The Captain has crabs

Harvard fly fishing films

Whatever makes you happy

Lying and Tying

Chicken hell

Fly tyer Harrison Steeves

Master of tying with foam

Catskill great Dave Brandt

Found in our mailbox

Financial services for rough fishers?

Orvis Podcast: Rosenbauer on Getting Small

Orvis has just released a new Podcast and this time acclaimed angler Tom Rosenbauer, expands on his winter fly fishing theme with some excellent information about fishing with midges. He gives some great tips and at the same time challenges us to put aside our excuses and catch more fish on these tiny flies. He also reveals why many anglers are addicted to small flies.

Listen to Orvis' latest offering via their website.

The Fly Fishing Show hits Charlotte this Weekend

This is your reminder that The Fly Fishing Show will be rolling into our home town this Friday at 10 AM. The show will be at the Charlotte Merchandise Mart and will run through Saturday evening. This year's show is looking to be a good one with the pre-show chatter indicating more bargains than ever on gear and trips. The FlyfishMagazine.com crew will be on site for both days (as well as attending the many after parties) so be sure to look for us if you plan to attend.

FlyfishMagazine.com contributor, Capt. Paul Rose, will be giving seminars both Friday and Saturday about tips for catching Carp on the fly. Captain Gordon Churchill, our very own Redfish guru, will be on site Saturday and will be signing autographs and accepting adoration from the fly fishing masses. As for me, I will be wandering around, conducting interviews with pretty much anyone who will take the time to talk to me, as well as bestowing prizes from the corporate swag vault to the show attendees that we feel best exemplify the age old practice of wearing fishing gear to a fishing show. If you dare show up wearing your waders and vest you just might get a prize (albeit a small one).

Lanka Fishing Flies Ltd

What Sri Lankan company provides 90 percent of the fishing flies sold in the United States? Ever hear of Lanka Fishing Flies Ltd? Perhaps you know them under the brand they export to the United States under, Umpqua. The National Newspaper of Sri Lanka has an interesting profile of the company which also is the sole North American distributor for Tiemco hooks.

“Fly-fishing,” is a popular sport in the United States and we supply 90 per cent of artificial fishing flies to the USA market,” its Managing Director Suresh de Mel told Daily News Business.

Apparently all those flies we leave hanging in the trees make for big business:

De Mel said he has three factories with a workforce of 300 employees and exports more than half a million fishing flies to the USA. Therefore, the company’s annual revenue is US $ one million per year.

Doesn't that work out to $2 a fly wholesale? Hmmmmm....

Carolina Saltwater Fish Catch Improves

The Charlotte Observer is reporting that a decline in commercial fishing has led to better catch rates for recreational anglers.

For recreational anglers, however, 2007 was a productive year. They averaged 4.997 fish per trip, based on surveys by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. That's the best year since 1994, when they averaged 5.155 fish. The average results from dividing the number of trips into fish caught (those kept plus those released).

The real winner is the sporting angler who targets the not so elusive "Bluegill of the Sea" otherwise known as Spot.

The 2007 fish-per-trip average was skewed upward by catches of spot, the bluegills of the ocean. Doug Mumford, who manages recreational fishing surveys for the division, said spot accounted for 16percent of total fish. Nonetheless, he said, “we're seeing improved catches on a lot of species.” The harvest of spot hit more than 5million fish during three of the past four years, highest in 13 years.

Everything I know about selling I learned from fly fishing

Mark Stevens of Entrepreneur.com about sales lessons learned from his fly fishing father.

Be yourself. Even if you smell like fish

I couldn't imagine how we could visit the CEO of a company in fishy clothes, but I had no choice but to trust my father. And sure enough, when we arrived at the client, a Patrician organization with early American antiques and grandfather clocks ticking away, I thought for sure the man in charge would be appalled by our attire.

Instead, he wrapped his arms around my dad and hugged him, shook my hand vigorously and invited us into his office as if we were royalty.

