Trout and Salmon

TROUT & SALMON AUGUST 2017 Salmon on a single-hander • Master the sedge hatch • Ballynahinch • Cane rods • Fish the riffling hitch • Dry-fly on Draycote www.troutandsalmon.com
WIN
AUGUST 2017 £3.70
(JUNE 29-JULY 26)
CANE
AND ABLE
Why a modern bamboo rod will
transform your stream fishing
50 GAME FAIR TICKETS AND A LOOP ROD
THE VOICE OF GAME-FISHING SINCE 1955
MIDSUMMER
MAGIC
• Thrilling salmon sport on a single-hander •
•
HUNTING
WITH BIG RED
Alternative tactics to try on
England's best dry-fly reservoir
NEW
TACKLE
VISION SCOUT WADERS
RUTLAND BOAT SEAT
WINSTON AIR ROD
PLUS SIX SCOOP NETS
Mastering the sedge hatch
Tempt salmon to the surface with the riffling hitch
THE
FULL IRISH
Grilse, whiskey and the
black stuff at Ballynahinch

THE VOICE OF GAME-FISHING SINCE 1955
CONTENTS AUGUST 2017
COVER
HIGHLIGHTS
COVER IMAGE: RIVER LYON.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: PETER GATHERCOLE.
8
14
37
47
56
Hunting with the Big Red
Boatcraft and a deadly dry-fly
help Andrew Flitcroft on Draycote
Hand me down my
fishing cane
James Beeson tries an
Edward Barder split-cane rod
The full Irish
Whiskey, the black stuff and
a spate river for Toby Coe
Summer’s main event
25 pairs of tickets to the Game
Fair to be won
How to fish the hitch
Graeme Simpson helps you to
master a deadly surface tactic
58 Sedges
Paul Procter offers patterns for
the sedge hatch
62
Catch salmon on
a single-hander
A no-nonsense guide to tackle
and tactics from Jim Coates
85 Crossword
Win a fantastic Loop Cross ST
11 ft 7 wt switch rod
SUBSCRIBE!
Take out a subscription
and receive two fantastic
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SEE PAGE 86
24
37
FEATURES
20
24
31
32
44
The highs of summer
Laurence Catlow’s stories of the
Welsh hills and Yorkshire Dales
When the east
wind blows
Tough conditions confront
Stan Headley in the Highlands
Lucky man
The tale of Ian Gordon’s monster
Icelandic brown trout
Accidents will happen
The course of true fishing does not
run smoothly for Jon Beer
Slowing the flow
Mike Handyside hears alarming
stories of habitat destruction
14
8
August 2017 | 3

CONTENTS AUGUST 2017
62
72
KNOW HOW
56
How to fish the hitch
Graeme Simpson helps you to
master a deadly surface tactic
58 Sedges
Paul Procter offers patterns for
each stage of the sedge’s life cycle
61
62
67
68
70
72
Casting school
The art of the sustained anchor,
with Eoin Fairgrieve
Catch salmon on
a single-hander
A no-nonsense guide to tackle
and tactics from Jim Coates
Trout fly of the month
Rob Denson ties the Mandarin
Orange to match terrestrials
Trout surgery
Running fisheries, red letter days
and double dry-fly tactics receive
Ronnie Glass’s attention
Salmon surgery
Crawford Little responds to
questions about tough conditions,
leaders and long-winged flies
Salmon fly of the month
Every fly-box should have a Black
Sheep, says Ross Macdonald
TACKLE
73
77
78
79
First look
Vision Scout waders, the Winston
Air rod and the new John Gierach
book are reviewed
Super scoop nets
Six nets for river trout fishing
Reader offer
A Greys Strata Fly Vest at an
excellent price
Tried and tested
A long look at the Stillwater
Rutland Boat Seat
32
114
73
REGULARS
& NEWS
7
Editor’s letter
Andrew Flitcroft on the
AST’s new initiatives
42 Newsreel
The latest news and reports from
the world of game-fishing
46
Casting about
Richard Donkin considers the
natural competition
50 Letters
Your views aired
82 Property
Houses with fishing for sale
85 Crossword
Win a fantastic Loop Cross ST
11 ft 7 wt switch rod
89
111
114
xx
Fishing reports
News and catches from the major
fisheries in the UK and Ireland
Fish of the month
Enter to be in with a chance of
some smashing Sharpe’s prizes
Last cast
Giles Catchpole offers some
casting advice
77
August 2017 | 5

