H2O MAGAZINE - UK WINTER 2023

H2O Magazine - quarterly fishing, tourism and leisure magazine

Norway Salmon Fishing / The flies for the Barrancoso / Tigerfish in Tanzania / UNTAMED ANGLING: Interview with Rodrigo salles / Chalk Stream Life / the original fishermen of north america / The Green Valley / Art in Fishing: Rachel Lee / For the Love of GTs

H2O year I • number 1 • WINTER 2024 Site Manager Sara Ballotta Editorial Director Giorgio Cavatorti Alex Jardine Editorial board Giorgio Cavatorti Via Verdi, 30 42027 Montecchio Emilia (RE) Aardvark McLeod Ltd COVER PHOTO Peter McLeod Photo credits for: Matt Hayes, George Howard collaborators on this issue: Andrea Bianchi, Rodrigo Salles, Greg Smith, John Aplin, John Grindle, Riccardo De Stabile, ADAM SMITH, Rachel Lee, Peter McLeod Art Director AND GRAPHICS: OMAR GADE, VALENTINA SCARABELLI, ANGLINGCONSULTING.ONE Press: “Tipografifia Bertani” Cavriago (ITALY) Authorization by the Court of Bologna n°8157 del 01/02/2011 Copyright © 2008 All rights reserved, even partial reproduction without authorization is prohibited of the editorial staff. Unsolicited photographs and manuscripts are not returned.

For any information regarding the trips covered in the magazine we invite you to contact Aardvark McLeod tour operator www.aardvarkmcleod.com

4

Editor note

T

Alex

his is the first issue of H2O UK, an exciting extension of the wonderful Italian and French versions originally created by Giorgio Cavatorti. We are delighted to carry the mantle and bring our passion for fly fishing, travel and the history around the sport that we love with an English twist. For this opening issue we bring a diverse range of articles across

W

Giorgio elcome to the first issue of a new UK magazine built together with our friends at Aardvark McLeod Interna-

tional Fly Fishing Specialists, a format that has been highly successful in Italy for some fifteen years and subsequently in France. H2O magazine covers the top

freshwater and saltwater, and from home

international fly fishing travel destinations, the histo-

to lands further afield. The winter issue of the maga-

ry of fishing, art, and the collecting of antique tackle.

zine will be ready in time for our attendance of

As we have all been in the fishing travel industry for

The Fly Fishing Show in Edison, USA and the British

many years allows us a unique insight and allows us

Fly Fair International in Stafford, England.

to bring you a wide variety of fly fishing travel articles from those who spend their time looking for the next destination. 2024 promises to be exceptionally busy as we will have a presence covering many of the principal fly fishing shows and events across Europe along with the New York fair in January. If you are attending any shows the please do find us and stop at our stand to say hello as we would love to talk to you. We hope you enjoy this first issue of H2O UK.

5

8

20

26

40

52

60

68

74

80 6

Contents 8

NORWAY SALMON FISHING SEARCHING FOR SILVER

Salmon fishing in Norway has

20

THE FLIES FOR THE BARRANCOSO

TIGERFISH IN TANZANIA

40

UNTAMED ANGLING: INTERVIEW WITH RODRIGO SALLES

60

THE ORIGINAL FISHERMEN OF NORTH AMERICA

74

There are small patches of paradise for every activity.

These are places where one's work...

We chat to Rodrigo Salles, founder of Untamed Angling, about the ethos and logistics of running fishing lodges...

The originally uninhabited continent of the Americas was populated from Asia via the Bering Strait...

ART IN FISHING: RACHEL LEE Hello, my name is Rachel Lee and I am an artist from South Korea who now resides in New Zealand. My passion for drawing characters from comics began...

a rich history amongst British fishermen, a destination visited by numerous anglers since...

26 52 68 80

The alarm clock rang early in the room of a small hotel overlooking the city of Iringa, in southern Tanzania. It would be nice to say that the...

CHALK STREAM LIFE John Aplin, river keeper, syndicate manager and fisherman, brings us a snippet of life on, around and in a classic chalk stream environment....

THE GREEN VALLEY About an hour from Milan and the major airports, not far from Lake Maggiore and Lake Como, there is a small valley now known throughout the...

FOR THE LOVE OF GTS In every fly fisherman’s journey, I think there comes a time when one species or another gets under your skin. It can be triggered by a particular...

7

ALEX JARDINE

Norway Salmon Fishing

r e v l i S r o f g Searchin 8

S

almon fishing in Norway has a rich history amongst British fishermen, a destination visited by numerous anglers since the 19th Century. These early wealthy travellers, named the Lakse Lordes (Salmon Lords), kickstarted a trend that is now followed by a much wider audience in the modern day. Even today, anglers still visit the same rivers and farms that those original salmon tourists visited. The walls of these historical houses are littered with decades of salmon memorabilia.

Whilst I am not sure I can quite claim a family link all the way back to those early salmon pioneers, my grandfather did frequently visit the Nordic rivers in search of silver. Despite never meeting him and salmon fishing somewhat skipping a generation with my father, my interest was sparked as a boy by a wooden carving of a 32lb salmon landed by my grandfather from the Stjørdal River… the fish was bigger than me.

