I Shoot and

Fish E-Zine

January 2012

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 2

Fogbound Page 6

Hywell Morgan Page 14

Starting a Lurcher Pup Lamping Page 17

Stevie Munn’s South American Experi-

ence Page 19

Trout Fishing In Ireland Part 2 Page 20

Field Sports Channel Page 23

A Fly Fisherlady’s Life Page

27

Nigel Allen’s Air Gun Blog

Page 28

Air Gun. TV Page 29

Rachel Allen Page 8

Deer Poaching In Ireland Page 21

The Duck Fly Page 19

Curragh Springs Page 30

I Shoot and Fish e-Zine January 2012 3

Hunters Vermin Page 42

Trained Hunters Qualification Page 45

Nature Groups In Boar War Page 46

Forget the Lough Ness Monster Page 53

Top Pike Angling Page 54

Foxing With Robert Bucknell Part 2 Page 55

Illegal Deer Lamping Page 32

Catch of The Week Page 39

Pheasant Shooting In The US Page 35 Cape Fear Page 67

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 4

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I Shoot and Fish is a digital magazine from I Shoot and Fish.ie. All rights reserved. I

Shoot and Fish its agents, officers and employees accept no responsibility for injuries or

damages that may result from information, or interpretation of such, in articles or

advertisements herein. Articles and advertisements may not specifically include all

relevant and established safe practices, which always should be followed. Consult a

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ammunition.

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 5

Editors Notes

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope that you all had full

bellies over the festive sea-

son. It’s funny I started off

last year looking forward to

a bright year with loads of

fishing and loads of shoot-

ing. Being involved with

this e-zine I thought ‘well

it’s my job now I have to

get out and do it’’ did I? NO

is the short answer. I hardly

even lifted a rod last year.

Sure I can make load of ex-

cuses no time to busy with

work, small baby etc. etc. but truth be told I could have

made the time to do it. This year I have made the same

promise to myself. Will I keep it? Only time will tell, but I

hope not to be sitting writing this time next and starting

off the same way.

As the bird season is coming to a close I had a very dis-

appointing shooting year. Some the good ground I usu-

ally shoot has be privatised which left me starting a fresh

and covering ground I didn’t know. As I mentioned

above time was an issue. I usually get a lot of shooting

done over the Christmas holidays- Not this year. Be-

tween travelling to see both families in Galway and the

wee hills of Donegal and then sickness it was time to go

back to work before I had a chance to even dust off the

gun again. Still on a happier note I did discover some

new ground with farmers happy to work with us and de-

velop some good bird shooting.

This year has started a lot busier than last. Next month

we are at the National Angling Fair 2012 which looks like

a great show see their ad on page 5. We have also

agreed to attend loads more which we will go into detail

about in next month’s issue. Also I will be reviewing

Hunters Vermin ‘Air Rifle Hunting in Northern Ireland’

see the ad on page 43 for details of how to buy. If you

would like something reviewed or indeed if you have

reviewed something let us know info@ishootandfish.ie

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 6

Fogbound by Anthony Baggott

It was a chilly January evening in the early 80

s as I chugged along in the old ford fiesta to

meet my shooting partners for a duck flight. I

always was a big fan of flight shooting and as

a young guy in my early twenties, footloose

and fancy free; I went out any evening I was

off duty. However my half-bred lab, Tory,

was a work in progress and I preferred when

JJ and Billy came along with their more reli-

able retrievers, Goldie and Blackie.

The previous evening we had a moderately

successful flight and on the way home ,lying

in the back of the van ,surrounded by steam-

ing dogs and a few stiffening mallard I sug-

gested we give an isolated swamp known as

High Clydagh a go. We agreed to meet up as

usual this evening to shoot it. However as I

drove the few miles to our meeting point,

the square in a local village, I noticed the

temperature gauge was way up. I pulled over

and spent a few minutes getting water and

topping up the rad. When I arrived at the

meeting point some ten minutes late, and

found nobody waiting I figured they had

waited a while and then gone ahead without

me.

I threw a glance at the rising gauge again,

shrugged and headed for high Clydagh at a

fair lick, as a mist was falling and light was

fading fast. I arrived at the bog road and was

surprised not to see the van parked there.

This was long before mobile phones, I stood

silently for a minute, considering what I

should do .What I should have done, of

course was to set off home and write that

evening off. However put yourself in the

shoes, or rather wellingtons, of a rather

brash young fellow with supreme confidence

in his abilities, a distinct lack of patience, and

a fanatical love of shooting. Yelping a couple

of seconds I was jamming Logia Star shells

into my pockets, and shouldering the Baikal

over/under and setting off up the hill. The

Baikal was my regular gun and having gone

up a notch or two in the years since ,I have

to say I never shot as well as with that rather

heavy long barrelled gun, it was pretty much

an extension of me, and served me well for

many seasons.

High Clyde is a mile up a steep hill. It is large

pond of inky black water, surrounded by

chest high bulrushes and swamps, and the

ground vibrated under my step---and those

years at my rugby playing best I never

topped 10 stone. As I set off that evening

through a rapidly descending fog I wasn't

thinking of the harsh terrain, only of the

packs of widgeon that often came fighting

this time of year. In broad daylight it is a

struggle through high heather, bog

drains, crossing a few low stone walls before

the terrain levels of and you have to negoti-

ate a path through briars and hazel thickets

until you feel the ground shaking and the wa-

ter squelching underfoot.

I made it to the top of the hill and stood to

take a breather, rather unrealistically hoping

I would see Blackie sitting obediently as the

lads crouched in cover.

However this particular evening, there was

simply nothing to see but a wall of grey fog,

now rapidly turning black. A little shiver ran

down my spine, and for a brief second I con-

sidered turning and trying, literally to retrace

my steps. But as if on cue there was a waf-

fling of wings, and a pack of widgeon

dropped in, settling on the swamp a few

yards from me. They might as well have been

a mile away as I could hear their chatter-

ing but couldn't see them in the gloom. I

stood ,and with a silent prayer ,clapped my

hands and roared .There was an explosion of

wings and duck began to lift .One of my traits

over the years has been an ability to hit

things at close range with a shotgun, and as

an unlucky widgeon passed within 15 yards

from me, only vaguely visible, even at that

range ,my six connected and it fell poleaxe .I

ran forward and picked it ,thinking ,well

that's a tale to tell the boys when I get to the

pub tonight .

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 7

However it was to be a long time before I would

think that thought again.

Now that dark had fallen, the true state of my

predicament hit me. Visibility was almost zero,

and here I was, a long way from home. I took a

deep breath, stuffed the duck into my anorak,

and squinted into the blackness. No stars, no

glow of town lights, nothing to take bearings of.

But I rationalised ,the duck rose of the swamp

ahead of me ,so all I have to do is turn my back

and head away from it .With a shiver of fear I

wasn't used to feeling ,I swung away and headed

into the dark, arms outstretched and using my

unloaded gun like a probe, swinging it over and

back ,like a blind man. Within a minute I found

myself stuck in a pile of briars I couldn't remem-

ber, and I blundered through them tearing my

arms badly. I pushed onwards hoping to come

across one of the stone walls and only when I felt

the ominous squelching under my feet did I| slow

up. Peering forwards I realised, with a shiver of

real fear, that I had gone full circle and was a

footstep away from the ominous inky blackness

that was the big pool, with sheer sides and drop

into it.

I stood paralysed, and the sweat turned cold on

my back and I began to shiver, as the thought

came to my young mind: I could be in trouble

here, bad trouble. If I went into the water this

would be curtains. I took stock of the situation,

wiped my brow and for the first and only time in

my shooting career I threw the duck aside, and

got down on all fours and began to crawl cau-

tiously away. When satisfied that I was clear of

the major hazard I stood and began to edge for-

ward. It was survival now, and I reflected I have

to keep going, don’t get injured or break a leg

and somewhere ahead you will reach safety.

But another nagging thought took hold. My work-

ing roster as a trainee psychiatric nurse some-

times meant I was called on nights suddenly and

my long suffering parents were used to me not

being where I should be without much notice. I

had often casually used this excuse to cover a

few all-night parties or other romantic excursions

common to lads of that age, and I knew I proba-

bly wouldn't be missed with as much immediacy

as guys with a regular pattern. So to avoid injury

my progress had to be painfully slow and nearly

two hours later I was beginning to lag, the energy

draining from me, totally soaked now from the

swirling mist and a gnawing hunger beginning to

take hold. I had sustained bruises and cuts from

falls, but I had crossed a stone wall so I figured I

was on the right track. I rested breathing heavily

and from a few yards away came the hoarse bark

of a fox, which made me jump and stagger for-

ward. Then I heard the most welcome sound I

have ever heard, the bark of a dog far a way in

the distance.

