The majority of our trout fishing is done with Maxcatch 9ft 5wt rods with floating line. This covers most conditions. However for more accomplished casters we go down to 2wt rods for delicate dry fly fishing. We use Maxcatch lightweight disc drag reels, which is useful for controlling drag pressure when using ultra light tippets in tricky conditions.
Rods & Reels
Clothing & Accessories
Hat and glasses at all times!! This is a safety precaution as there will be line and flies whizzing through the air. Glasses can be shaded or non-shaded, and usually polarized to see through the surface glare on the water. For clothing, we tend to experience at least 3 of the 4 seasons throughout a day of fly fishing. Layering is important to deal with this, so wear high wicking thermal layers, and a light waterproof jacket will also stop any windchill. We are able to provide lightweight breathable waders for most sizes, but if you have some, it might be worth bringing them along, but make sure they have been cleaned to prevent transfer of any diseases or invasive species between water bodies. Under your waders, thermal and wicking layers are again preferred, the water can be cold most of the year. You will sweat in the waders a little, and jeans absorb this and you will get cold quickly.
End Tackle
We could talk for hours about flies, so I will keep it brief. We love dry fly fishing, so many of our flies are caddis, midge and mayfly emerger patterns. Our favourites include the Parachute Adams, Klinkhammers, and Deer Hair Emergers. If the fish aren't rising, we use a range of nymphs both weighted and non-weighted Hare's Ear and Pheasant Tail Nymphs. To target larger fish we use Woolly Buggers and small streamer flies. These are tied onto tapered leaders and a 4x-7x tippet depending on conditions.
The Gear Shed
The gear we use. We will provide all necessary equipment, but it also serves as a guide if you want to bring your own equipment.
Also take note of the Clothing sections to be prepared for your trip.
Freshwater Trout Fishing
Freshwater Pike Fishing
Rods & Reels
Heavy flies mean heavy rods. We use 8-10wt rods with usually floating lines with very aggressive tapers. We also have large arbor lightweight reels with a disc drag to control long powerful runs. We also throw lures for pike if conditions don't allow for fly fishing, so we have a range of spinning rods between 40 and 140 g casting weights, and reels loaded with 40 lb braid.
Clothing & Accessories
Hat and glasses at all times!! This is a safety precaution as there will be line and flies whizzing through the air. Glasses can be shaded or non-shaded, and usually polarized to see through the surface glare on the water. Clothing is much the same as trout fishing above. Pike fishing later in the year does lead to slightly colder conditions, so make sure you remember some extra layers. Extra accessories we bring along include the must-have of long strong forceps for removing hooks without getting too close to those teeth.
End Tackle
Flies tend to be between 3 and 6 inches long, imitating freshwater eels and baitfish. When the conditions are right, using frog imitation poppers provides great fun, although the aim of a pike is pretty awful. It is great fun to see them explode at the surface under your rod tip though! A wire leader is essential for protecting against the many rows of razor sharp teeth, and this is connected to a 1x or 2x tapered leader.
We are very proud to be supplied by Perfect A'Lure, who make custom soft plastics and hard plastic lures for us for the lure fishing.
Saltwater Fly Fishing
Rods & Reels
Pollack is our main saltwater fly quarry. They are usually found on deep reefs, so ultra fast sinking lines with weighted flies is the main tactic. We use Maxcatch saltwater 7-10wt rods depending on conditions and the size of fish we expect to encounter. Large lightweight reels with powerful disc drags are important, these fish grab the lure and head for the reef, so the run needs to be stopped. Expect a very hard fight.
Clothing & Accessories
Hat and glasses at all times!! This is a safety precaution as there will be line and flies whizzing through the air. Glasses can be shaded or non-shaded, and usually polarized to see through the surface glare on the water. We do not tend to wade for sea fishing, as the ground we fish is usually deep close in to the rocks. However, if you have studded waders or wading boots, it is worth taking these along, even if you do not intend to be wading. The rocks can be very slippy, especially if it has rained recently, or fishing below the high tide line. Fishing locations often include a walk, so layering a spare layer to put on to keep warm after a walk is useful. Waterproof trousers and jacket stop the windchill, and provide protection against our unpredictable elements.
End Tackle
We use a range of streamer and baitfish flies both weighted and non-weighted depending on conditions. A favourite in crystal clear water is too use slowly twitched shrimp flies, watching wrasse and pollack come up to investigate and then hearing your reel scream as they dive down to the bottom is the pinnacle of our saltwater fly fishing. we use heavy tapered leaders with 15 or 20lb fluorocarbon tippets to provide the abrasion resistance to rocks and teeth.
Saltwater Lure Fishing
Rods & Reels
Pollack again is our main target in the sea on lures. We use a range of spinning rods and reels between 40-80 g casting weights, usually 9 ft, with strong reels fixed spool reels loaded with 30lb braid.
Clothing & Accessories
Hat and glasses at all times!! This is a safety precaution as there will be line and lures whizzing through the air. Glasses can be shaded or non-shaded, and usually polarized to see through the surface glare on the water. We do not tend to wade for sea fishing, as the ground we fish is usually deep close in to the rocks. However, if you have studded waders or wading boots, it is worth taking these along, even if you do not intend to be wading. The rocks can be very slippy, especially if it has rained recently, or fishing below the high tide line. Fishing locations often include a walk, so layering a spare layer to put on to keep warm after a walk is useful. Waterproof trousers and jacket stop the windchill, and provide protection against our unpredictable elements.
End Tackle
We are very proud to be supplied by Perfect A'Lure, who make custom soft plastics and hard plastic lures for us for the lure fishing. These tend to be sandeel imitation patterns that cast like bullets, with a brilliant flailing tail. We use them in a range of weights depending on the depth we are fishing. We also use a range of fast and slow pitch jigs for when we need big distances or depths.
Saltwater Bait Fishing
Rods & Reels
There are many species to target with bait (and small lures). These range from 2 inch long gobies to 200 lb skate. If we are bait fishing we usually target the Spurdog, a medium sized predatory shark. For these we use beachcasting gear of between 4 and 8 oz casting weights and 12-14 ft, with a range of powerful fixed spool and multiplier reels with between 18 and 80 lb braid or monofilament line. For species hunting we often use a range of spinning rods of 5- 80 g casting weight depending on the target species.
Clothing & Accessories
Bait fishing can be a lot more sedentary, especially if fishing is slow (although there is always something small to keep occupied by catching). Extra clothing is therefore essential, with plenty spare layers. If the weather forecast isn't looking great, we will take along large umbrellas or a shelter for comfort. Unhooking pliers and disgorgers are an essential piece of kit. Days can be long when bait fishing, but as we are not moving spots, we tend to take a small stove for coffees, and plenty of snacks!
End Tackle
We use a range of beachcasting rigs, with a wire bite trace essential for targetting conger eels and spurdogs. Hooks are strong saltwater patterns between size 20 and 10/0. For Spurdogs we usually use 4/0 circle hooks to prevent deep hooking, on a pulley rig of 80 lb rig body. The water we fish is quite tidal, so we use 6-8 oz leads to hold bottom. Bait depends on the species, with oily fish better for sharks and rays, and worms for species like wrasse and flounder.