By Any Means Necessary (I will catch fish!)

We’ve been in the grips of a low pressure storm here, which has dumped tons of hail, rain and some pretty nasty winds on us for about 10 days, but last weekend we were blessed with a couple of pristine winter days. The wind direction was good, the tides were perfect, this was not a weekend to stay inside! So me and my fishing buddy David headed out for two days of rock fishing. Finding potential fish holding spots takes commitment. I’ve been spending weeks watching weather patterns, tidal trends and walking the shoreline at low tide looking for the rough ground these coastal fish love so much.

 

Winter fishing at its most beautiful.

Saturday saw me showing my stubborn side and persisting with the fly rod, desperate for that first saltwater fish on the fly, and David on the spinning gear. For easy access we went to a known spot and scoured the coastline all day. We had one fish to show for it, a decent Pollack on David’s spinning gear in the evening low light. It was a tough day, but sometimes it doesn’t work out.

Sunday was to be a different story. You all know how much I love my fly fishing, but I was desperate to knock into some fish, and to be honest, the lure fishing game is brilliant anyway! So to explain the title of this post, By Any Means Necessary, if you really love our sport then you should be putting prejudices aside and catching fish wherever you can on whatever gear you can. With this in mind I left the fly rod at home and grabbed the spinning rod.

 

David's fish from the second day, a
nice schoolie sized Pollack.

We must have been feeling somewhat adventurous on Sunday. Heading slightly further afield with an hours hike in to another known rock mark, the day was looking prosperous. With some choppy waves and a good strong tide running in I was sure we would locate some Bass. Despite the initial excitement of site fishing for Wrasse, exhibiting some strange surface feeding behavior, the rock mark didn’t produce for us. With the sun going down and wind picking up we moved locations to find less wind, more sun and more fish. Heading along the coast path we came across a rough track, leading towards the waterline again. After a pretty nasty climb (note to self, bring rope next time) we hit one of the best looking rock marks I’ve found since I’ve started fishing here. Rough ground and deep water, the perfect combination. Working the soft plastic lures tight to the bottom requires patience and self control. The Pollack are hard on the deck in the day and come up to feed as the light fades, and the Wrasse are tucked up in the rocks and kelp. A slow and jigging retrieve proved most productive. As the tide started to run in we both knocked into some fantastic fish and had a great session.

 

For two days we fished hard.
Chucking lures, climbing and hiking.

The cream of the crop, a 20.5 inch Pollack from the shore in January.
 On a 7ft 9-27grm spinning rod this thing put some heat on when it
was hooked! 

For the middle of January we managed to pull out some stunning fish, including my specimen Pollack of 20 ½ inches which tipped the scales at just over 3lbs, plus a much smaller Pollack which was left to swim another day and a hostile Wrasse which bit my lure in half! Dave took two nice fish over the two day session. It's safe to say this helped me shift my cabin fever and I suggest that you go and do the same, because when the fly isn’t producing, there is no shame in breaking out the lures or bait. If it catches you some fish then why not. This was a real 'red letter day' for me, and I will not forget it in a long time! Get out there and nail some fish By Any Means Necessary!

The Bear Grylls Ultimate Multi Tool - Review

Although he’s not big in the angling world, Bear Grylls is a bit of a legend to say the least. Outdoors and survival skills aren’t everyone’s bag, but it’s important to be prepared. To relate this to our fishing, what if you’re on a hike in to a distant lake or stream and something goes wrong? Or get caught out whilst chasing Bass off of a remote rock mark? You need some good quality outdoors gear to help you get through these scenarios. I’m a sucker for ‘boys toys’ and love anything like this, so here we go, my first gear review!

On first impressions the Bear Grylls Ultimate Multi Tool looks quality. The colours, the metal work, and the stylish engraving all add to a great looking piece of kit. It is supplied with a military grade ballistic nylon sheath and a Priorities of Survival pocket guide written by Mr Grylls himself.

The pocket guide is fun, interesting
potentially life saving. 

The military grade, ballistic nylon
sheath is tough and adaptable.

The sheath can be attached in a multitude
of ways.

The multi tool is comprised of 12 tools, all intricately tucked away inside the two-part construction:

-        Spring loaded pliers with wire cutters at the back of the jaws.

-        Scissors.

-        Fine edge knife.

-        Serrated knife.

-        Saw blade.

-        Phillips screwdriver.

-        Small flat head screwdriver.

-        Large flat head screwdriver.

-        Bottle opener.

-        Can opener.

-        Lanyard ring.

All made with weather resistant parts and materials, which to me, says keep out of saltwater! However if you wash and oil your multi tool regularly (as you should anyway) and immediately wash it after use in salt water then it should be fine.

The components also have a locking mechanism, which not only makes the tools safer but also easier to use.

The handles are ergonomically shaped, making the product look and feel good in the hand. As multi tools go, in my experience, it’s quite a heavy tool. However I like this, as it really feels as if you’re holding a sturdy piece of kit, which in reality... You are! To go with the brushed finish on the metal work, the handles feature a rubber grip boasting the Bear Grylls logo, all in a grey and orange colour scheme.

