More Fly Fishing Fun at Albury and another big trout

My pal Malcolm has made so much progress with his casting of the fly that I decided to take him to the lakes at Albury Estates, near Guildford.  I also wanted him to see what a real fly fishing shop was like so we visited Peter Cockwill's Albury Game Angling tackle shop.  I need some fly tying materials and I wanted to make sure Malcolm invested in some blue flash damsel nymphs as they are deadly on the lakes.

Peter Cockwill is a splendid instructor, guide, author, lecturer and tackle shop proprietor. He has been guiding trips to Alaska every year since 1988. 

Peter's shop has everything you need to fly fish and fly tie.

We started fishing at Weston on the main lake, with me wanting to sight fish, but the fish were staying out of sight so we had a go at the Wood Lodge Pool where we could see fish, especially where the water flows in through the feeder pipe.  Malcolm caught on the blue flash and I blanked so after a sandwich we drove the mile or so to Vale End and fished the river pool. Malcolm positioned himself adjacent the tail of the pool (I hadn't told him that was where a couple of years ago our mutual friend Ashok had caught a 10lb fish).  I positioned myself at the side of a large tree, hoping to use it as cover because the water was fairly clear.  Whilst I was pulling a bit of debris from my fly Malcolm called out and pointed to the far side of the lake. I looked round the tree trunk and saw a very large ring rapidly expanding on the water about 25 yards away.  I quickly worked out some line, false casting like crazy and double hauling dropped the fly at the center of the ring.  Reckoning that the fish was probably still high in the water I started tweaking the fly in immediately and was rewarded with a firm snatch.  The fish splashed and Malcolm gave me one of his "I don't believe it looks"!  Ten minutes later having been taken back onto the reel, and having steered the fish out of reeds on both sides of the lake I managed to get it on the bank. It was in perfect condition with a lovely full tail. It weighed in at 4lb 8oz.

We both went on to have another fish each and ended a very pleasant winters day so glad we had gone fishing.

I tend to fillet larger fish as it is less trouble than gutting them, but note the filleting glove under the filleting knife.

Thought for the day: Bragging may not bring happiness, but no man having caught a large fish goes home through an alley!

Lots happening on the fishing and other fronts!

Well I finally got all of my children (all 7) together for my mother's memorial service. The pictures in the background are of my mum.

Then I managed to take my son Daniel (the tallest at 6' 10" who had flown in from the States) fishing in a boat at Bewl. He even managed to land a big one, with a bit of help, whilst wearing gloves!

My pal Malcolm was in the boat with us spinning!  I am pleased to report I caught 50% more fish on the fly than he did spinning.  Well, OK he got 2 and I got 3!

Then I slipped down to the Salisbury and District waters to tackle the grayling. The fishery manager, Andreas recommended I try the Laverstock Fishery on the River Bourne and as I had never fished there I decided to give it a go.  In spite of the recent rains it was running beautifully clear, so clear, I kept spooking the fish.  Also I had failed to bring my box of size 18 grayling flies with me so I was fishing nymph that were too big. The net result, well there weren't any "net" results as I blanked.  However, I did get to wade the river and to find the official access by the bridge (the map in the Year Book is a bit misleading).  In the afternoon I fished the Avon at West Amesbury.  There was a lot of coloured water coming down and I blanked there as well.  On the positive side I did see all the work the river keepers had been doing.  I particularly appreciated the plastic matting covering the boggy patches.  Well done!

I made up for my disappointing fishing yesterday when I took my American pal Bryant to Albury Estates Western Fishery.  We met up with the fishery manager at the lake at Western and had a pleasant chat and he suggested we try Western.  The water was crystal clear and I soon realised that I could, if I looked hard, see the fish cruising 2 to 4 rod lengths out.  It was the dark reflection of the trees on the opposite bank that enabled me to see in the water.  So I was fishing with my back to the road.  I got my first fish fairly quickly.  Then I spotted a fish and cast my blue flash damsel fly to try to get it a couple of metres in front of him/her.  The cast went wrong and the fly dropped behind the fish.  Hearing and feeling the sound, the fish turned and hit the fly. We had a 5 minute tussle and just at the net the fish came off.  I tried several other areas with no luck so I returned to where I could see the fishing.  I found that having spotted one, if I took my eyes off it, even for a second or two, I would lose it visually.  So I tried to retrieve and cast all the time, keeping my eyes on the fish.  The next encounter was pure text book stuff.  I saw, I cast it took and I caught, but not quite!!!.  When it saw the net the fish took off and surprise, surprise the hook broke on the bend.  Meanwhile I kept an eye on Bryant, occasionally offering tips on how he could improve his casting.