NC Magazine Cuts Staff

Even North Carolina Magazines are feeling the effects of the slow economic times. The Raleigh News and Observer reports that North Carolina Sportsman Magazine is cutting back.

"It's the turn in the economy," said Ty Conti, publisher of the magazine. "The magazine is selling less advertising, just like any other publication. We're just reducing our force right now."

"Boat dealers, which are our staple, if they're not selling boats, they're not buying ads," Conti said.

Check out the current issue North Carolina Sportsman here.

First casts

This little icy creek is located across the street from my Grandparents home in Spruce Pine, NC. My Grandfather passed away this week after a long illness. He was a great man and many of my memories of him include fishing, including the time he took us to the pay per pound trout pond and me and my cousin cost him at least a c-note in about an hour of fishing. I am sure he winced with every splashing fish, but to his credit we only saw him smiling from ear to ear.

The little creek is the first place I ever wielded a fly rod when I was a kid. My Great Grandfather handed me a fly rod with a stonefly nymph on the end of it and told me to get out of the house and go fish. I promptly lost the fly to the trees and, because I didn't want to tell him about losing it, pretended to fish the rest of the afternoon.

I couldn't help taking a peek at it while waiting on some family to arrive and noted a couple of troutlike shadows lurking in a promising hole. No doubt I will be back.

The time has come

The Facebook cause page has been a great way to get people all in the same virtual space. Now it is time to start doing something.

This is an easy way to get started. Our new Governor, Bev Perdue has stated that she would be interested in talking about making the red drum a gamefish in NC. We need to start holding her to this. To that effect we need to begin with an email campaign. If everybody who receives this message sends her something stating that we want red drum to be made into a gamefish to stop targeting and sale of them by gill netters and others it will be a giant step in the right direction. We also need to message our local legislators. If you live out of state mention that NC is not a place you will choose to spend your hard earned dollars on vacation if something is not done.

Contact Governor Perdue at governor.office@nc.gov
If enough of us step up to get this started, it may actually happen.
Thanks,
Gordon

Flies for Fins

Canadian fly fishing guide and lady who can out fish most folks with her spey casting arm tied behind her back, April Vokey, has announced a fund raiser for the benefit of the Steelehead Society. It's pretty simple, you tie a fly and mail it in and they sell it and the money goes to help the big chromers.

Listen up!!! This message is for you whether you live in Norway, Oregon or British Columbia....Our steelhead are suffering and need your help!

I have started a fundraiser called Flies For Fins. I don't want your money, but I do need some of your time and tying materials.

I am working with Reaction Fly and Tackle, Pacific Angler, Michael and Young Fly Shop and Whistler FlyFishing to raise money for the Steelhead Society.

Each location will carry a cork board that is full of steelhead flies MADE BY YOU. These flies will be sold at the shops, where proceeds will be donated to the Steelhead Society. In the middle of each cork board will be a graph that is updated weekly to show how much money had been raised.

Mailing flies only takes a couple stamps (just make sure that they can be flattened in an envelope.)This is for a great cause, please choose to take some of your time and flies out of your box for it.

I will have a Face Book page up in the next several days for Flies For Fins, however, we need flies RIGHT NOW.

Flies can be shipped to:8505 Norman Cres.Chilliwack, B.C.CanadaV2P 5C6

Feel free to send one fly, or ten! Make them as fancy or as plain as you would like. Please include your name.

Envelope, stamp, fly. It's that simple.

Please do your part and help us make a difference!

Thank you so much,

April.

Next in the review stack

Sierra Fly Fishing Vol. 1 and 2

Drake Publisher Buys Film Tour

The news is out, Tom Bie publisher of the Drake magazine and two partners have purchased the Fly Fishing Film tour. The tour's future was in question due to the departure of AEG media guys earlier this year. From Tom's blog post via the Drake site:

As of this week, two partners and I bought the Flyfishing Film Tour from owners Terry Wolvert and Jim Crystal, ensuring that the tour will go on, with only a slightly delayed front-end schedule.