Time passed and I earnt my salmon stripes, countless hours on my home rivers in England, Wales and Scotland with intermittent success.

Spreading my wings, I chased silver in the rivers and streams of Iceland. Despite the successes found in these locations, the wooden carving remained alluring, and I decided to start my Norwegian salmon fishing journey.

This journey took me to the Trondheim Fjord, just like the salmon from the carving, but to a special river lying just to the south of Stjørdal called the Gaula. For many, this river needs little introduction, it is one of the best Atlantic salmon rivers in not only Norway but the world. Travelling along the river it is easy to see what draws salmon and anglers to this valley; pacey flows, stunning pools and a river that is free from man-made barriers.

Since my first cast into the middle reaches of the Gaula, the river has captured my heart. I have returned on numerous occasions and wit-

9

10

nessed the river in all sorts of conditions, yet have always loved my days on the water. Atlantic salmon are an infuriating beast and those of the Gaula are certainly no different - your success is largely down to the conditions but also the mood of the fish!

Over the years, my trips to Norway have taught me much about salmon fly fishing. Whilst it is a country famed for large and aggressive Atlantic salmon, shooting heads, and big Templedog tube flies, I have found that for regular success you need to be able to adapt and think a little outside the box.

In the early season and high water, it is unquestionable that the bigger flies and a standard approach provides the greatest successes, but away from that different tactics can pay dividends. When I am salmon fishing, I am constantly thinking about my approach, method and fly selection. I attribute this thought process to the fact I came to salmon from trout fishing, where if you are not catching then you need to make a change. This is not always the case with their silver relatives, but it is a process that has brought me success over time.

When looking at a big salmon pool and then into one’s fly box, it is hard to fathom how a fish could not only notice your fly but feel a desire to chase it down in all that water. There is also much spoken about irritating the salmon into grabbing a fly, but I think this statement can often take our thought process down the wrong avenue.

A better way to look at it is what would the salmon think about eating. I know, they cannot eat once they return to freshwater, but there must still be that instinct present. A freshly returning salmon will have a recent memory of its ocean diet of small fish and krill and therefore might be tempted by a larger fly. However, as a fish stays in the river longer, that instinct possibly moves towards the original diet as a parr of small river invertebrates. Working along these lines, and the fact that the salmon have exceptional eyesight will unlock a whole side of your fly box of smaller offerings.

I, like so many, was reluctant to move to smaller flies to begin with but following success in Iceland where it is a standard approach, I was buoyed to try it. Sure enough, it is these smaller flies that have brought me the greatest success, particularly in clearer water and during the daytime fishing sessions. Nowadays, these

11

smaller flies with hardly any wing are nearly always first choice.

Sticking with the Icelandic influence, once I was convinced that smaller flies worked,

12

when tough lower water conditions prevailed and little else was working, I switched to try hitch tubes. This change up again brought about great success, although not always the

best hookup ratio as so often the fish misses the fly, or it just catches right on the edge of the mouth. Incredibly exciting nonetheless!

I find water selection to be key for hitching,

13

14

not necessarily the middle and lower parts of the pool where the hitch looks fantastic on the flat surface but, rather the faster choppy necks and upper middle parts of the pool. Firstly, in the lower water the fish nudge into these areas for the increase in oxygen, but I think the main reason is that the fish do not see the hitch

until the last moment, and they simply react instinctively to it. I will forever be haunted by a big silver salmon rolling through the choppy water on my hitch and waiting for the tug of line that never came… It is a sight I can never scrub from my memory, not the biggest salmon to ever run the Gaula but would certainly have

been one to cherish.

Fly selection and line choice are obvious things that can be chopped and changed in the search for silver. That said, I think something that is far more important is consistent presentation, knowing your limitations and in turn understanding salmon lies.

15

When I approach a salmon pool, I make a plan as to where the fish might be sitting, how the current will affect the swing and how I want the fly to appear to the fish. That does not mean casting as far as I can every cast at 45 degrees and taking two steps each time, but rather changing the length and angle of the cast as I work through the pool. In Norway, and especially on the Gaula, speed on the fly is key so casting squarer across the river can be very effective.

The best salmon holding area may be on the other bank but it may not always be possible to target these areas due to your own ability or the limitations of the tackle you are using.

That does not mean you do not stand a chance, simply look at the pool and identify areas within your reach where fish may hold, mid river structures, current changes and so on. In my experience, consistently presenting a fly well at these spots is far more productive than a poorly presented effort at range. The knock on effect is that you will have less tangles and spend more time fishing.

Whilst I am a huge advocate for changing tactics when salmon fishing, it is vitally important that you are sensible as to when you make your changes. When trout fishing, I have been known to change flies every other cast at times, but with salmon a more patient approach is required. Unless it is necessary to make an adjustment midway through a pool due to a change of depth or flow, I will typically fish through the whole run with the same setup in order to give my choice a full try. Once completed then I will think about a change. That could be a fly or line change, or simply a change of angle such as fishing from the other bank.

I also like to change setup due to light conditions and water clarity, so will often change over the course of the day as a result of the brightness or from day to day as water conditions fluctuate. I have found that altering fly size and colour for different conditions can result in success.