KNOW HOW
How to
GRAEME
SIMPSON
is an AAPGAI
Salmon Master
and gillie at
Birse on the
Aberdeenshire
Dee
fish the hitch
Graeme Simpson helps you to master a simple
but deadly surface tactic for salmon
REACH FOR A FLOATER
Riffle-hitching works best when the fish are
on the take in the upper metre of the water
column. When you are instinctively reaching
for the full floating line, it’s time to fish the
hitch. It’s also the first method I will try when
the water is low and clear and the fish are
easily spooked.
AVOID WIND
AND SUN
Strong winds, whether
upstream or down, can
catch a fly-line like a sail
during its swing across a
pool, causing a loss of
tension and making it
difficult to form the
essential riffle or V-wake
with the surface fly.
Bright days with glare
are bad news. Salmon and
sea-trout will be less likely
to attack a surface fly and
watching the fly can be
difficult, straining your
eyes even if you’re
wearing sunglasses.
TRY AND TRY AGAIN
When a fish has shown interest, it’s important not
to be hasty. Maintain the swing, keeping the fly
hitching all the way to the bank, before re-casting.
Then swing the fly at the same angle or adjust its
speed or angle. If there’s no response, try a smaller
fly – fishing it slower will create a smaller wake and
this often produces results.
This grilse couldn’t resist the lure of a hitch tube.
CHOOSE A ROD, LINE AND LEADER
Put the 15-footer away. I use 9 ft-10 ft
single-handed rods, rated six- to eightweight.
A 9 ft 6 in seven-weight is ideal.
A single-hander also frees up your line
hand. A light double-hander or switch rod
can be used if fishing at greater distance
and the extra reach can be beneficial.
Use a fly-line with a short head because
you may hand-line (retrieve) all the way
around the swing and need to re-deliver
the fly with minimal false casts or pop it
straight back out with a spey cast. Avoid
heavy lines, which cause unwanted
surface disturbance.
Use a knotless tapered leader – 10 ft is
ideal. The longer the leader, the harder it is
to keep a fly on the surface, but low water
and spooky fish sometimes demand it. A
tapered leader will ensure the fly turns
over and fishes correctly immediately. It
also stops the line kicking over and ruining
an accurate cast with poor presentation.
The connection from the leader to
the line should be a tidy needle knot with
minimal turns, to minimise disturbance in
front of the fly in glassy pools. Braided
loops are not a great option as they can
absorb water and drag the tip down.
Improve presentation
with a tapered leader.
56 | March August 2017

PICKING THE CORRECT SIDE
You can attach the leader to the right or left side, or the
underneath, of your dressed hook or tube-fly.
I usually connect the leader to the side of the fly that will
swim closest to the home bank. However, the fly will still hitch,
with a V-wake, when the leader is attached to the far side of the
fly, achieving a different effect as it swings across the pool – it
will swim almost broadside to the fish, with its head and the
V-wake pointing more towards the home bank. This can be
effective on pool tails.
If you connect the leader to the underside of the fly, the fly
will ride like a jet ski, which can be effective in faster, choppier
water at the head of a pool where the angled fly is more
susceptible to drowning.
Attach a normal fly with your
usual knot, then add two halfhitches
behind the head.
Attach a hitching tube-fly through
a hole in the side of the tube. It
should have a hole on both sides.
WHY LESS IS BEST
PAUSE BEFORE
YOU STRIKE
Takes can be explosive.
A fish can slam the fly
with its whole body in
the air. But my favourite
rise is a head-and-tail
roll when a good
salmon hardly breaks
the surface, sipping the
fly like a brown trout
taking a dry-fly. These
gentle rises are most
common when small
flies are fished slowly.
Resist the temptation
to lift when you see the
fish – easier said than
done when adrenaline
is pumping. Wait until
you feel the fish before
setting the hook. Lift
firmly, but an overlyaggressive
strike can
straighten or break
a small hook.
You can hitch almost any unweighted fly but some wake
better than others. Sparse patterns with a wing and
throat are best.
Flies tied on hooks specifically for the hitch leave a
space between the eye and the head where you can tie
the leader, but it’s not essential. Flies that are dressed on
plastic tubes are easier to attach because you don’t
need the knot that gives the fly its name and they ride
higher in the water.
I use standard patterns, including Night Hawk, Black
Sheep, Haugre, Crathie and Yellow Stoat.
Try 1 cm-2 cm flies – their wings should extend 2 mm-
3 mm past the bend or tube end. Use a long-winged fly
(3 cm-6 cm), Collie Dog or Sunray, in higher water.
For hooks, light-wire doubles and singles reduce
weight. For tubes, I prefer size 14-18 silver VMC trebles or
Partridge Stingers. Avoid gold VMCs – I find they bend
easily and sometimes break.
MASTER THE TECHNIQUE
Riffle-hitching requires your full concentration. Start with
bigger (2 cm) tubes, which are easier to keep on the
surface. With practice, you can learn to fish them more
slowly. Then try smaller flies and fish them slowly, which is
harder to perfect.
Cast at an angle of between 30 and 45 degrees. As long
as the leader and fly turn over properly, you’ll be hitching
almost immediately. Once the fly starts its swing, maintain
line tension to control the fly as it crosses the stream. You
should aim to maintain a constant, alluring V-wake
throughout the swing.
If the fly is being swung too slowly it may dip beneath
the surface. If you move it too quickly by erratically moving
the rod tip or line hand, the fly may cause splashes.
To quicken the swing, move the rod tip towards the
home bank. To slow it, move the rod tip outwards
and upstream.
With less line on the water the fly will be easier to
control, so keep the rod tip higher than you would
normally. Raise your hand and keep the rod fairly flat – up
to just over head height. If you raise only the rod tip, the
line will sag towards you and eventually lose momentum.
This also causes problems when a fish takes because
you’ve got no room in which to lever the rod.
Speed and tension can be added by retrieving line with
a smooth figure-of-eight action. If fishing with a longer line,
you can use conventional mends but keep them smooth,
small and close to the rod tip as you want the fly to
maintain its path and not skip forward. With practice, you
can learn to use all of these movements to get your fly to
pause, turn or surf back and forth over lies.
When you’re ready to re-cast, lift off gently. A quick lift
will cause an audible “blip” as the fly leaves the water,
which can spook fish – never do this mid-swing.
Smaller pools and runs are usually best fished with a
single-hander, which gives more control over the fly.
ARNI BALDURSSON AND JESPER FORHMAN
August April 2017 | 57

