Early Season River Nymphs

It wont be too long now till the months of February and March when we begin to see the return of the nymphing anglers back on the water after a long winter. Eager to wet the winter tying's and see if the new patterns will tempt fish from the runs of their favorite rivers and streams. The enthusiasm of the angler can be quickly dampened as the cold waters prove it quite difficult to entice a trout to take. At this time of the year brown trout’s metabolism is low and they are still lying in their winter protective lies. So, fishing the typical runs and spring/ summer lies will often lead to disappointment and poor catch rates. 

However, searching through the waters you can discover the more protective places that there could be a chance of a fish or two. These are usually along the margins, in deeper pockets, or places where the fish would remain safe from the winter high waters and cold weather. It is often the case also that you will come across pods of trout in these places, moving from pod to pod will result in a productive day during early spring for the fly angler.
So once you find the fish the next question is what you are going to throw at them to get them to open there mouths. The fish are on the border line from being in their winter feeding mode and their spring hunger encouraging them to snap at anything going by. Selecting the right pattern could be the key to catching rather than blanking.
Here are a few nymphs that I have found to be attractive enough to hook up some early season trout. 

1.Hare’s Ear Grub

Hook: Dohiku 644 or 622
Bead: Copper 3mm-4mm
Thread: Olive tying Thread
Rib: Flat Copper Tinsel
Body: Natural Hares Ear dubbing
Thorax: Mixed Hot Red Dubbing and UV Ice Dubbing

This is a great fly for early season nymphing but will also produce fish throughout the season. I find it best on the point and you could also add some flat lead in the under body to give it that extra weight to get down to the deeper fish.

2.Leggy Caddis

Hook: Dohiku 18-16 Jig
Bead: Slotted Gold or Copper 3mm-4mm
Thread: Olive Tying Thread
Tag: Glo Brite No 12
Tail: Natural Partridge Fibres 
Rib: Gold or Copper Wire
Body: Natural Hares Ear Dubbing
Thorax: Hends Peacock Dubbing
Legs: Speckled Rubber legs
Great Jig nymph and aa great attractor pattern for getting fish to open there mouths. This nymph can be successful on either the point fly or on a dropper. By jigging the rod tip up and down you get those legs moving and they can be a real trigger point for the fish.

3.Black & Orange

Hook: Dohiku 18-16 Jig
Bead: Slotted Gold or Copper 3mm-4mm
Thread: Black Tying Thread
Tail: Glo Brite No 9
Rib: Copper Wire
Body: Root Beer flat tinsel
Hackle: Black CDC Spun and Brushed Back
Thorax: Hends Peacock Dubbing

Another favourite for early season, black can be a good colour if the waters are a bit mucky at this time of the year. The CDC has lovely movement in it when it’s swimming through the runs and the little orange tail peeping through is just enough to entice the fish to have a taste. This fly is one of my go to fly’s no matter where I go.

At this time of year I like to have some movement or bushiness to my nymphs. I tend to stick to more natural colours and materials and use larger beads with smaller bodies to get the nymphs down right where I want them. But a key to successful fishing trips in the early parts of the season is your work rate. You must search the rivers for the fish and don’t be afraid to look in the unlikely spots, you may be surprised, Tight Lines.
I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and trying out some of these fly's and enjoy catching fish with it even more. If you have any questions please feel free to give me a shout on my contact details and if you are interested in Dohiku hooks, top quality tungsten beads, or Syndicate competition Fly Rods drop me a line or check them out on my website. Thanks for reading.

Bank Fishing The Blob

It is over the last decade or so that we have seen winter fly fishing becoming more prominent in Ireland. When I was growing up, the dreaded end of September meant the fly fishing gear was put away and I would spend the winter months tying flies that would have aspirations of emptying rivers come the following March. Thankfully the case these days is the river gear is packed away and we swap the light weight nymphing rods for our 6,7 and 8 weight bank rods. We have seen in recent years the emergence of plenty man-made fisheries that offer the angler great winter sport at reasonable costs. 