As with most things in salmon fly fishing, so much of it is theory and guesswork. Are we just trying to put method to the madness of it… possibly, but I like to think that by applying those extra thought processes my success rate has increased. Hopefully next season I too will be able to have a salmon like the one in that carving that first inspired me on this journey.

16

17

Greg Smith

20

THE FLIES FOR the Barrancoso

21

There are small patches of paradise for every activity.

These are places where one’s work or passion reaches the maximum expression, everything is perfect, and it is difficult to imagine better places for that purpose

22

As concerns dry fly fishing, and especially for fishing with imitations of small floating mice, I believe that the Barrancoso stream in Argentinian Patagonia represents the best that can be

experienced. Located within the Estancia Laguna Verde, the stream is virtually all owned by the Alba family, owners of two lodges on Lake Strobel and operators of the largest fish-

ing project in this area. The Barrancoso flows for about 15 kilometres inside the estancia, with private access for lodge guests. The very beautiful medium-sized stream has transparent water

like others around the world, except that there is a spawning run of enormous rainbow trout that occurs every October. It is a spectacle of nature, an incredible miracle that is renewed every year. Trout always tend to move up rivers during reproduction, but the exception here is the enormous size of these fish.

The fishing is completelY catch and release with fly only.

Furthermore, even during the week when the lodge is full, the river's rest days are respected.

This is how this very high quality is achieved.

The trout are all rainbows, as well as in Lake Strobel, and have an impressive growth rate due to many factors, including the large quantity of food and the fairly constant temperature of the

The very scrupulous management of the fishing at Estancia Laguna Verde means that the fish are never disturbed too much, with only very few fishermen taking turns on the river.

23

24

lake. This makes it possible to target fish of 6-8 kg in small, shallow holes fishing only by sight for the entire time. Just see one of the many videos that have been published online to understand what we are talking about. The stream is easily navigable by dividing it into a couple of sections and, even if in some areas the banks are not easy, it is still fishable in its entirety. The guides are always present to advise on the best flies and approaches and you are never too far from the off-road vehicle. I believe that if a fly fisherman is looking for the best way to practice dry fly fishing with mice imitations, the right place is this stream; it carries a distinction...

...like playing tennis on a grass court at Wimbledon or playing a game of football in the Maracanã stadium.

25

Andrea Bianchi

Tigerfish IN 26

Tanzania

27

28

T

he alarm clock rang early in the room of a small hotel overlooking the city of Iringa, in southern Tanzania.

It would be nice to say that the excitement of the upcoming fishing stint kept me up all night making the alarm useless. However, the last week of work in the forest had really exhausted me and the alarm rang rather incessantly (and annoyingly) before I could get out of bed.

The prospect of the day, and of the following ones, however, was more than fantastic: first,

29

four hours of dirt tracks in the Miombo woods, and then the “fishing” exploration of various stretches of the Ruaha River, some of which were never fished before. The setting for this exploration (or recce, from recognition, as they call it here) is one of the largest wild areas in Africa: The Ruaha National Park, 20,226 km2, an area as large as Lombardy.

I was a guest in my dear friend Kiasile Fox's tented camp, Mwagusi Camp, an oasis of comfort, relaxation, and inspiration in the heart of the savannah. The first day ran slowly in the principle of an African safari: radiators that

30

overheated, cover-ups, brunches in the shade of centuries-old baobabs... The arrival in Mwagusi was like taking a leap back in time, and while we were having dinner on a small table set in the bush, we found ourselves surrounded by giraffes, impalas and baboons which prepared for the night by screaming, clicking, and cackling.

Finally, however, the time came to stretch out the lines and cast in the fish rich waters (and not only...) of the Ruaha River. Kiasile (Hehe, the name meaning “he who is lost and found”, but that's another story) and I targeted the big tigerfish, and ignored the yellowfish, cichlids

and alestids that populated the river too. We both started with 8 weight rods with sinking tip lines, 20-30lb leader and steel cable bite tippet. We were looking for Hydrocynus tanzaniae (literally “the Tanzanian water dog”), one of the five species of African tigerfish, also called “blue tigerfish” due to a showy blue adipose fin (the alestidae family shares this characteristic with that of the salmonids).

Kiasile mounted a blue clouser, while I tried with a black one: at the first launch we were both enchanted, and we looked at each other smiling happily. His catch, a nice tiger of about

31

32

1kg, however, was retrieved and after a brief struggle reached the shore where Kiasile unhooked and quickly released it. In the meantime, I had recovered the excess line and clutch of the legendary Tibor that “The Everglades” slowly released decimeter after decimeter of line. However, the behaviour seemed strange to me, and in fact we wondered if I could have hooked a vundu, a sort of catfish that reaches

100kg. Just as we were discussing this, a longscaled tail removed all doubts: I had hooked a large Nile crocodile! A fair amount of swearing (in Italian, English, and Swahili) and laughter followed, until I finally straightened the rod and, holding the line tightly, let the weight of the crocodile straighten the hook. The experience was a warning to us: we will rarely fish without sharing the pool with crocodiles and

33

hippos (and on a couple of occasions, we had to quickly move away from the shore upon the arrival of a crocodile who was a little too curious).