Then I spotted a large fish well out from the bank. Knowing I had to extend my back cast in order to get the distance on the forward cast I checked out the trees behind me and positioned myself to take advantage of a gap.  Double hauling like crazy I deliberately cast well behind the fish as I was just gauging the line length required.  Having adjusted to get that right I went for the big one landing the fly about 3 metres in front of it.  I then lost sight of the fish and gently retrieved using a slow figure of eight.  My arm was wrenched forward and I was on.  The fish quickly took me back onto the reel and the rod bent through 90 degrees.  I recovered line as it ran towards me and then it made for the protection of branches that hung in the water.  I tightened the clutch and managed to turn it back into open water.  Some minutes later it was in the net and on the bank.  It was a cracker and I was chuffed.

It was exactly 5lb in weight and perfect

Just to prove it was me who caught it.

Whether river or lake, sight targeting fly fishing gives me the most satisfaction.  Well done Albury Estates, we had a great time.

Bewl Water is fishing well with big fish being caught, if you know how!!!

Rob teaching at Bewl

I managed to get down to Bewl Water to enjoy I some top of the water autumnal action. Rob Barden (who fishes for England) was manning the Fishing Lodge so I did not hesitate to ask his advice on the where and how. He recommended drifting either side of the fish cages in terms of the where and fishing a booby on the point and a couple of small naturals on the dropper. He said the knack that makes the difference at this time of year is to fish the booby static, and if on the drift not retrieving any more than is necessary to keep the fly line straight between the rod tip and the fly. So fully briefed I went to work.  The weather was ideal, mainly overcast with a good ripple on the water.  As I was motoring to the cages I saw a circle of smooth water and was tempted to stop and cast to it as it was probably caused by fish circling just under the surface. I should have paused but the call of the cages was too strong!   

A selection of boobies

Now I am use to retrieving boobies fast on warm summer evenings when the trout will provide a brilliant chase, but that is totally wrong in the autumn. So I had to force myself to keep the booby as static as possible and it worked.  In the end I gave up drifting, I got lazy and moored to a buoy, with fish moving all around.  The weather was bright and there was a quiet time early afternoon but there were fish showing most of the time.  Just before I was leaving the clouds opened and it poured. I managed to wrap the leader round the top of the rod and thought of leaving, but I decided I liked extreme fishing so I tied a new leader on put an fresh minkie booby on the point and was swiftly rewarded by a cracking take and another 3 lb fish.

It was worth getting wet as I filleted the fish and my wife cooked my favourite trout recipe "Pan fried citrus trout with basil". The recipe is in the book "50 Classic Trout Recipes" by Jane Bamforth at the amazing cost of £4.99.  I got it for Christmas last year so if you want to get a fly fisherman a lovely present this year there is my suggestion.

   

Crucial protection when teaching a grandson to fly fish.

A few days ago I had the pleasure and privilege of giving Sam, my 15 year old grandson his first boat fly fishing experience.  He lives at Milton Keynes so that gave us the excuse of going to Grafham Water, around an hours drive away.  Grafham is a well run fishery, where they even provide drogues and landing nets (for reasons I wont go into here).  They have a superb tackle shop and allowed my grandson and I to fish on the same 6 fish ticket.  I had not fished the water for several years so asked where we should concentrate.  The weather was a bit contrary blowing a gale with bright sun.  Eventually we found the fish down by the dam, but it was tricky fishing as the wind was blowing us onto the dam.  I insisted on Sam wearing eye protection, he had forgotten to bring his sunglasses but fortunately so I gave him an expensive pair my son Stuart had left in my car.  Sam then forgot to bring those in the boat, fortunately I had got another spare pair in my fishing bag!  A hat is a good idea too Sam!

To cut a long story short Sam cast well, fished well and was rewarded with a brace of cracking rainbows caught on blood worm flies.  Here is the first one.

I am sad when I see people fishing without eye protection, having buried a hook in my own face a couple of times, I don't think it is worth the risk of getting one in the eye!