I hastily jammed a shell into the bottom barrel

and fired it skywards .There was a long pause and

he began barking again madly. I headed towards

the sound, pausing again ten minutes later to fire

another shot and was overjoyed to hear that he

was now quite close. It was at this stage that I

lost the wariness that had saved me and I blun-

dered headfirst into a barbed wire fence, feeling

the sharp stab and the warm feeling of blood as I

tore my thigh badly. And that was how I found

myself at a country cottage, the dog now going

ballistic and a rather suspicious farmer regarding

me with incredulity. He brought me into the

kitchen, and as I told him my story, I saw his face

soften. I don't know you I said, whereabouts am

I? His answer chilled me. I was about five miles

away from where my car was parked, five miles

of blundering through the darkness.

He dropped me at my car and no man was as

happy to offer him payment for his trouble. I

made it to my local just as the regulars were

coming in for their nightly jar. I ordered a brandy

and a pint and explained to the barman, in rather

unromantic terms why I was looking rough, to

put it mildly. Just then the local wag hove into

view, ordered his pint and regarded me rather

unsteadily." what happened to you"? He asked,

taking a generous swig. I was just about to reply

when the barman intervened hastily, Ah he was

out duck shooting.

The wag looked at me, licked his lips, and re-

marked" looks like the ducks won!!"

Footnote: I'm sure there are a few young enthu-

siastic shooters and anglers reading this. You

might even recognise a bit of yourself in the guy I

describe. My advice is don't lose your enthusiasm

for these great sports, but do think before you

put yourself at any risk. I made plenty of mistakes

and emerged unscathed, but that was more good

luck than good management. There's no guaran-

tee that everybody would be so lucky.

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 8

Celeb Chef Rachel Allen’s Fair Game in Facebook Hunt Pic

AS one of Ire-

land's best-

known celeb-

rity chefs,

Rachel Allen's

ability to

muster up a

feast is beyond doubt.

But the best-selling author and TV personality

was cooking up a different type of storm after

she posted a controversial picture on her

Facebook page.

The image, which appeared just over a week

ago, depicted a rustic-looking Ms Allen bran-

dishing a shotgun in the countryside with a

number of dead game birds on the bonnet of

her car.

"Enjoyed a great day's shooting in north Cork

recently where I managed to get a few birds

for our St Stephen's Day lunch," she wrote.

She added: "I'm going to make game terrine,

the recipe for which is below."

She then posted a recipe for game terrine

with celeriac remoulade which she said

would feed six people.

The picture was met with rage from some

posters on her webpage.

"Rachel, I am disgusted that you support the

cruel act of inflicting pain and suffering on

our fellow animals," Neville Sayers wrote.

Another poster, Lee Van Staden, said: "Such a

pity that someone like you, who had such a

good reputation, would go and ruin it with

something like this."

While most of the comments on the picture

were indifferent, some supported the chef.

"Rachel, it's good to see that you hunt for

food and not just for sport," Olan Lambert

said.

Rory Allen from Ballymaloe House -- where

the 39-year-old teaches cooking courses --

told the Irish Independent it was not unusual

for a chef to kill their own food and pointed

out that most people eat game birds.

Campaigners

Ms Allen's picture was posted before a hunt

at Ballymaloe in Shanagarry, Co Cork, brought

the ire of anti-hunting campaigners.

The Animal Rights Action Network accused

Ballymaloe of breaking a commitment not to

hunt with hounds at their annual New Year's

Day outing.

Mr Allen said that hounds were brought to

the property without permission, even

though an agreement had been made.

"We're very embarrassed about the situa-

tion," he said. He added it was a fox hunt,

who were regarded as vermin, and pointed

out he had lost a large number of baby pigs

and hens to foxes last year.

- Luke Byrne

Irish Independent

http://www.independent.ie

Let us know what you think

anthony@ishootandfish.ie

This photograph of celebrity chef Rachel Allen with a shot-

gun and a number of dead game birds on her car bonnet

prompted a storm of criticism after she posted it on Face-

book.

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 9

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 11

The Duck fly BY Lawrence Finney

Early opening of the season on the Irish

Lough’s see’s the emergence of that marvel-

lous fly the early season dark Chironomid or

commonly known as the Duck Fly.

This insect can be found on the majority of

Loughs in Ireland, but the likes of Corrib and

Sheelin are synonymous for massive

hatches of this fly during the opening of the

season. One pattern that I fish at the begin-

ning of the season is a weighted duck fly to

enable me to get the fly down amongst the

rocks where fish at this time of the season

are usually foraging and feeding on the likes

of hog louse.

Two years ago while tying up some woven

mayfly nymphs it popped into my head"

why not substitute the leaded body for a

woven one?”

I had been tying up some woven corixa’s a

few days earlier and I thought to myself why

not use the same colours of wire to produce

a similar body segment effect for the duck

fly. No sooner said than half a dozen various

patterns were produced and I picked out a

pattern that I was happy to fish knowing it

would have the desired effect.

Now the proof of the pudding was to try

these out, it was still a good six weeks to the

beginning of the season and I was eagerly

waiting to wet these beauties to see how

well they would perform.

A week later I decided to try them out on

our local fishery and was amazed how well

they worked, even though it was rainbows I

was delighted and was full of confidence

that they would work on the Loughs.

It was mid March before I managed to get

out and duck fly were hatching in profusions

at the mouth of Kilnahard bay, with a size

12 Connemara black on the middle dropper

a fiery brown on the top dropper the woven

duck fly was placed on the point.

A drift across the mouth of the bay pro-

duced no takes a second drift proved fruit-

less, but as I began to set up for my third

and final drift a nice fish rose within 2 feet

from the rocky outcrops, the boat was posi-

tioned and another drift was started.

As I passed the point where the fish was

seen rising I had it in my mind to venture on

to another drift another cast to about three

feet from the point of the island and I got an

immediate take, as I lifted the rod into the

fish it went out from the shore and to the

deeps, it felt like a nice fish and produced a

beautiful arc in the rod.

Within five minutes I had a nice 2lb fish to

the side of the boat, “Yes” it had taken the

woven duck fly, my spirits lifted up and the

fish safely unhooked and released I decided

that it was worth giving the drift another go.

Over the course of three more drifts I man-

aged to get 2 more fish to the boat, the big-

gest around 1 1/2lb, I was not worried

about the size of fish as long as I could con-

nect with them.

The rest of the day was without success

even with me trying several other drifts.

The was weather front was slowly closing in

and getting a bit too chilly for me I decided

to call it a day.

Once back home it was decided to tie up a

dozen or so of the patterns to get them field

tested properly by some of my good col-

leagues within A.P.G.A.I. (Ireland).

My good friend Gerry Teggart was provided

with a few of them as he would be going to

Sheelin within a few days.

Sure enough Gerry had a fish or two and

lost one on the pattern, which was good

enough for me.

As I had said earlier my decision to do the

pattern with a woven body was as at this

time of the year the fish are mainly feeding

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 12

deep around the rocks on hog louse and

other bottom dwellers, and I like to fish deep

and if nothing happening work my way up to

the surface ensuring I can gauge at what

depth the fish may be at that time of day, In

deeper water where you may see a good

hatch of duck fly I have put three woven flies

on and hit the odd fish or two.

A variant of this pattern can be used when a

good hatch of buzzers are on by substituting

the wires for olive and gold, and the hackle

for a medium olive.

So why not give it a go at tying some of these

to have in your armoury it is fun to tie them

up and you can also use them on the rivers as

I found out on the Lagan in April where I had

four fish in succession, below is the tying for

this pattern and also included is a tuition

video to help you with the weave.

When weaving the body start just past the

bend of the hook and bring the weave close

to the eye of the hook to ensure you have a

good amount of wire on the hook to ensure it

sinks quickly, the thorax only needs to be a

small pinch of the dubbing as you do not

want the pattern to be too bulky, the wing is

one slip of the inner white feather on a mal-

lard wing cut and folded in half, the hackle is

usually 2 turns tied in by the tip so you have

a nice swept back hackle.

Once finished I like to apply three coats of

no1 clear varnish to the head of the fly

HOOK Kamasan B100 size 12

THREAD black 8/0

BODY black and silver wire woven style

WING white duck inner wing or similar

THORAX this can be red or orange with a

small amount of glister to represent the

gases of when the wings emerge

FRONT HACKLE black hen hackle preferable a

good webby hackle

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 13

A tutorial video for the woven Duck Fly.

http://youtu.be/

bmCz7Haf0Mg

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 14

HYWEL MORGAN FLY TYING PEACOCK SPIDER!