Now lets talk money, it’s a cracking tool, so I’d expect it to come in at the higher end of prices. However, even on the Bear Grylls official site it comes in at a comfortable £64.99, and other sights have them up as a lot cheaper. When compared to other products which can vary from £20 to over £100 dependent on quality, I recon this tool is priced very generously.

In conclusion, my favourite features of this brilliant multi tool are:

-        Spring loading on the pliers.

-        Subtle, yet smart colour scheme and design.

-        Ballistic military grade nylon sheath with a Priorities of Survival guide tucked inside.

Heres a few words from the man himself: 

Get yours here:
http://www.beargrylls-store.co.uk/tools-c6/gerber-bear-grylls-ultimate-multi-tool-p22

Hope you enjoyed my first gear review. I'm hoping to do some more in the future, and when the weather finally turns (i'm in the grips of a big storm at the moment) i'll be out on the fish again!

Fly Tying - A Review of Materials

I’m certainly feeling the winter blues, I know I go on about fishing in the winter a lot… But recently I’ve been really longing for those hot summer evenings, stalking wild brownies on light gear and delicate dry flies.  Anyway, lets not dwell on that stuff as its January, cold and the trout are having a well deserved rest. I’ve been working really hard on tying this winter, it's something I want to get really good at and if there are any written rules in fishing, practice makes perfect is definitely one of them. 

I’ve mainly been tying saltwater patterns to use when I’m back at uni. Clousers and baitfish have been the main focus, along with some experimental flies which should’ve never made it to the vise! As I’ve said before, tying is a learning game. Don’t go and buy a load of random materials that look useful, treat it like cooking from a recipe book – you wouldn’t randomly buy a load of ingredients then try and make a specific recipe would you? So I’ve learnt my way around a few materials over the last few weeks and decided to share some of my favorites and try and provide a little guidance.

First up – Hooks. Very important, as at the end of the day, if there’s no hooks there no fish on the line. There are loads of hooks out there - different sizes, gauges and shapes. Keep it simple, you’ll learn your own preferences as you go. The pinnacle of saltwater hooks for fly tying are Gamakatsu’s – Not cheap or easy to get hold of, but they really are the top dogs in the saltwater fly fishing world.

Gamakatsu's. Not the cheapest, but
definitely worth it!

When you’re tying flies you want them to last, right? Make sure you use some decent thread. Jeez, I used to use my mums old sewing threads when I first started! UTC is my favorite at the moment, and the 140 size is great for saltwater and streamer patterns, with the finer 70 models doing well on smaller dries and similar things.

Body materials are a difficult one. Its important to use the right stuff, especially when you’re tying something like a saltwater baitfish pattern. Some move better, some last longer, some are just really expensive! It took me ages to find a few that I like working with, but here they are. Starting with Super Hair, which I found in the Orvis store, it’s kind of like EP fibres which come from the states (which I’m yet to use, but are on my hit list) and ties nicely.

Super hair, an interesting body
material.

DNA fibres are next, and they are incredible! I recently ordered some Frosty Fish Fibre and also a packet of their Holo Fusion. It behaves well when tying, and moves in the water in such an irresistible manor, its my favorite for baitfish and clousers. The Frosty Fish Fibre is smooth and flowy, whereas the Holo Fusion has a lot more flash in it and reminds me of a mix of Crystal Flash mixed with the Frosty Fish Fibres. Theres loads of YouTube tutorials on how to use this stuff, so until I make my own videos, go and check them out.

DNA body materials.. Just brilliant!

Eyes. Very important to all patterns, they are the icing on the cake for me when tying baitfish, the pattern goes from a fly to a real fish on the vice! I recently bought some stick on eyes (always Bug-Bond over them, even though they’re self adhesive) from Orvis again – I had a few vouchers from Father Christmas! Size is important, eyes that are too big or too small will spoil a pattern. So knowing what body materials I had, I went for some chartreuse and red eyes and also some black and red, they look fantastic! Take a look bellow.

Red and chart (left) and red and black (right).

Dumbbell eyes are also important, especially in saltwater patterns. They add weight to a fly and help it get down in currents and tides, they add movement as well by causing the fly to dip and dive, finally they determine they flies position dependent on when where they are tied (top or underside of the shank). Funky Fly Tying do some cool dumbbells and I’ve been impressed by some of the Orvis ones.

Funky Fly Tying Dumbbells and Orvis Dumbbells (rear).

The best thing about fly tying is developing your own patterns. The baitfish is a standard pattern but I’ve added my own colours and features. The Clouser is also a classic, but I’ve added my own features to these ones. Start by imitating others designs and patterns then move to slowly going independent as you apply your skills and inspirations! Its great fun, see how you get on!

The Magic Mackerel (blue) and the Half-life Mackerel (chart)
Two of my own patterns. 

Stocking the box with Clousers. Super Hair in the
foreground and DNA at the back for a closer view.

The Half-life Mackerel.

The Magic Mackerel.

Two DNA Clousers in white, pearl and olive.

Some of my home tied patterns.

Tight lines, and threads!