December 2004

Deep thinking

Innovative heavy Nymphs.

Loch Leven 2005

A fresh mindset for the new regime.

Snap to it!

Learn the revolutionary Spey cast.

26 essential accessories

For the river-fisher.

Crooked style

Bonefish and bluewater sport in the Bahamas.

Big hatch, but no rise

What's going on?, asks Malcolm Greenhalgh.

Canada dry

Dry fly, drift-boats & cutthroats.

Feather security

How to keep the pests out.

Paradise in the concrete jungle

Hot winter sport in Oxfordshire.

Get them covered!

How to change casting angles quickly.

Don't become a couch potato

Bob Wyatt's close-season training programme.

Bright and clear

The fry imitation for difficult conditions.

November 2004

By the Mountains of Mourne

Reporting on the Carlingford Lough bass festival, and examining this significant sea lough's saltwater potential.

A season of challenges

Reflect on this season with Peter Lapsley, who this year has made minor - but impressive - adjustments to his approach.

Back-end trends

Study the world's top salmon flies with Chris Mann.

Elegant Snakes

Obtain extra casting distance with our step-by-step (pictures too!) guide to the Snake Roll.

Getting in phase

It's not just the trout's life-cycle we need to consider; it's also its seasonal feeding regime.

Woolly thinking

Spin and scuplt yarn into Minnows, Baitfish and Frogs.

Nymphs at the double

Find out how competition fishing has evolved and mastered a new upstream Nymphing technique.

Loch Leven

It's the end of the rainbow as Leven reverts to browns.

Textbook Tying

Tie a Zulu - and its variants - with Mick Huffer.

NEW SERIES! Antiques of the future

You are invited . . . to your attic! Chris Sandford urges you to check what tackle goodies might be lurking up there - and he will value your potential treasures.

Fly-tying League

The deadline for Round 1 of the League is December 17, 2004, so get tying now!

October 2004

Sons of a Gunn

Willie Gunn variants for autumn.

Utterly wild!

Where Irish trouting is world-class

Clever feather

An innovative, easy technique for dries.

Beachcombing for bass

How to identify the hot spots.

Grayling on a bungee

Spot more takes to Czech Nymphs.

Furrocking in the Borders

We select the cream of fishing in Scotland's Borders.

Stars in stripes

Don't be afraid of bees or wasps - we show you how to make the most of them for back-end trout and grayling.

Let us Spey - part 2

Focus on the basics of Single Spey-casting: how you can make a more accomplished cast.

Land of the giants

Yes, that's 50lb-plus salmon, in northern Norway.

United we stand

Profiling Jim Glasspool, chief architect of a proposed new body intended to be the government's main contact point with anglers.

Streamers come on stream - Part 2

We give you the tools and tricks for tackling big river trout with lures

September 2004

THE BIG FISH ISSUE

Using streamers to lure our larger river trout; The advanced Floating Fry for trophy hunters; Popping for 5ft giants in Mongolia.

Let us Spey! - Part 1

improve your double-handed casting.

Harvest festival

How to make hay with greenfly.

Down-sizing for the future

Getting the best from our wild fisheries.

Record Spey cast

The casting action dissected.

Casting in the dark

Keys to improving your timing.

Improving cul de canard

How to make CdC more buoyant.

Spirit of the Shrimp

The fly for running salmon and low-water lies.

Seduced by a Sea-ducer

Stage by stage tying and fishing instruction.

Second time around

Get out of gaol free. Praising the versatile Booby.

August 2004

Catch the double decker

Neil Sinclair demonstrates how to tie his dry fly which can be used in rapids as an alternative to Bugging.

Master the dark art

How the 'average' angler can become a more successful sea trout fisher.

Second time around

Beat the heatwave: how to combat a warm reservoir.

The broken arm that broke bad habits

Neil Patterson decides it's about time he learned to cast properly.

Red legs and tumbleweed

Given a bit of wind, August rivers need not hold too many demons.

A fine line ...

Mick Huffer shows how nylon monofilament and an August breeze helped him conquer a steaming Rutland Water.

All that glisters ...

David Pilkington has discovered that his most effective fly for UK saltwater is a drab, naturally coloured one.

The golden Eagle

Fishing the riffling hitch and dry fly on one of Canada's most prolific salmon rivers and Labrador's largest, the Eagle River.

From little acorns ...

Meet Craig Macadam, the UK's aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate surveyor.

Drag kings

The best dry fly exponents are those who can minimise the effect of leader on fly.

The Octopus hatch

How a Mayfly developed into one of Ireland's favourite deep-water daphnia attractors.

The Bubble Pup

Tie the popping, gurgling, floating lure that's deadly for most predatory species.

The curious fly tyer - No. 7

How ribbon strands can be used to create great effects on Caddis and Beetles.

July 2004

High-riding in Harris

Loch-style subtleties for salmon and sea trout at Amhuinnsuidhe Castle.

Crack the mirror

How to rise above a flat calm.

Happy crash-landings!

Make the most of July's accidental terrestrials.

California gold

In search of the true golden trout of the Sierra Nevada.

Creative sea trouting

Flies that give you a little bit extra

Flies tied up with ribbon

How ribbon can be used for remarkable fly-tying effects.

Sights for sore eyes

Sunglasses for fly fishers.

Key to the river

Have you got the vital veteran dry fly, the Dirty Duster?

Improve your short game

How to get the best from loch-styling.

Highland highlight

Loch Ruthven, Inverness-shire's highly acclaimed loch.