The tour will be called The Drake Flyfishing Film Tour, as my partners and I did not acquire the name AEG. Other than that, the most substantial change to the tour is that the filmmakers will take a share of the profits, based on a model that the Banff Film Tour has been using for years.

New East Tennessee Fishing Report

Randy Ratliff of the Troutfisher's Guide Service sends us this week's fishing report from East Tennessee.

Hello everyone, I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday season. I was able to spend time with family and friends celebrating Christmas and ringing in the New Year. We had a great year last in 2008 and I want to thank all those who took trips with me. I am looking forward to another good year for 2009 as well.

I am back to guiding and booking trips as Troutfishers Guide Service once again. There will be no changes in where we will be able to take you on your trips, local wades trips in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee or float trips on the Tennessee Tailwaters.

I am also pleased to announce that I am affiliated with Eddie Wyatt’s Fly Shop of Tennessee. Eddie and his crew, Major Mike, Hutch, and Mike J. are a great bunch of guys. Make sure to give them a call or stop by for all you’re fishing and tying needs. I will be doing various casting and tying class/demonstrations at the fly shop throughout the year so be sure to check the fishing report on my website for details.

We are already booking trips for the 2009 season, especially during the Watauga Tailwater caddis hatch. The caddis have started their emergence around April 9th for the last several years, running through Mothers Day on into the first of June. Be sure to give me a call and get your caddis hatch trip on the calendar before the dates disappear. The smallmouth guys are booking up their trips as well. Pound for pound a smallmouth is the best fighting freshwater fish out there. Of course one of my clients, Mark Murphy might disagree. He caught a nice 9-½ pound blue channel cat while on a smallie trip. Don’t forget about our overnight river camping smallmouth trips. I will be putting more info about this on my website.

The South Holston browns are through spawning. It was a sight to see all those big beautiful browns doing their spawning dance. Many nice fish ranging from mid twenties to just over forty inches were caught and released this year.

We are now seeing the BWO’s as the predominant hatch on both the Watauga and South Holston tailwaters. We have been throwing a size 18 to 22 BWO emerger we call the “Down & Dirty”.

Have you wanted learn how to fish those small size 22 to 30 blackfly and midge dries, come book a trip and let me unlock the secrets of this type of fishing. We have been having good days with plenty of average trout and a few good ones thrown in. The best so far on a size 26 dry with 7x tippet has been a 19 ½ inch brown. It is not as intimidating as you would think.

We will be attending two fly fishing shows this year. I will be in the Temple Fork Rods booth at the Atlanta Fly Fishing Festival being held January 24th & 25th in the Gwinnett Center. Be sure to stop and say hello. Our second show will be the Kentuckianna Fly Show being put on by the Derby City Fly Fishers in Louisville, Kentucky on January 31st. I will be giving one of the many seminars available at the event. I will be speaking about smallmouth fishing tips and techniques. We will have the Brookie Skiff boat on display in the booth. I am proud to say that I helped my guide partner Nes help build this beautiful boat last winter. Check out Derby City Fly Fishers website for more details and directions to the convention center www.derbycityflyfishers.com

Well until next month, tight lines and bent rods.

Christmas in Mexico-No luggage

We spent this Christmas in sunny Mexico on the Mayan Riviera thanks to my little brother John. He treated the whole family and there were nineteen of us at the fantastic Mayan Palace all inclusive resort. The rooms were great. The food was great. The drinks were great and plentiful. There was only one small problem. Our luggage didn't show up for three days. It was on a tour of Mexican airports, and arrived three days late, partially destroyed, and so dirty that I think it was delivered on donkeys.

The reason for this posting has nothing to do with fishing. It is all about my experience with my Exofficio travel gear. I arrived in Mexico wearing an Exofficio air strip lite shirt(pictured)Exoffficio zip off pants and Exofficio give and go underwear. Other than a swim suit and a tank top that I got from my brother, that is all I had to wear for three days. Exofficio advertises that all you have to do is rinse the clothes in the sink, roll them up in a towel, stomp on them, and hang them up to dry. That is what I did, and my family was amazed. The shirt and shorts dried in a few hours and looked like they came out of the dryer. My wife wore my shirt when I wasn't wearing it and was so impressed that we bought her three when we got back.