Fun sailing in Dubrovnik at Uvala Lapad

I am glad so many of you, from all over the world, enjoy my posts, I get pleasure out of writing them because I remind myself of things that have happened (usually good) and I like to share experiences with others. I have one more thing to share from our sojourn in Croatia. Walking from the Hotel More along the footpath just above the sea on our way to the bus stop we passed this lovely lady. Stopping for a chat (as you do) I inquired about hiring a yacht for a sail. 

The net result was that we had an evening sail, with a very friendly and competent captain, who told us about the area and what was going on.  He kindly kept us in calm waters.

This is the boat we sailed in as seen from the hotel restaurant.

 As you can see I was quite relaxed!

This island use to be all rock but ages ago, when the Austrians conquered the area, they shipped soil to cover it and now it has trees. 

If you are out there and fancy a sail their web site is http://www.dubrovnik-sailing.com

An evening sail cost us around £90 which I thought was good value.  The customer service was brilliant!  Life is short and you have to enjoy the journey!!!

Just occasionally we Brits do something really well!

Having seen the news coverage and having friends tell us what a wonderful sight it was my wife and I decided to jump the bus and train and take a look at the major art installation "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red" at the Tower of London.  This artistic display marked one hundred years since the first full day of Britain's involvement in the First World War. Created by ceramic artist Paul Cummins, with setting by stage designer Tom Piper, 888,246 ceramic poppies progressively filled the Tower's famous moat over the summer. Each poppy represents a British and Commonwealth military fatality during the First World War.

The poppies encircle the iconic landmark, the castle, known as the Tower of London creating not only a spectacular display visible from all around the Tower but also a location for personal reflection. The scale of the installation intends to reflect the magnitude of such an important centenary creating a powerful visual commemoration.

On the conclusion of the display, the poppies are to be sold raising millions of pounds which will be shared equally amongst six service charities.

 We went there on a Friday around 11.00 am and it was solid with people from all over the UK and the World.  It has been like that for weeks and weeks.

 Here is an artistic touch showing the poppies appearing to pour out of the castle.  Just like blood pouring out of some poor soul's body.

 The crowds were quiet and reverent, quietly shuffling along all a bit overwhelmed aware that each poppy represented one of the 888,246 who died protecting our freedom.

We came away quiet, reflective and thankful.  It made me proud to be British.

Magic in Montenegro!

The border with Montenegro is only an hours drive from Dubrovnik and my brother had said it was well worth a visit.  We signed up with a tour operator near the hotel and were told we would be collected from the hotel at 7.55 am.  We hadn't asked so we were not sure whether a car, taxi or minibus would turn up to take us, so we were surprised when a forty-seater coach arrived on time.  There were already some people on board and as it drove through Dubrovnik stopping at other hotels it soon filled up.  As we left Dubrovnik heading south along the mountainous roads I soon realised we were in the hands of a very professional team.  The driver was confident and careful and the two tour guides a lady, who sat at the back translating for the french and Ratka a male comedian who performed up the front giving the commentary in english.  Ratka gave us a geography lesson and a history lesson and made it funny and interesting.  Helpfully he briefed us on how to behave with the officials when we reached the border crossings, warning us that some holiday makers who ignored his advice are still guests of the government!

As the pictures will show we were blessed with beautiful weather.  The coast of Montenegro has fjords like Norway and they are very deep which means that large cruise liners can sail deep into the country like this one at Kotor.

Ratka told us how several hundred years ago a fisherman had discovered an icon (a small religious picture) lying on a rock in the middle of a fjord and had taken it to his village where it was placed in the church.  The next morning the icon was gone, presumably stolen and everyone was sad.  A few days later another fisherman found the icon back on the rock so he took it back to the church.  Then it went missing and was found back on the rock again!  The villagers decided that this was a sign and the icon needed to be on the rock so they built a church on the rock to house the icon in!  The picture below shows the church they built.

Here is Ratka in full flow suggesting where we might eat.  I included this picture because it reminds me that there is some serious fishing to be had in the area.

Having driven round the fjord we then took the ferry to cross it giving rise to some lovely photo opportunities.

We kept having to pinch ourselves to remind us it was mid October.

Exploring wonderful Dubrovnik, Croatia

Having had a wonderful drive from the airport the helpful receptionist (Nika) at Hotel More  (pronounced Morey) recommended us each purchasing a special tourist discount card called a "Dubrovnik Card" from the local tourist office.  She explained it was actually two cards, one gave us free travel on the buses and the other free access to museums, art galleries and "the famous city wall" (10 locations in all).  She also gave us a very useful map with the city on one side and the whole area on the other side where she planted a cross showing us where the hotel was. When in a foreign country it is always reassuring to know where you are laying your head!