Hand me down my
fishing cane
James Beeson heads to Hampshire to find out
if Edward Barder’s fine split-cane rods are up
to the demands of a modern river angler
PHOTOGRAPHY: RICHARD FAULKS
14 | August 2017

A
BIG TROUT was rising beneath an
overhanging tree on a bend in the
river. Edward held the rod and
I slipped under the barbed wire
fence, wriggling on my back so that
I could slide feet-first down the high
bank. I crouched in a shallow run downstream of the
fish and waited for him to rise again as proof that he
wasn’t spooked.
Edward complimented me on my manoeuvre and
Richard (photographer) joked, “That comes from
years in the Royal Marines.” I was quick to deny the
link as I’ve never served in Her Majesty’s armed
forces and wouldn’t want to bring them into
disrepute by association.
The rod was an 8 ft 4 wt Edward Barder that
belonged to, and had been borrowed from, a local
customer for the day. It was in perfect condition and
had obviously been lovingly looked after and now
here it was in my hands. With a high bank and
barbed-wire fence behind me, I needed to cast over
my opposite shoulder to stand any chance of landing
the fly in the small window between the dense
thicket of overhanging branches.
Perhaps it would be better if the trout had been
alerted, but there he was happily sucking down every
mayfly that drifted over his head. Bamboo is not
a fragile material, it would hardly be any good for
making rods if it were, but using somebody else’s
treasured possession is fraught with responsibility.
It was only a short cast, but it needed a little curve
for the French Partridge Mayfly to land several
ABOVE
The Barder rod
guides the cast
through a
tunnel of green.
August 2017 | 15

NEWS REEL
Contact the newsdesk Trout and Salmon, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough PE2 6EA. Tel: 01733 395 144.
E-mail: troutandsalmon@bauermedia.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/troutandsalmon
ANGLING TRUST
LEADING BY
EXAMPLE
THIS ENORMOUS brown trout was caught by Nikki Long, captain of
the England team competing at the 2017 Loch Style Home
International match at Chew Valley on May 19.
The fish weighed 15 lb 3 oz and was caught in Villice Bay.
Under the rules of the match, all brown trout counted
as only 2 lb. But England still won.
William Beaumont, GWCT senior fisheries scientist,
with sea-trout from the River Frome in Dorset.
E.U. FUND RESEARCH
INTO SALMON D.N.A.
THE GAME AND Wildlife Conservation Trust
(GWCT) is to lead a five-year multi-million-pound
project to discover why salmon and sea-trout die
in estuaries and coastal waters.
SAMARCH (SAlmonid MAnagement Round the
Channel) is funded by the EU and has ten partner
organisations – five in France and five in the UK,
including the Environment Agency, Salmon and
Trout Conservation, the University of Essex and
Bournemouth University.
The project will use fish-monitoring facilities
on rivers including the Frome and Tamar.
To determine where salmonid losses are greatest,
it will employ DNA analysis to map areas in the
English Channel that are important for sea-trout,
improve our understanding of the ratio of male and
female salmon that go to sea, and use historical
salmon-scale collections to provide new
information on the long-term changes to
salmon growth rates.
The data will be used by regulatory bodies (eg EA)
in England and France to manage stocks.
Dylan Roberts, GWCT head of fisheries, said:
“Until recently, management has focused largely on
addressing issues in freshwater. However, we know
that more than 90 per cent of salmon smolts that
leave our rivers for their feeding grounds in the
North Atlantic die at sea.
“Researching salmon in the sea has always been
technically difficult, but recent developments in
fish-tracking technology, DNA methodologies and
advances in data-analysis techniques enable us to
quantify what proportion of this mortality occurs in
the estuary and coastal areas, as well as fish
movements through these areas.
“In the light of the recent growth of coastal
renewable energy schemes, such as tidal lagoons
and underwater turbines and their potential harm
to fish populations, SAMARCH will gain knowledge
to provide information to manage this risk.”
GWCT
42 | August 2017