After all this noise we decided to move upstream (while Kiasile caught three more tigerfish, but we could omit this from the story...) where I finally caught my first water dog. At this point the river ran quickly between rocks, and I fished as if I were looking for large marble trout: I cast at 30 degrees, skimming the opposite bank with the heavy streamer, I mended upstream with the floating part of the line, I let the T250 sink until it was tight, and I

34

35

started stripping.

However, unlike trout, the stripping must be fast, very fast, like that in saltwater. The bite arrived abruptly and angrily, and the blue tigerfish was a worthy and strong opponent. It tried various ways to free itself from the hook, jumping and making sudden changes of direction, and strong headbutts. It is not uncommon to lose several fish when using barbless hooks but, thankfully, on this occasion this came to hand.

The best areas of the river, where we caught the biggest tigers, were deep holes or areas with fast currents or undercut banks where the river digs into the soft sandy soil and provides hiding places for the big tigers and bait fish.

36

In the pools tigers rarely move except in moments of frenetic hunting. However, it is precisely in the pools that we can target the other species of fish typical of this large river. The Labeobarbus, as the name suggests, resembles our barbel, even if their aggressiveness often leads them to bite even small streamers; however, I prefer to fish them with a hopper-dropper, a technique that often also produces combative tilapia. Lovers of dry fishing and extra-light tackle can have fun with similar Brycinus affinis, a distant relative of the tigerfish, which feeds voraciously on mayflies and small terrestrials.

However, their small mouths make the strike very complicated, and it is not unusual to miss several bites before landing one of these small jewels which are endemic to Tanzania’s rivers.

g n i l g n A d e m a Unt

INTERVIEW WITH 40

RODRIGO SALLES 41

Untamed Angling INTERVIEW WITH RODRIGO SALLES

42

We chat to Rodrigo Salles, founder of Untamed Angling, about the ethos and logistics of running fishing lodges in a number of pristine settings in the rainforests of the Amazon and beyond.

When did the Untamed Angling adventure begin?

Untamed Angling began its incredible journey back in 2001, with a vision to redefine sportfishing in the Amazon and beyond. Our objective was not just to provide extraordinary fishing experiences, but to do so while maintaining a harmonious relationship with the environment and local communities.

43

We can imagine the difficulty of building world-class lodges in the middle of the jungle, would you like to talk about that?

44

Building in the heart of the Amazon is indeed a challenge of herculean proportions. Every plank of wood, every bolt, has its own odyssey of how it reached our remote locations. However, these challenges also inspire innovative, eco-friendly designs, all created with minimal disruption to the surrounding ecosystem.

45

You have several programmes in different areas; we guess the logistics and training of the guides cannot be easy.

We often see you photographed with big fish, so I take it that you are also a great fishing enthusiast…at you are also a great fishing enthusiast…

46

You're absolutely right; the logistics are complex, but they are part of the adventure we embrace. Training local guides is one of our cornerstones. By empowering indigenous communities with skills and knowledge, we're investing in the future of sustainable angling.

Yes, my passion for fishing is the bedrock upon which Untamed Angling was built. Every trophy fish represents years of dedication to both the sport and the preservation of these magnificent species.

We know that you are very careful about integrating local populations in your programmes; you implement a very sustainable fishing approach and controlled fishing pressure. How do you combine these elements with a profitability project?

Profitability and sustainability are not mutually exclusive; in fact, they are intrinsically linked in our business model. By involving local communities and promoting sustainable practices, we're not just preserving the environment but also elevating the value of the experience we offer. This dual focus makes our venture both profitable and responsible.

Can you anticipate some plans for the future?

We are excited about several upcoming projects, particularly further exploration of the Rio Marié's remote headwaters. Also on the horizon are advancements in our eco-friendly lodging technologies and enhanced community-based initiatives. Each step we take is towards offering anglers an unparalleled fishing experience while caring for the Amazon and its inhabitants.

47

THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THE ETHOS AND ADVENTURES OF Untamed Angling 48

49

John Aplin

52

CHALK STREAM LIFE

53

T John Aplin, river keeper, syndicate manager and fisherman, brings us a snippet of life on, around and in a classic chalk stream environment.

54

he excitement of looking over a bridge stays forever with you, as you focus quickly on the fish you knew would be there. Every bridge has one fish, or at least did, as we grew up here in the Frome valley.

As you look up from that fish your mind wonders upstream and downstream. Without knowing it your chalk stream obsession has begun along with, in my case, the beginning of a lifetime of working and sometimes fishing these unique habitats.

Our chalk streams have had to deal with an unwelcome plethora of issues over recent years – from the land drainage department and the removal of valuable spawning gravels to

drier water meadows and increased livestock numbers. It is simply amazing how much our landscape has changed in just one generation.

It is not all bad news though, and I have my fingers crossed that we can give nature a helping hand to heal some of these manmade scars.

I remember a slew driver who was about to retire, returning hundreds of tons of gravel back into the river, in the very same place he dug it out as a trainee. A barren landscape then is far from it now, with connected wet woodland and spawning salmon, sea trout, brown trout and grayling.