I told my friend Sven at Exofficio that I would field test some gear for him and report back; so Sven we were all impressed. Our staff is always willing to field test all types of gear and give our honest opinion and in this case Exofficio gear gets a big thumbs up.

Snipentology

Recently I ran into to an old high school buddy on facebook. His day job is renting boats and PWC to the turistas in Key West, Florida. While surfing some of his photos I soon discovered that he was leading a double life as the Admrial of the Church of Snipentology.

With temperatures in the teens pretty much everywhere outside of the Conch Republic, you should check out the photos just to get a warm feeling. We especially enjoy the official tee shirt as well as the wisdom through out the congregation's site.

"If I need a coozie to keep my beer cold, it's taking me too long to drink it."

News: Things Aren't Always What They Seem

Here are a few fishy things we have seen to help insure that you make good choices this Wednesday:

According to WVLT-TV Knoxville, the TWRA is finding problems with fish in the area near the Clinch River fly ash spill. The problems include issues with gills, stomachs, and scales. The news story includes what would probably be our Fly Fishing Quote of the week had we not already selected one: "Many times people don't like to eat something if it doesn't look good."
****
Newsprint Aggregator CommercialAppeal.com, is reporting about a hunter who found out the hard way that a seven point buck's antlers aren't just for decorating your fireplace.

"He came straight at me before I knew what was going on," said Curtis, a stay-at-home dad with four children. "I tried to get my rifle up but it was on safety, and I just didn't have time before he was on me." The deer was apparently enticed by the scent Webb was using (Tink's 69 Doe in Rut Buck Lure)"
*****
Over the past several months Albright Tackle has been running an extended deep discount sale. We even bought one of their reels for our Albright 9 weight. Apparently they are changing their pricing model and clued us in today via a rather strange email:

"Regardless of what you paid for some of our products in the past, we ask you to compare our current prices to anything out there. There's simply nothing remotely close. In fact, after doing an across the board brand analysis, we found that on average we were almost 60% less than our competition."

We took it to say, "Hey dudes, we gave you some super deals but then we looked and found out we were way under market so we have decided to give you some less super deals in the future." We looked and the prices are still really good despite the mixed marketing message.

Gill Net Ban Convert

Earlier this year a Rocky Mount Telegraph reporter wrote a series of articles for his paper in Rocky Mt, NC focusing on the gill net problem we are seeing in Carolina waters. In the original series he tried to be a good reporter and be fair to both sides. Seems like he has had his own run in with the netters and seems to finally understand the way this thing works. He wrote a new article that ran this past weekend:

"We were unable to get another strike from a trout after that episode of rudeness. The commercial fisherman had watched us catch those big trout, then completely wrapped up all the points we had been fishing for the day.

Since last Saturday, I am no longer “on the fence.” I want gill netting to be banned in North Carolina as soon as possible. This coming weekend would not be soon enough."

Click here to see our previous coverage of this issue.

Fly Fishing Quote Of The Week

This week's fly fishing quote comes from an article in the Arkansas Times about incentives for film makers.

“Most people in this country haven't been to Arkansas,” Gordy said. “Nobody cared anything about Montana until they saw ‘A River Runs Through It,' and then everybody wanted to go there and go fly-fishing. So there's a benefit there, not just in terms of tourism, but in terms of our reputation and showing people what this state is like.”

Extra points if you can tell us the location of the sign pictured above

GillznFinz

A few fellow anglers who we are planning on meeting up with at the Charlotte Fly Show. Sounds like it might be a wild ride. Also check out this article about Adam Paul of Greensboro, NC. Adam is the guy behind GillznFinz

Own an Alaskan Fishing Lodge: $10,800

The catch is that it is located inside a 27 x 30 x 45 inch coffee table piece of artwork by Bill Christensen.