FISH-FARMING CRISIS
HITS HEADLINES
A COMBINATION of scandal and
shocking scientific discoveries
have pushed the fish-farming
industry into the national media
spotlight, where its practices may
be scrutinised by the wider
public rather than just the
angling community.
The Times newspaper (June 2)
reported that an astonishing
1,000,000 farmed salmon died in
Loch Fyne fish farms in 2016 as a
result of a plague of sea-lice.
Its findings were based on a
report by Salmon & Trout
Conservation, which revealed how
200,000 Loch Fyne fish died in
October alone. Despite the deaths
and sea-lice infestation, some Loch
Fyne farms enjoyed RSPCA Assured
certification and their salmon was
sold in Co-Op supermarkets.
Sunday Herald (June 4) reported
allegations that giant US firm Merck
hired scientists to criticise a study
that revealed the company’s fish
farm chemical was causing
widespread environmental
damage in Scotland.
Merck makes Slice, a pesticide
containing emamectin benzoate
that is used to kill sea-lice.
According to Sunday Herald, the
scientists behind the study and the
Scottish Environment Protection
Chemicals, feed and fish faeces form a sludge on the seabed under a fish farm.
MEMORABLE FISH
THE WINNERS of the Sharpe’s
fish of the month competition in
April are: salmon – Martin Parker,
Foxford, Mayo (10 lb, East Mayo
AA water River Moy, on fly); trout
– Alistair McEwan, Glenkindie,
Aberdeenshire (4 lb 4 oz brown
trout, nymph, River Don).
May’s winners are: salmon –
Ewan Maclachlan, Aberdeen
(20 lb, Sluie beat, River Dee,
Green Highlander); trout –
Daniel Brown, Bridgend
(brown trout, 7½ lb, River
Ogmore, Skullhead Intruder).
Agency (SEPA) privately protested
about Merck’s involvement in a peer
review process, but were overruled
by Scottish Government and salmon
industry officials, who insisted
Merck’s role should be kept secret.
Sunday Herald also disclosed that
at least 45 lochs have been
contaminated by the chemical.
The documents revealing the
cover-up were obtained by Salmon
and Trout Conservation Scotland.
Merck said: “Emamectin has been
used for more than 15 years for the
safe treatment of sea-lice on
Atlantic salmon.” The drug has
been widely approved for use by
governments around the world.
Further criticism of aquaculture to
hit the headlines was a landmark
study by Inland Fisheries Ireland
scientists, reported in The Irish
Times (May 22), which has indicated
that grilse numbers can crash by
more than 50 per cent in the years
following high lice levels on nearby
salmon farms during the smolt
migration. Dr Samuel Shephard and
Dr Paddy Gargan’s study was based
on 26 years of data from the River
Erriff. However, they also concluded
that the impact of the lice does not
explain the overall decline in the
Erriff’s salmon population, which may
also be caused by climate change.
RUTLAND'S 40
ANGLIAN WATER is marking
the 40th birthday of Rutland
Water by offering discounted
fishing on the weekend of
July 15-16.
Boat and bank permits will be
only £10 (two fish plus catchand-release);
day boats will be
£15 (8 am-5 pm). There will also
be a tagged fish competition
with the winner receiving a 2018
season ticket. On Saturday, there
will be starter lessons, fly-tying
shows, a charity auction and
commemorative cake-cutting.
The reservoir opened for
fishing on May 6, 1977.
For details, call the lodge:
01780 686441.
HELP TO STOP BYCATCH
ANGLING TRUST CHIEF
MARK LLOYD ASKS
FOR VOLUNTEERS
TO MONITOR
INSHORE NETTING
IN APRIL I reported that the
Angling Trust has successfully
persuaded the Environment
Agency to consult on proposals for reducing
targeted coastal netting for salmon and sea-trout,
and the consultation – delayed by the general
election – will be launched shortly. The attention
of the Save Our Salmon campaign has moved on
to reducing the bycatch, and illegal catch, of
migratory fish in the wide variety of inshore nets
that are used in our estuaries and around our
coastline. Gill nets, when set as entanglement
nets, will catch any and every fish that tries to
pass through them, and have become much more
widespread in recent decades.
The ten Inshore Fishery and Conservation
Authorities (IFCAs) around the coast of England
are in the process of reviewing their byelaws. This
was a requirement set out under the Marine and
Coastal Access act of 2009. The IFCAs replaced
the old Sea Fisheries Committees and are
responsible for managing fish stocks and fisheries
to six nautical miles from the shore. Some have
made more progress than others in reviewing
their existing byelaws. The bylaws cover a whole
range of issues, but these include the protection
of smolts and returning adult salmon and seatrout
in estuaries and at sea.
Last autumn, Angling Trust published a dossier
of evidence about the need to reform the inshore
netting regulations and we used it to support our
input into consultations on new bylaws restricting
the use of nets in estuaries in both the Cornwall/
Devon and Severn IFCA districts, which were
eventually approved by the IFCA committees.
When signed off by Defra they will have a
significant impact – subject to being enforced – in
ensuring better protection for migratory fish.
Most IFCA committees include anglers, but
commercial netsmen still dominate. We need
local anglers to get involved in the bylaw review
process by using their knowledge to propose new
bylaws, or amendments to existing byelaws, to
ensure IFCAs manage stocks in their districts in
line with their responsibilities to, “lead, champion
and manage a sustainable marine environment
and inshore fisheries, by successfully securing the
right balance between social, environmental and
economic benefits to ensure healthy seas,
sustainable fisheries and a viable industry.”
The Southern IFCA is one of the next IFCAs to
begin the process of reviewing bylaws relating to
netting. Southern has an Angling Liaison Group,
with whom the Authority (covering Dorset,
Hampshire and the Isle of Wight) consults over
byelaws. If you know this area, please work with
this group, or apply to join it, to help us protect
salmon and sea-trout from illegal and
legal fishing.
If you would like to help,
please contact our Head of
Marine (david.mitchell@
anglingtrust.net). We will let
our members know when
an IFCA launches a review.
Please join to support our
work and keep informed:
www.anglingtrust.net/join
August 2017 | 43