Most restoration projects do work and the more I have been involved with, the bigger they have become. One example was screen-

ing an industrial estate from the water meadows with willow, creating flow deflectors, berms, leaky dams, and riveting broken banks where needed. Large woody debris anchored in stream added cover from predation. The wet woodland habitat attracts otters, deer, and foxes, while overhanging branches and high banks proffer perches for kingfishers, and old farm buildings for barn owls.

We have been blessed to work alongside some great pioneers within this chalk stream world.

It’s a massive learning curve with every day a school day. Walkover surveys identify stretches of river that look poor. Pre-work habitat assessments and electric fishing surveys determine species and population present. Then a

year later the post-work surveys make great discussion points with more bank side head scratching.

Adjustments continue as the river changes; riffles move at times, willow shades bits that no longer need shade.

Chainsaw work during the winter months is never wasted with the creation of wildlife piles, full to bursting point with invertebrates, mammals and small birds.

Our chalk stream seems settled and peaceful at the moment, our projects grown over, the river keeper’s tweaks no longer noticed. We’re enjoying natural materials in a natural landscape along with a rising wild fish population.

Perhaps the need to stock is now a thing of the

past, our fish are wild, all of them catch and release, nothing killed.

Equally important as our fabulous wildlife are our anglers. Subtle access is needed along with safe wading.

A trimmed branch here and there allows the safe passage of a tricky cast to a rising fish.

Other touches might be a hut to shelter from the great British weather, a seat or two for the weary angler to sit and watch, eat lunch, and maybe have a glass or two.

Our chalk streams are a joy to fish throughout the year. Our trout season on the River Frome runs 1st April until 15th October and the grayling from 16th June until 14th March.

If you are super keen, you only miss out on a

55

couple of weeks’ fishing due to the closed seasons. These living arteries through the floodplain landscape are hugely varied, with habitats changing from source to the sea. Trout and grayling inhabit the upper reaches overlapped by the salmon and sea trout on the middle and lower reaches.

Spring fishing sees the first hatches; the grannom, then the hawthorn. Next, along with warmer evenings, come the truly magical mayfly hatches. These four weeks or so are when the big, seldom seen trout appear. You’re in with the chance of a monster if you can put some time in on the river.

Long summer evenings herald great falls of blue winged olives and as dusk falls, big fish sip spinners. If you can stay a little past dark then sedges, the only dry fly worth letting skate, might induce a take.

As the leaves change to their autumn colours and the temperature drops our attention changes to the grayling fishing. A three-pound fish on a frosty morning is rather special.

The colours on a grayling are extraordinary.

Make sure you allow time to just watch. I have, on two occasions, watched grayling busting bait fish in a shallow ford and a pod of huge grayling chasing a brief hatch of large dark olives, dorsal fins slicing through the surface film, all these fish lit up like sailfish. Quite magical.

It’s a privilege to experience a chalk stream.

Climb into your waders, head off and explore and all of life's tricky bits go away for a bit. Enjoy every moment - they are very special places.

Capturing the beauty of the locations in which we visit, and fish, can come in many different forms. Throughout this piece about the wonderful chalk streams the pictures largely take on a different perspective through the lens of John Grindle, an avid local photographer. We have a few words from John on how this particular photographic journey developed.

56

I

t’s not all about fishing, we are lucky enough to visit beautiful locations around the world to fulfil our sport. These can be in remote and exotic places, beauty can be found anywhere, even on your home patch that you think you know so well.

My flyfishing adventures started in 1986, mainly on the chalkstream rivers of Dorset.

Over those years I have taken many photographs, the majority are just generic images of a river and of course the fish that inhabit them.

As my photography journey progressed, I started to notice the beautiful intimate landscapes along the river. Scenes most people pass by, they don’t always notice these little pockets of beauty surrounding them while they are fishing.

I wanted these images to have a nostalgic film look, to render them timeless, but without the hassles of film photography. I found a solution whilst chatting with Peter McLeod about fishing and photography. He mentioned a vintage lens, the Helios 44-2, these were manufactured in the USSR from around 1962-70 and sold with Zenith cameras.

You can now attach these lenses to modern digital cameras with an adaptor, the resulting images have the film characteristics that I was looking for.Thankfully they are still readily available and reasonably cheap on the internet, mine only cost me £27. As soon as it arrived, I nipped down to the banks of the River Frome with my Olympus OMD EM-5 MKII digital camera and the new to me Helios 44-2.

It was interesting getting used to man-

57

ual focusing again, but modern cameras now have many digital solutions that really help, such as my preferred method, focus peaking. I was really pleased with the results. They had character, not sharp and not too soft, with wonderful bokeh (blur) when wide open. I also decided that all the images in what had now turned into a project, should be in the square format. Three years have since passed and I’m still surprised how many unique images I can l find tucked away along the riverbank. I tend to look for these during those quiet moments on a fishing trip, although a rising

58

fish will always win over taking a photograph. Next time you’re fishing one of our wonderful chalkstreams, please stop for a few minutes and soak in what is before you. Listen to the birds, the wind blowing through the trees, the weed waving in the flow, how many greens can you see in the trees and grasses. You will start to notice the small things and you will be surprised what you see - I highly recommend this a form of “river bathing”, no need for the getting wet and cold bit.