In response to a question posted on the comments Hywel shows us how to tie a Pea-

cock spider as tells us all about his latest up and coming DVD called Hywel Mor-

gans Fly Tying - Stillwater Patterns.

http://youtu.be/

lSV7E95gurs

Ballyhass Lakes is located near Mallow, County Cork. It is Ireland's best known still spring water trout fishery,

with 11 four star holiday homes and an activity centre for groups, schools and corporate team building.

Fish: The fishery has two separate lakes. The main lake is 12 acres of spring water some 35 feet deep and is

reserved for fly fishing only. It can be fished by boat or from prepared fishing stands on the bank. On lower

lake, worm spinning and bubble and fly methods are permitted and extensive safe fishing stands surround

the lake. In general we strongly support a catch and release policy. On a Day ticket an angler can keep two

fish up to 3lbs weight. All adult fish and all brown Trout are on a catch and release basis only. Once the bag

limit has been taken the angler can continue to fish on a catch and release basis for the remainder of the pe-

riod. The fishing lodge has an extensive tackle shop for fly and bait, and rod hire. The fishery is open 09.00 to

dusk 364 day per year. Tuition on fly fishing is available.

Salmon Beats: The Cork Blackwater runs just four miles from Ballyhass Lakes. We have available beats on a

private stretch of double and single bank in the upper reaches of the river. Many of the beats are set well

back from any roads and give a variety of good fly and spinning waters. State Licence can be purchased at the

Pavilion. We stock a supply for Salmon flies and baits. A ghillie can be provided with prior notice.

Rest: There are 11 Holiday homes on the 36 acres site at Ballyhass. The houses have either 3 or four bed-

rooms and are exceptionally well appointed with wooden floors throughout and natural fireplaces and natu-

ral wood furniture. All houses have a decking area leading on to landscaped lawns. They are available for rent

for periods of 2 days or more.

Play: The activity centre at Ballyhass makes full use of the natural environs with kayaking, raft building and

trout fishing on the spring clean water, rock climbing and abseiling on the limestone rock faces, and specially

constructed low ropes courses, archery and team building games on the lawns. Our resident instructors plan

the activities to suit each group be they family outings, school groups, or corporate team building.

Cecilstown, Mallow, Co. Cork, Ireland Tel:+353 (0)22 27773 Email: info@ballyhasslakes.ie

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 17

Starting a Lurcher Pup Lamping

Having read many articles in the Country-

man's over the last few years regarding the

subject of starting young lurchers lamping, I

decided to throw in my two penneth, much

advice has been given in the past but no de-

tailed methods of preparing young dogs for

lamping has been explained and because

non of the writers touched on the methods

used by my friends and I, I thought I would

give the readers an insight into our way of

doing things with which we have had con-

siderable success.

All the following training tips are carried out

whilst our pup is having basic training wait-

ing to start work, all the usual, heel, sit,

stay, down type of stuff learned it is time to

move onto retrieving, which the pup will

have been doing in some form since it was

about 8 weeks old, only you will know when

the time is right but the next stage should-

n’t be started until your pup has mastered

the daytime retrieve from all types of cover

from reed beds, rock and river, thick heavy

fields to lush grassland this will vary from

dog to dog, some will be ready at 6 months ,

some may take longer.

I am talking about lamp retrieving training,

the methods we use teaches young lurchers

several essential arts of lamping that they

will need to master when they are ready for

the real thing, including working off the slip

lead, running the beam, spotting their

quarry, picking up sitters and of course re-

trieving and finally returning when the lamp

is knocked off.

All these skills will be learnt over many

nights over the coming weeks, one stage at

a time.

To start with you need to take your favour-

ite dummy preferably with a rabbit skin at-

tached and stick a good sized piece of re-

flective material to it, the type found on hi -

visibility jackets used for cycling or the type

road workers wear, this will enable the pup

to spot the dummy when the lamp shines

on it, have plenty because you will need to

use 2-3 dummies in the final stages of train-

ing.

You will find it best to start on ground that

the pup is familiar with, with nice short

grass, if you have a decent sized garden this

will do, I am fortunate I have a park oppo-

site my house that the council keep in good

nick, this is where I do my training when it is

quiet.

The first lesson for our pup is to be accus-

tomed to walking off the slip at heel in the

dark, whilst doing this use the lamp and

flash it on and off all around at regular inter-

vals, talk to the pup, if the pup strays or is

inquisitive use your command for heel,

don’t be afraid to talk, silence is not needed

during training lessons, your pup should be

used to the dark at this age but if it shows

signs of being nervous, comfort and encour-

age it.

After a couple of nights of this the pup

should be confident to move onto the next

stage, sitting and staying, this will learn the

pup that there is nothing to fear from being

alone in the dark and that you will return,

just as you have done in daylight, start off in

contact then lengthen the distance, use

your commands and the lamp to let the pup

see you.

Once you are happy and your pup is happy,

we are now ready to try a simple retrieve,

have your pup at heel, show and let it smell

the dummy, then as with all retrieve train-

ing start off throwing it about 10 – 12 feet

away but make sure you have the lamp on

so the pup sees everything happen, it will

have seen the dummy land and the reflec-

tive strip should help catch it’s eye, then

send the pup to fetch the dummy.

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 18

If the pup has been paying attention it

should bound away to pick the dummy up

and return to you just as you have taught it

in daytime, if all goes to plan once more

then lengthen your next throw, not too far

about 20- 25 feet and repeat the exercise, if

all is ok extend the distance but call it a

night after half a dozen or so retrieves, al-

ways heap loads of praise on your young-

ster, as I said at this stage noise is not a

problem.

Any problems, start at the beginning, plenty

of lamp light and short retrieves until the

pup is confidently retrieving, don’t overdo it

and don’t show any frustrations, if not going

to plan, pack in on a good note, try again

the next night, you know your pup best,

some click on quicker than others.

Having spent a couple of nights doing the

retrieves and the distance increased, now is

the time to leave the lamp off when you

throw the dummy, once again start with a

short distance and increase, keeping the

pup at your side turn the lamp on the

dummy, it should be able to see it, watch

the pups head it should be focused on

where the dummy is, give your signal for the

pup to go, I generally use a hissing sound to

put my lurcher onto something.

Away it should go picking up and returning

the dummy, if your pup hasn’t spotted the

dummy, turn the lamp on and off a couple

of times, it should spot it with the assistance

of the reflective strip, then when sure send

the pup on.

Repeat this exercise over the next few

nights and pretty soon the penny will have

dropped, your pup should be spotting and

retrieving the dummy from a good distance,

this has taught your pup to run down the

beam because it expects the dummy to be

at the end of the beam and it will do this as

routine.

At this stage I should mention that at any

point in the training exercises where your

pup runs out and does not pick up the

dummy, or wanders about, turn the lamp

onto your feet and shout the pup back to

you.

You can also do this exercise by sending the

pup out when no dummy has been thrown,

call it in immediately it realises it can’t see

anything and put the lamp on your feet so it

can see you, this is where plenty of praise is

given, and always finish off by letting it run

out and find a dummy.

This learns the pup to return to you as soon

as you put the lamp on your feet, with ex-

perience of this it will return as soon as the

lamp is knocked off.

By now your pup should be really confident

on the lamp, time to place 2-3 dummy’s

around the place prior to taking the pup

out, then select one at a time and send the

pup out as soon as it has retrieved each

dummy, until all have been recovered, do

this two or three times over the next couple

of nights, another valuable lesson learnt,

consecutive retrieves. If not going to plan

start again with single retrieves and build

up, when your pup is ready try again.

After a couple of weeks of practising all the

exercises you both should be ready to move

onto more difficult terrain, thicker grass and

broken cover, start again short distance and

make sure the reflective strip can be spot-

ted on the lamp, all the earlier training will

now come into play, with the pup running

down the beam and spotting the dummy in

cover.

Practice this again over a couple of weeks, if

the pup struggles, make it easy or shorter

until it grasps the idea, which it should with

its earlier experiences.

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 19

Another exercise to practice is jumping on

the lamp, pick a small fence, one that the

pup is familiar with, use the lamp and send

the pup over on command, when you think

your pup is confident, vary the use of the

lamp from full on to faint light, all the time

they should be jumping with ease.

My friends and I have been using this

method over the past few years with good

results, when our young dogs have been

taken out for the first time on the lamp the

only thing they have had to get used to is

handling live rabbits, which it may have ex-

perienced already, all the rest they have

been practising for months.

