Hi,

I thought posting a few photographs would be as good a way as any to introduce myself. I must apologise for the quality of some of the photographs, they're taken on my phone.

As a long-time coarse and occasional beach angler, it seemed time to add another string to my bow. I bought a 9'6 #6/7 outfit a couple of years ago, but had only really used it for catching chub and dace (and a solitary grayling). This year, I thought I would sort out some trout. I've added an 8' #3/4, mostly for rivers.

So far, so good. I had an hour with the instructor at Bushyleaze to try to knock the rough edges off my casting - videos, photographs and understanding the theory are no substitute for someone telling you exactly what you're doing wrong, and it's surprising how much difference a little tweak can make.

I caught my two rainbows at Bushyleaze without too much difficulty. I enjoyed it, and may go there again, but it wasn't quite what I was looking for. I remembered that a local club has some water where I've caught wild brown trout in the past while coarse fishing, so I've had a couple of sessions on there:









All on small dry flies, all returned, and much more the kind of thing I had in mind!

I also had a day on Farmoor I with a friend - I'm not sure which of these fish are his and which are mine! We ended up with four fish each, all returned without leaving the water.











At a loose end yesterday afternoon, I gave Watermark a try - it's only 15 minutes drive from here and they do a £20 evening ticket. I was a bit concerned that it might be stuffed with frankenfish (I've seen a few photographs of ugly beasts) but the two I caught at least had all of their finnage intact:



I think I enjoyed Farmoor best of the stillwaters, but the little wild brownies from the river are definitely the direction I'm most interested in.

Nice pictures, Steve! Well done and Thanks for sharing them.

nice wild browns mate, i know exactly what you mean about catching them, just magical

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"I can resist everything except temptation"
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Nice pics Steve, and welcome to the forum.

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Thanks chaps!

Nice photo's Steve

Welcome to the forum,are you a "Swede Basher" born and bred - or do you just live there?

I see you're using an Okuma SLV, what do you think of it?

Thanks, FOG. I'm Lancastrian by birth, but have lived in Wiltshire for the last ten years or so. I suppose you could call me an economic migrant... This area has the best coarse fishing of anywhere that I've lived, but I perhaps missed a trick not taking up fly fishing earlier; I've lived in mid-Wales and Cumbria in the past.

The Okuma is very nice. I bought it on a recommendation from a friend, to go with the lighter outfit. It feels well engineered, I'll have to see if it lasts. I've got one of their centrepin reels for trotting, and that has proven to be a good quality bit of kit.

Hi Steve,
Nice to have another gentleman of the angle, to the forum.

Nice photos, especially the one of the the small brownie! - River fly fishing; it's the way to go!!

Regards

Mostyn

I had another go for the brownies last night - fun, but frustrating, and I blanked. The only fly I could get a rise on was a black gnat, and of the two I had with me I dropped one in the long grass while tying it on and had the other eaten by a tree after losing two fish on it. I couldn't get a rise on anything else in my box, having only black flies that weren't gnat-ish and gnat-ish flies that weren't black.

Still good fun, though, and the two fish I lost deserved to win - one ran downstream and past me faster than I could strip line and then made full use of the current to throw the hook, the other did some remarkable acrobatics to the same effect.

Welcome Steve, I will second all that's been said, the second photo of the little golden brownie is a belter.
You need to be quick, but you might just get time to enter it in the April picture of the month comp.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.