Stan Headley hatches a plan to catch three species of fish in one day at Loch Calder in Caithness.
IT ONLY BECOMES apparent that phases to a fly-fisherman’s life exist when you get to a certain age. The first phase, at an early age, is going fishing to catch a fish. More than one is a bonus. A memorable event in my very early teens saw me catch a wild brownie out of the River Eden in the centre of Cupar in Fife. It weighed about 12 oz, was caught on a tiny iron blue dun dry-fly, and I was so excited that I ran all the way to grannie’s house with it in my hand, only to realise a short time later that I had left my rod on the footpath beside the river.
The second phase is to catch lots of trout, and that saw me haunt the Harray Loch like an evil spirit. My great friend, Norman Irvine, and I spent every spare minute we could drifting the skerries, catching dozens of fish with an upper limit of about 1¾ lb, and more were never enough.
In this slaughter of the innocents we would occasionally come across a “monster”, which led me seamlessly into phase three – go out and get the biggest fish ever. Funnily enough, Norman was not dragged down that path to the same degree, but for me it was an irresistible urge.
Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av Trout & Salmon.
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Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av Trout & Salmon.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Mr Goldhead And The Grayling
Lawrence Catlow fishes the rapidly recovering River Irfon in Powys.
Moody Beasts
Stan Headley searches for the elusive sea-trout of Loch Ailsh in the northwest Highlands.
Alone On The River
Cliff Hatton encounters a mighty Wye salmon.
Hop To It
Richard Donkin has a no-nonsense approach to tackle and amphibians.
River Blackwater
THE BLACKWATER rises in the boglands of County Kerry, and although the peaty tinge it carries gives rise to its name it also flows through limestone and that helps it to support a diverse range of fly-life which provides plenty of sustenance for salmon parr and trout. The river is one of Ireland’s most productive salmon fisheries, along with the River Moy.
Hampshire Avon
THERE CAN be few places in fishing more famous than the Royalty Fishery on the Hampshire Avon, even Mr Crabtree has fished its illustrious waters. Two seasons ago an enormous salmon of 40lb was caught in the spring at the Royalty and big salmon are regularly caught in the early months of the season.
A Strange Kind Of Magic
Charles van straubenzee introduces a salmon fly that combines the most unlikely colours and materials to deadly effect.
A Deep-Water Experiment
Stan Headley hatches a plan to catch three species of fish in one day at Loch Calder in Caithness.
Rutland's Old Warriors
James Beeson enjoys supercharged surface sport with Rutland Water’s fry-feeders.
Plucked From The Jaws
Looking for affordable back-end sport? Andrew Flitcroft recommends the challenging Chollerton beat on the North Tyne.