Some lurcher owners believe that a lamping

lurcher either takes sitters or they don’t,

using this method has ensured that to date I

have never had a lurcher that didn’t take

sitters, or that didn’t turn out to be a rea-

sonable well trained lamper and I guarantee

you have given your pup the best start to

it’s lamping career.

http://www.thehuntinglife.com

Stevie Munn’s South American Experience

Hardy & Greys Pro Flyfisher Stevie Munn returns

from THE FLY FISHING MEETING OF THE RIO

GRANDE-Tierra Del Fuego. Where he was a spe-

cial guest of the Association Riograndense fly fish-

ing, hosted by Goma Carrillo. Stevie was among

only two Europeans asked to give a fly casting

clinic at this high profile event and was to be in-

terviewed by Argentine T.V and sample the fish-

ing on the World famous Rio Grande River. The

other was top caster Danish caster Henrik

Mortensen. The show was a great success with

Stevie showing fly casting with Hardy rods which

the local guides and anglers also tried and en-

joyed. The second part of his trip Stevie stayed at

The Estancia Despedida lodge, hosted by Danny

Lajous and Ozzie , This is where Stevie landed his

biggest ever Sea Run Brown Trout which tipped

the scales just over 24lb, taken on a fly given to

him by his show interpreter and now friend Tato

the deadly pattern was a Black & Red Articulated

dressing. Stevie tells us the Despedida lodge is

lavishness and relaxing set in a beautiful wilder-

ness with not only fishing on the Rio Grande but

also the beautiful rivers Rio Menendez and Rio Mc

Lennan. Danny and Ozzie are the ultimate lodge

hosts. Their kind nature coupled by a rich fishing

knowledge made me feel right at home. As the

only owner-operated lodge on the Rio Grande,

Despedida has the comforting feel of staying with

your fishing family. Danny’s son Tommy and his

friend Jorge are fantastic guides with an uncanny

ability to find big fish that will take. Ozzie’s enter-

taining conversation at the dinner table ranged

from Argentine history to rock, Jazz and blues mu-

sic to world affairs. Chef Oscar served excellent

four course meals with elements of Argentine and

European cuisine that were well-matched with

best Argentine wines. Stevie definitely will be

back hopefully as a guest again to the show and

also Despedida lodge now want him to promote

and host trips to this wonderful destination to U.K

and Irish anglers, so anyone interested in sam-

pling this magnificent part of the world and its

great fishing contact Stevie Munn by email anling-

classics@aol.com

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 20

TROUT FISHING IN IRELAND PART 2 WITH CARL AND ALEX

IN PART TWO OF OUR HOLIDAY IN IRELAND, WE DO SOME MORE FLY

FISHING, CATCHING LOADS OF BROWN TROUT IN ABSOLUTELY STUN-

NING SURROUNDINGS. WE ALSO DO A BIT OF COARSE FISHING AND

CATCH SOME DECENT DACE!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRIP.

HTTP://CARLANDALEXFISHING.CO.UK

http://youtu.be/

diWHtan9cFw

Deer Poaching in Ireland By Norman Mulvany

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 21

Over the last few years this country has

seen a massive increase in deer poaching

the length and breadth of it. Its now

reached epidemic levels and it seems like no

one in authority gives a damn. I know the

rangers can’t be everywhere patrolling due

to lack of numbers in their employment but

something needs to be

done quickly otherwise

we’re going to eventu-

ally only see deer in

photos. A few people

that I’ve spoken to who

hunt deer are seriously

considering hanging up

their seeland pants and

selling their guns. Some

of the reasons I’m hear-

ing are “shaur what’s the point of wasting

my time walking all morning and seeing

nothing”; “there’s no point in going in the

morning for a shot lad when the bas***ds

have been out all night hammering our

spots”. Hearing these kind of remarks are

disconcerting to say the least but its how

things have gone here. I cant tell of the

number of mornings in the current season

that I’ve been out stalking for a deer and

have seen nothing only the fresh stomach

contents of poached deer on our leases

from Coillte, private leases and other

grounds where our syndicate stalk. One

wood on which I stalk as a nominated

stalker in Wicklow has been literally de-

stroyed by poachers and quad bikes. We

found some of the routes they’re using to

gain access and had these blocked but

they’re still finding new ways in. One lad

who we knew was entering the wood was

approached and admitted his involvement

but defended his actions by saying that he

was out of work and needs the money and

with the prices being so high at the moment

from the game dealers that he was making

more than he did when he worked on the

building sites. I can see his argument from

another family mans point of view but it still

doesn’t excuse what they’re doing is wrong.

Another group of stalkers I know of through

a contact in the midlands only “stalk” their

lease when it gets dark because its there

only way of getting a deer. They walk the

wood with scope

mounted lamps and

shoot whatever they

see. Their reasoning be-

ing that they pay big

money for the lease and

why should they let the

poachers get the deer.

Wild deer Ireland, a bril-

liant organisation, are

trying to highlight this problem by interact-

ing with the Gardai and NPWS but their

pleas seem to be falling on deaf ears. Sug-

gested methods of preventing poaching

have been mentioned to authorities like in-

volving the revenue and tagging systems

but why hasn’t it happened? I think if every

stalker was issued with 10 deer tags for the

season it would seriously limit the sale of

deer and overall stop commercial poaching

and shooting. If a genuine hunter uses up

the tags between shooting stags and hinds

then there would be an option of buying

more for a sensible price. Not only would it

limit the amount of deer being shot but

would also be an added income to our econ-

omy. This tagging season works great in

America where a hunter is only issued 2

tags, male and female, and can purchase

more doe tags if needed. A lot of people

reading this might think I’m over reacting

but when my ten year old son can recognise

a decline in deer numbers and makes a

comment like, “what am I going to do when

I can get a deer gun and there’s no deer to

shoot”, one must seriously wonder if any-

one in authority really gives a damn.

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 22

Hind culling

Christmas is past now along with the males of the

deer season so now we’re concentrating on the

hinds/does until the end of February. A lot of

stalkers aren’t too concerned with shooting hinds

as they don’t like the double killing of a deer and

a calf. My brother happens to be one of these

and considers it cruel. I on the other hand have

no problems shooting hinds that are in calf be-

cause it’s regulating a healthy population of the

herd in certain areas that have not yet been

touched by the poacher’s lamps. A certain ratio

of hinds need to be culled every season other-

wise the herd will overpopulate and without suf-

ficient food to satisfy every deer, starvation will

soon fallow along with unhealthy and diseased

deer.

To achieve a proper cull you should first establish

how many deer are on the ground where you

stalk and this can be done by regular visits in the

closed season as well as using trail cameras. Try

to take out the older of the hinds which are rec-

ognisable by slightly longer faces and sunken

chests, hinds with no calves at foot which could

indicate a barren deer unable to breed anymore.

Of course sick looking and injured deer should

always be shot on sight for obvious reasons. With

stags I’ve been advised to shoot the mature 8

ptrs that have left their genes along the way,

leave the 6 ptrs alone and personally I’d prefer to

leave the majority of prickets alone too. Remem-

ber these are next year’s young stags and could

be fine stags in 2-3 years. Most of the prickets

that I shot this season head deformed antlers of

lameness. One was shot for

neither reason other than

being in prime eating condi-

tion of which not a chunk of

meat was wasted.

Before I sign off I’d like to tell

a very short story which only

occurred at the weekend

gone out. I walked in on a

group of hinds feeding and

prepared to pick out a suit-

able one. There was 7 in total

and one was away from the

others feeding alone. Grey in the face and bony

looking, this was a choice candidate for culling so

I took the shot prone and struck the heart/lung

area from 168 yards. She stumbled and ran into

thick cover. After waiting the necessary 15 mins

for her to expire, I approached the spot where

she had been standing but couldn’t see much

sign of a hit. I searched for over an hour through

heavy briars and furze’s but to joy. I returned

home and decided to bring my 2 eldest boys back

with battery packs to help in the search. I also, on

a whim, brought along my Springer spaniel who

has a great nose on lost birds. Now she’s never

tracked a deer before but I took her to where the

deer had been struck and she went nose down

and into the briars. After maybe ten minutes she

was back out in the field but her mouth was spot-

ted in blood so I sent her back in and I followed.

Amazingly she had tracked the hind and was sit-

ting patiently beside the carcass waiting for me

to see her success. I was delighted with her find

and I now hope to train her fully in tracking

wounded and lost deer in the future.

Happy new year to all readers!

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 23

It's an x-ray of a fox, as we find out just what different kinds of bullets do, so you can choose the

right one. That's not all. Top French gunmaker Chapuis is supplying Roy Lupton with a new dou-

ble rifle, and he tours the factory to see how his gun is made. And we are on the much-loved Val-

ley Shoot in Kent, where one of the guns has worked out a new relaxation technique to get him in

the swing for pheasants and partridges.

