Scaled Down.

Tonight I was swiping absentmindedly through photographs on my phone as I often do, when I faltered on a handful of shots from last September: pictures of a tiny, boulder strewn Cumbrian beck. Unassuming in appearance, but possessing a wild, intimate beauty, and, as it transpired, a plucky population of beautiful wild trout. Immediately I……

Off The Mark.

Dark, big in the head, thin after a long winter, and only a few ounces in weight – it wasn’t exactly the trout of an angler’s dreams. Nevertheless, this diminutive brownie, winkled out of a small beck this Saturday on the worm, was as valuable to me as if it were a fat three pounder.……

Early Start.

Ten more days. Ten more tedious days until the trout season opens here in Yorkshire, and I am free once again to set about tangling leaders and missing takes. The beginning of the season is typically a leaden affair, notable mainly for its distinct lack of fish. The river is cold, hatches are fleeting and,……

A guide to worming for trout: Part II

In the first part of this attempt at a little instructional guide to worming, I reflected on why I believe this often controversial technique has a place in modern game fishing, before touching upon when and where the method is best employed. In this second post, we’ll have a look at the gear required and……

A guide to worming for trout: Part I

I’ve never really been interested in writing ‘instructional’ pieces. I’m far more concerned with how things feel than the nitty gritty of tackle, tactics and the like, and find that in the hands of most writers the subject matter can be rather turgid. Besides, my angling largely involves bumbling ineptitude interspersed with fleeting strokes of……