The wizard's secret

How to tie Thomas Clegg's favourite salmon fly, the Gantron Gold Mallard.

Casting clinic

A twist for distance.

June 2004

Down with the floater!

Do wet flies fish better on an intermediate?

Spectacular Spey nights

Tackle up for the river's prolific sea trout.

From the gillie's fly box

Tie Tay gillie, Tony Black's grilse fly, the Murthly Special

Buzzers in the dark

New dry-fly tactics from Ireland's Lough Mask.

After the duffers' feast

When Mayfly feeders get tough.

The best sea trout fishing in Europe?

The clubbable, affordable River Towy.

Logan's Ballet Dancer

Tie the detached body fly that rides on its tippy toes.

Down sizing

Tactical tips for stillwater dry fly success.

Small deception in New Mexico

Davy Wotton fine-tunes his river-midge technique.

Let it go!

Do our egos get in the way of catch-and-release?

May 2004

The joys of spring!

Early loch browns from the margins.

Hidden treasures

Discover England's unsung chalkstreams.

Flat calm & Irish charm

Boat-fishing 'on the drop' Buzzers.

Crunch & Juicy

Are these stillwater's tastiest Nymphs?

Interactive Tweed

How to cherry-pick your salmon beats.

On with the little black numbers

Are you ready for the river May Ball?

Pin-point drifting

With the one-man adjustable drogue.

Banking on Brenig

An early visit to the Welsh reservoir.

Get the drift

Steer down the wind with an adjustable drogue.

Mind the gap

A hint for Secret Weapons, tandems and Snakes.

Western Isles odyssey

Discover North and South Uist's angling wealth.

Trigger happy

What's so special about a large Klinkhamer?

April 2004

Slack-water salmon

Effective fly tactics for shrimping pools, with Malcolm Greenhalgh

Reality check!

Do we need super-realistic flies? Bob Wyatt looks at the options

Flat calm & Irish charm

Boat-fishing 'on the drop' Buzzers

Beware of the snakes

Brian Harris puts rod-rings under the microscope

Snowshoes for May

Davy MacPail ties a new hackle-less floating Mayfly design

Have you got what it takes?

Jeremy Lucas encourages newcomers to competition fishing and, ultimately, fish for their country

Grizzly truth

Mick Huffer demonstrates how to tie John Goddard's Super Grizzly Emerger

Foam on the range

40 Stonefly rotary fly

Dryers to be won!

Islands of opportunity

Alastair 'Ally' Gowans fishes Lewis and Harris, and is amazed at the abundance of gamefish populations

Clyde essentials

Charlie Davidson relies on two dry-fly patterns to carry him through a season on the Clyde

Loch of the Mayfly

Geoffrey Bucknall revels in a hidden moorland classic in Caithness

Grampian champion!

Is the Aberdeenshire Don the UK's best wild-trout river? ask Kathleen and 'JP' Piccin

March 2004

Fathers of invention

Hywel Morgan shows how competition fly fishing innovation has opened up new dimensions for loch-style fishing

Flyweight or heavyweight?

Dave Calvert and Stuart Crofts demonstrate how our weighted Nymphs can vary, and show us the best ways to add weight to our flies

Bright young thing

Tie 2004's hottest salmon fly, the Flamethrower

White lightning

Don't ignore the exciting whitefish, implores Malcolm Greenhalgh

Summer salmon-fishing ban?

The experts' opinion

Dangerous liaisons

John Goddard believes he may have taken the fly-caught record barracuda in the Seychelles

Reel style

Alastair Gowans dissects what each type of fly reel offers the angler

Stillwater learning curve

Adopting modern methods for success

Colour seduction

Bob Wyatt wonders why traditional loch flies consistently catch fish

I'm a leg man

Bill Logan gets into his stride and gives his flies' legs the perfect shape

Czech nymphs with a British accent

Jeremy Lucas uncovers the 'Czech' Nymphs which have been fine-tuned to the British style of deep-nymphing

Tricks and Stones

Wim Alphenaar has various clever techniques for imitating stonefly nymphs

Summer holiday grilse

Malcolm Greenhalgh rejoices in the fact that many Irish grilse run at the most convenient time of the year

Lough Neagh's silver lining

Gwilym Hughes discovers the rich variety of fishing around the Lough Neagh area

Erne your pike

Rudy van Duijnhoven discovers that Upper Lough Erne now offers an exciting new option

Western glow

Patsy Deery has the definitive pattern for the daphnia-feeding trout of the Western loughs

February 2004

Dry fly on Wandsworth High Street

London's chalkstream revival

Hunt the springer

Where and how to catch an early Scottish salmon

Circle-hook research

John Goddard explains why they aren't the answer all our prayers

Czech Nymph, or British Bug?

Fish the heavy Nymph UK-style

150 glorious years

Mick Huffer shows how to tie and fish our most famous fly, the Greenwell's Glory

Hear about the three Irishmen?

True salmon stories from Tyrone trio of brothers

An excellent game

Bill Logan on new techniques in fly-tying

Australia's new bones

Bob Wyatt uncovers a veritable utopia of saltwater fishing, just two hours from Sydney

Identity parade

Help track the UK's March browns

Stillwater update

Avington reborn; try a Sparkle Gnat this February

Long leaders

Paul Arden and Charles Jardine advise on how best to cast and fish long leaders

Things will have to change

How angling can survive and thrive

Grayling from the freezer

David Calvert and Stuart Crofts go river fishing on the coldest day for many years