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86 | August 2017

MEDIUM
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BIG
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A clear-lidded waterproof box with a rubber seal
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larger-winged trout patterns and salmon flies.
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August 2017 | 87

PROPERTIES FOR SALE
PROPERTY
DEREK BINGHAM REPORTS ON HOUSES WITH FISHING FOR SALE
Do you have a property with fishing for sale? E-mail: troutandsalmon@bauermedia.co.uk
FIND INSPIRATION ON HOUSE POOL
It was under the Marmion Oak, at the head of
the House pool on the Tweed at Ashiestiel,
that Sir Walter Scott wrote Marmion. He lived
at Ashiestiel from 1804, also writing The Lady
of the Lake and part of Waverley there; it was
his favourite home and some think he might
have remained had he been able to buy it,
rather than purchasing Abbotsford in 1812.
Now the house, its farm and the fishing
are to be sold.
Overlooking the river at Clovenfords, five
miles from Galashiels and nine from Melrose
in the Borders, Ashiestiel was originally
a 17 th century peel tower. It was enlarged
and completed in the 19 th century and
completely refurbished in 2011.
There are four reception rooms, seven
bedrooms, seven bath/
shower rooms, and two
secondary bedrooms. The grounds include
two gate lodges, farmhouse and three
estate cottages.
Outside are a walled garden, equestrian
complex, mixed woodland and in-hand stock
farm. In all there are about 863 acres that also
provide a small pheasant shoot as well as
duck, woodcock, snipe, the occasional
walked-up grouse, and roe stalking.
The fishing extends to ten miles of single
bank with seven named pools and a ten-year
average of 54 salmon and seven sea-trout.
The beat carries six rods, which are let, with a
seventh reserved for the house. Although fish
are taken throughout the season (February
1-November 30), the main run of salmon is
late summer and autumn, with sea-trout
appearing in the early summer.
There is a fishing hut and shelter.
Salmon and sea-trout run the river.
Rooms are beautifully appointed.
Luxury living beside the
UK’s most productive
salmon river.
£5.5 million Savills (Edinburgh) 0131 247 3720
A DEVON RETREAT
North Parks is a rare example in north Devon of a
brick-fronted 18 th century house. Situated close to
Chulmleigh, ten miles from South Molton, it is listed
grade II and provides three reception rooms, three
bedrooms and a bathroom.
An annexe, converted from part of an adjacent
courtyard, provides a kitchen and living room, a bedroom
and shower room. There are traditional barns, 13 acres of
pasture and fishing rights on the nearby Huntacott Water,
a short distance away.
£750,000
Traditional buildings,
land and fishing.
Stags (South Molton) 01769 572 263
The chance to spot fish
from the study window.
ON THE BANKS OF THE COLN
The Bridge, built using local
Cotswold stone on the banks of
the Coln, is only a short walk from
the small town of Fairford in
Gloucestershire and dates back
some 300 years.
£650,000
There are two reception rooms,
four bedrooms and two
bathrooms, and a self-contained
annexe. Outside are a walled
garden, further lawns, riverbank
and fishing rights.
Knight Frank (Cirencester) 01285 659 771
82 | August 2017

