Fly Fishing and Shooting Articles
Welcome to the Fly Fishing Articles section of the John Norris site. Here we will bring you articles relating to Fly Fishing including Fly Tying Tips, Fishing Tackle Tips and more.
If you’d like to share your own fishing tackle hints and tips, we’d love to hear from you. Why not email us at: flyfishingtips@johnnorris.co.uk.
John Norris being one of Musto’s Premier Shooting Stockists carries a range of Musto ladies country clothing which is available here on the John Norris website.
If you enjoy the great outdoors either on a shoot or simply walking in the countryside a range of specialist Ladies Musto Coats, Jackets, Gilets and Fleeces is now available to suit which ever pastime you choose.
John Norris features a number of new Musto items in this season’s collection, all with the advantage of being machine washable.
The Musto Ladies Suffolk Coat with a breathable waterproof laminate DWR finish with taped seams in dark brown is ideal for hacking, shooting or spectating and is sure to prove popular this Autumn/Winter season as you can also add one of Musto’s colourful fleeces or sweats for extra warmth when the weather turns really cold.
The Musto Ladies Bromont Jacket is not only stylish but warm and can be worn equally well with breeches or jeans.
The Musto Ladies Silverwood Gilet is a stylish quilted gilet with a striking candy/stripe lining.
The Musto Ladies Harrisburgh Gilet another gilet from Musto to which you could add a Musto Hoody or Fleece for that extra layer and still look great.
The Musto Ladies Hoodys - Norwood and Hartwell both ideal for layering on cold frosty mornings.
The Musto Ladies Winchfield Fleece is warm and the ever useful colour of Navy looks great when teamed with jeans.
The Musto Ladies Hastings Sweat is a must being a versatile sweat that looks great combined with Musto’s outerwear.
Fly fishing requires finesse and technical expertise as well as patience and intuition. Beginners tend to hurl the line frantically toward the point they’re aiming at, whereas veterans have integrated the physics of fly fishing into their bodies, generating the impulse to cast the line through a subtle and precise whisk of the rod, stopping abruptly at just the right moment and watching the resulting loop of energy cast the line satisfyingly to its destination just as a fly would land on the water’s surface. As with all crafts, the tools one uses to achieve one’s goals are all important. John Norris offers a superb range of fly rods, from the basic equipment of the novice to the sophisticated instrument of the master craftsman.
Starting with fly rods for beginners, the ones to look out for will need to be more flexible, generating a slower impulse and making the line easier to cast, as well as softening the presentation of the fly to the water’s surface to appear more like live bait. An excellent and inexpensive beginner’s fly rod is the Shakespeare Expedition series, available from John Norris for between £42.99 and £49.99. There are five models altogether, ranging in length from 8ft 6inches to 9ft 6inches, and they come in five or seven piece designs. Excellent for both freshwater and saltwater, they’re extremely versatile, easy to carry about and just ideal for novices. All models come with Triple ‘A’ Grade cork handles, overslide/push-in joints for ease of assembly, lined stripper guide with snake intermediates and spring-loaded keeper ring. Supplied in Cordura Tube, they’re robust and light.
At the other end of the scale comes the magnificent Hardy Angel 2 DH Fly Rod, available from John Norris for £999.00. Thirteen feet of highly engineered perfection, this rod is perfect for smaller salmon rivers but can be used for big sea trout, as well. Ideal for shallow rivers in the summer, its light line makes for fantastic salmon fishing. This rod took years of development to improve on the excellent original Angel fly rod; it’s an attempt which has definitely paid off. The new fly rod is constructed from no less than eight multi-modulus materials, the effect of which is to take the original Angel to a completely new level. It comes with a unique anodised locking reel seat with Texalium insert and has four sections for ease of travel. Anglers who fly fish for long periods will find its perfect balance a godsend, and its fast and ultra-fast blanks are essential attributes for such a lengthy fly rod. Sheer perfection.
Dating from approximately 1165 AD in China, the fly reel has been an integral part of fly fishing for nearly a millennium, although it didn’t make its debut in England until 1650. The basic design for fly reels has changed little since the 1860s but, as always, improvements and innovations keep on coming, nonetheless.
Take the Daiwa Lochmor Large Arbor Fly Reels and Spools, available now from John Norris from £85 to £114. These precision fly reels are machined from solid bar stock aluminium, and house an ultra-smooth disc drag mechanism, which waters enables instantaneous line release and eliminates snatching, ensuring that those precious hook-holds are maintained (the drag effectively stops just about anything that swims in UK waters). The winding direction is easily converted and the reel has an elegant wooden handle. Diameters range from 3 inches to 4¼ inches and the fly reels come with a protective reel case. It compares favourably with the Hardy brand and, appealingly, is noticeably less expensive.