More Images can be found on Instagram: @JohnGrindle #johns2021photoproject

60

Riccardo De Stabile

THE ORIGINAL FISHERMEN OF NORTH AMERICA 61

62

T

he originally uninhabited continent of the Americas was populated from Asia via the Bering Strait. Most archaeologists assume that this migration began around the end of the last Ice Age, about 13,000 – 15,000 years ago and proceeded in several waves with people of different cultural backgrounds.

It is also possible that immigration started earli-

er, perhaps 30,000 years ago. On the northwest coast, in the region of the mouths of the Fraser and Columbia Rivers, a culture of fisherman can be traced back to 4000 B.C.. Almost all Indian tribes along this coast lived nearly exclusively on fish, and the Nootka and Makah were also engaged in whaling. The wealth of this culture was based mainly on the resources of several salmon species which were easily ac-

cessible during the upstream spawning migrations of the fish.

Furthermore, concentrations of cod, halibut, and other fish close to the coast provided sufficient food for the relatively dense population.

Hooks and line, spears, traps, and dams in the rivers were used for the salmon fishing. Fish hooks of wood tipped with slender bone barbs have been unearthed in archaeological excava-

63

64

tions, while many museums house large, elaborately carved wooden halibut hooks complete with line and float. Also found archaeologically are fish hook shanks of stone and bone.

Probably the most productive of any of the fishing devices, the traps and weirs allowed large quantities of fish to be taken at a time when the salmon runs were at their peak. Weirs were built in shallow estuaries, rivers and streams, either to block the upstream passage of salmon or to guide the fish into a trap or towards the fishermen with waiting spear.

The Indians built canoes of cedar wood which was hollowed out by fire. The trunks were then forced apart by wooden sticks and cut to size.

The seaworthiness of these boats for fishing was improved by planks to raise both ends of the

canoe. Whales were hunted with lances and harpoons, and seals with bow and arrow.

The women collected shellfish and large shell mounds can be found in many places along the coast as far north as the Bering Sea. Fishing localities on the lower Columbia River developed to become major centres of fish processing and fish trade.

There were almost as many ways of butchering and preserving fish as there were of catching them. The various methods differ depending on the species, the season, the climate, and tribal or local tradition. The two basic ways to preserve fish were by drying and smoking, or by sun and wind drying. In the drier areas along the Fraser River, where the weather could be relied on with greater certainty, the age-old method

was the outdoor drying rack roofed over with planks or branches as protection against direct sunlight and possible showers. Opened flanks of salmon, backbones, roe, and even heads were carefully tended to ensure even drying, with the flesh sliced in a special way to facilitate the process. Large king or chum salmon caught late in the season, when the weather was unstable, were cut thinner to promote faster drying.

Just beyond Yale on the Fraser River, where hot August winds funneled through the canyon, drying racks were poised high on rocky outcrops. Here, salmon hanging from the poles dried in a few days. Layers of the flat dried fish were stacked between branches of alder tree boughs to keep them in good condition and away from wasps until they were taken back

65

to the village.

Most other coast peoples had to contend with the rain and damp of unpredictable Pacific weather. They relied on drying and smoking to preserve their fish, and enjoyed the added flavour that smoking gave. Smoke houses, some quite large, were a vital part of the fish camp.

Built on cedar planks over a sturdy post and beam frame, the building often had a second storey with a notched log ladder for access, and this was sometimes used for storage.

The credit for providing a winter supply of food did not rest solely with the men. All the great catches of fish and all the abundance of food from the sea would have been useless without the skilled hands and hard work of the women.

It was the women who hung up the butchered fish, tended the drying racks, watched over the fires in the smoke house, turned the fish at the right time, and took it all down when experience told them it was fully cured.

66

67

68

Adam Smith

THE GREEN VALLEY

69

...there is a small valley now known throughout the world as a paradise for fly fishing... bout an hour from Milan and the major airports, not far from Lake Maggiore and Lake Como, there is a small valley now known throughout the world as a paradise for fly fishing. We are in the Italian

A

Piedmont, at the foot of the Alps and Monte Rosa. It is here that crystal clear rivers flow, populated by an incredible density of trout, including the famous marble trout.

Valsesia and its tributaries are considered the cradle of Italian fly fishing thanks to the ancient technique of Valsesian fishing. The Valsesian fishing museum in the town of Varallo is an important testimony to this. The Valsesian fish-

ing technique consists of a simple fixed rod and braided horsehair line attached to which were several simply dressed hooks (flies). The style required a lot of skill on the part of the fisherman. This is an elegant and effective technique even today.

tains’ of the Lombardy-Piedmont alpine area. It consists of a basilica, which constitutes the final station of a route that winds through streets and small squares, and 44 frescoed chapels populated by approximately 800 life-size wooden or polychrome terracotta statues.

particularity. Significant hatchings of insects begin in March, followed by the impressive hatchings of stoneflies in the summer period.

The fishing season runs from March to October.

Another highlight of the area is the Sacro Monte di Varallo which represents the oldest example of artistic interest among the ‘sacred moun-

These valleys offer the sport fisherman incredible variety, from small alpine streams to large glacial rivers, with each season having its own

70

Among the various facilities, we highlight the campsite located in Piano delle Fate. In addition to pitches for tents and campers, it also manages some apartments in a small village not far from

71

their excellent restaurant.

