marmite but I’ve found it to be really useful for tips and tricks.

Fly fishing is simply an effective method of catching fish, largely trout, that has been mystified by twats for over a century. If you can give a little info on the rod length and line rating (this will be on the rod and expressed as a number), I can give you an idea of what you are equipped for and where to look on YouTube.

The first thing to do is practice casting, there are a multitude of beginners videos out there. Important tips: 1. Always practice with a fly on the end of the nylon line attached to the end of your fly line. 2. Snip off the point and barb of said fly with pliers. 3. Always wear glasses or shades.

If you don't do 1 you will make a noise like a whip cracking, if you don't do 2. and 3. you will have all the fun of removing hooks from your eyes and ears while you're learning. Practice over water if possible or grass if not, water doesn't fuck up fly lines.

In other news: off down the Tillingham for the first time tomorrow morning with my new TFG centrepin (£40, bid on Boxing Day when everyone else is too pissed @jambon), will probably blank as it's belting through and coloured. The centrepin spins beautifully!

everyone else is too pissed @jambon

Being a skinflint is a way of life, I offered £35.

Hope you spent the fiver usefully (on beer). Just add stick float.....

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Thank you, I’ll check those guys out. I was also recommended Hywell Morgan videos for technique which I’ve bookmarked. I was glad to see all episodes of ‘Passion For Angling’ are uploaded too, I’ll be gorging on that next time my wife is away.

@ColinTheBald So I fully appreciate I’m a spawny git with what my mate gave me, what can I say, he’s a generous chap… No flies though, the bastard.
Thank you also for the casting tips, I’m going to see if the local reservoirs have a learn-to-fish day I can jump on…

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If you ever feel like lending me your mate, let me know, you've done more than a little well there. Look after that kit, it's not inexpensive and will reward your newly honed skills. What you have there is just about the perfect light reservoir or general stillwater kit and a line for every circumstance. Your local reservoir would be a great place to start, particularly if they have someone who can help with your casting.

Tip 4: avoid the temptation to strive for distance, just avoid the line hitting the water like a plate of spaghetti hurled from the Moon. Distance comes with practice and technique, not power.

As Colin said, that’s a good mate to have! If it’s reservoirs I’ve likely got a few stillwater/reservoir flies I can pop in the post if you’re not in a rush? If not welcome to pick them up Bristol way.

For learning to cast don’t bother with tapered leaders I’d say, 6lb maxima works fine and is very cheap to replace when you inevitably turn it into candifloss

Hywell Morgan’s stuff is great too, loads of more advanced stuff on his own channel and the hardy’s videos are useful

Thanks all, I've got plenty of homework now. @jupiz Very kind offer, I may well take you up. I trawled this thread a bit yesterday and noticed that Orvis run free introduction to fly fishing courses and I've managed to book myself onto the last one of the year on Saturday in Stockbridge. Link here in case there are any other curious lurkers...

https://www.orvis.co.uk/products/family-learn-to-fly-fish-session-orvis-stockbridge

Edit: On second viewing the course looks pretty basic so I’ll be taking my 6 year old too!

No problem. Fly fishing has a reputation for snobbiness and being expensive, which is true in part I guess. In reality though it’s a versatile and lightweight way of fishing for a lot of different species - not just trout and trout.

Most course fish will happily take surface and subsurface flies, and there’s abundant free or cheap fishing around the uk - including london! Check out a video on YouTube of a dude fly fishing for barbel on the wandle (which in itself is a great advert for rehabilitation of dying rivers)!

Oh no. Landing net optimistically bought, rod license renewed, books ordered. My son is still a bit wee but is showing similar obsessive tendencies so you never know.

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Very sweet, but an excellent way to fuck up an expensive fly line! Water or grass only......

Ha, these were Orvis’s custom ‘practi-cast’ rigs for kids to hook velcro fish! I did wince a few times as the lad whacked the rod into the tarmac though.

As expected I blanked on my first attempt at the Tillingham, it was chocolate coloured and going at a million miles an hour.

Sneaked a couple of hours today and broke my Tillingham/centrepin duck in grand fashion.

First fish 3lbs ish.

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Second, over 4, will be taking scales next time, I didn't expect anything above a pound from a 12' wide stream.

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Nicely done, both look worth standing around in the cold for.

Couple of beauties, congrats.

A 4lb chub, on a trotted float in a small stream, takes some beating. Good effort!

Congratulations Colin, two stunners!

That is a very nice gift!! I picked fly fishing up again last year after a stag do, having done it a little bit (4 trips to Wales) as a young teenager. Shit at it but looking forward to doing more this year

And today I went full-on Mr Crabtree and took the 1950s Richard Walker MKIV Avon down to the mighty rolling river Tillingham.

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I fished 5 swims and caught a 3lb plus chub in every one, I seem to have been gifted a a goldmine. If I looked at a swim and thought that a chub should live there, it did. Everything caught on trotted breadflake, it was like turning my watch back 50 years. Yes, I do know how lucky I am.

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Usually it’s days like that you’d forget to pack the camera, praise be for phones. Congrats!

Loving this, Colin! Reminds me of stalking streams in North Yorkshire, constantly on the move!

lovely fish. What is the method/setup here? Beginner, especially with respect to non-fly stuff. Mainline, float and literally bread?