FIELDSPORTS BRITAIN, EPISODE 106, 7TH DECEMBER 2011

http://youtu.be/

jNMJMqfe1ig

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 24

http://youtu.be/

NYfEViF2TrM

We've got deer, duck and how to shoot straighter on this week's show. Paul Hill of Corinium Ri-

fle Range in Gloucestershire tests Swarovski optics and shows you how to use the turret on your

scope to get incredible results. Meanwhile, Countryside Alliance shooting director David Taylor

is out with the Walney Island Wildfowlers in Cumbria. Need to shoot straighter at that all-

important Boxing Day pheasant shoot? CPSA coach and Commonwealth Games silver medallist

Abbey Burton offers her top tips. And Oliver Power of the English Safari Company continues his

tests of Norma ammunition on muntjac and roe with a Steyr Mannlicher in .243.

FIELDSPORTS BRITAIN, EPISODE 107, 14TH DECEMBER 2011

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 25

It's a bad day to be a Christmas bauble. We're shooting a load of guns and calibres from .223

to .470 at them, then we are fellhunting with the fabulous Blencathra Foxhounds and we are

pheasant-shooting in Dorset on the beautiful Crichel Shoot. Every day is like Christmas for

Sporting Rifle tester Tim Pilbeam as boxes of great guns and ammo arrive from all the top

manufacturers. Meanwhile, hunting (within the law) is still going strong as Master Michael

Thompson and huntsman Barry Todhunter of the Blencathra make clear. And if you want a bit

of old English magic, where better to go for a pheasant and partridge shoot than Crichel? All in

all you could not have a better mix of festive fun.

FIELDSPORTS BRITAIN, EPISODE 108, 21ST DECEMBER 2011

http://youtu.be/

NDfOVdkVA68

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 26

http://youtu.be/

GkEkuYiLpPE

Give children guns and look what they do: a brilliant day out and lots of pheasants for

them to remember forever. It's the final day of the series of events that make up the

Schools Challenge 2011 - the game day for 30 children held at Kirtlington Park in Ox-

fordshire. And to start the programme off, there's our review of all the best bits from

Fieldsports Britain in the last year: foxes, pheasants, deer, eagles, doves, antis, horses,

lions and everything that makes fieldsports so exciting and extraordinary.

FIELDSPORTS BRITAIN, EPISODE 109, 28TH DECEMBER 2011

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 27

One girl, one rod, a couple of trout perhaps?

A FLYFISHERLADY'S LIFEA FLYFISHERLADY'S LIFEA FLYFISHERLADY'S LIFEA FLYFISHERLADY'S LIFE

Fisher folk must know a thing or two. We spend all day

near or on the water not doing much which gives us

time to think, possibly too much time. This should ex-

plain why there are so many experts in fishing, so

many people offering advice and the benefits of their

wisdom. The cosy inertia of the river bank affording

the space needed to provide reasons, or excuses for

one's success or failure. The long, cold winter giving

the time to write it all up as blogs or articles in Trout

and Salmon. I hope that sometimes all that thinking

time can spawn something useful.

I hate fly fishing art on the whole, it's impossibly naff at

times but most commendably, often worthy of a place

in the Daily Mail's "Not the Turner Prize". There is pos-

sibly no genre more worrying than hyper realism. All

that copying is just a little unhealthy. Fishing art is

more often than not just naff and twee.

Today I came across this cracking painting which has

changed my mind about fishing art.

It manages to be realistic without being kitsch and I

can almost cast to those rises. It was painted by Nor-

man Wilkinson who, as it happens, was an early cam-

oufleur; a gorgeous word for a practioner

of camouflage. Already recognised as a pretty decent

artist, during WWI he was in the Navy. During that

time, he persuaded the Admiralty to adorn their bat-

tleships with his "Dazzle" patterns with the aim of

making the outline more difficult to trace and hope-

fully confusing German U-boats.

After the Wars, he turned his attention to providing

awesomely groovy images for government posters.

I like to imagine that he came up with the idea of daz-

zle during an evening with trout bursting to the surface

as the sunlight casts strong shapes over a river's rip-

ples. The overall effect causing him blinking confusion

as to where to place his fly; or at least that was his ex-

cusing for missing the rise.

http://flyfisherlady.blogspot.com

Dazzled Ships at Night, (1918) Norman Wilkinson Image copy-

right of the Imperial War Museum

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 28

I'm currently testing the brand new HW101

sidelever-operated PCP from German gun-

making maestros, Weihrauch. UK importers,

Hull Cartridge Co., have sent me the first unit

to arrive in the UK - and though I've got

plenty more testing to do before I feel quali-

fied enough to print a thorough report in Air-

gun Shooter magazine, my early impressions

are most favourable.

The HW101 is the production version of the

HW100X 'prototype' which I was first shown

at this year's British Shooting Show; it was

intended as a single-shot derivative of the 14

-shot-magazine'd HW100. Thankfully, Wei-

hrauch took on board my (and others') sug-

gestion that 101 would be a more appropri-

ate name - because although it's clearly a

stablemate of the HW100, the HW101 is dif-

ferent enough to warrant a standalone moni-

ker.

It's coming into the UK in only the one guise -

'KT' format, meaning Karbine (short barrel)

and a thumbhole stock... which, in the case

of the HW101, is in beech. I guess Weihrauch

are trying to keep the pricepoint down, given

the current flat-state of the more expensive

precharged pneumatic market.

The HW101 is very compact rifle, with a bar-

rel just 310mm long! It'll rival the BSA Ultra

and I've already been in conversation with

BSA's new MD, Martin Lowe, to set up a

head-to-head in early 2012. It should be a

good battle, because I already know the Ul-

tra's no mean performer - and, as I alluded to

earlier, the HW101 has got all the hallmarks

that made the HW100 (Weihrauch's inaugu-

ral PCP model) such a success in the UK.

I suppose you have to ask the question

'why?' - because multi-shots are much more

fun, right? Well, there's actually quite a fol-

lowing for single-shot pneumatics. Competi-

tion shooters prefer them, and many hunters

prefer to 'feel in' each shot. I do, only run-

ning the magazines on my Daystate Air Wolf

and Theoben Elan if I'm out lamping (where

it does away with fumbling for pellets in the

dark), or ratting (where a quick second shot

is often needed).

And I've got to say that single-shot versions

of PCPs designed as multi-shot guns are of-

ten just that little more accurate, by virtue of

the fact that the pellet doesn't have to 'jump'

between the magazine and the breech

proper.

In the HW101's case, my groups at 40 yards

certainly appear to be holding tighter than

those I shot with the HW100 FSB test model

just over a year ago. This may just be be-

cause the barrel likes the ammo I'm using -

Daystate RangeMaster Li - but, whatever, it's

certainly confidence-inspiring. For such a lit-

tle gun, it's capable of a really big perform-

ance.

Ahead of the comprehensive report I'll be

filing in an imminent issue of Airgun Shooter

magazine, here's a brief snap shot of Wei-

hrauch's new sidelever from AirgunTV, with

the emphasis on that all-new breech set-up:

http://youtu.be/

Ds9mcKspn6Q

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 29

Ahead of his comprehensive test of this new model, Nigel Allen brings you his snap

shot preview, concentrating on that all-important breech area of Weihrauch's latest

sidelever.

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 30

HALF OF ALL FISH

CAUGHT

IN THE NORTH SEA

ARE THROWN

BACKOVERBOARD

D EA D http://www.fishfight.net

Neither storms, nor snow, nor ice spoil the fishing at

Curragh Springs

Despite the various and sometimes extreme

weather conditions with storms, rain, snow

and even 75% of the lake surface frozen on

Saturday morning, fishing continues to be

excellent at Curragh Springs.

17 year old Carl Owens from Dublin with

one of two fine Curragh Springs Rainbow

caught on buzzers.

Those who braved the weather were well

rewarded with several big fish, landed and

then carefully released again to fight an-

other day. Fish are being caught at various

depths and taking a variety of lures, nymphs

and especially buzzers.

Freddie Miller from Dublin with a fine fully

finned Rainbow

Not to be left out Paul Owens, Carl's father with a nice

fish

http://fishinginireland.info

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 31

The January 2012 issue is on sale now. For a subscription, click www.airgun.tv – or to buy an

e-zine version (single issue), click http://www.pocketmags.com/viewmagazine.aspx?

titleid=24&title=Airgun+Shooter

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 32

Illegal Deer Lamping a Dangerous Practice

The National Parks and Wildlife Service has

issued a warning to landowners following

reports of illegal deer lamping across an

area spanning from Broadford to South Gal-

way.

