I still fish with Mike most weekends, but we rarely fish Kennick any more because the fishing has become so hard - we only went twice last year, and the reports we were hearing of how patchy and hard the fishing had become didn't encourage us to go back.

But today was the start of the new season, so we thought we'd give it a try. We got to the water at about 6am - there were a couple of other anglers there before us and over the next hour the place really filled up - there was hardy a spare place on the bank by 7:30.

So, what was the fishing like - in a word -dire! I spoke to a lot of anglers during the day, either when they walked past me, or when I walked back to the car at about 2:30 in the afternoon, and the story was the same - either nothing, or the odd fish, with one or two anglers getting 3 or 4 fish each. Mike and I fished hard all day for 2 or 3 tentative takes that we didn't hit, and we went home fishless, as did most of the other anglers we spoke to.

There were a lot of unhappy anglers at Kennick today, and its not what you expect from what is described as the jewel in the crown of Devon's trout fisheries. From what I saw, only one in three anglers even caught a fish, and whatever the problem is, it needs to be sorted out. I wont be back again in a hurry.

I like my fishing to be challenging, as an experienced coarse angler of some 40 years, I have no love for the overstocked carp puddles that are so popular now, and I like to have to work for my fish, but with over 3 years of fly fishing under my belt, I don't expect to go nearly 8 hours without even looking like catching a fish on a 'premier' trout water.

When I started this blog I was definitely a complete beginner. Looking back over the last couple of months during which I've caught my limit most times I've been out, I suppose now I would have to say that I've progressed beyond that, although I'm a long way from being an 'expert'.

Mostly competent would probably be a fair description of my current abilities, I've sorted out the casting now, maybe I'm still a little heavy handed, but distance is no longer an issue, and where I fish, the stocked rainbows and browns don't seem to mind the odd splash when I don't get the timing quite right.

I've mostly fished at Blakewell and Bratton fisheries, both near Barnstaple, and generally I've found that the fish at these waters have wanted a fairly big white fly most of the time - size 10 or 8, with plenty of dressing and a bead head to take the fly below the surface.

I've caught on both floating and intermediate lines with similar flies on the hook, sometimes just under the surface, and sometimes deep depending on where the majority of the fish are on the day.

The most successful patterns for me over the last couple of months have been the Cats Whisker, Nomad and Damsel, all weighted and all mostly white in colour.

Wily browns and naturalised rainbows on other waters may want more imitative patterns; small nymphs like the Diawl Bach, but where I fish, big, weighted and white seems to work best and these days I make sure I have plenty in my fly box.

I buy most of my flies from eBay and have found that most sellers supply good quality flies at very reasonable prices. Here are some links if you want to take a look:

Cats Whisker

Nomad

White Damsel

Glancing to my left where Mike was fishing I realised that I now have no difficulty reaching the same distance he does and except in really challenging wind conditions I don't even really think about the cast any more.

I started to think about when this changed, and thought I'd share my experiences in case you're still struggling to sort out your cast and get a reasonable distance.

When I first started fly fishing I took a casting lesson to learn the basics. From that I knew that timing was really important and that if I started the back cast or a subsequent forward cast too early or too late I'd get in a mess - I frequently did.

I also knew that if I dropped the rod too far I'd either lose the power of the forward cast or end up catching the grass behind me on the back cast, so I concentrated on keeping the rod fairly high on both, and tried to 'feel' for the pull of the line against the rod on the back cast so I'd know when to start the forward cast.

The problem was that however correctly I thought I was doing all this, I still didn't seem to get much distance. For a while I watched Mike casting, and realised that when he threw his last forward cast, extra line shot out of the rings and sometimes even pulled at the line on the reel. It was then that I realised there wasn't enough power in my casting I thought about how I could do something about that.