Having unpacked in lovely rooms and tested out all the switches etc. we went about exploring, first the hotel and then the cliff path in front of it.  The cave bar blew our minds it was so cleverly arranged.  Then we had dinner, went for an evening stroll along the cliff path in front of the hotel and then crashed out.

The next morning after a robust breakfast we walked to the tourist office exchanged some currency and collected our Dubrovnik Cards.  A bus came along straightaway and we shoe horned ourselves onto it.  It was the rush hour.  I got chatting to a chap from the UK who had been there nearly a week and he kindly recommended some things to do and places to visit.  I was holding on too tight to write anything down but fortunately Rosalind was eves dropping and she has total recall.

When we got to the bus station just outside the old walled town it was heaving with people, apparently there were two large cruise ships in the port.  The atmosphere was magic with street performers and music and loads of food.

Having "done" a couple of art galleries and had refreshments by the little harbour we found our way up to "the wall". This goes right round the old town (as well as up and down) and you get the most amazing views and photo opportunities.  Altogether the walk round the wall is around 1.3 kilometers long. Fortunately it was not too warm.

The orange area is the old town surrounded by the wall.

View from the wall of an adjacent fort.

From the wall you look down on stunning tiled roofs.

And the marina.

 Rosalind has to be coaxed into posing.

 There was some very clever workmanship as this hand rail bracket demonstrates.

We had a lovely lunch and a pleasant bus trip back and felt we were really on holiday!

Wonderful Holiday by the Sea in Croatia!

In order to recover from our 6 weeks babysitting in the US we consulted our travel guide (my brother Chris) and he recommended Croatia, somewhere I would have never considered!  We booked up and thankfully my mother's graduation from this life did not require us to change our plans.  Chris kindly told us which travel agent to use, what hotel to stay at and what things to do and it was all absolutely brilliant.  So to share this I am going to do a series of short posts covering booking and the hotel, what we did in Dubrovnik, trips and activities and our visit to Montenegro.

We booked with a company called Broadway Travel and a helpful adviser called Grant Lawson. We flew Easyjet from Gatwick (around 2.5 hours) and stayed at a 5 star boutique hotel called Hotel More (pronounced Morey in Croatian).  We went half board but could have gone B & B as there were lots of cheap places to eat at locally. We took Rosalind's brother John with us.

John looking at the hotel as we sail past.

The sea views from the hotel were wonderful.

The hotel was excellent, the food good and the staff friendly and helpful.  The quality of workmanship in the building was first class.  The layout was slightly complicated due to it being built down the face of  cliff but that made it interesting.

The dinning room was lovely but much of the time we were alfresco.

The kitchen had a large window enabling you to see the wonderful food being prepared.

During the construction of the hotel a cave was discovered and this has been developed into a wonderful bar.

The cave bar has a clever viewing platform that allows examination of the stalactites and stalagmites closely.  It is all beautifully executed.

I liked the sea side patio with sun loungers and tables, but best of all I could dive straight into warm deep water and snorkel watching fish until I was exhausted!  More to follow.......

Everyone has been so kind and helpful

Being told you mother has died is not an everyday experience and even if you have been warned by the doctor that "the end is nigh" (he didn't use that expression) it still comes as a shock.  However to know that my mum was well looked after by the staff at Cherry Lodge Care Home in Caterham, Surrey and that her Doctor, Dr Chirag Patel from the Town Hill Practice, Caterham had been attending her and briefing us was reassuring. Mum always had a high regard for the British National Health Service and it served her well right to the end.

Registering mum's death at Reigate Registry Office was made easier by the kindness of the registrar Mrs J Rogers.  She introduced me to the government's "Tell Us Once" service where you contact one gov department and answer their questions and then they tell all the central and local gov depts on your behalf!  Wonderful!

 

 

Irene Elsie Mary Moe formerly Carter

As you would expect the funeral directors Francis Chappell & A G Rice, at East Grinstead have been very professional carefully explaining all the necessary procedures.

Mum will be buried next to her second husband Lucas Moe at a short graveside service with immediate family and a few close friends present. Then almost a month later, when we can get the whole family together we will hold a Remembrance Service to celebrate her life. 

My brother Chris and I count our blessings having had such a wonderful lady as our mother.