Diorama coffee table at 1/180th scale depicting Alaskan resort. Planes,train,whale and fishing boats are hand carved. Bear, deer,beaver, orca, eagle and mechanical flock of geese fly over Lodge. Mirrored walls duplicate setting.Lighted boat, plane, train, dock and Lodge. Florescent lit stained glass water with lit clear marble accent skirt.Built-in handles, magnifying (controlpannel cover) acts as cocktail coasteron tempered glass top. Shipping weight.100 lbs.

Buy it via MESART for $10,800 We like to imagine that it is populated by a group of Lilliputian fishing guides who spend their days chasing 5 millimeter rainbow trout and their nights drinking thimbles full of grain alcohol while tying tiny flies.

Gear: Cabela's Fly Tying Desk

Fresh out of college, getting a new piece of furniture more than likely included opening a carton and spending a frustrated hour or two trying to decipher assembly instructions that were no doubt written by the one semi English speaker in the piece's village of origin. Now, later in life, and having the ability to occasionally shop at stores where the furniture is already put together and delivered by men with trucks, I tend to avoid he particle board and hex fasteners. For this reason, I was somewhat skeptical when I discovered Cabela's Fly Tying Desk with "some assembly required."


When I found the large carton on my doorstep the first thing that I noticed was that one corner was rather mangled. As this normally does not bode well for the contents of a package, I was already expecting the worst. However, upon opening the box, I found that the ample packing material had taken the brunt with not even a scratch on the contents. A quick unpacking revealed the instruction sheet (not many words - mostly drawings) and the dreaded bag of hardware. I also noted happily that the sides, drawer, and desktop were all pre-assembled.

The desk itself is made of solid oak and assembles with small Phillips head lag screws that thread into a barrel nut that is inserted into pre-drilled holes. The base comes together by attaching the drawer supports to the side panels and the top attaches to the base with wood screws and dowels. It all comes together rather quickly into a very sturdy package. No fly tyer wants to wrap thread on a wobbly platform. (Hint: have a short Phillips head screw driver on hand when you attach the top to the base as clearance is tight between the top and the drawer supports.)

The drawer, which has removable dividers, fits snugly into the base and the drawer pulls complete the package with decorative flies burned into them. A final tightening of the fasteners and then covering the holes with oak plugs and you are done. The desk is unfinished so it can be stained to fit your decor but it is attractive enough in its natural state to make this step purely elective on your part.



The verdict? The Cabela's Fly Tying Desk (the MSRP is $179 but it has been on sale for as low as $159 in the past) is a sturdy piece of furniture that gives good value and performs well for the fly tyer who is looking for a compact work station and who wants to get their tying station off the kitchen table. In the case of the desk that I received, the tolerances were tight and the pieces went together without difficulty.

With dimensions of 40.5" H x 25"W x 14" D this desk is not well suited for the production fly tyer nor for the angler wishing to store large amounts of material away from the prying eyes of his or her spouse. It will however, make a nice addition to the tying area of your home.

Editor's note: For more reviews like this subscribe to our RSS Feed

Three Tons of Striped Bass Seized

What do you get if you are caught twice during the same week for illegal commercial fishing for striped bass in Maryland? A $500 fine ($250 if you plead guilty before trial). When you can get even $2 to $3 per pound on a haul of three tons or more, it doesn't take long to see why some folks are willing to take the chance. The catch was seized as well, but the damage to the fishery was already done. Check out this article via the Baltimore Sun. Heads up courtesy of Stripers Forever - Fighting for Game fish Status for Rockfish everywhere. Join up - it's free!

**Of course, all parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

New Boots and One Stinking Trout

Orvis Podcast: Rosenbauer on Winter Fly Fishing

Thanks to some forward thinking folks in management, The Orvis Company has long been a leader in the use of Internet technology as a way to add value to their product offerings. One of the most popular ways they use the net to keep in touch with their customer base is through their Fly Fishing Guide Podcast hosted by Tom Rosenbauer. The podcast always has a casual feel and is quite possibly the next best thing to having a fire side chat with the noted author.