A public meeting was held recently in East

Clare to raise awareness of deer lamping

where district conservation officer with the

National Parks and Wildlife Service, Seamus

Hassett outlined the dangers associated

with this illegal activity.

Lamping involves the shooting of deer and

other animals such as foxes at night and is

done by shining spotlights to stop the ani-

mal before killing it.

In the case of foxes and other vermin, farm-

ers can get a licence to lamp these animals

and with the appropriate licence is legal,

however, lamping for deer at any time of

year is illegal.

The activity involves the use of battery pack

spotlights, which stun the animals causing

them to stop in their tracks and stare at it.

This gives an opportunity to shoot the ani-

mal without having to give chase.

David Lyons of Clare’s National Parks and

Wildlife Service said they have received re-

ports of people hearing shots at night and

added that lamping is an ongoing issue for

the service in Clare as well as for the gardaí.

“They are shooting at night on lands that

they have no permission to shoot on. This

type of activity is prevalent in Clare particu-

larly in East Clare and in the Sliabh Augh-

ties,” he said.

However, he explained that more resources

are needed to catch these poachers and

they have appealed for the assistance of

landowners. The service asks that people

report any unusual vehicles at night on their

lands to the gardaí immediately and where

possible to take a note of the registrations

of the vehicles.

“It is extremely dangerous because you’re

shooting at night. Lamping basically causes

the deer to stop and stare at the lamp,

there is no stalking involved and they are

able to fire at the deer from the car. It takes

the effort out of hunting and makes it easy

for them to get at the meat, which is what

they want. In a case last year we had a

horse that was shot at night. Someone had

shot at the animal not knowing it was a

horse. It was an accident but it shows that

this is very serious,” he explained.

It is open season now to hunt male and fe-

male deer as and from November 1 and

landowners with legally held firearms who

have issues with deer can contact the Na-

tional Parks and Wildlife service to apply for

a license to cull these animals.

“Some farmers welcome deer lamping, even

though it is illegal, but the majority are

scared of it, and are scared to confront the

individuals carrying it out,” Mr Lyons con-

cluded.

Gardaí in East Clare have said deer lamping

is an ongoing issue in the area, particularly

at this time of year.

A spokesperson for the gardaí in East Clare

said that those who observe people firing

from a public road should contact the gar-

daí.

“Deer are being shot illegally and there is

evidence of this activity, with strange vehi-

cles being seen on lands at night from

Broadford to South Galway. We held a pub-

lic meeting recently to create awareness of

gun security and to inform license firearm

holders of the dangers associated with

lamping,” the garda said.

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 33

Adrian King of the Irish Farmers Association,

who represents the organisation nationally

on a firearms consultative panel, explained

that not only is the lamping of deer illegal

but it “is highly unsafe”.

“Firing at night time is just unsafe and is ille-

gal and should not be tolerated,” he said.

He said there is a distinction between the

lamping of foxes, which is legal with the cor-

rect licence to lamping of deer, which is ille-

gal.

“The lamping of foxes by sheep farmers for

instance would not be an illegal activity once

an individual has a

legally held firearm

and has permission

from the land-

owner you can

shoot and dispatch

of foxes humanely.

Also a lot of it is

done with a shot-

gun, which is over a

low distance where

you’re talking

about 80 to 100

yards. As a shotgun

wouldn’t be appropriate for deer, you need

a heavy calibre weapon but a heavy calibre

deer rifle has three miles of a trajectory so if

you fire a bullet across countryside you have

three miles of potential damage to animal or

human so it is just not safe,” Mr King said.

He added that the IFA are aware of people

that enter land without any type of permis-

sion and shoot deer, known commonly as

hedgehoppers.

“This is what is probably more prevalent in

the last few years particularly now that peo-

ple have more time to do this, so there could

be an issue with people shooting deer for

sale or for use. Where you have out of area

hit and run hedgehoppers driving around

and shooting where they want without local

knowledge it is extremely dangerous. This

activity is not being done with legally held

firearms it is being done with illegally held

firearms and that is the concern the gardaí

would have,” Mr King said.

He added that while most farmers allow rea-

sonable access to people to their lands they

should only allow people that have a reason-

able code of practice on their land. “If they

are caught in an illegal act they are not insur-

able. If there is an

issue there with

deer, farmers can

get permission from

the Parks and Wild-

life Service if it’s on

public land and if it’s

on their own land

they can deal with

the deer menace

correctly and hu-

manely that’s our

advice,” he ex-

plained.

“From an IFA point of view it is extremely

dangerous to engage in deer lamping. What-

ever about a legitimate local shooter who

knows the lie of the land, if you have people

shooting from vehicles or shooting from the

road at night they pose extreme danger to

livestock and to individuals, not knowing

where houses are across a valley. And firing

with high powered rifles is extremely dan-

gerous. Our advice to farmers is to be very

careful in allowing this activity on their

land,” he concluded.

Carol Byrne

http://www.clarechampion.ie/

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 34

About Mike and POSITIVE SHOOTINGAbout Mike and POSITIVE SHOOTINGAbout Mike and POSITIVE SHOOTINGAbout Mike and POSITIVE SHOOTING Hi and welcome to www.POSITIVESHOOTING.com. I'm Mike Yardley and I've

been shooting and studying it for over 40 years - ouch! I love the sport be it

with shotguns, rifles, pistols, or airguns. I'm delighted you've found this web-

site and I really hope you find it useful. The goal is to get as many people into

the sport as possible and to get them shooting as well as possible - maximis-

ing all their potential. Thank you for your support. Safe shooting.

Michael Yardley was born in Denmark and educated in England, Switzerland

and the US. He has a psychology degree from London University, conducted

post-graduate research into direct action and terrorism at the LSE, and is

also a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Mike Yardley

Michael is well known as a sporting journalist, shooting instructor, and hunter

and has written and broadcast extensively on all aspects of guns and their use.

His articles (2000+) have appeared in many journals as well as in the national

press. He has appeared as an expert witness in cases which relate to firearms

and firearms safety. He is a founding fellow of the Association of Professional

Shooting Instructors, and has formal instructing qualifications from a variety of

other bodies including the British CPSA, BFSS, NRA and NSRA.

Michael began competitive shooting with 11th County of London HG Btn. Rifle

Club. He won ‘Colours’ for shooting as a member of the shotgun and pistol teams

of the Royal Military Academy Sandhust (being a member of the winning GB IMAGE match team in 1980). He

has been a special advisor to the Police Federation, and others, civil and military. He has shot for sport for

more than 40 years and hunted birds and larger game on four continents (making more than twenty safaris

to Africa hunting both dangerous and plains game). He is a multiple county clay pigeon shooting champion,

British Side by Side Champion 2004, and, has won hundreds of ‘High Guns’ in open competition with his faith-

ful Beretta 303 semi-automatic and Lyalvale (Express) cartridges. He is listed one of The Field’s ‘Top Shots.’

He retired from the press competition at the CLA Game Fair after winning it three times.

As well as his shooting activities he has written books on other subjects including

an account of the independent Polish trade union Solidarity, a biography of

T.E.Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), and a history of the Royal Military Academy

Sanhurst itself. He is a contributing author and ‘Special Researcher’ to the Oxford

History of the British Army (in which he wrote the concluding chapter and essays

on the army in Northern Ireland and the SAS). He is also a frequent broadcaster

and has made and presented documentaries for the BBC on ‘The Media and the

Monarchy,’ ‘Kill one: frighten Ten Thousand (a History of Terrorism),’ and phi-

losophical doubt. He has also been involved as a specialist ballistic consultant,

and presenter, in many productions for various TV companies including the Dis-

covery and History Channels. He has re-enacted on location worldwide the death

of the Red Baron, the Trojan Horse incident from ancient history, and some of

the most infamous assassinations, including those of JFK, RFK and Abe Lincoln.

Michael has worked a photojournalist and war reporter in Syria, Lebanon, Alba-

nia/Kosovo, Africa, and Afghanistan. He was seized off the street in Beirut in

1982 (before Terry Waite and John McCarthy) but released shortly afterwards

having befriended one of his captors. In 1986 he made 3 clandestine crossings

into Afghanistan with the Mujahedin putting his cameras aside and working as a

medic on one mission with a group called NIIFA. In the late 1990s, he ran aid con-

voys to Kosovan Refugees in Albania and on the Albanian/Kosovo border. The

charity he co-founded, ‘Just Help,’ was honoured for this work which took 300

tons of relief to desperately needy people.