 

Irene and Lucas standing under the blue sign on the wall of their home in Farmington, Utah.  Mum always answered the phone by saying "Buckingham Palace" in an english accent, so their friends presented them with a sign that read "The Moes, Buckingham Palace"!

Irene served as a Temple Ordinace Worker in both the London and Washington LDS Temples.

Travelling Abroad to Fish? Fail to prepare, prepare to be frustrated!

Whilst we all enjoy fishing in our home country, the idea of fishing abroad for some exotic, large, unusual species is very attractive.  These days, tempting, overseas fishing exploits are frequently featured on the box and are continuously featured on YouTube.  This exposure tends to whet our appetite to “pack rod and travel”.  Sadly, sometimes because we have not done our homework until it’s too late, we end up on holiday feeling fed up and frustrated looking at inviting rivers, lakes and beaches without the appropriate tackle, knowledge and license to enjoy the moment.  Having been fishing abroad for more years than I care to remember (I was born when the Dead Sea was only sick) I thought I would share some tips based on what I have learnt the hard way.

1.       Probably the easiest way to successfully fish abroad is to sign up as part of a party led by an experienced guide.  This is costly and does not completely guarantee success. One has heard of salmon trips to the Kolar Peninsular when the rivers are late thawing, or to Tierra del Fuego where it has been so windy that only fishers who brought two-handed rods can get a line out and a fish on. 

2.       If the trip is guideless you need to start preparing for the trip as soon as possible by first deciding the what, the where and the when.  Deciding on “the what” helps fix “the where” and probably “the when”.  But maybe you have the where and the when decided for you by others.  When my brother suggested I took my wife to the Canary Isles last year and she liked the idea, I immediately started checking out the fishing opportunities.  Having fixed “the where” and “the when” that will determine what you can fish for.  Many locations have “closed seasons” for certain species.  Sometimes there is the weather to contend with.  Once in April in Utah I set out to fish a large reservoir up in the local mountains and found my route blocked by a “Road Closed” sign.  On asking a local why the road was closed he responded with the simple answer “snow”!

3.       Local knowledge is worth its weight in fish!  Whilst reading travel books, fishing books and magazines or searching the internet can be helpful, nothing replaces the local knowledge of a fellow fisher.  I use two approaches to obtain detailed local knowledge.  The first is to hire a local guide.  This obviously costs but in my experience usually pays dividends so I usually hire a guide at least once every trip and definitely if I am going to a new location.  This has the following advantages:-

a.       They make sure you have the appropriate license and know the fishery rules (so you stay out of trouble).  In some parts of the world fishery enforcement officers carry guns!

b.      They are going to take you where you are most likely to catch (and you can remember where and save it as a favourite on your Sat Nav for future reference).

c.       They usually provide the transport to places you would never find on your own.

d.      If a drift boat or pontoon boat is needed they will provide that.

e.      They usually provide all the appropriate tackle, flies, etc. and sometimes even drinks and lunch.  When the guide hauls his boat onto a gravel bar, breaks out the stove and starts cooking lunch whilst you carry on fishing you know you are living the dream!

f.        They change flies for you, sometimes very frequently, until you start hooking up.

g.       They show you subtle techniques, like ways for avoiding flies dragging in cross currents.

h.      They keep you safe.  A guide advised me not to try fishing Lake Kariba from the shoreline as the crocs think you are dinner!

i.         Sometimes they even clean or fillet the fish for you and bag them up.

j.        They are good company and you make friends.  If you have had a good days fishing you tip them appropriately. 

4.       The alternative to using a paid guide is to use what I call the “please can you help me approach”.  This involves searching the web for the local fishing club web site and posting a message on their forum.  I put a message like this “Friendly fly fisher out from the UK first 2 weeks of June would appreciate tips and advice on where and what species to fish for”.  I might even mention the species such as bass, steelhead or sea run cuts.  Then I sit back and wait for some responses.  Sometimes I only get advice but on a number of occasions I get invited by a complete stranger to go fish with him.  My first experience of doing this resulted in my receiving an e mail from “Papa Fish” which stated “Meet me in Sultan at the Bakery at 6am tomorrow and we will fish the South Fork of the Sky together”.  The Sky is the Skykomish River in WA, USA and I could not resist an invitation like that.  So that was how I met up with my pal Lonnie and we have fished together every year for the last 6 years sometimes using his drift boat.