Just a stone's throw from the river, the campsite offers some wooden, extremely comfortable lodges, specially designed and intended for fishermen. The professionalism of the local fishing guides will do the rest.

The atmosphere in these lost valleys is exceptional, it feels as though time has stopped here.

Non-fishing travel companions can choose from various activities designed for both adults and children, making this destination very suitable for families too.

72

ART IN FISHING:

RACHEL LEE ART OF FISHING: RUDOLF W. FALTIS 74

H

ello, my name is Rachel Lee and I am an artist from South Korea who now resides in New Zealand. My passion for drawing characters from comics began at the age of nine and has been a part of my life ever since. I am a graduate of Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland.

After completing my studies, I returned to South Korea where I pursued a career in the IT industry, which was more prominent at the time. My ultimate goal was to design game characters, and I was fortunate enough to land a job at a video game company. I worked there for a few years before meeting my husband, Sean. We now have three daughters and have returned to New Zealand to raise our family.

75

My husband is my biggest inspiration, as he has a personality that is the perfect opposite of mine. His love for the outdoors has motivat-

ed me to draw various fish species, as they all appear to be unique characters with their own histories waiting to be discovered through my art.

76

My latest challenge has been capturing the beauty of brown trout and rainbow trout, with their contrasting colours and unique characteristics. Their strength and beauty have brought my art to life.

77

78

Overall, my passion for art and drawing has remained a constant in my life, and I am grateful for the opportunities that have allowed me to pursue my passion.

https://instagram.com/rachellee_illustration rachelleeillustration.com rachelleeillustration@hotmail.com

79

For the love of GTs

80

Peter McLeod

81

In every fly fisherman’s journey, I think there comes a time when one species or another gets under your skin.

82

I

t can be triggered by a particular experience, a certain trip or perhaps a slow understanding of what makes that species tick. Quite often this can then lead to a path of obsession unlike any other. For many its tarpon, for the unlucky few, its permit. For me, its giant trevally. These predatory behemoths stalk the flats of my dreams and often have me waking in a cold sweat.

My obsession began on a wide edged ocean side flat on a far pin prick of land in the Indian Ocean in the early 2000s. I had stalked many a flat in the Caribbean over the previous decade, but this was my first venture onto the atolls of the Seychelles. There is a big difference between wading along hunting tails in calf depth water to taking the next step and wading from thigh to chest depth in the surf line. I was defi-

nitely out of my comfort zone. I was acutely aware that there are other hunters that patrol these areas, and my senses were electric. Just then, a wave set came in and there, framed in the wave like a picture, was a giant trevally surfing down the inside. The hunting instinct kicked in, I managed some resemblance of a cast and manged to flop the tan brush fly in its general vicinity.

83

The fish heard the fly land, did a 180-degree turn, hit the afterburner, annihilated the fly, and took off to the reef edge. Nothing prepares you for the speed and power of the take of a GT and the adrenaline rush is overwhelming. I am sure that my face mirrored all those emotions as I made first contact. Even though that first fish was by no means a monster, I was struggling to control it on a 12 weight as I floundered in between coral heads and the incoming waves. I managed to back up onto the edge of the flats, gain some traction, and finally apply enough pressure to prevent that fish heading over the edge and certain destruction.

What is it that makes these fish so highly regarded as a target saltwater species? Bonefish are more honest, tarpon get bigger, and permit are definitely wilier. The first is their adaptability. GTs are incredibly opportunistic hunters.

They will use everything at their disposal to feed on a huge variety of different prey species.

One minute they are smashing bait in packs off beaches, the next they might be tailing on crabs on the flats and a little later they will be hovering on the back of a ray smashing anything it happens to scare up. They even target full grown birds off the surface. For a fly fisherman this makes them a phenomenal species to target as every experience you have with them is different.

It is the environment you fish for them that plays a big role. There is a big difference in polling around on a skiff to chase fish as opposed to immersing yourself in their environment. I have always preferred to wade when saltwater fishing for this reason. You become so much more aware of all the living creatures scuttling around at your feet, you feel the tide pushing in and out as it tugs at your shorts and when you come off the flats and fish the surf line sometimes it is a battle to just stay on your feet, let alone put a line out. You also develop what I refer to as the “Cosmoledo sweep”.

When you are scanning from left to right looking for fish, it is the practice of every third scan looking behind you as well to make sure that there is nothing creeping up on you.

There was a time on Farquhar Atoll, I waded out through some slightly deeper water to get to a headland with my guide. We crossed an area of rather crunchy shingle to reach it and just as the gradient rose and we hit knee depth

84

we turned around to find a metre plus GT sliding in behind us. The noise of our boots had alerted it, and we were being investigated as a potential snack! I know this might sound rather alarming, but once you are accustomed to it and have been under the tutelage of guides that deal with it every day, the fear quickly evaporates. If someone had told me when I first began fishing for this species that when I saw a shark on the flats, I would run towards it instead of away from it I would have thought them mad.

GTs will often hang behind a shark and feed off any prey it spooks in a sort of grotesque game of grandmother’s footsteps.