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 35

Pheasant Shooting in the USPheasant Shooting in the USPheasant Shooting in the USPheasant Shooting in the US

by Mike Yardleyby Mike Yardleyby Mike Yardleyby Mike Yardley

When we

(in Europe)

shoot

pheasant

we tend to

do it by

driving birds

from cover

over a line

of guns –

something

popularized

in these

isles by Vic-

toria’s con-

sort Albert

and his son

Albert Ed-

ward (later

Edward VII).

Americans

pheasant ‘hunters’, some two million of

them, still shoot pheasants the ‘old fash-

ioned’ way – some might say the proper way

– over pointing and flushing dogs. They do

this, in the main, on state owned ground by

means of a licensing system which is tightly

regulated (with significant state to state

variation) but which offers cheap sport to

millions.

There are several types of pheasant hunting

in the US:

1) ‘Preserve’ shooting over some kind of dog

(pointing or flushing)

2) Driven - but not as in the UK, the birds

are not raised and released in the summer

later to be driven in the autumn, but rather

the birds are ‘flighted’ on the day and at the

time of the shoot;

3) Hunting wild birds with dogs – either

flushing or pointing – usually involving a

couple of hunters and one or more dogs

ranging fairly wide (an activity which may

happen in fairly remote area, or, just off the

roadside!

4) Organized, massive drives, involving

large numbers of shooters who drive typi-

cally with dogs and some hunters in posted

positions.

It is a very different culture to ours, not least

perhaps because US Game wardens are of-

ten armed and have similar powers to the

police (indeed, they are in effect a form of

police service). State game departments will

have a significant staff of scientists too and

other professionals working for the general

benefit of the habitat and the hunting com-

munity. They are funded by license subscrip-

tions in the main. When you hunt (as both

bird and deer shooting are usually termed),

you must display your license on your person

and you will have to wear a prescribed num-

ber of square inches of orange clothing

(varying from state to state) to make sure

you are not accidentally shot by other hunt-

ers. This may sound OTT, but when you are

in the woods on opening day with what may

be a lot of inexperienced or occasional guns

it makes a lot of sense.

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 36

Serious US hunters tend to be extremely ex-

pert with regard to working their dogs (and

their pointing dogs in particular). I would say

that to most of the pheasant shooters I

know in the States the dogwork – both the

art and science – is more important than the

actual shooting (which is not quite the art

there that it is with us). Americans are, how-

ever, proud of their heritage of accessible

sport. It was quite an important part of the

‘American Way’ in the early history of the

country. Legislators were very well aware

that shooting was not always something or-

dinary people could do easily and there was

a deliberate policy of making it as open as

possible. Shooting also provided

an important part of the diet for early set-

tlers.

The thing that turns on most modern US

pheasant hunters is ‘rooster’ shooting – the

shooting of what we would call cock birds.

You may hunt these on private ‘put-and-

take’ preserves, as well as wild birds on

state game lands as discussed. The preserve

shooting – increasingly popular because it is

accessible and easy – is usually controlled by

a ‘guide’ who handles the dog work.

The wild bird shooting is another matter

and, typically, quite a logistical challenge. I

have driven hundreds, indeed, thousands of

miles across the US with friends just to bag a

few birds. The US shooters are much less

concerned by numbers than we are. They

can be quite shocked by our numbers game.

Bags are strictly limited in most states and

may be no more than a few birds per gun.

This does not seem to affect anyone’s fun

much, though – so much effort goes into

each bird they seem to be more appreci-

ated. There is a lot of work done on the con-

servation front by organizations like Pheas-

ants Forever (with a membership of 125,000

including 20,000 youth members) and its

750 ‘Chapters’ as well as by State Game De-

partments as discussed.

This is what Pheasants Forever (PF) say

about themselves:

“Pheasant hunting is a time-honored out-

door tradition…It's a family activity. It helps

form new friendships and strengthen existing

ones. Bird dogs become more than just a pet;

they become part of the family. Pheasant

hunting requires knowledge, skill and as the

season wears on, a battle against the ele-

ments. At times, you will succeed and feel the

thrill of sliding that hard-earned bird into

your game vest, and at times you will under-

stand why they call the ring-necked pheasant

the King of the Game birds. And finally,

those skillful or lucky enough to harvest a

rooster pheasant find they make excellent

table fare.”

Many US shooters will take a ‘Hunter’s Edu-

cation Course” (which may be a requirement

in some states). Young shooters are particu-

larly encouraged. The Pheasants Forever

The Ringnecks Program is

“dedicated to introducing youth to hunting,

shooting sports and outdoor conservation

through youth events, education, community

service and cooperation with both govern-

mental and non-governmental partnerships.

Through a variety of programs, youth will

gain knowledge, learn skills and develop a

land ethic necessary to be responsible hunt-

ers and conservationists. As they grow up,

they can in turn pass on the outdoor tradi-

tions of their youth to future generations.”

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 37

Pheasants Forever

notes the follow-

ing advice with

regard to gear – it

gives you an idea

of just how differ-

ent things are in

the States com-

pared to here:

1) Know your

state laws in re-

gards to wearing

blaze orange. You

should always

wear at least a

blaze orange cap

and hunting vest so your party mem-

bers can clearly see you at all times.

2) Invest in a good pair of boots. While hunt-

ing pheasants you will traverse a wide range

of terrain that will put wear-and-tear on

your feet if you're not properly prepared.

Nothing will end a hunt more prematurely

than blistered and sore feet.

3) Know the weather conditions in which

you will be hunting and dress in layers that

can be added or removed accordingly. Stay

away from cotton products that will retain

moisture. Instead, wear polypropylene and

fleece clothing that will wick sweat and rain

away while retaining heat.

4) Wear brush pants or field chaps. These

durable leggings will keep you dry and free

from stickers and thorns while traveling

through thick cover.

5) Use a shotgun you are comfortable with.

Anything from a .410 to a 12 gauge can be

effective in bagging a rooster.

6) Be aware of where you'll be hunting in

regards to the use of lead or steel shot.

Some areas require that only steel shot be

used.

7) Be sure to check out Pheasants Forever

Marketplace for unbeatable deals on all of

the gear you'll need to have a great day in

the field! [being the US there is always

someone trying to sell you something]

And on the subject of where to hunt:

1) Pay attention to your state's roadside

counts to know where the highest con-

centrations of birds are located.

2) Understand the different habitat needs of

a pheasant and how seasonal changes can

influence where the birds are located.

3) Get off the beaten path of interstate high-

ways.

4) Join a Pheasants Forever chapter and

make friends. More than likely, you'll get

invited to hunt together come autumn.

5) Recognizing overlooked spots - Ask per-

mission of private landowners adjacent to

public lands

Birds and bores

The Chinese ringneck is by far the most

common bird in the states, as far as guns

are concerned, most use 12 bore repeaters

with heavy loads (both available from stores

like Wallmart at modest cost), though pur-

ists may use 20 bore over and unders and

even the occasional side by side.

www.positiveshooting.com Michael Yardly

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 38

A few ersatz driven shoots have been created, but the

core of American pheasant shooting is the walk-up as

was popular here 150 years ago (as will be evident if you

ever look at old shooting prints).

The first category is found in many states, the second is

for the US carriage Trade and organised by private clubs.

The third is pursued in those states such as Dakota and

Nebraska that have a significant wild pheasant popula-

tion – it’s big, open country.

http://youtu.be/MK1DjPAy-78

MIKE YARDLEY SHOOTS THE NEW BROWNING 725 CITORI

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 39 http://www.fishinginireland.info

Catch of the week 08/12/11

NICE DOUBLE FIGURE PIKE FOR GLENN BRENNAN

ON LOUGH GOWNA.

My name is Glenn Brennan from Dublin and I was fishing Lough Gowna on

Tuesday the 5th December and caught this nice double figure pike with a drift-

ing float baited with a sardine. It was hooked a bit tricky so I wasted no time

in weighing it just a quick photo and it was returned to fight another day. In

total we had 3 pike with another pike of 4 lb to a full mackerel and a 6 lb fish

which fell to a copper spoon and all fish were returned to the water safely. I’m

a great fan of your website as it provides accurate and current information on

how the fishing is on a daily basis. I would also like to say its great to see the

fishery board out on the water as I was on Lacken lake in Ballyjamesduff last

week and was approached by two inspectors out on the lake, they were two

nice guys who I had also met last year on Lough Ramor so keep up the good

work.

Glen brennan with a nice double figure pike from Lough Gowna.