Also there is plenty of choice as the different fisheries present different fishing challenges, from natural environments that test our casting ability to well wintered fish that test our skill and nerves. The methods used generally in this field of fly fishing is ever evolving, there are new approaches and developments in materials regularly, each being hailed as the next best thing. Sometimes to be honest it is hard to keep up with it all.
As I have found over the last couple of winter seasons it sometimes is just as effective to stick to the basics and do the simple things right rather than get wrapped up in all the new developments, tackle and fly tying materials. So for the rest of this article I hope to give you some simple and still very effective methods and patterns to tempt the rainbows from their winter ponds. It is always important to check the fisheries rules when you arrive to see what is and is not allowed to be fished. While a few fisheries have rules regarding the fishing of Blobs in certain ways, it has to be said that they are the stable diet of the bank angler. Love them or hate them they are simple as simple gets to tie and fish correctly can be deadly.

There are a couple of ways you can fish the blob; firstly they can be presented through stripping or retrieving on sinking lines. Fished alone or as part of a team the trick here is to get the depths right and the retrieve, just the way the fish want it. So it is good practice once you cast out your flies to count down to a chosen depth, depending on the sink rate of your line and then begin stripping back the flies at various speeds until you get the depth rights and the speed. Another popular presentation method would be stagnant fishing the blob; this can be done either from the top down or the bottom up. Again the key here get your depth right. From the top down, can be achieved one way by using a floating line which will suspend the blob at the depth of your leader length, or the depth you allow it to sink to before beginning to figure of eight it back to you.

A contemporary practice of anglers is now to suspend the blob under what is called a bung, a this floating device can be made of plastic foam or a tied bung with buoyant materials used to support the fly often dipped in watershed to make it float endlessly. With this method you can now leave the blob or blobs at the required depth for longer until a fish takes it. Through bunging the fly will remain completely stagnant which is required sometimes by the fish before they will bite. The hi-visibility of the bung allows the angler to witness the takes quite easy on those dark wintery days. This presentation method can be used for several other patterns such as squrmies, buzzers, stalking bugs and the like. One key factor to fishing blobs under the bung I find important is to add a little flat lead to the under body of the fly and this allows it to reach its depth faster.

Fishing from the bottom up can be very effective during the colder days when fish are sitting deeper and feeding among the last of the summer vegetation on the lake bed. Here we would use fast sinking lines say a DI 3,5 or 7 sink rate depending on the depths of the lake you are fishing. We often add something to the blob for this method to be most productive; by putting some foam in the back of the fly we now have what is called a FAB (floating assed blob). This now allows us to sink the line to the lake bed and slowly retrieve the blob, which is suspended above the line path and the weeds or other snags that offer the fish food and protection. Again changing length of leaders from the fly line will allow your FAB to fish at different depths, and the most important aspect to catching fish in a stocked fishery is you must find the depth of the fish for any method to be effective.

There is a large variety of colours and textures to modern day blob materials, for the basic blob pattern use simple blob fritz, tie the core of the fritz on the hook above the bend and as you wind up the fritz in touching turns make sure and to pull back the fibres as you go so the finished fly has all the fibres leaning back away from the eye of the hook. I also find that using a nice bright thread for the head adds an extra hot spot for the fish to attack. You can also add in a second colour fritz to your fly, a tail of your choice or a pair of booby eyes, all giving you a variety of looks, shapes and colours that may attract feeding fish.
For me, the tackle generally I use is either 6,7 or 8 weight, ten foot rod by Syndicate, I find them great rods. The rod I choose at any time will depend on the wind, the line I wish to fish, the method I am fishing and even the size of tippet I need to use. Another aspect is how far out are the fish in the lake and how far do I need to cast. One piece of advice I give all bank anglers would be to get a lesson or two on casting, it will increase your catch rate, enjoyment of a day on the lake and save your arms from a lot of punishment, it is well worth it. Tippet wise, Grand max Soft Plus is a huge

favorite among bank anglers, expensive but as fluorocarbon goes it is good. Yet I have often seen the low cost monofilaments do the job also, my advice here is use what you are confident in using to begin with. A good pair of glasses to protect the eyes, warm clothes and a flask of tea and your all set. Oh a towel is a nice comfort, so when you have released a fish back into the water on cold days to dry your hands and save the cold setting into the bones.

