We are lucky enough to have explored all corners of the world on our fly fishing travels and have thousands of photos documenting our adventures. Here are a few of our favourites:
Peter McLeod – Chalkstream charm
This image of a late evening spinner fall of mayfly on the river Anton encapsulates everything I love about Chalkstream fishing. Looking at it has me right back on the river and I can almost smell the summer evening, visualise the evening light and the sound of splashing takes as the trout gorge themselves on the spent mayfly as they finish the end of their epic life cycle.
Peter McLeod – GT, the magic metre
The image of this metre plus GT holds huge emotion for me as it was my first ever giant trevally over one metre in length. Finally, after several chances when things had gone badly wrong, resulting in destruction and mayhem, everything came together in success. The battle was brutal raw power from start to finish and I will never forget the feeling of utter elation when I finally gripped that fish around the tail. This image also shows the crystal-clear water of the flats environment and our floating home away from home, the Mayas Dugong, in the background.
Alex Jardine – Norway memories
A picture may paint a thousand words but it doesn’t tell the whole story. This photo captures a very treasured memory during a trip to Winsnes Lodge on Norway’s Gaula River when I travelled with a team of friends, some of whom were seasoned Scottish salmon anglers and others at the start of their salar journey. Tim (left of picture) landed his first ever Atlantic salmon the night before this photo was taken, a small fresh grilse. This morning he and Rob (pictured right) decided to fully immerse themselves in the traditional salmon experience. They donned checked shirts, sporting ties and tweed caps before blessing the river with a dash of Scotch whiskey. With traditions honoured, they took to a pool called Oksøy – a known big fish pool. Near the top of the pool, Tim had a small draw of the line before having the fight of his life and landing this salmon estimated between 32-34lb. It was truly a fish of a lifetime, caught by someone who truly deserved it and even more special that we could celebrate as a group of friends.
Alex Jardine – Lost luggage in Los Roques
To catch your first fish is a cherished moment, so as you can imagine, preparing for my very first saltwater flats experience to Los Roques Venezuela was filled with excitement and anticipation. Several months of preparation, tying flies, getting new tackle toys and so on, all went wrong when my bag failed to make the flight connection in Madrid. A panic purchase of a horrific pair of shorts in Caracas airport and the fantastic generosity of the management team on the island saw me kitted out and ready for my first steps on the infamous pancake flats. Pulling up to that first flat will be a memory I hold onto, just 30ft from the boat four or five bonefish were in the shallow water, tails exposed as they dug in the bottom for tasty morsels. It was this flat that I hooked and landed my first ever bonefish, an unforgettable experience and forever captured in an image showcasing those horrendous shorts!
Charlotte Chilcott – Helpless in Tanzania
It’s the memory associated with this photograph that makes me love it so much. It was quite possibly the most frustrating shot that guide and photographer Stu Harley has ever taken. It was a morning when I simply couldn’t translate his instructions into action and as Stu got more frustrated with me, I found the whole thing increasingly more hilarious. The two simply didn’t go well together so we took a break from fishing for Tanzania’s tigerfish and went in search of yellowfish. More commonly associated with Southern Africa, these remote river valleys are home to two endemic species of yellowfish (known as velvet and rhino) and while you may occasionally land one in deeper water, you are normally on foot, targeting them in shallow water as they feed on tiny nymphs and emergers. It was a happy catch to end a trying morning.
Charlotte Chilcott – The one that got away
On Tanzania’s Mnyera River, and several years after the yellowfish debacle, guide Stu Harley had another disastrous photographic incident with me – but at least this time the hilarity was mutual. In the last half hour of the last day, a beautiful 15lb fish rounded off my week. If only we had the photo to share with you. Positioned with an eye for the sinking sun, and both of us balanced on a tiny rocky outcrop, Stu was ready with the camera, and I had my instructions. Unfortunately, my lovely tigerfish was working to a different agenda and having recovered in the net while we got organised, she gave one mighty kick, flew out of my hands, and off into the depths she went. It was a weirdly fitting end to an astonishing day for me, with 19 tigerfish, including a magical twenty pounder, landed. This was by no means a normal day on the Mnyera but it made up for the soul searching and lost fish in the early part of the week. It is a truly unique experience, a stunning destination with the ultimate quarry.
Olly Thompson – Twilight on the Rio Grande
The last hour of light is my favourite time of day on Argentina’s Rio Grande as the wind usually drops and the sky is a patchwork of shades of brunt orange and scarlet. Pools that might have seemed lifeless hours earlier are alive with fish rolling. Each case can bring some form of action and even when it doesn’t, you expect something to happen at any moment.
Olly Thompson – Remarkable triggerfish
Of all the saltwater species, I rate the triggerfish as one of the best to target on the flats. They have everything I look for in an exciting flats target. It’s visual fishing, they’re sneaky and extremely strong when hooked. This photo reminds to admire the detail of the fish you catch as each has its own intricacies. I have always loved the marbling on the eyes of triggerfish, something this photo shows in wonderful detail.
Charlotte Opperman – Trout triumph
Fishing New Zealand’s remote rivers is nothing short of spectacular. The scenery and colours are superb, the fish are big and wily. I’m very much an occasional fisherman and more used to small trout on a Chalkstream, so my efforts in the South Island hadn’t met with much success until I hooked up with this fish. Our lovely guide was just as delighted as I was, that I’d finally struck at the right time and not ripped the fly straight out of its mouth as I had on several previous attempts.
Charlotte Opperman – Bonefish delight
Bonefish are the perfect target for novice saltwater anglers. There are often plenty to cast to, so you feel you are always in with a chance of success. This super fish in Belize put up a spirited fight, necessitating my guide to rush off after it, keeping it away from the coral and rock for which it had made a bee-line. With instructions shouted over an ever-increasing distance we finally managed to manoeuvre it into the net. My phone was on the skiff so he set off on another wade through the shallows to retrieve it, me willing the fish to stay on the line. Amazingly it obliged and the picture captures my ‘best’ bonefish yet. It seemed none the worse for its unexpected adventure and zoomed off as soon as it was released from my grasp.
If these photos from our fly fishing adventures have inspired you to travel, please don’t hesitate to call us on +44 1980 847389.