A bit further up the fly reel scale comes the gorgeous Sage 4500 Series. These gleaming beasts are constructed from advanced airplane-grade aluminium, and boast cutting-edge 3:1 geared graphite drag units, which are completely sealed from the elements for added protection. There’s also a one-revolution adjustment knob which allows you to make fast and accurate drag settings. Weighing in at just 4.5 ounces, it’s a quintessential high-performance fly reel, delivering the kind of smoothness and power you’d expect from a hefty, traditional drag system, minus the weight and bulk. And it looks fabulous with its minimalist lines and single rotation drag handle.
Angling veterans can’t praise its sharp responsiveness too highly, and its lightness means you can wade about with it for hours and hours without feeling the faintest twinge of strain. The drag system, compact though it may be, is gutsy enough to drag in the more warrior-like critters beneath the surface with ease – it’ll reel in big trout without a hitch. Not only is the design pleasingly elegant, but you‘ll get a choice of chromium or black finishes, and the fly reels come with ballistic cloth and protective neoprene reel case. It’s is amazingly flexible, too – you can effortlessly interchange spools with the Sage 4500CF and 2500 series fly reels. For intermediate and experienced anglers alike, the Sage 4500 series fly reels are impossible to beat.
Cortland has revamped its 444 Classic Series of fly lines and one of the most stunningly smooth in the range is the wonderful 444 XP Classic. It might just be the world’s favourite fly line, with its subtle peach colouring and superb flexibility, especially at lower temperatures (which is just dandy for UK anglers!). Available from John Norris at just £45.99, this fly line delivers the most delicate presentation when the fly hits the water surface, seriously replicating nature. And if you’re into trout fishing, the Cortland Precision Sub-Surface – Still Water Clear Camo Fly Line in unbeatable (available from John Norris at £55.99). With its solid mono core, it has a huge following in all manner of locations, no matter how hot or how cold. It can cheerfully withstand searing sun rays and tooth-clattering cold with no loss of durability or flexibility. When the water you’re fishing in is crystal clear, you need a crystal clear line, and this one won’t disappoint, hovering invisibly beneath the water’s surface once cast and doing ‘just as it says on the tin’, to steal a phrase.
Spey casting is, of course, a two-handed form of fly fishing best suited for larger fish like salmon, sea trout and steelhead. Developed originally, as its name suggests, in Scotland’s River Spey, it’s a technique also used in saltwater surf fishing. Cutting a long story short, you’re going to need a strong fly line for this technique. But strength has to be combined with precision design and finesse, qualities which the superb Rio Power Spey Versitip Fly Line possesses in spades. John Norris supplies these lines at £99.99, ranging from size 9 (120 feet) to size 11 (130 feet). Be warned, though, that this is a high performance fly line designed for experienced anglers who prefer to fish with longer rods and longer belly lines. Its unique taper design makes it wonderfully easy to cast, at any length. The front taper is simply perfect for realistic presentation – your ‘fly’ will look exactly like one of nature’s own as it touches the water to any passing trout or salmon. But even though the presentation has a light touch, the power is positively Herculean – it’ll cope with the unfriendliest of winds and the largest of flies.
Whatever fly line you need, the breathtaking range available at John Norris can match your requirements, whether you wear an ‘L’ plate or a master craftsman’s badge of honour.
The term ‘angling’ came from Medieval England, where early fishing rods were known as ‘angles’. Today’s fishing rods are considerably more sophisticated than the ones used in those days of yore, as you might expect, and they come in a dizzying array of varieties. John Norris supplies a huge swathe of different fishing rods, from the relatively basic to the ultra-sophisticated.
An especially striking collection of fishing rods is manufactured by Orvis in its Helios range, all six of which are available from John Norris for between £599 and £629. Helios was the name given by the ancient Greeks to a handsome god who wore the sun as his crown and drove his chariot across the sky every day. NASA adopted the name for a unique lightweight wing, and now Orvis is pinning it to its state-of-the art fishing rods, which it proudly claims are the lightest fly rods in the industry.