The speed that GTs exhibit when hunting will take your breath away. This combined with their ability to track a moving object in the air is astounding. I have seen instances of a GT tracking a fly in the air as it is cast and intercepting it as it hits the surface, a technique that comes in very handy when hunting birds on the wing.

Picture finally making it into the flats after months of preparation. You are wading in thigh depth water and your guide points out a stingray with a GT on its back some 20 yards away. The heart is pounding, the legs slightly shaking. You strip off some line, throw out the 6/0 fly attached to the 130lb mono attached to the 12 weight rod that still feels like a broom handle. You begin to cast across the wind backhand, desperately trying not to stick that large hook into yourself and after a couple of attempts manage to put the fly somewhere near the ray. While you are trying to grab the loose line, remember to take up the slack and strip like the guide told you, the fish has charged off the ray and hit the fly. Without missing a beat, it is already disappearing into the blue as a stray loop of running line whips up, wraps around the rod butt, comes tight and wraps around the reel foot. Bang! The 50 lbs cored fly line parts like a gunshot going off and it’s all over… another one chalked up to experience. Sometimes they charge the fly so fast coming towards you it’s simply impossible to maintain contact with the fly and they spit it out before you ever come tight.

There seems to be a misconception around these fish that they always smash everything thrown in their general direction. This is not the case by any means and GTs have the same

85

innate ability to drive you mental as every other gamefish. With tarpon you often have to convince them eat by using the retrieve and the mobile materials in the fly patterns. It is possible to “feed” a tarpon or a permit and occasionally this is possible with GTs as well, especially the big ocean-going fish. They are big for a reason and often they can be lazy with flies, tracking them for some time before finally committing.

Other times they will just point-blank refuse which perhaps can be down to tidal phase or barometric pressure. This is more of a hunch than proven fact. If they ate everything the challenge would be gone and it would not be as beguiling as it is.

There is no doubt that hunting GTs is challenging. It is not the kind of species that you can just decide to go and catch. It does take some preparation and ability. I say this as encounters can still be few and far between and often require covering huge areas to locate the right phase of tide and prey species. You will need to put the time in to experience the reward and there is no instant fix. The key is to capitalise on the opportunities when they occur. Don’t attempt to fish for GTs with sub-standard kit or they will destroy it. It helps hugely to be proficient at double hauling with a 12# and big flies, both forehand and especially backhand. Invariably they are coming at you across the wrong shoulder. Casting this rig while standing up to your waist in water is a skill in itself and takes some getting used to. Longer belly lines allow you to pick up and put down a misplaced cast and its very different to firing a short bellied line off the front of a skiff. Although easier to turn over big flies, short bellied lines will make life harder as they require you to strip in the thin running line before recasting, by which time the fish has normally gone. Managing the running line also becomes an art in moving water, especially if it

86

sinks as it will get caught on the coral. Mastering these skills are one of the most rewarding facets of fly fishing for GTs. Every so often while wading the flats or the edges you encounter a beast. In GT terms this is generally considered to be over one metre in length which equates to some 45 lbs. This is a fish that has a mouth that can open nearly a foot in diameter and could easily swallow a chicken whole. If you spend enough time on the flats you will probably tangle with one, and what happens next can often be a blend of skill, luck, and more often than not it ends in tears.

The first time it happened to me will forever be etched in my mind. We were moving down on the large sand flats on the east side of Providence Atoll in the Seychelles. The lagoon system was on our left and we were right up on the apex of the flat. Coming down tide I spotted something large and black heading in our direction. I was not sure if it was a ray as it was very wide, but prepared myself as there might be a fish on its back. As we got close it dawned on me that it was not a ray at all, but a massive GT. I threw the Olive Semper fly in front of me to clear the line and began to cast. As the distance closed, I dropped the fly two feet in front and slightly to the left of the fish. This would mean my retrieve would pull the fly away from it at an angle, much like a fleeing bait fish. I let the fly sink for a few seconds and gave it one long strip. The fish flared immediately and turned in that direction. I found myself holding my breath as I started to strip, long smooth pulls. The fish followed and on the third strip, committed. It accelerated and planed up on its fins as it engulfed the fly, its whole head out of the water as it eyeballed its prey. As it turned I pointed the rod straight at the fish and hit it hard twice. The water erupted, the fish immediately charging for the safety of the deep

water in the lagoon. The line hit the reel in a fraction of a second, line peeling off the spool as it made a tortured scream. I bent the rod to the opposite side and as I attempted to gain control, I felt the unmistakable feeling of line grating against coral heads. It neatly threaded my fly line through the coral heads like knitting until everything went solid. My shoulders slumped, the battle was over.

These “Gangsters of the flats” are found in some of the most beautiful places on the planet and have a very large footprint. They are found in the Indian Ocean across through Australasia and the Pacific. I have had the joys of hunting them from Christmas Island in the Pacific, Indonesia, Sudan, the Seychelles, Mozambique and

87

South Africa. Each destination has its own challenges, cultures and techniques, each one teaching you something different about these magnificent creatures. I have travelled to fish for them every year for the last 20 years and I shall carry on dreaming until once again I step off the edge of the tender boat into that azure water, 12# in hand and my love of giant trevally can continue.

88