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and trying out some of these fly's and enjoy catching fish with it even more. If you have any questions please feel free to give me a shout on my contact details and if you are interested in Dohiku hooks, top quality tungsten beads, or Syndicate competition Fly Rods drop me a line or check them out on my website. Thanks for reading. 

Egg Yarn Streamers

With some Autumn river trips recently, my bank season for rainbows is a bit later starting than most.So over the last few days I have been stocking up on some old trustworthy patterns. Here is a neat little fly that has always produced fish for me and one worth having in the box for the season. 
I always try out different ways to work with materials and this was a good discovery. I find the body is highly UV reflective and has a lovely meaty look to it as it puffs a little when wet. The hot collar is also Egg yarn and is a great hot spot on any fly. 

Hook: Dohiku 302 size 12-10 
Bead: 2.5 - 3mm sliver bead 
Thread: Kevlar 50D thread 
Tail: Dave Downie white Marabou 
Body: Yellow egg yard (tie in a fraction of the yarn and spin it to form a floss like look, this gives it extra strength). 
Wing: Dave Downie white Marabou 
Collar: Hot red egg yarn (cut up small chunks of yarn and pull apart to make a dubbing)
I find this fly fished best on a fast or slow intermediate line and vary the retrieves till you find what the fish want. A very slow retrieve is often most effective on a long leader.
  

Another good fly that I use this hot collar on is one of my top nymphs on the river. Egg yarn is a very versatile material that can add to many of your fly's. As dose a lot of other materials so it is worth messing around with some and you never know what little things you might discover that make a huge difference to your flies. 
I hope you enjoy tying these fly's and enjoy catching fish with it even more. If you have any questions please feel free to give me a shout on my contact details and if you are interested in Dohiku hooks, top quality tungsten beads, or Syndicate competition Fly Rods drop me a line or check them out on my website. Thanks for reading. 

Wild Smoky Mountain Trout

This was truly one occasion where beauty outweighs size. I got the opportunity recently to spend some time in Tennessee fishing the rivers that rise in the Smoky Mountains with Mark and Eric owners of the Syndicate Rod Company.
We (I brought the wife) headed over in late October, as at this time of the year the climate is manageable for us fair skinned Irish folk. The summer temperatures can be extremely high and unbearable even for the locals. A plus side to this time of year is the foliage on the trees appear to be blazing with flames from the colour transformations of autumn, making it quite a spectacle from the viewing points.

As for the fishing end of the trip we began in the lower regions of the Mountains on the Stoney Creek and the Watauga River which means "beautiful river" when translated. This river certainly lived up to its name, as it made its way through the foot hills of the range. It had a large stock of mixed sized rainbows and some larger browns that move into it this time of year to spawn. Here you have two options to fish this river, either from drifting boat with a guide or as my preferred choice was wading it from the banks and was quite pleasant to wade at that. We spent a full day on the Watauga River catching countless rainbow trout averaging around the 10 inch mark with some larger fish to be found occasions. The river was stuffed with fresh water shrimp and using a gammuras style nymph you were in the business straight away.

However, my first experience of fishing this region was on Stoney Creek which is a tributary to the Watauga and joins the larger river just outside the city of Elizabethon. A stunning little river that boasts a nice stock if sporting rainbows and browns with rewarding 20 inch fish in there also for the angler that fishes the runs and pools with caution. We had a large number of fish from the first two days and our approach of nymph fishing was the very same as that of our home waters here in Ireland. For me simple pheasant tails and hares ears worked a treat for the Tennessean trout.