Starting at 8ft 6inches and rising to a respectable 10 feet, the Helios series is not only the lightest set of rods ever manufactured by Orvis; surprisingly, they also happen to be the strongest the company has ever produced, too. This is largely due to the high-temperature thermoplastic resins used in their construction, which are lighter and stronger than the epoxy resins used in traditional fly rod construction. It’s a technical innovation which enables the rod to hold its shape better during bending and return to straight more swiftly. With the steeply tapered design, this affords them an amazingly snappy blank recovery, as swift as it is crisp, right through to the butt for superb casting control at both short and long ranges. The recoil guides use memory metal and the rod has nano-light rings which are 45% stronger than ceramic. This rod is so light that it makes many other comparable fishing rods feel like unwieldy broomsticks by comparison. It’s an angling delight, pure and simple.
Beginners, though, might be better advised to build up some experience before investing in a rod like this. For the novice, an excellent fishing rod comes in the form of the Greys G Series Multi Bait Rod, also available from John Norris at £59.99. Designed to be a consummate all-rounder, this fishing rod has a well-balanced, light ‘though action’ making it ideal for light spinning baits, bread flakes or worms. It comes with a double-lined butt ring and single-leg lined intermediates and has a medium action to cover a broad range of fishing techniques. A superb rod for the rambling bait angler on holiday!
Fishing reels have been used in England since about 1650, but if our seventeenth century forefathers could see what technological innovation has become available to us 21st century inhabitants, they’d scream ‘witchcraft!’ (or go day-glo green with pure envy). As we know, fishing reels employ a spool mounted on an axel to deploy and retrieve the fishing line; but there, many similarities end. A seventeenth century angler would have little knowledge of high-tech drag mechanisms, which apply variable pressure to the revolving spool to slow it down (contemporary drag technology always slips the forces below the line’s snapping point whilst placing maximum ‘drag’ on the fish, tiring it to the point where it almost begs to be grilled or pan-fried).
The Lamson Litespeed Reel could easily earn the title of the daddy of fishing reels, even though it’s firmly in the mid-price range (currently available from John Norris at between £250 and £375, depending on model). It’s a top quality reel, with a drag system completely sealed to the elements (including saltwater) and absolutely zero maintenance. There is virtually no start-up torque to the drag, and you can change from right to left hand retrieve by simply unscrewing the cap, flipping the clutch, and re-screwing the drag cap. The Litespeed is machined from barstock aluminium in the US, and for a large arbor fishing reel it’s amazingly light with no compromise to its strength.
Moving on to a veritable Rolls Royce amongst fishing reels, however, you might find yourself swooning before the stunning Abel Super Series QC Reels and Spools. ‘QC’ stands for ‘Quick Change’ and literally years of development have gone into the making of this range. All fishing reels are ‘ported’ or ventilated using a rounded oblong aperture, a design which preserves total rigidity and maximum strength. The brilliant simplicity informing the ‘Quick Change’ design means that anglers can change spools whilst fishing – almost whilst brushing their teeth. All you need to do is ease up on the drag, turn the knob on the spindle – and the spool is loose! Anyone used to fishing in areas where fish are found at different depths, necessitating different lines with different presentations, will find this feature irresistible. This fishing reel series has integral ‘outgoing’ and ‘retrieve’ clicks, radically new to Abel. The series also has the typical wide range of drag settings for Abel products, along with the low start-up inertia Abel aficionados will be familiar with. Simply brilliant stuff!
| Aspatria Angling Club www.aspatriaanglingclub.co.uk |
Beats On River Ellen Secretary: Mr S Beattie Tel: 01697 322421 |
| Aberfeldy Angling Club | River Tay Permits: Wade Newsagents Aberfeldy Tel: 01887820397 Email: www.aberfeldyanglingclub@tesco.net |
| Appleby Angling Association | River Eden Tel: 01768351240 |
| Beauly Angling Club | River Beauly And Beauly Estuary Secretary: David Sellers Tel: Kirkhill 831721 |
