Where do you stop? When do you start to realise that what’s really obvious to you, often based on simple instinct, is generally true?
The fly in the wave just slowly tracking and moving – slowly
then stopped!
Gearing up for a trip away next week – a personal voyage for a fish on the coast.
Page 66-74 on the link below
Nine pages of editorial in any magazine is beyond compare. In a magazine of the status held by Voyages de Peches its a major coup for Irish angling.
Julien La Journade a longtime champion of Irish fishing, accompanied by fly and lure fishermen Bob Hurley and Ronan Collins, made a fantastic week of fishing and memories on the southern coasts of Ireland during August.
This is the realistic report of those few days, the fun, the chat, the environment and the fishing challenges. Safari style fishing is my preferred option finding us fishing and staying in three or four counties during seven guided fishing days and nights.
Many thanks Julien and well done Ireland!
My guided ‘season’ hasn’t much longer to run at this stage, and in fact many days have been ‘put back’ and left open until 2014, but bass fishing possibilities for the interested angler can remain good up to Christmas time and who knows what may happen?
I have been very busy over the past year and even busier since the beginning of September now that the final year of my tourism development BSc degree has kicked into place. This is probably reflected in the lack of text posts on the website during 2013, time is scarce and valuable!
Both of this years semesters deal with creating authentic, empathetic, genuine and influential experiences for and with customers, in fact authentic experiences seem to be emphasised throughout the syllabus and combining these strategies with a strong local network base is the basis of the final submission. This final submission will close the last year and indeed the BSc degree program in April 2014. Where has the time gone?
At times I think I may be a bit mad but later this week I will also hope to complete the Leave No Trace advanced trainer course. I have been waiting three years to be part of this opportunity and it falls nicely (even if at an extremely busy time) into how I want to develop the business into the future. This is probably the first time that leave no trace principles will be carried into an angling / coastal ethos and it will be an interesting and challenging few days for the group and myself.
Leave No Trace Ireland is a network of organisations and individuals with an interest in promoting the responsible recreational use of the outdoors. As increasing numbers of people seek the beauty and exhilaration of outdoor recreation, our collective mark on the environment and its natural processes, increases. Litter, disturbance to vegetation, water pollution, wildlife, livestock and other people are all indicators of the need to develop a national ethic that protects both natural and cultural heritage. Techniques designed to minimise the social and environmental impacts to these areas are incorporated into the Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics Education Programme as seven Principles.
I hope to carry those seven principles into my guided angling services and into the future of SEAi. Guiding is a lot more than simply bringing people fishing it should be an experience and with the LNT principles I’m sure I can enhance that experience into the future. I will also be able to deliver and teach Leave No Trace short Programs. Worth considering too are the angling principles of the FFF seen here.
Ireland’s countryside and marine environment is undoubtedly a high quality natural resource, both spatially extensive and diverse in nature. The extensiveness and diversity of the resource base lends itself to the provision of opportunities for a wide range of countryside and marine based recreation activities for both the local population and for an increasing number of tourists.
As pressure on our landscapes and seascapes from recreational use continues to increase, it is necessary that a national system is put in place which will ensure that visitors to the Irish countryside, whether locals or tourists, visit with care.
Working with some European journalists to develop that tourism potential of our seascapes in the past few months has proven both challenging and interesting. With a changed fishery that is more demanding than ever, at times it proved to be very difficult, in fact most of the season it remained as tough as I have ever experienced it.
The latest edition of Voyages De Peches (see above left) includes an article of our experiences on the South Eastern coastline this summer including locations from Waterford Wexford and Cork, what a week that was! Hopefully it can only serve to assist all of us engaged in the Irish angling tourism business!
I received a present of the flies above on Thursday from David Gaudochon. Not only are they Jack Gartside patterns but they have been tied by Jack Gartside himself. David and I spoke at length of the relationship between the spirit that is inherent in something made by a tier that you connect with and then consequently how you fish with a feeling that is like nothing else. Both Brian and Andy do this for me.
Jack is most famous in my mind for the creation of the gurgler fly.
Jack Gartside is counted as one the most innovative and prolifically inventive fly tyers of the modern era. He got his first fly tying lesson in 1956 from Ted Williams, the great Boston Red Sox outfielder. That served as the beginning of a professional tying and angling career that spanned more than 50 years. Jack was one of the first fly tyers profiled in Sports Illustrated magazine (Oct. 12, 1982). His best-known original patterns include the Gurgler, the Sparrow, the Soft Hackle Streamer, and the Gartside Pheasant Hopper. His designs have been featured in Eric Leiser’sBook of Fly Patterns, Judith Dunham’s The Art of the Trout Fly, Lefty Kreh’s Salt Water Fly Patterns, Dick Stewart’s Salt Water Flies, and Dick Brown’s Flyfishing for Bonefish.
Sadly, Jack died in December 2009. In 2010 he was selected into the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame. It was a long-standing desire of his that his work and this web site continue to be available after he was gone. And so it is.
Jack is the author of Striper Flies, the first book ever specifically written on fly patterns for striped bass. Another book, Striper Strategies, was described by reviewer Steve Raymond as: “…one of the most remarkable striper-fishing manuals to see the light of day,” and by reviewer Tom Meade as “Blessed with bright writing, keen observations, and the most concise advice a striper hunter can find.”
Other books by Jack include Secret Flies, The Fly Fisherman’s Guide to Boston Harbor, Scratching the Surface, Fly Patterns for the Adventurous Tye,r and Original Salt Water Fly Patterns.
Jembob,
Just a quick email to say thanks really, now that I have returned and the brain has had time to process all that went on. As ever it was great to have my annual pilgrimage to Wexico, that goes without saying, however its the small things that always gets me.
Firstly, I would like to say thanks for keeping it all going during what was a hectic week for you with the unforeseen circumstances at home. You could have quite easily said to me…..there is a lot going on, would you be happy enough to spend the week at Mrs Nesbitt’s. However, you didn’t and your perseverance was noted and very much appreciated.
Another thing that made me happy was to see you f
ishing now and again, you do a lot of hard work, under difficult circumstances with the fishery in it’s current state and possibly take a lot of the verbal drivel from online sources too seriously. It was great for me seeing the bend in that fly rod, the tail hanging out of the striping basket and then my dubious ability with a Nikon camera. It’s terrible when the photographer has to encourage the subject to smile! Though I cannot talk as I am just as bad. The pic of me at the …… location is the only pic of me with a fish and a proper deep/happy smile.
It is a testament to your ability what you can do with that feckin fly rod……..even with the French collection I was whipped! Imagine……outfishing the client!!!! (JOKING)
The support team! As ever I am always made to feel very welcome at St John’s Road and Eileen did a great job looking after me, plenty of coffee and a hot dinner back at base, what more could I ask for.
WillBoB…….You can pass my regards to William for taking me in and like yourself, making me feel so welcome……I hope to fish with him again next year!
What I have learned……I always pick up something new and currently the head is fizzing with ideas…..there is a package en route from Bears Den fly tackle! Watch this space……I am going to create an abomination of a lure!
Finally, as I stood on the Stena ferry on the Monday morning, a heavy heart was felt! There is only one real answer for me to feel totally better again, remove the casualty from his current environment………..look out, i may be living approximately 197km from Wexford in the new year. The sight of that Cork coastline was too much, anyhow, it could be good……just think how many new spots I could find. Then you could bring the fly rod, I’ll supply the Lucozade and the jelly sweets and we could chase some shakey headed silver killers!
Get yourself and Eileen out to the Yard and enjoy a good steak!
Thanks………..
A McM
THIRTYARDS 
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