Trout & Salmon

END OF AN ERA Jean Williams, much-loved proprietor of Sweet’s tackle-shop in Usk, South Wales, has announced her retirement. Sweet’s has been an institution for anglers visiting the Usk valley for more than 90 years. Jean has been welcoming anglers since 1962, when, aged 16, she was recruited by casting champion Lionel Sweet and his wife Molly. In 1978, when Lionel died, Jean bought the shop with "the blessing of her husband and a kind bank manager.” She said, "I loved working with Mr and Mrs Sweet and particularly thrived on owning and running the business. I have met so many wonderful and interesting people and no two days were the same. Jean was taught to tie flies by Molly. She said, "Molly and I sat at a bench opposite each other, so…

PERFECT SALMON With his usual salmon reel in for repair and good water in the river, Greg Dodd from Swarland, Northumberland had to resort to using a little Hardy 3⅜in Perfect reel and a 10ft sing le-handed rod on his local River Coauet. Starting at Felton Bridge, Greg was then invited to fish further upriver in Felton Park by fellow angler David Weddle. On his fifth cast in Dennis’s pool, Greg hooked this 14½Ib salmon, which, on the light outfit, proceeded to give him the fight of his life. The fish took a size 14 Ally’s Shrimp and Greg went on to land another two fish of around 71b each for a memorable end to his season. "It’s the biggest fish I’ve ever caught on fly. I had one about 181b when I…

RUN!" SHOUTED KRISTJAN. I laughed. "How's that going to work?" I countered. "I'm up to my waist in the river!" I was, too — in the fast-flowing waters of the icy Vatnamot river and fully 20 yards from the riverbank. Just a few moments ago, I had been enjoying the exhilarating sight of a huge silver fish cartwheeling in the crisp autumn air. Now I was struggling to keep my balance as I watched my big Fortuna reel emptying fast. “Backing was still cascading wildly from the big reel” Very fast. "You have to get out of the river and RUN!!" urged Kristjan. He was serious. I stumbled precariously to the shoreline and slithered up the treacherous black sands. With the rod still bucking wildly in my hand, Kristjan pulled me unceremoniously up on to the…

THANK YOU, JEAN I heard with sadness of the closure of Sweet’s tackle-shop. There will never be wonderful shops like this again, where fishing treasures could be found in every corner, drawer and “pile of stuff”. I can still remember my excitement when, at the age of eight on June 6,1962, Molly Sweet sold me my first “proper” fly-rod — The Master, made by AE Rudge of Redditch. I still have it. My father’s diary entry three days later notes that “Martin casts much better with the new rod.” This is hardly surprising since its predecessor was a 10ft float rod made of whole cane with a lancewood tip, coupled with a rather nasty level silk line (but I did catch wild Shropshire trout, unassisted, with it). There must be many like…

FLY-FISHING IS A FUNNY OLD game. When I was a fresh-faced youngster, Bigland Tarn, nestling on the fringes of Cartmel Fell in Cumbria, was my stomping ground. A celebrated Troutmasters water, it featured regularly in Trout Fisherman. My teenage goal was to land a double-figure fish from Bigland and appear in the magazine, proudly displaying my Troutmasters badge. I never managed the heady heights of a tenpounder, but I came very close on several occasions. Then, Bigland Hall's gamekeeper, Ken Dawes ran the fishery. A stern sort, we eventually became good friends based on our mutual interest in shooting. Shirley, Ken's wife, was a stickler for the rules and never opened the fishery before 9am. It wasn't a rare occasion when my fishing pals and I would arrive ten minutes before…

I RECALL, SOME YEARS AGO, ATTENDING an awards evening for a well-known fish conservation body where the guest of honour, and the man standing for the grip 'n' grin photos with the winners was none other than the CEO of an equally well-known water company. Why was he there? Well, his publicly listed company was the headline sponsor for the conservation body that year. I did rather wonder at the time how this was a good idea (I was slightly ahead of the curve on the sewage issue) so quizzed the CEO of the conservation body whether he thought getting into bed with the enemy was such a good idea. Back came the apparently reasonable rationale that policy could only be influenced from within the tent. I was doubtful then and…