“We sell fishing - it’s that simple”
Contact details: www.macintyreandthomson.co.uk
email: info@macintyreandthomson.co.uk
Tel : 01764 662 682.
SPONSORED BY
CAST FROM
YOUR GARDEN
Charming Riverside House is grade II.
Riverside House at Alswear is also near
South Molton (see “A Devon retreat”
facing page). This grade II listed house
provides two reception rooms and a
study, four bedrooms, of which two are
ensuite, and a bathroom. Outside are a
garage/workshop with a studio above.
Gardens of one third of an acre run
down to the River Mole, a tributary of
the Taw. There are fishing rights, initially
double bank bordering the garden and
then single continuing along the bank
opposite, providing some 312 yards in
all with three named pools.
The owners report brown trout, seatrout
(including a fish of 6½ lb in recent
years) and the occasional salmon.
£575,000
Stags (South Molton)
01769 572 263
Loch fishing for trout, deer stalking on the hills and salmon sport in the river.
HIGHLAND STALKING AND SALMON
When the Ledgowan Estate in the western
Highlands was put on the market by the
Ruggles-Brice family seven years ago, the
asking price was £2.5 million. It is now for
sale for £4.5 million, reflecting a substantial
capital investment in almost every aspect
of its infrastructure, from re-modelling the
Lodge to building a network of hill roads
to provide easier access to all parts of
The impressive, modernised Ledgowan lodge.
£4.5 million
the estate, significantly expanding the
scope of the stalking.
Situated at Achnasheen in Wester Ross,
nine miles from Kinlochewe and 41 from
Inverness, Ledgowan extends to more than
11,000 acres. Ledgowan Lodge, which dates
from the 19 th century, has been renovated
and fully modernised to provide four
reception rooms, a panelled games room,
and six bedrooms, all with bath or shower
rooms ensuite. There are also Stalker’s
Lodge and Shepherd’s Cottage, plus estate
buildings and woodlands.
The estate is well known for its stalking,
with a five-year average of 38 stags and 36
hinds/calves. There are also grouse shooting
over pointers, rough shooting for mixed
game, and fishing for brown trout, ferox and
pike on a number of lochs, with the
opportunity for a salmon on the River Bran.
Strutt & Parker (0131 226 2500) & John Clegg & Co (0131 229 8800).
LOCH, RIVER, HILL AND GLEN
The Barvas Estate on the Isle of Lewis
is a sportsman’s paradise, offering
stalking, walked-up grouse and other
shooting, as well as fishing on three
complete river systems.
Lewis, along with Harris, is the
largest of the Western Isles in the
Outer Hebrides. It is situated 12 miles
from Stornoway (an hour’s flight from
Edinburgh or Glasgow). Barvas
Lodge was originally an inn and is
thought to date from the turn of the
18 th century. Listed grade C, it is
situated on the shores of Loch Barvas
with views north-west to the Atlantic
coast and a mere 160 yards from the
Barvas River.
With eight bedrooms it can
accommodate 13 guests. Outside are
Barvas and Keeper’s Cottages, each
with three bedrooms. Land extends
to more than 12 acres, with a sporting
lease over 34,200 acres, which
includes stalking (potential for 4/5
stags and 11 hinds annually); up to 20
days shooting grouse over pointers
each season with bags of up to ten
brace; plus wildfowling, woodcock
and snipe.
Included in the sale is fishing over
three entire river systems from
source to mouth, each system
River fishing from source to mouth.
including numerous small tributaries
and lochans. The Barvas River, the
most prolific, rises in Loch Scaravat
and flows for eight miles with a tenyear
average of about 170 fish.
The Arnol River, about eight miles
long, has had a good reputation but
has only been lightly fished in recent
seasons. The Loch Urrahag system,
made up of a number of lochs
connected by burns and tributaries,
is suitable for brown trout fishing as
gravel banks at the mouth deny
access to migratory fish. There is also
trout fishing in the smaller hill lochs.
FARM WITH FISHING
Rowntree Farms in Lancashire’s Ribble valley is a
family farm that provides an established shoot and
fishing on the river. Situated two miles north of
Gisburn and ten from Clitheroe, the property
comprises two ring-fenced farms, with the Ribble
forming the eastern boundary, that have been
owned and farmed by the vendor’s family for more
than 70 years. Mainly grassland extending to 477
acres in all, it is the home of the pedigree Ribble
Aberdeen Angus herd.
There are two farmhouses. The five-bedroom
Windy Pike, the principal house, is mentioned in the
Domesday Book. Moorhouse Farmhouse is a
traditional five-bedroom renovated stone
farmhouse. There are also two three-bedroom
cottages and extensive farm buildings.
The family shoot, with six drives, is focused on
woodlands adjoining the river, and might be
developed. The fishing rights extend to about a mile
of single bank with four pools. There are salmon,
sea-trout, brown trout and grayling.
£5 million
Savills (Clitheroe) 01200 411 046
£850,000+
Savills (Edinburgh) 0131 247 3720
Rights on the Ribble.
Two historic farmhouses.
August 2017 | 83