For the rest of the week we headed further into the National Park where the natural beauty was second to none. With the leaves putting on a spectacle for the eyes, I was brought to a creek for a real treat and one I won't forget for a while. Through out this region in the Roan Mountians, brookies or brook trout can be found in many rivers and creeks. During the Autumn months these fish begin to adapt an array of colours that has to be seen to believed, from pinks, purples, reds, and oranges making up the markings on the skin. The river was a small wild creek that had man made or natural dams, waterfalls at certain locations so as to protect the strain of fish and preserve it's purity from being mixed with other trout. These little beauties have been here for thousands of years and makes an angler feel pretty special to hold one in your hands if only for a moment to admire.

They are a very spookie fish and you must approach each pool with extreme caution, best option was using a single fly. Only a few casts in each pool or behind a boulder and hopefully it would provide a fish or a take at the least. If you are lucky enough to land one them more than likely that pool is finished and you move quietly to the next. Before long when moving from pool to pool you will find yourself lost in the woods creeping among the history of its floor and forgetful to all the insignificant crap we fill our lives with. This for me is what fishing is truly all about and a lesson I have to keep teaching myself from time to time. 

Our final location for the trip was just outside the holiday town of Gatlinburg, we spent an hour or two talking to the guys in the Smokey Mountain Angler tackle shop, where we pick up some cool souvenirs and information on the hot spots to fish in this area. After which we spent an evening session on a near by creek which was good sport for small brown before returning to our log cabin in the wood and the resident raccoon for the night.  The next morning we set of for the Cherokee Indian Reservation and the river know as the Little River, with an amazing drive over the mountains. 

In this area of the park a close encounter with Elk or wild Turkeys is a common occurrence and to be standing in the river with a large female elk cross twenty yards below you surely makes you feel appreciative of where you are, a moment you just stand a watch never mind taking a picture. 

I traveled to this place for several reasons one for the fishing and also to meet up with the syndicate boys, with some of the guys that are involved with its emergence as one of the top rod brands in the States. Personally I cant recommend the rods highly enough and as for the guys who are responsible for them, well we had one hell of a trip and I look forward to returning back soon. Over the week we met some great people and shared some of the local brew over an open fire with a banjo playing. But for me the highlight of the trip was to hold that small wild beauty of an Appalachian brook trout and understanding the history I was among, this beats size hands down every time. 

Thanks to all the people that took time to say hello over the trip it was great to meet you all and fish your waters. For me traveling and experiencing fly fishing is more important than expensive gear, I am glad to share these experiences with you all and hope it encourages every one to go and see it for them selves. You wont be disappointed I promise.  
Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the blog, my website link is to the right if you are looking for Dohiku Hooks, Tungsten beads, or the amazing Syndicate rods check it out. If you would like any more information in traveling to this location please feel free to give me a shout. 

Sarca River Italy. Brown Trout Hunting

Recently my-self and a group of fishing buddies headed over to Italy to fish the fabulous Sarca River. The Sarca is a river rising in the Adamello-Presanella mountains, in the Italian Alps and flowing into Lake Garda in Northern Italy. We went there for five days to fish this region and take in the Italian river competition called the "Pialla Cup". The river itself has similarities to that of the rivers I grew up on in the Wicklow Mountains, the water flowed over Granite bed rock and as it made its way through the rocks and boulders it created beautiful pocket water ideal for brown trout and pocket nymphing. 
This river will host three sessions of next years Fips Mouche World

Fly Fishing Championships in September and as the Irish Captain I was eager to see as much of it as possible. We practiced for two days on the river before the competition and we weren't disappointed. While the fishing was not easy; it was very rewarding to the angler that took notice of the runs and pockets where the fish might sit, getting the right angles to attack the fish lies. 
The scenery here was exceptional and the hotel we stayed in was right on the banks of the river. Hotel Belsit was a lovely friendly hotel at very affordable prices. It was around a two and a half hours drive from Milan airport were we flew into. Our good friend Alessandro Freschi had all our arrangements made for our trip and competition. He also kindly tied us a stock of his lovely Sarca Nymph. 