The first thing I realised was that Mike was 'hauling', just a technical term for putting some more acceleration into the back cast by pulling the fly line back towards yourself when you start the back cast. It can be tricky to get the timing right, but once I started to do that I began to feel the line pulling against the rod more, and that helped me to get my timing better. If you're not doing this now and relying on the rod to turn the line on its own,  try it, it makes a lot of difference and should help you to get some sense of what's happening when you cast.

The next thing I realised was that even when I thought I'd done everything right, I still wasn't feeling the line pulling that much and I started to think about how I would have solved a distance problem if I was coarse fishing. I used to do a lot of coarse fishing, and if I needed to cast further I just put on a heavier float or weight. Putting on a heavier fly would just make things worse because of wind resistance, but what about a heavier line?

As you know, fly rods are rated for the lines they can cast - if you've got a rod rated for a 6wt or 7wt line, you can't just put on an 8wt line as the rod can't handle it. You're probably already fishing with a weight forward line so you understand the principle that putting more of the weight at the front of the fly line should help you get more distance, but what if you can't get enough line out in the first place?

It occurred to me that if even more of the weight was at the front of the line, casting would be easier as the heavier the line at the from was, the more pull it would exert on the line behind it which would then be pulled out on the cast. This prompted me to do some research on fly line tapers, and I realised that no two weight forward lines are the same, some having much more of the weight at the front of the line than others.

I wont bore you with all of the technical aspects of this - there are lots of websites you can find in Google if you want to, but this one realisation made a huge difference to me and I'm now very fussy about the tapers of the lines I buy.

Something else that helped me was to buy a rod rated for an 8wt line - they're a bit beefier and stiffer than a 6/7wt so presentation is less delicate, but with an 8wt line with most of the weight concentrated nearer the tip, I could really feel the line pulling on the forward and back cast and this helped a lot when I was trying to get a reasonable technique.

Scott E2 Series 9ft 8wt Fly Fishing Rod    £300.00

Sage TCX Fly Rod Blank - 8WT 9 FT w/ Free Guide Set!    £256.01

New Superb Airflo Bluetooth XT 9ft 8wt - 9wt Saltwater fly rod    £59.99

Shakespeare Atlantis salt pike bass or tropical tarpon saltwater fly rod 9ft 8wt    £42.99

BLOWOUT AIRFLO TEC MT TEC PT Trout and Sea trout fly rod 9ft 10ft 6 7 8 9 wt    £42.50

If you're struggling with distance like I was, you may find that a different fly line with more of the weight concentrated nearer the tip would help you too. The lines I use are not the cheapest, but a fly line will last a long time so its worth spending a little more if its helps with the learning curve and gets more fish on the bank.

Of the lines I've tried, the Airflo 40+ and Rio Outbound are designed with a heavy weight forward tip and helped me a lot when I was trying to get everything to work. I also use a Wulff line designed for the US market where they cast heavy flies for freshwater Bass. These are called 'Bass Taper' lines and have a shorter heavier tip than standard weight forward lines. I haven't been able to find them for sale in the UK, but they're easy enough to buy direct from the US on eBay.

Here are some eBay links:

Airflo 40+
Rio Outbound
Wulff Bass Taper

NEW Rio OutBound XS Hover Integrated Shooting Head WF8    £60.00

Rio OutBound XS Floating Integrated Shooting Head WF7    £60.00

Rio OutBound XS Intermed Integrated Shooting Head WF8    £60.00

Rio OutBound XS Floating Integrated Shooting Head WF9    £60.00

NEW Rio OutBound XS Sink 6 Integrated Shooting Head WF8    £60.00

Rio OutBound XS Intermed Integrated Shooting Head WF9    £60.00

We arrived about 8am and had the pick of the swims apart from the popular point swim that was already occupied by the only other angler on the bank.

The weed of the summer months has all but gone, and the lake is carrying extra water following recent rain, which has added a lot of colour to the water.  I've learned from past experience that in these conditions a white fly works best, presumably because the fish can see it better in the murky water, so I started with a size 10 goldhead white and yellow Cats Whisker on a floating line with 3ft of 6lb fluorocarbon tippet attached to a 9ft floating leader.

