Yesterday I decided to break out the fly fishing gear and head off to my local Trout fishery located near Hayle in West Cornwall. The conditions were cold, but sun was breaking through the cloud and the wind was light.

On arriving, the old trusted damsel fly nymph was tied on to the leader and I started fishing. I first positioned myself on the bank in the direction of the wind. This was to see if food stuffs where being blown to this location and Trout were feeding on this bank.

Trout were rising everywhere. But it was more a porpoise type action. You could see the eyes break surface followed by the rest of back. This action is standard in fish feeding subsurface. It looks like they are feeding from the surface layer when at first glance but if you study them you will see they are just slurping below the waters surface.

How to catch the Trout.

I decided to switch to Buzzers and see if that would entice a take. I moved position and cast cross wind. I allowed the buzzer to sink and let the line drift in the breeze. When I thought the buzzer had dropped to its full extent (the length of the leader 9‘) I would give the line a sharp tug to bring the buzzer higher in the water column and allow it once again to sink.

After a while, with some interest but no takes, I changed my leader to a lighter weight line. 2lb line is very fine and allows for no mistakes but it brought the fish. They were taking the buzzer at about 3 feet down, shortly after I had reset the buzzer in the water column.

Takes were subtle. You need to watch the line for it to tighten up or twitch, as soon as you see this you need to tighten up on your fish, generally hooking in the top of the mouth. Casting towards a rise was working also. A nice clean presentation was required though and the fishing tackle I was using was a bit on the heavy side.

A successful days Trout fishing

I caught 6 fish in total, playing them was a very tender job due to the leader strength. 2 for the table of about 2lbs and the rest returned to the water.

They were of no great size compared to what can be caught at the water, but they fought like demons.

I would strongly recommend this Trout water to anyone in the area. If you have fished there please let us know by commenting on this post.

When you are deciding on your first fly rod you need to consider what application you are going to use it for. If you are going to be fishing small streams then a small light rod will fit the bill, small still-waters will require a medium sized rod and tackling large reservoirs will require something with a bit of guts to cast the line along way, against strong winds.

Balanced fly fishing tackle

Matching or balancing your fly fishing tackle is the most important factor when considering your purchase. There are a lot of rods in price brackets that would fit your requirements. The ATMF is a rating to help you match your rod to its correct line. You need to use the correct fly line for the rod to allow it to reach its casting potential. Getting the rod to reach its optimal performance will allow you to keep energy in the line, making tight powerful loops achieving the best distance and fly presentation. The lower the ATFM number the lighter the line and the more delicate the rod.

Using an over powerful rod against small light specimens will also over power them and spoil the contact you have with the fish. It’s a very important and over looked aspect of fishing to balance your tackle to the species and fishing environment.

Sadly you cannot get a one rod fits all (yet), but you can get rods that will compromise. Over time you will be able to get a wardrobe of rods fitting niche situations with matching reels as you slowly develop into a tackle tart!!

Located on the Helston to Hayle road on the edge of a samll Cornish village by the name of Fraddam is this delightful spring fed Trout fishery.

Still Water Trout Fishery

The water is made up of two pools

• Sedge pool holds Trout including Rainbow, Brown and Blue upto about 10lb
• Willow pool holds similar sprecies to over 25lb

The fishing allows you to catch up to your limit then catch and return from then on. The water clarity is very good and the Trout are in top class condition and fight with real might.

Dry fly fishing in the right conditions excells at this water. However, you need to place a well precented fly to get results.

Game fishing tackle

There is also an extensive shop at the fishery. Carrying brands like Orvis, Fishpond, Hardy and Greys. The shop is fantastic and I wish I had more cash to spend there. The showroom is well presented and worth a look even if you do not intend to go fishing.

Tree Meadow can be located at,

The Shed, Gwinear Downs, Leedstown, Hayle, Cornwall, TR27 6DJ

Phone: 01736 850899

If you have fished here please comment below and let us know of your opinion.

While checking the web tonight this site offering Grayling fishing on the Tweed caught my eye. This company offer a whole range of game fishing packages which they set up for you to enjoy and they work hard to get you results.

Everything is laid on for you from rods to permits. All you have to do is listen to the advice given and fish as hard as you can.

The reason I am bringing this site to you today, is that the season ends in April and you have not got long left to book and enjoy some battles with the lady of the stream, in this classic setting.

For more information visit Grayling on the tweed

Please comment on this post if you have used this or a similar package. We would love to hear about the results!

Once practiced by well healed folk and wrongly shrouded in snobbery, Game fishing is the art or practice of taking fish which fall in to an order or category, this being fish with an Adipose fin (the fleshy lump located between the tail and the pectoral fin)

Game Fishing

The classic way in many peoples mind, was to catch these fish with silk lines and lures tied from feather and hair. However, there is as much skill and history in taking these fish using worm, spinners, prawn and Devon minnows.

The environment generally dictates the most suitable method to use to catch game fish. Coloured fast flowing spate rivers for example, might be more productive if a worm is used on a rolling ledger across the bottom, finding deep holding pools.

Modern Game fishing

Modern materials, science, breeding skills and management have opened the sport of game fishing up to thousands of people across the UK and the world. Possibly the largest growth area of the sport is stocked still-water’s holding fast growing Rainbow Trout and other hybrid Trout, as well as our native Brown Trout.

A traditional fly reel had a very narrow central circumference. Meaning the hub of the reel was small. This allowed you to get a lot more line on the reel in relation to its overall diameter. While offering relatively large line carrying capacity, this design had its draw backs, as follows.

• Low retrieve speed
• Line coils/loops

The low retrieve speed is due to the small size of the hub. One turn of the reel handle will give you only one turn on the reel hub and if the hub is small it could only gain you a matter of a few centimetres. The narrow hub also tended to cause the line to coil in narrow loops, which would effect casting and fly presentation.

A large Arbor reel has a large hub. You get less capacity compared to overall reel size but it negates the tight coils causing the line to twist and loop. You also get a faster retrieve, expending less effort to wind in. The other added advantage is it allows fish to take line more smoothly when on a run, preventing breakages in the leader if you are playing against the reel or caught unawares.