The competition was ran on a team approach where two anglers fished the same beat for one and a half hours while being stewarded by another team. Following that session the anglers who fished would watch over the other team on a different beat. This allowed us the opportunity to witness some of the great Italian anglers in competition mode and see how they would approach this style of river. The scorning couldn't have be simpler, once you hook the fish and net it then it is counted on your card, all sizes count. A good measure taken by the organizers in keeping the competition open till the final session was, which ever team topped their group in their first session would get the worst beat in their next sector depending on the results that came in from that sector. The

competition as a whole was very well organised and very sporting. A total of 56 teams entered the competition and they were very friendly and welcoming to us Irish lads. 

With the possibility of some rising fish the dry fly rod was always on hand but for the most of the trip Nymphing was the most successful method to hook up with fish. My-self and my good friend David O'Donovan teamed up again and we were first on the water in session one on beat 1. The mornings were cold enough till the sun managed to find gaps in the mountain tops to peak through and warm up the water so fishing the early sessions was a bit slower. However we crawled our way through the rocks and took a good second place for the morning with 15 fish.

After lunch we moved down river to the second hardest beat in the next sector. We again found nymphing up behind the rocks and in the noticeable pockets of water the most productive places to catch fish. Following day one, two of the four Irish teams were very well positioned with Damien Walsh and John Willis lying in 5th place, me and Dave sitting in 7th place over all on 4.5 place points. 

All to play for on the second day; a tough draw for the morning saw us slip down to 10th over all with only four fish in our beat. For the final session we managed to get back up to second place in our group again which secured us 7th place over all. With some of the other Irish teams featuring in the top 20 and winning sessions along the way, not a bad result out of 56 teams with some of Europe's top river anglers in the field. 
Looking at the other teams during the competition we were set up very similarly, fishing light rods and fine leaders. The nymph selections ranged from small back nymphs with sliver beads to fine thread bodies and large beads, gold and copper; all adopting a very simple style to their dressing. For me my top nymph was a red butt pheasant tail nymph on a size 16 Dohiku jig with 3mm gold bead, it also had a black CDC hackle on it, this along with the Sarca Nymph did the business. What I did take from being a steward was how the Italians were switching from up stream nymphing to down stream nymphing in the same cast.  Not that this is a new concept but the way they executed the movement of the rod was interesting and was producing fish for them in the final sessions when fishing gets that bit tougher. This is something I look forward to trying out over here next season. 
The well deserved winners with a stunning bag of fish of 138 was Edgardo Donà and his partner Alberto Vignati winning 2 of their 4 sessions.

This was a great trip and certainly a right taster of what is to come for the World Championships next September. This part of Italy is easily accessible for anglers from here and if you would like any information on going to fish this fabulous river please feel free to give me a shout for more details. As always a Pleasure to travel with my fishing pals who make every trip full of adventures and mishaps. 
Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy the blog, my website link is to the right if you are looking for Dohiku Hooks, Tungsten beads ect. Also make sure to give me a shout at the coming Fly Fair in Galway this November to check out the amazing Syndicate rod range and much more. 

The Last Cast: River Nymphing In Autumn

Were well into that time of the year now when the leaves are turning and the evenings are more noticeable shorter. While the sedge fishing can still be productive on occasions and the day time rises of hungry trout are becoming more prolific, nymph fishing at this time of year can also still be very productive. Here is a couple of nymphs that tend to catch the eyes of the hungry trout during the Autumn months.

It is this time of the year we see the return of the Iron Blues, the colder evenings and gusty winds encourage hatches of this fly on the rivers. For the dry fly purest there is a opportunity to get in the last of the surface action before the winter sets in and the seasons close. This little nymph can produce some good catches if you come across hatches of the IBD.