I've been using fluorocarbon tippets exclusively for a while now and I do seem to get more takes. Apparently fluorocarbon is harder for the fish to see that mono and I'll take any advantage I can get!

By varying the amount of time I gave the fly to sink before starting the retrieve, I was able to fish at different depths, and after about half an hour I started to get takes on a steady retrieve with the fly fishing from just sub-surface to a couple of feet down. I missed a few pulls before I got the first one on the bank - a rainbow of about 2lbs.

After some trial and error, I found that a slow retrieve worked best and I had to look for the takes - these showed as a slight tightening of the leader and it was one of those days when you had to avoid striking until you got a definite pull, which was usually after the fish had followed the lure and 'had a go at it' 3 or 4 times before committing itself. On a few occasions I struck too soon, realising I should have waited almost before the strike, but after a couple of hours or so I had 4 of my 6 fish on the bank, and a very ragged Cats Whisker on the hook!

Time to change the fly as there wasn't much left of it, so this time I tied on a white goldhead nomad for a change and soon had another rainbow in the net. the best of the day at about 3lb. I finished by bag of 6 fish with another 2lb+ fish about half an hour later for a total of just over 13lbs in about 3 hours of fishing.

Mike took a little longer to get his 6, and included a fish of 4lb plus in his bag on a day that saw everyone catching fish, including a nice rainbow of about 9lb to the angler on the point.

I'm told that there are a lot of Browns in the lake now - legally catchable all year following the recent change in byelaws, but I didn't catch any or see any caught on the day. Maybe next time.

If you live in the area Blakewell is definitely worth a visit at the moment - the fish are in good condition with a good average size and some monsters among them. The fishing is challenging enough without being too hard, and although the locals definitely have their favourite swims, its possible to catch all round the lake so even on busy days you can get among the fish.

Here are some eBay links:

Cats Whisker Flies
Nomad Flies
Fluorocarbon tippet material

Hollies is the nearest trout fishery to where I live, but I've only been fishing there for a couple of months or so. Not sure why, I've know about it for some time, but for some reason didn't get round to fishing it until quite recently.

Of all the waters I fish, Hollies is the smallest. It could take, at most, 7 or 8 anglers, but I've been three times in the past couple of months, and never seen more than 5 anglers there at a time, so its relatively small size isn't a problem.

If you've been following this blog since the beginning, you'll know that I'm still a relatively inexperienced fly angler, so although I've become quite competent at casting and distance isn't really a problem for me these days, I can still remember when it was, and I know that Hollies would probably have been a better place for me to start, as distance casting isn't necessary.

Unlike most fly fisheries, at least in my part of the world, Hollies allows catch and release as well as a range of affordable catch and kill tickets. I'm quite used to returning fish as I've been a coarse angler for many years, so having that option is quite attractive, especially as it means you can have a day's fishing for a lot less money. You can fish entirely catch and release for £20 a day, or you can add catch and release to a catch and kill ticket for an extra £4. The ticket I go for is for two fish at £17 plus £5 for catch and release which is really good value if, like me, you don't want to eat trout every day for a week!

The fish in Hollies are good conditioned rainbows, averaging around 2.5 lbs, with bigger fish in the 5lb to 6lb bracket not uncommon and the lake does hold fish to double figures. There are brown too, I'm told, and the odd smaller fish of up to a pound does come out from time to time.

I've generally found that weighted flies work best, fished from just below the surface to quite deep, and the best patterns for me in the last few weeks have been Gold Head Cats Whiskers and small white Wooly buggers. I've also had a couple of fish on dark Klinkhammers when the fish have been taking off the top.

On my latest visit this weekend I caught my two fish limit and returned a further three fish. I also missed a few takes, and had a couple come off, so although Hollies isn't an easy water and you have to work for your fish, its not too hard either.

