Right, let’s get straight into this. Fly fishing isn’t nearly as complicated as some folks make it out to be, but there are a few things you need to understand before you start thrashing away at your local river or reservoir. I spent my first season doing everything wrong, and I mean everything. So hopefully […]

Right, let’s talk about fly fishing without all the mystique and nonsense that usually surrounds it. If you’ve been thinking about having a go but feel a bit intimidated by the tweed-wearing types on the River Test or the Instagram heroes chucking perfect loops in crystal-clear chalk streams, I get it. But here’s the thing:

There’s something deeply satisfying about standing knee-deep in a British chalk stream on a warm June evening, watching mayflies dance above the water while trout rise steadily in the glide downstream. River and stream fishing for trout is where most of us cut our teeth as fly anglers, and it remains the most rewarding form

The washing line method isn’t exactly new, but it’s one of those techniques that far too many UK stillwater anglers overlook in favour of more fashionable approaches. I reckon that’s a mistake, because when the trout are feeding at multiple depths or suspending in the middle layers, this setup can absolutely save your day. Gear

There’s something uniquely satisfying about targeting brown trout in lakes that you just don’t get from stocked rainbows. Maybe it’s because they’re wilier, more selective, or perhaps it’s simply that catching a proper wild brownie feels like you’ve genuinely earned it. Whatever the reason, lake fishing for browns has become my go-to during those long

Right, so you’ve decided you want to give fly fishing a crack. Good choice. But let’s be honest, it can seem a bit daunting when you first start looking into it. All that talk of leaders, tippets, and presentations can make your head spin. The good news is that getting started with fly fishing in

Right, let’s talk about presentation. You can have the perfect fly, the most expensive rod, and know every hatch chart off by heart, but if your presentation is off, you might as well be dangling a teabag in the water. I’ve spent enough time getting blanked on the Test and the Usk to know this

Walking into a fly shop or scrolling through pages of patterns online can feel utterly overwhelming. Thousands of flies exist, each claiming to be essential, and before you know it you’ve spent a fortune on a box full of things you’ll never tie on. The truth is, choosing flies doesn’t need to be complicated, and

There’s something brilliantly subversive about targeting carp on the fly rod in rivers. While everyone else is lobbing boilies into stillwaters or working the chalk streams for trout, you’re stalking golden shoulders in clear flowing water with a rod that weighs next to nothing. It’s proper hunting, and it’ll test every bit of watercraft you

Right, let’s talk about nymphing because it’s probably the most effective way to catch trout in our UK rivers, yet somehow it remains a bit of a mystery to many anglers. I spent years flogging dry flies and wondering why I wasn’t catching much, especially during those long periods when nothing’s rising. Then I properly