Hook: Size 14-20 301 Dohiku
Bead: Tungsten White 2mm-3mm
Thread: Wisp Hot Orange
Tail: Coq De Leon
Rib: Fine Sliver Wire
Body: Grey Heron or substitute (grey thread will do the job also)
Thorax: Black Hare and UV mixed
Collar: Thread used for the fly

Hook: Dohiku Jig Size 14-20
Bead: Orange Gold sixe 2mm- 3.5mm
Thread: My Nano silk
Tail: Coq De Leon
Rib: Fine copper Wire
Body: Pheasant Tail Natural
Thorax: Orange Spectra Dubbing

I am finding orange to be a great colour this September as tags, tails, collars and these beads. Orange gold, I call them, have proven to be a serious addition to my nymph box this season. This simple Pheasant Tail is undoubtedly one of the greats. 

Hook: Size 14-16 Dohiku Jig
Bead: Tungsten Gold size 3mm to 4mm
Thread:Orange
Tail: Partridge Dyed Orange
Rib: Gold Wire
Tag: Glo-Brite Orange
Body: Olive dubbing Mixed Hares Ear and Squirrel
Thorax: Spectra Dubbing Oeange

Loving these olive nymphs for the deeper pockets in the rivers,where the fish tend to hang out this time of year reserving their energy for the migration months to come.

Here is a couple of the simple fly's that will give you a very sporting afternoon on the majority of rivers around the country this time of the year.

The season has come to its encore here in Ireland and you should try and get out as much as possible before the winter sets in. I hope you enjoy the last remaining days of the season and tight lines.  

If you have any questions please feel free to give me a shout on my contact details and if you are interested in Dohiku hooks, Tungsten beads, or the amazing Syndicate Fly Rods then check them out on my website. www.piscari-fly.com. Thanks for reading. 

Summer Sedge Fishing

Over the last few evenings I have been out on the rivers doing some dry fly-fishing in the evenings. I have been working on some new leader formulas to suit my 2 weight Syndicate rod with some really fine tippets. 
I have been getting some good success on this sedge dressing fishing smaller sizes before dark and larger ones once the light has gone down. 
It is a simple dressing that is well worth a go and sits lovely in the water. 

To begin place a Dohiku 301 size 16, 18 or 20 in the vice and tie on your thread. For the tail I use three strands of hot orange UV reflective thread from Tommi Fly. Once you tie them in cut to your desired length. Taking you thread split it and add in a mix of natural hares ear dubbing and some natural squirrel, then spin the thread to create your dubbing brush. For the thread I use my silk that is super strong and easy to split. It also gives the body of the fly great strength. You can check it out on my website. 

Wind up your dubbing brush and pull back the fibers of the dubbing mix. Then select 3 small natural CDC feathers and place them directly on top of each other. Tie them in to create your wing. 

To finish off your fly create a smaller dubbing brush at the head of the fly and after one or two winds on the hook use the dubbing brush to complete the whip finish so no thread is showing. To secure the head I normally place a small drop of superglue under the dubbing brush. A simple but very effective sedge that will catch you plenty of fish this time of the year. 

I hope you enjoy tying this sedge fly and enjoy catching fish with it even more. If you have any questions please feel free to give me a shout on my contact details and if you are interested in hooks, beads, or the amazing Syndicate Fly Rods then check them out on my website. Thanks for reading. 

Thomastown National Fly Fishing Competition 2017

This was the second year Thomastown Anglers held their National Fly Fishing tournament. From last year it has grown in to Ireland's first ever two day river competition and it was held on the fabulous River Nore in Kilkenny last weekend. Eighteen teams of two anglers from all over the country took part in the event.

The river was in great condition following a good wash out over the last couple of weeks and there was plenty of fish to be had, but like any other venue they were not going to give themselves up to easy at all. I do often think that the fish know when there is a competition on the water.

