So it's raining... again

Is this the wettest year on record for the UK? If no,t it must be close. The recent heavy rain has really thrown plans into turmoil and I am cancelling trips to avoid the flood waters. As I write, the rain is hammering upon the window and the thought of rising flood water is always a concern.

The picture shows the usually clear, tiny stream that forms the Congresbury Yeo earlier this afternoon before the rain started to fall properly.

If you are out and about, take care and stay safe.

~Dave

Grayling Days

Time seems to have more lmited than ever over the past few weeks, hence my lack of blogging. My apologies! I am in the process of finalising some 'Grayling Day' dates both for my local Chew Fly Fishers Club and hopefully some general public days as well. Please keep your eyes on the blog, Twitter and Facebook for more details. I will update them soon.

In the meantime, the rivers are fishing well and the grayling are starting to shoal up prompted by the cold weather. I have a busy diary with plenty of exciting fishing booked up and I will report back soon.

In the meantime, please remember, you can follow me and the River Fly Box on Twitter and on Facebook!

If you're out fishing, enjoy!

~Dave

Size 24 Partridge Klinkhamer Xtreme

Here are my first tyings on the new #24 Klinkhamer Xtreme Hooks:

~Dave

Colour Confidence

Despite the rain at the start of the week and the water being somewhat coloured, it was very pleasing to find the grayling beginning to shoal up. They were willing to feed too with their confidence raised thanks to the extra colour. I entinced several plump, hand-sized fish during a short mid-morning session. Indeed, some of the takes were vicious with the 10' #2 rod absorbing some aggressive behaviour. These are hungry fish:

~Dave

Partridge Hooks

Partridge Hooks have always been reliable and of the highest quality since I can remember. However, in the last few years, they have been regenerated, thanks tothe involvement of Fishing Matters and a team of motivated and passionate individuals. The brand has been given a huge shake and up and great time and effort has been put into redeveloping this house-hold name in fly fishing. I have been introducing a few patterns tied on some of their new hooks over the past couple of years, such as the Partridge Spider hooks.

The new Product Guide

The new catalogue, including the best of the best and the newest hook patterns available, really is an impressive piece of work.

Waterhen Bloa, tied by Pro-team member Paul Procter

Each page gives details and actual sizes

Most exciting for me through is the introduction of some new patterns and extending some of the ranges. So you can imagine how pleased I am to see in the metal some of the key developments (for my fishing at least!). Certainly my focus in the the smaller sizes if the the ever-reliable Klinkhamer and the X-treme versions. The new Czech Nymph sizes are also a huge step forward.

The Klinkhamer X-treme in #22 and #24

The original Klinhamer hook, also in smaller sizes

CZF hooks in size 24

... and the incredibly vestile size 24

The new packaging details are fully explained in the product guide

I am really delighted to have been part of the Partridge Hooks Pro-Team for the past few years and look forward to getting involved with further new developments in the future. Well done to the Darryl Mooney, Mark Hamnett and the rest of the Partridge Team. The future of Partridge Hooks is bright.

~Dave

Brilliant: Barbless Flies

Commercially tied flies are ofetn the way fly fishers begin their journey into fly fishing. As their passion grows, many turn to the vice as a way to extend their interest in all things piscatorial. Those that think they'll save money by tying their own are very much mistaken!

However,  whilst standards have risen in the quality of the flies available, some are still a little below the high standards that many demand. Hence the fact that people are also pushed towards their own vice to try and produce flies that meet their requirements. Sub-standard materials, issues with hook choice, over-sized heads and incorrect propertions are all criticisms I hear of many commercially tied patterns. In addition, those that of better quality are often really quite expensive and often in limited sizes. Add to this the fact that many want to fish with barbless patterns and it is easy to see why people turn away from these pre-tied creations.

Now as many of you will know, I spend quite a bit of time at the vice. As a result, pretty much all the flies I use are either tied by me or my fishing friends. However, I am always really keen to keep abreast of what is available. So I was intigued when I heard of a new venture called 'Barbless Flies'.

I stumbled across their 'Tungsten Nymph Selection' and was immediately impressed by what I saw. A range of bead headed nymphs that appeared well tied in sensible sizes: #16, #18 and #20. They are available in either a slotted, threader box or a fly protector. They are all tied on Varivas Wave Barbless 2120WB hooks (a real favourite of mine) and come in at a very resonable price: you get 30 flies and a box for £26!

So I had to order a set and check them out. I was NOT disappointed either.

The selection of 30 tungsten nymphs

The threader box is solid box with slotted foam

Four threaders are included with the box

The Olive Quill nymphs

The Copper Head Mary

The Orange Head Mary

The Red Neck PTN

The flies are well tied and proportions are good. The beads feel heavy (I am sure they're tungsten) and there is consistency within the sample. Sure, I may like a different sized beads on some hooks and perhaps I would tie some of my nymphs with fractionally shorter tails, but these flies are really good. A better selection for the money I am yet to find.

So if you're struggling to tie small nymphs in time for your grayling season, struggle with the smaller sizes of hooks, or simply want to add to your current selection, these come highly recommended.

Well done to the team at Barbless Flies. They are on to a good thing here!

They also produce a Klink & Dink Selection.


~Dave

AAPGAI Autumn Assessments & Open Day

The last time AAPGAI gathered for the examinations and Open Day, the March sun shone with unseasonable gusto. I was delighted that this year was no different and the drive up to Caer Beris Manor was stunning with the trees giving a great display of colour amongst the mist.

A  great day was had by all and there was some excellent demonstrations. Many, many congratulations to those that took exams and achieved a pass. The standard is high and it marks a considerable achievement. As ever it was great to meet up with so many friends and make some new ones too. I am already looking forward to the next gathering.

Gary Champion discussed curve casts and mends

~Dave