| Brampton Angling Association | Rivers Irthing, Gelt, Kingswater Permits: Brampton Post Office Dukes Head Armathwaite Tel: Stephen Mark 0169772359 |
| Carlisle & District Angling Association | River Eden Permits: Tourist Information Tel: 01228625600 |
| Carrick Angling Club | Girvan River Permits: Wrights Hardware Dalrymple St Girvan Secretary: Gordon Todd Tel: 07900535222 |
| Cockermouth Angling Association | River Derwent, Cocker, & Rainbow Trout At Cogra Moss Contact: Sue Moses Tel: 01900824798 |
| Castle Douglas Angling Association | River Urr, Loch Rowan Permits: Tommy’s Sports King Street Castle Douglas |
| Crianlaricm Angling Club www.fishingnet.com |
Rivers Fillan, Connonish & Dochart Secretary: David Taylor Tel: 01236 451162 |
| Dunkeld & Birnam Angling Club www.fishingnet.com |
Rivers Tay, & Braan Secretary: Martin Brooks Tel: 01350728864 |
| East Loch Tay Angling Club www.fishingnet.com |
Beats: Loch Tay (East & Central) Permits: Kenmore Post Office Ben Lawers Hotel Secretary: Robert Mcintyre |
| Edradynate & Upper Grandully | Permits: Yvonne Learmonth Tel: 0188720951 |
| Egremont & District Angling Association | Lower Eman & Ennerdale Lake Secretary: Neil Thompson Permits: Wath Brow Post Office Tel: 01946823778 Tel: 01946810377 |
| Jedforest Angling Association | River Teviot & Hass Loch Booking On Line: www.jedforest-angling.co.uk |
| Killin Angling Club | Loch Tay(West) Rivers Lochay & Dochart Permits: Killin Hotel Tel: 01567820296 Email: www.gerrymccarron@tiscali.co.uk |
| Kent Westmorland Angling Association | River Kent Tickets: Kendal Sports Shop Stramongate Kendal Tel: 01539721554 |
| Kirkby Stephen Angling Association | Rivers Eden, Belah, Scandale Beck Permits: Halls Newsagents Market Square Kirkby Stephen Tel: 01768371374 Secretary: John Garner Tel: 01768351552 |
| Keswick Angling Association | Rivers Derwent, Greta, & Derwentwater Youdales Newsagent Tel: 01768772259 Tourist Information Tel: 01768772645 Nichol End Marine Tel: 01768773082 Post Office Tel: 01768772269 High Hill Garage Tel: 01768772768 |
| Lower Leven Angling Association | Lower River & Tidale Section Contact: Ron Barker Tel: 01229432025 |
| Millom & District Angling Association | Rivers Duddon, Lickle, Esk, Irt & Annas Contact: Brian Crawford Tel: 01229777648 |
| Mid Nithsdale Angling Association | River Nith Tickets: Pets Larder 102 Drumlanrig Street Thornhill Tel: 01848 330555 Secretary: Brian Lord Tel: 01848330415 |
| Nidderdale Angling Club www.nidderdaleac.co.uk |
Scar House Reservoir, River Nidd Permits: Post Office, Pateley Bridge |
| Newtown Stewart Angling Association | River Cree Penkiln Burn Secretary: Mr W J Mcharg Tel: 01671401127 |
| Penrith Anglers | Rivers Eden, Eamon, Lowther. Tickets: Sykes Gunsmiths 4 Great Dockray Penrith The Punch Bowl Askham Pooley Bridge Post Office Langwathby Post Office Secretary: A Dixon Tel: 0176888294 |
| Pitlochry Ac | Rivers Tummel, Garry, Lochs Bhac, Kinardochy Information From R Harriman Tel: 01796472484 |
| Staveley Angling Association | River Kent At Stavely Permits: David Meek Tel: 01539821487 |
| Sedburgh & District Angling Association | Rivers Lune, Rawtmey & Tributaries Day Tickets: Three Peaks 25 Main Street Sedburgh La10 5te Tel: 01539620446 |
| Tebay & District Angling Club | River Lune Contact: H Riley White Cross House Tebay |
| The Esk & Liddle Fisheries www.fishscotland.co.uk |
2 Beats Esk 2 Beats Liddle Buccleuch Sportings Ltd Fisheries Office Tel: 01387381951 |
| Taymouth Angling Club | River Tay At Kenmore Information: The Secretary Taymouth Angling Club 2 The Square Kenmore Ph15 2hh |
| Upper Annandale Angling Association | River Annan Tickets: On Line At Www.Fishannan.Co.Uk Or Red House Hotel Wamphray Tel: 01683300592 |
| Ulverston Angling Association www.ulverstonangling.org |
Knottallon Tarn Tickets: Rods & Sods The Gill Ulverston |
| Windermere & District Angling Association | Ghyll Head Highnewton Simpson Ground Thirlmere Hayes Water Moss Eccles High Arnside River Brathay River Rothay Tickets: Newby Bridge Motors Waterhead Marine Ambleside Tourist Information Amleside Ings Filling Station Toner Bank Arms Sawrey Nr Hawkeshead Enquiries To: Neil Birknshaw Tel: 015395 35630 |
If you’re looking to go Salmon fishing in Scotland, then the following provides some useful information and dates for your diary.
Salmon migrate into different rivers at different times of year and each river has its own families of fish, which evolve to survive their unique environments.