The Irish Hookers was the name of my team with my good friend, David O Donovan. We had an ok draw on the Friday night with some good teams in our group C. We had some potentially good beats depending on how we fished them and if of course the fish played the game with us.
Begining our competition on C6, an ok beat by the hurling field it has the potential of producing a good score on a good day. I set up my dry dropper, nymphing rod and a straight dry fly rod and went to work. We got off to a cracking start in the flats and settled down quickly. We kept the score board ticking over throughout the 3 hour session and ended up with a great total of 41 fish, earning us first place for the session. A dream start.
For the afternoon session on A3 the fishing was a bit slower and with a result of 20 fish we only managed a third leaving us in fourth overall for the day. Still in touch with the medals places. With good teams right behind us and great teams in front, it was all to play for on the Sunday.  We drew B6 for the final session and we knew a win would be the only result to push us up the leader board to the medals. We fished our hearts out in deep water and ended up with 28 fish. 

It wasn't enough as Damien Walsh and John Wills won the session with 32 fish and went on to win the overall team event. They were well deserved winners over the weekend with a total catch of 99 fish. With other results going our way in other groups we managed to grab the sliver medals with the superb team of Joe Winder and Peter Doherty picking up the bronze place over all. Mark Driver collect the longest fish prize for a great fish of 44 cm. 

I managed to land the top individual spot with a total of 67 fish for the three sessions, with the help of my team mate Dave who persevered the more difficult water for the three sessions. The method that produced the majority of fish for me,

was the dry dropper. I had my 12 foot aggressive dry fly leader on to a large kink on a short dropper. From here I had 4 to 5 feet of Shogun tippet 0.08 or 0.06 to a Dohiku size 20 jig hook, pheasant tail nymph with a 2.5 mm copper bead on it. The majority of the fish took the fly just as I was slowly lifting the nymph off the bottom after a long drift down river. It was the spring that I put in my leaders and the tippet protection which my syndicate rod offers, allowed me to fish these fine tippets and not crack off when I am hooking fish in the deeper water. 

Here is the fly I used for the weekend:

This competition is something we have been looking for in Ireland for a long time now. Where competitive river anglers get to fish off against each other over two days and multiple sessions. It not only offers us a high level of competition, but it is also a great social event. Where we all can learn and develop as anglers. As a part of a great organisation team I must say the competition went off really well and there was great feed back from all the teams. Our main sponsors for the weekend was Syndicate. They put up some of there cracking rods to the winning teams. These rods have been my first choice of sticks for the last year and if you are looking to develop your nymphing and dry fly fishing then these 10 foot 2 weights and 11 foot two weight rods are the right way forward. They offer great tippet protection, are very responsive and are ultra light in the hand. Truly outstanding rods

and at an affordable price which is always good. You can check them out here: http://syndicateff.com/ and on my website: http://www.piscari-fly.com/store/c8/Rods_.html

What a weekend at this tournament, it was great to meet so many good anglers and friends enjoying the event. A huge thanks to Thomastown Anglers, Thomastown Scouts, all the sponsors and the organizers.  Also stewards were supplied for the competition by the club, which adds to the social aspect of the competition which is highly important and they ensure the fish are looked after and returned safely to the river.
Probably the most important aspect about this comp for me is getting to fish with my good friend Dave, we push each other to fish harder, pick each other up when needed and strive for perfection as a team, this for me is what's it's all about team work and learning,  thanks Dave next year you can have the easy water.
If you are interested in this competition for next year you can give me a shout on my contact details here and I'll pass you on the information required. 

Also if you are interested in the shogun tippet or  Syndicate rods give me a shout here in my opinion they are the best nymphing rods and tippet on the market at the moment.

Thanks for reading and keep an eye out on

the Competitions face book page for lots more pics and information: https://www.facebook.com/Thomastownflyfishingcompetition/