This month's pod is of special interest with Mr. Rosenbauer addressing the art of winter fly fishing. He stays away from trap of telling us to "dress warm" (Was it just me or did anyone else notice the tiniest of jabs at the dead tree media in there?) and instead offers some excellent tips as to where to fish, fly selection, and technique.

TWRA Advisory Issued in Tennessee Ash Spill

Via a press release from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the TWRA:

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) advises until further notice that fishing should be avoided in the lower section of the Emory River, and that existing advisories for Watts Bar should be followed. In the Clinch River arm of Watts Bar, which would include the lower Emory River, there is a fish consumption advisory against eating striped bass and a precautionary advisory for catfish and sauger. A precautionary advisory means that children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers should not consume the fish species named. All other persons should limit consumption of the named species to one meal per month.

Beginning the week of January 5, TWRA will be collecting bass and catfish and comparing fish tissue results to existing data for those species. TWRA expects to resample on a semiannual basis, probably January and October, and will evaluate findings with the other resource agencies. TDEC will issue advisories if fish tissue contaminant levels exceed protection criteria.

Five Totally Random Editorial Comments

I was sitting at the computer tonight and was struck by the urge to express a few opinions (either that or I got hold of some bad Chinese food):

1. The person who coined the phrase or anyone who has ever been a party to a "Bromance" should be drawn and quartered or at least never allowed to go fishing with me.

2. The price of amunition these days is outragous and I dang sure hope all these people buying guns for the first time take a class or something.

3. Facebook is great, but if all my friends show up at the house for dinner at the same time the wife is gonna be ticked off.

4. Unless I need you to bail me or my boat out, I don't want to hear anything else about it.

5. I really should learn to cast better if I want to fish the salt.

The Fly Fishing Show Charlotte

The Fly Fishing Show arrives in Charlotte, NC January, 30th - 31st. The only show of its kind to come to this area, The Fly Fishing Show is always one of the more popular events for area anglers. We will be attending along with other members of the FlyfishMagazine.com crew and, in addition to looking for show attendees who are wearing fishing gear to attend the show, we will be providing coverage from the show floor.

Our own Captain Paul Rose will be packing the destination theater where he will be giving his seminar titled "Backyard Bonefish-Carp on the Fly" Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 4:00 PM.

Let us know if you are planning to attend. We would enjoy meeting you!

Measure the garage honey!

I am wondering why this is for sale at our local Gander Mountain store. Word is that the price is 45K.

Alert: Ashey Arsenic Abounds...

The EPA Sampling results from sediment surrounding the Clinch River coal ash spill are starting to trickle in and the news is not good. Arsenic levels came in at well over 100 times the allowed limit.

If their latest update is any indication, this might come as a surprise to the TVA who operates the plant where the spill occurred. According to their website previous third party testing had indicated that arsenic was not a major issue in the ash.

"Total Arsenic results were slightly above the average naturally - occurring background soil concentration for Tennessee; however, total arsenic levels are below levels found in soils that are well fertilized. Also, the TCLP results for arsenic were significantly below the TCLP limits to be classified as a hazardous waste"

More information is available via the EPA website.

You had us at Fat...

The Fat Guy Fly Fishing Blog.

"Are we professionals? No. Do we have all the most badass stuff? No. Do we know all the tips and tricks? No. Do we drink too much? Maybe. But we do know we love fly fishing, the outdoors, and beer. Definitely beer."

Alex Landeen, Aaron Dennet, and Kyle Deenan make up this portly crew. Check out their recent post "Do you know these people?" and you will get a quick course in why we enjoy their blog so much. Definitely some guys we would hoist a brew with.

Sidebar links added even though doing so puts us in the category of "The Computer Angler" with a "..blogroll that is a novel."