KNOW HOW
Salmon Surgery
CRAWFORD LITTLE ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS
ON SALMON-FISHING TACTICS AND TECHNIQUE
A beauty on a Sunray
Shadow from the
Kinlochewe River.
CRAWFORD
LITTLE
has fished for
salmon at home
and abroad for
50 years.
Having worked
in rural estate
management,
he now runs a
consultancy
advising on the
management
of salmon
fisheries
and other
sporting
property.
Q
While
fishing in warm and difficult conditions I decided to
try a Sunray Shadow. It prompted several splashy rises,
but nothing connected. The gillie told me to change, so I
went back to a size 12 Cascade, without success. What
else could I have tried – gillie allowing? Graham Nash, via e-mail
A THE FISH might not have been disinhibited
enough to take firmly, whatever was offered, but it
would have been good for you to be allowed to find
out for yourself. Let’s imagine the gillie had a
dentist’s appointment…
I have to say that when a Sunray swims in at the
fishing hut door, fishing sense often jumps out the
window. Or rather, we forget all those fishy rules we
normally operate by. What size of Sunray were you
using? Was it one of the monsters with a 6 in or 7 in
wing, normally intended for use at the start
of the season?
When the water warms – and as every salmonfisher
and his or her aunty should know – we turn to
ever smaller flies. This rule holds true for Sunrays
as much as any pattern. And if a fish comes to the fly
without taking a firm hold, the general rule is to try
again with a smaller fly. It’s not rocket science.
However, just to complicate matters, there’s
another side to the coin. Experience teaches that
salmon will ignore a fly if it’s too small. We can’t just
opt to start with our smallest fly. We have to make
a start with a reasonably large Sunray, and work our
way down until the fish show their approval.
So, a reasonably long, low- and warm-water
Sunray might have, say, a 4 in wing. If the fish show
they’re tempted but not convinced, then we swap to
something smaller. And smaller again, if necessary.
Incidentally, a wing barely 2 in long on a ¾ in tube
is so different to what most British fishers
perceive as a Sunray that I’ve taken to calling
them Sunbeams.
The angle of presentation and fly speed are other
things to consider. When aren’t they? If the Sunray
isn’t swimming fast enough, it’s more likely to be
ignored than splashed at.
What if all our Sunrays have been ignored? Then
heed what the salmon are telling us. If they won’t
come to the surface, we’ll just have to get a fly down
to them. Do you have a small Red Frances? But hold
on and hide that fly-box! Here comes the gillie’s van,
bumping down the riverside track…
ROBERT RATTRAY/CKD GALBRAITH
70 | August 2017

