~Tony Riley watches on as Jim Williams braves a strong breeze~

Have a Cast:

Due to recent heavy rain the local rivers remain somewhat out of condition (some might say positively angry!). Jim Williams had made the long pilgrimage north to try for grayling and rather than twiddle our thumbs, we set out to do a little casting. Aside from being good fun, what better way to sharpen your skills for the coming season than flexing carbon. Honing our accuracy and timing, Jim, Tony and myself had great entertainment on an otherwise chilly afternoon. Unfortunately the following day saw even more rain, so Jim didn't even get anywhere near the Eden-there's always next time Jim.

Paul~

~Bonefish up close-those camouflage stripes are clearly visible~

~A typical Bonefish~

Bonefish Fever:

Ebbing tides bring a slight drop in water levels, opening up many areas for wade fishing. This involves strolling through ankle deep water, searching for bonefish. Their tails often give them away, as bonefish tilt head down to forage for shrimps and crabs in the sandy bays. Sleek, elegant fish that have blistering pace and I never tire of pursing them. Hilary Langan agrees 100% and joined me for a day on the flats. We had an absolute ball sighting nervous bonefish that often called for a delicate presentation to tempt them. Of course, any wayward casts sent fish scurrying to deeper water. Our company for the day came in the way of an occasional lemon shark, quartering the flats in search of a meal. It's always good to see such predators as they indicate other catch-able fish are nearby, which usually respond to a fly.

Paul~

~Hilary Langan-the smile says it all~

~A nice snook from the mangroves~

North Wind brings on the Snook:

Snook are tenacious predators that constantly plunder baitfish around the edges of mangroves. They seem to favour cooler conditions and with a north wind pegging back water temperatures, guide Rafael took us in search of them. Thankfully, we found a few sinister shadows that eagerly snaffled our size 2 streamers. Of course, hooking them is only half the battle. Snook are quick to retreat to a tangle of roots, so some serious side strain along with holding your nerve are required to win the day.

Paul~

~An aerobatic Snook~

~Off to fight another day~

~A permit under the belt on the first morning~

Permit on the Prowl:

Those new to tropical saltwater fly fishing will initially find striking fish an issue. To set the hook properly, you need to pull sharply on the fly line rather than lift the rod, as we commonly do when trout fishing. All sounds simple enough in theory, but in the heat of the moment, it's easy to forget and lift the rod instead. So having ease into my annual trip by stalking bonefish, with promising conditions, we went in search of permit. Highly prized, these fish have blistering pace and can be difficult to fool. Imagine our excitement then to find them feeding hard on the first day. The fish above took the fly a mere rod length from me. Moments later it was some 150 yards away and still heading for the horizon. Jonathon was possibly one of the most fortunate that day. Skillfully hooking a permit the fish charged off, only to come unstuck moments later. He managed to get another cast at the same fish and amazingly it took again (jammy sod....), no mistake second time as Jonathon piled on the pressure to land a cracking permit.

Paul~

~Jonathon strikes lucky with a stunning permit~

~Crocs haunt the margins, terrorising fish and frogs~

~A promising lagoon~

Light winds and sunshine:

Our first morning in Ascension Bay brought clear blue skies and the faintest of breezes-ideal conditions for visual fishing on the flats. Quietly navigating the many channels allowed us to slip into secluded lagoons in search of tailing bonefish. Of course there are many more creatures which share the this environment too. Along with horseshoe crabs (a prehistoric looking arthropod), flamingos dotted the margins in their stunning pink livery. With ospreys wheeling overhead too, it was difficult to focus on the job in hand.

Paul~

~Slowly does it~~Flamingos feeding along the mangrove margins~

~Wading the flats in search of Bonefish~

Heading for the Sun:

A bunch of us are flying out Mexico for the next couple of weeks, heading down to Ascension Bay in search of all kinds of exotic fish. Although bonefish, tarpon, snook and the elusive permit will be our main quarry, hopefully we'll encounter other species like barracuda and even sharks. Updates will be posted from early December.

Paul~

~Jim Fearn demonstrates the finer points with a double hander~

Busy Fly Fair:

The BFFi took place last weekend in Stoke. With the weather almost behaving itself, record crowds attended, making this a successful event. AAPGAI instructors passed on invaluable knowledge during demonstrations on the casting pond. The line up included Jim Fearn, Gary Coxon, Karl Humphries, Gary Champion, Lee Cummings, Tony Riley and myself. Indoors the Fly Tiers Row proved as popular as ever where it was possible to watch World class demonstrators. Not surprisingly, AAPGAI Maters Paul Little wowed the crowd with a stunning display of Spey style flies. I based myself on the Wild Trout Trust stand were it was encouraging to see a positive response from the public.

Paul~

~WTT Director Shaun Leonard manning the stand~

~Marc Petitjean and John Glynn share a joke on the banks of the Wye~

Wye Comes Good:

With many other rivers bursting their banks, John Glynn, Marc Petitjean and myself steal a day in deepest Derbyshire. Although the Wye was slightly tinged, grayling responded well to a modest hatch of Large Dark Olives. A size 16 olive Paradun cast upstream and left to drift, tempted a number of fish. Of course, the day didn't pass without the heavens opening. By 2pm fairly persistent rain set in, concluding the hatch. A switch to small nymphs allowed us to connect with more grayling. However, having enjoyed success with dry flies throughout the morning, it didn't quite have the same appeal.

Paul~

~A nice Wye grayling taken on dry fly~

~Marc Petitjean tying another killing fly~

An evening with Marc Petitjean:

Prior to the BFFi, Marc Petitjean agreed to visit the South Cumbria branch of the FDG. He gave a detailed demonstration on the history of CdC flies and included many of his ground breaking flies. It's always fascinating to get another fisherman's slat on flies, especially someone like Marc who successfully travels throughout Europe. Primarily, his tyings trade on sparseness with some intriguing ways of incorporating CdC fibres.

Paul~

~Howard Taylor demonstrating knots for a keen group~

Great Grayling Day:

The weather held for our first Grayling Day this winter. The rivers too were in fine fettle, albeit it low and gin clear, which certainly made grayling that bit more edgy. Despite being flighty, plenty of grayling were caught and some impressive fish at that. Small nymphs were the order of the day and pitched delicately upstream they accounted for most of the catch. Those brave enough to try a dry fly tempted a handful of fish too. A hearty lunch set us up for the afternoon when most people explored the upper Test in search of grayling shoals.

Paul~

~Discussing fly life and the graylings' environment~