Int'l Fly Fishing with Tim Weston: India's Masheer

FlyfishMagazine.com's international correspondent, Tim Weston brings us news from India as he takes his fly rod and stalks the elusive Masheer.

India is one of the most unlikely places I have ever been fly fishing, it is perceived as being hot, arid and polluted. But the area to the North of Delhi on the border between India and Nepal is a paradise of clear rivers and giant Mahseer.

Landing in New Delhi I felt a real excitement; I was going fishing to the Himalayan foothills to follow in the footsteps of the great British Rajas of old. Having read the book ‘Circumventing the Mahseer; and other Sporting in India and Burmah’ by A. MacDonald I felt that I was ready to tackle this elusive fish. We know that the old British rulers of India would take months off to fish for Mahseer during the late 1800’s and up until the mid 1940’s when there was little time for pleasure and the British Empire was starting to come to an end. Since then Mahseer fishing has been in decline with the locals dynamiting certain stretches of river for food.

After two days of traveling across the stunning Indian countryside we finally had our first glimpse of the River Saryu. The river was very different from what I was expecting in that I could have been standing on the banks of any small Atlantic salmon river in the northern hemisphere. The river was gin clear, meandering around bends before coming to fast rapids followed by classic looking pools. That combined with the looming Himalayan Mountains as a back drop made this a real visual feast, I could not wait to start fishing.

The guides were waiting for our arrival in sturdy inflatable rafts and we were handed tackle before embarking on our journey to the first of our two camps. We fished from the boats as we floated down the river and it wasn't long before my rod was almost snatched from my hands as a result of a frighteningly aggressive take and just as quickly the fish was off. Fortunately we didn't have to wait long before a Mahseer was landed, my companion managed to land an 11 lb fish on only her third cast and what a fight it gave her. Mahseer tend to fight very doggedly on the bottom rather then jumping and flailing around on the surface. A struggle with a Mahseer is a long endurance test of you, the fish and your tackle.

After catching five more Mahseer, we reached our first camp which was positioned on a beach on the banks of the river overlooking a nice pool. The tented accommodation consisted of modern sleeping tents that are very comfortable complete with bed, table and chair. The dining room is a covered area on the beach. This is essentially an eco camp with no running water or electricity which all seemed to add to the ambiance of our surroundings but did not interfere with the good food and cold drinks that were readily supplied by our host.

We found fly fishing for these wonderful fish a challenge but this is one challenge that is definitely worth taking up. The principle is similar to salmon fishing, you cast down and across but the fact that caught us out, before our guide put us right, is that when fly fishing for Mahseer you need to concentrate on the fast white water and not the enticing looking pools where you would expect to find them. However, Mahseer are as canny as permit in the fact that they will refuse to take your fly more often then not but when they do you quickly understand why they are called the "tiger of the river". The rod bends and the reel screams but the fish is rarely seen until it is ready to come to the net. There is a massive sense of achievement when one manages to hook and land a golden Mahseer on the fly; it is only a very small and lucky group of anglers that can claim to have achieved this feat.

The fishing is not the only amazing experience you can expect whilst in the Himalayas, it holds so much more. There is a wealth of culture in the hills and the people are the most hospitable I have ever come across. Plentiful wildlife can be seen everywhere in the hills and along the river banks and you could probably identify a species that you have not seen or heard of every day of your visit. Combined with amazing photographic opportunities this trip would be perfect trip for a non fishing guest as well.

India is a remarkable place with remarkable people and scenery, the fish are a challenge to catch especially on the fly but I would recommend this as a trip for the real adventure fishermen.

Read more of Tim's reports from around the globe in the International section of FlyfishMagazine.com.

Shake Up At AEG Media

B2 and Rathbun (the Woodward and Bernstine of the fly fishing industry) over at Moldy Chum got the scoop on a big shake up among the Trout Fish Bums over at AEG Media on the Eve of the Fly Fishing Film Tour. Follow this link for more info.