WRITE TO: Write to: Crawford Little, c/o Trout and Salmon, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough PE2 6EA. Or e-mail: crawfordlittle54@gmail.com
QI’M NEVER sure what
leader to use in low-water,
summer conditions. How
light would you go, and
how long a leader would
you opt for in difficult conditions?
Ray McAfee, via e-mail
A THE SIMPLE answer would be
“as long and light as you dare,” if the
conditions demand it – but Heaven
forfend that Crawford Little should miss
an opportunity to complicate matters.
That would never do…
In low-water, summer conditions I’ll
often be swapping between various
techniques and fly types. The standard
swing with very small flies (a long-tailed
14 might count as “large” in this context)
which I dress on short-shank, wide-gape
hooks. Or riffling flies. Or those baby
Sunrays I call Sunbeams. Or deep
drifting (some call it “nymphing”)
with micro Frances flies and the likes.
And so on.
Yes, but how thin a leader? It all starts
with the fly. The fly’s size and weight
decide what strength (or diameter) of
leader we should use. Thick for a big
and/or heavy fly, thin for a small and light
fly – and even thinner for a micro fly.
In these days when catch-and-release
is imposed or encouraged, many
salmon-fishers would blanch at the mere
mention of 0.30 mm tippet. But for the
smallest flies, the low-water aficionados
sipping their espresso at the Casa
Frances wouldn’t twitch an eyebrow until
you’re talking 0.20 mm, which is 5 lb
breaking strain in Maxima talk.
Why would they choose such a very
thin leader? Because they believe that in
the clearest of very clear water, the
thinnest of thin leaders can make the
difference between fish on and no fish.
But for goodness’ sake, don’t try it if
you’re the sort who likes to stand his
ground and drag a fish ashore. Or on
your stiff double-hander and clackety
old reel. My own choice would be a long
(10 ft-plus) but sensitive single-hander,
rated AFTM 5-7, a reel with the
smoothest of drags, and a pair
of running shoes…
What length of leader? Some say that
salmon are not leader shy. Fair enough,
in some circumstances, but when the
water is really clear I like to give the
salmon the benefit of the doubt by
allowing a wide berth between the fly
and the tip of the fly-line. Which means
a long and therefore tapered leader.
I prefer to make my own tapered
leaders. I do not have the sort of brain
that retains complicated formulae, but
I can remember 5, 4, 3, or 6, 5, 4 with
2 ft of tippet. The 5, 4, 3 plus 2 produces
a 14 ft leader, the 6, 5, 4 plus 2 a 17 ft
leader, and so on. When the going gets
tougher, how about a 6, 5, 4, 3 plus
2 otherwise known as a 20-footer?
That should do it, for goodness’ sake…
Q
I
HEAR much about Sunray, Collie and
Monkey flies. Can you please explain
which is what? That is, what are the
differences between one and the others?
Barry Chapman, via e-mail
A SOME SAY that Noah refused to
disembark the collie dogs from the
Ark until they’d agreed to give him a
hank of hair from their hind legs. He
then whipped the hair to a hook and
cast it on to the receding waters –
where it was immediately grabbed by
a muckle great salmon. Others say the
deed was done by a Scottish gillie in
the mid- to late 19th Century. Either
way the Collie Dog fly has been
around for a very long time.
This straightforward pattern was
almost certainly the first of the longwinged
flies, and may well have been
the first hair-winged salmon fly.
However, it seems we humans can’t
see something simple without
wanting to complicate it.
In the 1960s an Englishman living
in Norway with his Norwegian wife
and holding a lease on the Laerdal
River, cross-bred a Collie with a Bitsa
(bitsa this and bitsa that) and called
the offspring a Sunray. That man was
Ray Brooks, and the fly is properly
known as Ray Brooks’ Sunray Shadow.
It has the same long wing as the
Collie, only Ray used hair from a
monkey and tied it over a brown or
white base wing and added some long
strands of peacock herl.
The original Collies employed a
single or double hook, though
nowadays most dress them on
dressed aluminium or plastic tubes.
However, Ray chose to dress his
Sunrays on translucent, clear plastic
Sunray Shadow.
Collie Dog with silver
hook for coloured water.
tubes. Incidentally, he advised fitting
them with brown trebles for clear
water, and silver for “less clear” water.
Something worth remembering in
these days when silver and gold hooks
are widely but perhaps unthinkingly
employed, irrespective of
water conditions.
The Monkey is the newest of the
long-winged patterns. Nevertheless, it
seems unclear whether it was bred on
the Aberdeenshire Dee or introduced
by visiting Scandinavians – though to
be honest, I’m not altogether
convinced by either explanation.
That aside, the Monkey is basically
a weighted Sunray, typically tied on a
brass bottle tube. Though personally,
in order to produce what I think is an
attractive “shouldery” profile to the fly
when it is swimming, I prefer a brass
(or tungsten) bead immediately
behind the head of the fly, with a
slightly smaller cone head in front.
At the risk of stating the bleedin’
obvious, the added weight ensures
the Monkey operates below the water
surface, while unweighted Collies
and Sunrays can be fished in or on
(riffling) the surface – or deeper on a
sinking line. The Monkey also sports
jungle-cock cheeks and a throat of soft
hackle, fox hair or “plucked” marabou.
Strands of flash may be placed under
the hackle as well as in the wing.
“Sunray in her Braws” (finest clothes),
as the author William Scrope might
have named it.
A modern Monkey,
tied on a bottle tube.
August 2017 | 71

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78 | August 2017