Like most trout fisheries, Hollies fishes best early and late, but you can take fish all through the day if you try a variety of flies and retrieves. I've found if it goes quiet and fish aren't showing, a slow pull near the bottom using and intermediate line will get you a few bites. When the fish are more interested, you can take the odd one off the top with a small dry even quite late in the season.

In all, Hollies is a nice fishery and well worth a visit. Tickets are self-service from a table outside the owner's house so you can just turn up, help yourself to a ticket and start fishing. You'll probably be met by the owner when you arrive though as he seems to be working on some part of the fishery or other most of the time and is happy to stop for a chat about conditions and prospects.

You can find out more about Hollies Trout Farm and Fishery and how to get there at holliestroutfarm.co.uk.

Flies on eBay:

Cats Whisker
Wooly Bugger
Klinkhammer

Mike, the owner, has been busy keeping the lake free of weed, and apart from one large patch between the island and the Club House, the lake was weed free. The water was very clear and we could see lots of Rainbows and some of the large Browns swimming around in groups.

There was a lot of fly life on the water, and the fish were taking off the top, so I started with a size 16 Dark Olive that the fish seemed to like. The fish at Bratton pull hard and punish you if you only have a light hook hold, and that was the case today with three of the first four fish hooked getting off.

Thinking that the hook was a little on the small side, I switched to a size 12 black Klinkhammer and managed to land one out of two hooked before things got quieter and the wind got up, gusting quite hard at times. I usually fish with a 9ft 6in 6/7wt Greys GRXI, but having seen the threat of strong winds on the Met Office website, I'd also taken along my 9ft 6in 7/8 Weight Greys G Series and switched to that as I find it helps my casting in a side wind.

With two fish in the bag by 11am, the fishing got harder as they day went on. What little cloud there had been cleared away, and we were fishing in bright sun which made the fish less willing to take off the top, so I tied a Bloodworm Buzzer on a short dropper 'new zealand style' to the bend of the Klinkhammer and managed one on that, losing a couple more, and ended the day with 3 Rainbows for just under 6lbs. I could easily have had my limit twice over if I'd hooked every take, and landed every fish I hooked.

The average size of the trout at Bratton may be less than other waters nearby, but they make up for that by being in fantastic condition, and fighting well above their weight. These are not fat stockies, they're trout in prime condition. If you're in the area on holiday this year, I'd definitely recommend you add Bratton Water as one of the places you should try.

Vision Nite Rod 9ft6in #7/8 with Free Greys GX500 Reel and Platinum Fly Line    £199.99

GREYS ORACLE FLY ROD 9'6 ft 7/8 W FLY ROD RRP£199    £119.99

Hopefully some like this will oblige!

Off to Bratton Water again tomorrow. After some initial success when I first fished Bratton a few months ago, I haven't been doing so well lately.

I know the fish are in there, Mike, my fishing buddy, has caught his limit each time we've been recently while I've struggled. I know Mike has been a couple of times mid-week recently too when I've been at work. He's done well on those days too so I've been interrogating him about how he's been fishing.

Turns out most of the time he's been fishing with a smallish buoyant floating fly like a Klinkhammer or small Hopper with a small Buzzer as a dropper attached 'new zealand style'. Most of the time the fish take the Buzzer, but sometimes they take the Klinkhammer or Hopper.

He's been fishing quite light too, with about 4ft of 4lb tippet on the end of a 9ft leader because the water is very clear at the moment and the fish are easily spooked.

Not sure how we'll get on tomorrow, weather might be against us a bit. Forecast from mid-morning is very sunny, and the winds are going to be high too which will make casting tricky. At least the wind should put some waves on the water to counteract the effects of the bright sun.

I'm looking forward to getting on the water again whatever happens, and Bratton is such a nice well run fishery with really well conditioned fish that it should be a pleasant day out whatever the fish decide to do.

More later...

Der Besitz Als Gegenstand Des Bereicherungsanspruchs: Diss. Klinkhammer, Frank;    £40.14

Looked great when we arrived at 8am - lots of fly life on the water and the odd splashy rise, but as the day went on it got hotter and brighter and the Trout weren't having any of it!