Midsummer to autumn is the best time to fish for Salmon in Scotland, with the exception of the north and east coast rivers, which offer better fishing in the earlier months of the year. Some of the rivers may also be governed by legal agreements, which set out specific times of the year when you can and can’t fish.
In order to find the best times and locations for fishing, you should check catch records for recent years.
| River System | Opens | Closes |
| Alness | February 11th | October 31st |
| Annan | February 25th | November 15th |
| Awe | February 11th | October 15th |
| Ayr | February 11th | October 31st |
| Beauly | February 11th | October 15th |
| Berriedale | February 11th | October 31st |
| Bladnoch | February 11th | October 31st |
| Brora | February 1st | October 15th |
| Carron | February 11th | October 31st |
| Clyde | February 11th | October 31st |
| Conon | January 26th | September 30th |
| Cree | March 1st | October 14th |
| Dee (Aberdeenshire) | February 1st | September 30th |
| Dee (Kirkcudbright) | February 11th | October 31st |
| Deveron | February 11th | October 31st |
| Dionard | February 11th | October 31st |
| Don | February 11th | October 31st |
| Doon | February 11th | October 31st |
| Eachaig | February 16th | October 31st |
| Earn | February 1st | October 31st |
| Ewe | February 11th | October 31st |
| Findhorn | February 11th | October 6th |
| Fleet (Kirkcudbright) | February 25th | October 31st |
| Forss | February 11th | October 31st |
| Forth | February 1st | October 31st |
| Gruinard & Little Gruinard | February 11th | October 31st |
| Halladale) | January 12th | September 30th |
| Helmsdale | January 11th | September 30th |
| Inver | February 11th | October 31st |
| Irvine | February 25th | November 15th |
| Kirkaig | February 11thh | October 31st |
| Kyle of Sutherland | January 11th | September 30th |
| Laggan & Sorn (Islay) | February 25th | October 31st |
| Laxford | February 11th | October 31st |
| Leven (Dumbartonshire) | February 11th | October 31st |
| Lochy | February 11th | October 31st |
| Morar | February 11th | October 31st |
| Naver & Borgie | January 12th | September 30th |
| Ness | January 15th | October 15th |
| Nith | February 25th | November 30th |
| Shiel & Loch Shiel | February 11th | October 31st |
| Sligachan (Skye) | February 11th | October 31st |
| Snizort (Skye) | February 11th | October 31st |
| South Esk | February 16th | October 31st |
| Spey | February 11th | September 30th |
| Stinchar | February 25th | October 31st |
| Strathy | January 12th | September 30th |
| Tay | January 15th | October 15th |
| Thurso | January 11th | October 5th |
| Tweed | February 1st | November 30th |
| Ullapool | February 11th | October 31st |
| Wick | February 11th | October 31st |
| Ythan | February 11th | October 31st |
Fishing the big open waters of a reservoir is exciting as well as breath taking. Casting into such a big area makes one feel somewhat insignificant and this is true whether you are fishing from a boat or wading from the bank. But the rewards are high. The fish are in great condition and fight very hard. But there is also a downside. Adverse weather can make a day on a reservoir very tough. If you are off advancing years you may find a full day of casting into a gale force wind more than you can cope with. But there is an alternative - small waters!
Yes - they are often very artificial and can also be some what twee, but they can offer good sport.
Sometimes the small waters are somewhat overstocked and often you can cover every inch of the water, but you can lay down your own rules to make the fishing more difficult and also more stimulating. You might decide to fish only with a floating line, or with only small imitive pattern flies and no big lures. You might even limit yourself to just dry flies once you have got the first brace. You can even make a personnel rule not to stick in a known hot-spot and to move after every fish caught. If the water is clear you might decide to stalk fish, so giving yourself the opportunity to select particular fish or fish of a particular large size. All these ’self inflicted’ rules, are designed to spread your sport over a longer day rather than catching your limit within a few hours. You also get the added buzz of probable having fished in an altogether different way to the other rods fishing alongside you.
Small waters give the older or less fit angler’ the chance to fish. They are also great starting grounds for newcomers who are still learning to cast. You can also make good catches despite your lack of knowledge about fishing flies and fly life. Also you can often find a good still water fishery close to your home, without the need for a long drive. Do not dismiss small water just because they are ‘put and take’. Set your own rules to make it as difficult as you want - then enjoy the day, coupled with a good picnic, and have a good fish to take home.
Good fishing
Barrie Welham
Field Sports Ambassador
The Orvis Company