     These fishing friends can provide nearly all the benefits a paid guide provides.  I think it important to try to repay their goodwill by offering to pay for fuel, lunch etc.  I also make it clear that if they ever find themselves in the UK I will try to find them some good fishing.

 

5.       If you cannot arrange a formal or informal “guide” then you should seek out advice from the tackle shop local to the area you will be in.  Most will respond to your email questions prior to your arriving and will offer guiding services or just give advice. When you arrive paying them a visit as soon as possible will help you get on the water with the right kit. Take a notebook and the local map with you so you can record their advice and invest in a few flies etc. to keep them in business.

6.       As my memory is slowly drifting away I find having a written itinerary essential so I know what I am doing and the where and when.  I break each day into three parts, morning, afternoon and evening.  Here is an example of part of an actual one from 2012, the original being filled out in pencil (so I can change it easily as things develop):-

	Thurs 9th	Fri 10th	Sat 11th	Sun 12th	Mon 13th	Tues 14th	Wed 15th	Thurs 16th
Morning	Fish Money Creek with LB	Fish at Carnation with E and H		Church	Baby sitting and shopping	Fishing trip to Whidbey Island	Children to gym	Plan arrangements for Yakima trip
Afternoon	Get wood for tree house and rod for H	Swimming at Bean’s	Check out Rattlesnake Lake	Snoqualmie Falls with children	Fish Tolt River	Fishing trip to Whidbey Island	Fish Rattlesnake from float tube	Fishing with SD on N Fork Snoqualmie
Evening	Relax		Watch Avatar		Fish Tolt River		ditto	ditto

This might seem a bit excessive but it is the only way I can keep track of things (remember that at the start of some overseas fishing trips you are jet-lagged).  Once on a fishing road trip around Utah and Idaho I missed an appointment to drift the Snake River with a friend and his pal who owned the drift boat.  I have never quite got over that!  I also use the itinerary as a log by pencilling in notes on how successful the fishing was.

7.    It is helpful if you know the rules and regulations and many fishery authorities publish these on the web.  In the USA each State issue rod licences and the format of the licence can be a bit complicated. In fact, I think it fair to say that the whole question of fishing in the USA is a lot more complicated than in the UK. This is not surprising as States cover vast areas with a wild diversity of fishing habitat. If you go on the web and look at the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife website you will see that their whole Sport Fishing Rules document is 135 pages long. The fresh water section is 95 pages long and deals individually with each lake and river. You can learn a lot if you have time to read it! On their web site the WDFW also publish the dates when they are stocking lakes.  Now that is very useful!

8.       For reasons already mentioned, I like to have a packing list for my fishing tackle as well as socks and shirts etc.  I really get mad at myself if I forget to take something that I end up needing.  I also tend to take a lot of things “just in case”.  Fortunately my wife usually travels light.  Having once left a rod case in the baggage collection area at Gatwick I only use “travelling rods” that can fit diagonally in a large suitcase.

Depending on the sort of fishing I intend doing, I select appropriate items from my master list (so a lot of it does not go on holiday).  Here is my master list:-

Fishing License	Waistcoat	Hat	Plastic bags
Eye protection (Polaroid?)	Priest	Warm layers	Scales/tape
Rods (main and spare)	Landing net	Waterproof jacket	Thermos/Drink
Reels (main & spare)	Torch/headlight	Fishing trousers	Picnic Lunch
Other lines/spools	Camera + batteries	Chest waders	Towel
Sink tips	Map & directions	Thigh waders	Boat seat
Leader spools	Money/Cards	Wading boots	Boat Drogue & G clamps
Dry flies	Fishing diary	Wellington boots	Mobile phone
Wets & Nymphs	Bass bag	Fingerless mitts	Filleting knife & glove
Lures/Salt water flies	Stripping basket	Spare clothes	Compass
Scissors/forceps	Wading stick	Thick socks	Sun protection
Tool necklace	First aid kit	Scarf	Insect repellent
Fly line treatment	Permission to fish	Mosquito head net	Cold box (for fish)
Fly floatant	Sat Nav	Wader repair kit	Pen and paper
Leader sinkant	Contact phone numbers		Stringers
Strike indicators	Personal floatation device		Stool if bank fishing
Various glues

9.       Finally I think keeping a note book or fishing diary is desirable.  You can record your successes and failures and what you learnt.  This can help prepare you for the next trip!

     Yours truly relaxing in his float tube on Rattlesnake Lake, WA, USA.  I trust this post will help your holidays stay relaxing and not frustrating!