Mike did manage a couple, the tactic was to put the fly down deep as close as possible to the shadows cast by the trees on the far bank and vary the retrieve to try to force a take. I'm sure the two fish he did catch were just so annoyed by the fly being constantly pulled past them that they decided to kill it with no intention of eating it.

Some of the locals had one or two in the morning, but for much of the day were were the only two fishing the bottom four of the lakes that run down the valley. There may have been anglers on the two lakes we couldn't see from where we were fishing, but I suspect those in the know were waiting until the evening when I expect the trout would have been much more obliging.

Unfortunately we had to leave mid-afternoon due to other committments, so I don't know if we missed out on the best of the fishing, but from conversations with other anglers, the lakes had come alive once the sun started to dip on the previous day so it seems likely.

Oh well, that's fishing, and Bellbrook is such a good well run fishery that I know I'll be back, hopefully when conditions are more suitable.

As usual, here are some eBay links.

Fishing Flies
Fly Fishing
Fly Line
Fly Reels
Fly Rods

Knot for attaching backing to your fly reel

Arbor Knot

Knots for joining lengths of line

Albright Knot

Blood Knot

Surgeon's Knot

FLY FISHING Hi-end Trout 6wt COMBO rod reel line leader    £303.60

FLY FISHING Hi-end Trout 5wt COMBO rod reel line leader    £303.60

Knot for making loops

Perfection Loop

Knots for attaching a fly to your leader

Turtle Knot

Improved Clinch Knot

Non-slip Mono Knot

Hope you found this post useful. As usual, here are some eBay links.

Fishing Flies
Fly Fishing
Fly Line
Fly Reels
Fly Rods

Written by Henry Holderness, 'Fly Fishing From Scratch' is a comprehensive beginners guide to fly fishing that has received favourable reviews from anglers both in the UK, and as far afield as countries such as New Zealand, the USA and South Africa.

You can read more about 'Fly Fishing From Scratch' including some glowing testimonials from other fly anglers on Henry's website, but here are some thoughts of my own after buying and reviewing the book and videos.

Henry Holderness obviously has a lot of knowledge acquired over 20 years as an angler, and he passes on his knowledge in a clear easy to understand way.  There are plenty of diagrams to accompany the text, so its easy to put the lessons into practice which could be difficult from just the words alone.

Just about everything you need to know is covered in an easy to read fashion, from the basics like setting up your gear, tying knots and how to cast consistently, to the techniques to use in different conditions, and ways to spot and stalk trout.

The topics covered in the book are supplemented by videos that put everything into perspective and will have you itching to get out your gear and head for the water to try out the new techniques you've learned.

If you've been following my admittedly sporadic posts on this blog, you'll know that I've been fly fishing for about 3 years now, and it all makes a lot more sense than it did when I started, but I still have those days when I get home scratching my head and wondering why the trout eluded me (again!). Now, instead of puzzling over it, I open up 'Fly Fishing From Scratch' to find answers that I can apply the next time I'm at the waterside.

Here's a quote from one of the testimonials on the website:

Hi Henry,

As somebody who is very new to the sport, it's been very encouraging to find a book that answers the beginner's questions both in a simplistic and practical way, with particular focus on the varied casting techniques, difference in fly types, variation in fishing line and the terrain in which fish may present themselves, all in all giving the beginner the confidence to go out there and experience first hand that 'tight line' sensation for themselves......

Thanks

Louis, Ireland

This guide wont make you an expert fly angler overnight, that takes dedication and practice, but if you want the next best thing to having an expert coach at your side when you fish, at only $19 (about £12) you could do a lot worse than get 'Fly Fishing From Scratch'. Its even better value at the moment because Henry is including unlimited free email consultations with each order!

If you'd like to give your fly fishing a boost, take a look at the Fly Fishing From Scratch Website.