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 40

http://www.fishinginireland.info

Catch of the week 20/12/11

A very cold and frosty morning on Lough Ramor with temperatures only

reaching 2C by 10.30am. I did however venture out on the lake, “well togged

out with plenty of winter layers” and fly fished away for Ramor’s illusive

”Winter Pike”. The 20lb 14oz predator pictured was caught on a Stuart Wylie

hot orange pike barbless fly. I also had some missed opportunities and a sev-

eral follows from some larger fish . This fine Ramor pike was returned safely

to fight another day, just before the wind and rain came which hampered an

excellent days fly fishing. This fish wins the Catch of the Week for this the

third week in December.

A well-deserved warm cup of tea was enjoyed before returning home at

2pm.

Kind regards,

Damien Willis.

Info@loughfishingbuddies.com

20LB PIKE ON FLY FROM RAMOR

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 41

Catch of the week 29/12/11

http://www.fishinginireland.info

12 YEAR OLD AARON LANDS 21LB PIKE AT LOUGH

GARA COMPETITION

Daire Coyle, Treasurer of the Lough Gara & District Angling Club sent in this report and

photo:

We had our second leg of our winter league which took place on Lough Gara

on Tuesday the 27th of December.

Aaron Murray 12 years old, one of our junior members, caught his biggest

pike to date. It weighed in at 21lb 6oz. The fish was caught on a ledgered

dead bait.

Daire Coyle

Lough Gara & District Angling Club

Aaron Murray with his 21lb 6oz pike and club chairman David Shannon

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 42

http://youtu.be/OHh7YZhWeZc

This is a video on how to make a simple game carrier that you can carry with you in your

pocket when you go hunting instead of carrying a game bag or rucksack.

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 43

Get your copy of Hunters

Vermin ‘Air Rifle Control in

Northern Ireland’ today. A

perfect Christmas gift for

any air rifle shooter.

Call Blaze Publishing on

0044 (0) 1926339808 Cost

£14.99.

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 44

Explore the Burren with on one of our guided walking

tours, then soak in our outdoor hot-tub & Spa with views of the magnificent Mullagh Mor.

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I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 45

Trained Hunter Qualification Course Launched by the

NARGC

On Thursday, December 15th, the National

Association of Regional Game Councils

(NARGC) launched a new

Trained Hunter course un-

der EU food safety legisla-

tion, Regulation (EC)

853/2004. The launch,

which took place in the

Ashling Hotel in Dublin,

was performed by Minis-

ter of State with responsi-

bility for food safety at the

Department of Agriculture

Food and the Marine, Shane McEntee TD.

There were many in attendance from the

hunting, conservation, food processing and

regulatory sectors for the launch.

Under the EU Regulation, member states of

the EU are obliged, as part of the traceabil-

ity framework for food production, to put

in place a Trained Hunter qualification for

hunters who harvest game meat which en-

ters the food chain. Hunters in Ireland who

now place game meat into the food chain

are required to be certified for that pur-

pose and only those who are certified may

do so without the necessity of providing

the head and certain organs to the ap-

proved game meat establishment.

Other hunters may, if they wish, take the

course to simply improve their knowledge

of game handling.

The NARGC course, which is accredited by

City & Guilds, will meet the standards re-

quired to certify the quality of game car-

cases presented to Approved Game Han-

dling Establishments as laid down in the

Regulation. The syllabus covers the anat-

omy of game animals and birds; field han-

dling and hygienic transport; large and

small carcase handling and inspection, in-

cluding abnormalities of organs and dis-

eases; actions to be taken on disease de-

tection; carcase inspection demonstration;

legal requirements; record keeping; veteri-

nary supervision and involvement; factors

affecting quality of game

meat; larder design, equip-

ment and hygiene.

The qualification assess-

ment will be carried out

independently by City &

Guilds to their standards

and those who successfully

complete the course and

exam will be awarded a

City & Guilds certificate certifying the quali-

fication. Only those hunters who have

qualified may sign the statutory declaration

which is required for wild game meat des-

tined for human consumption.

Speaking at the launch, NARGC Director,

Des Crofton said “We have been working

closely with the Food Safety Authority of

Ireland and City & Guilds for approxi-

mately one and a half years developing a

course which would meet the very high

standards which should rightly apply to

food safety. We were particularly pleased

to work with the statutory authorities and

today is the result of that successful col-

laboration. City & Guilds accreditation car-

ries with it a world renowned standard

which is not open to compromise and it is

an indication of the high standards which

this course and qualification meets. Bet-

ter handling and processing protocols for

wild game meat at the harvesting stages

can help minimise the risk of food-borne

illness and exposure to animal health is-

sues. This qualification does not replace

any of the current high standard food

safety protocols but is an additional proto-

col for game meat at the earliest stage in

the production process.”

Details of the course are available on the

NARGC website (www.nargc.ie)

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 46

NATURE GROUPS IN 'BOAR WAR' OVER WILD PIGS

ROAMING OUR COUNTRYSIDE

A 'BOAR War' has erupted

over whether the wild hairy

pig is an Irish native or foreign

invader. The Irish Wildlife

Trust (IWT) strenuously ob-

jected yesterday to the wild

boar being officially classified

by a government body as an

"invasive species".

The move comes after state

wildlife chiefs declared war on

the boar following a number

of sightings in wooded areas.

Invasive Species Ireland, a pro-

ject backed by the State's Na-

tional Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS ), lists

wild boar as one of its "most unwanted" inva-

sive species because they "damage crops, gar-

dens, amenity areas as well as potentially

spreading disease".

Wild boars are known to carry TB, foot and

mouth, swine flu and the blue tongue virus. But

the animal is not completely alien to Ireland --

they lived here until prehistoric times but were

driven to extinction as humans hunted them or

cut down their forest habitats.

And they are now making something of a come-

back. with 12 boars spotted in woodlands re-

cently. Last month, a wild boar was reported to

have been trapped and killed in the Slieve

Bloom Mountains. The boars were believed to

have been illegally released into the wild by

shooters.

But the Wildlife Trust said boars were not inva-

sive, and were "a keystone species in forest eco-

systems".

It added: "Their rooting activity creates a distur-

bance regime that increases plant diversity and

aids tree regeneration. For these reasons, the

Irish Wildlife Trust objects to the current classifi-

cation of wild boar as an invasive species by In-

vasive Species Ireland.

"We feel that this move con-

fuses members of the public

about what an invasive spe-

cies actually is, making it

more difficult to raise aware-

ness about the threats from

actual invasives, such as grey

squirrel, rhododendron and

zebra mussel."

The charitable wildlife or-

ganisation also said it ob-

jected to the illegal release of

wild boar, as this led to a risk

of diseases that could

threaten agriculture.

"These irresponsible introductions could be pre-

vented without having to define wild boar in

Ireland as invasive."

It is illegal to release wild boars.and the trust

said that if a reintroduction should take place,

then it should be only be sanctioned by the

wildlife service in accordance with international

guidelines.

Dr Ferdia Marnell, head of animal ecology at the

NPWS, warned yesterday of the serious risks to

animal health and ecology if the wild boar be-

comes established in woodlands. There has

been deliberate releasing of wild boars by some

hunters unaware of the consequences.

"Wild boar can carry a lot of nasty diseases such

as TB and swine flu," Dr Marnell told the Irish

Independent.

Boars are large mammals with powerful bodies

and coarse hairy coats. With no natural preda-

tors, wild boars could cause significant disrup-

tion to agriculture as they damage crops and

uproot large areas of land and eliminate native

vegetation, which has happened in Britain.

- Treacy Hogan Environment Correspondent

Irish Independent http://www.independent.ie

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 47

Cape Fear

Disclaimer: the views expressed by our Master Fly Tyer Contributor Ben Spinks, are

solely Ben's views and not necessarily shared by anyone else here at Sexyloops, nor indeed

anyone else on the planet. In fact it is questionable whether in fact Ben himself has these

views and he wrote it. It is true, however, that some selfish people do use condoms in flyty-

ing but this is not, I repeat NOT, to stop the fish from getting pregnant.

Cape fear

So, we have established feathers to be

both useful and fairly uncomplicated, or

have we? Up until now we have dealt with

nice cheap friendly birds whose main aim

in life is to make us happy. Many animal

rights activists don't actually know this but

contrary to popular belief most birds actu-

ally enjoy being plucked and fully under-

stand the artistic reasons behind their sac-

rifice.

However, some birds are not so obliging.

When we as flytyers grow tired of the norm

and start wanting after something new and

exciting we must look to the dark side. The

cock and hen tirelessly oppose the giving of

feathers to our worthy cause and therefore

require skilful persuasion. This is not easy,

birds that don't commit and fail to acquire

a dry fly donor card are sent to China

whereupon they take part in the world

cock fighting championships.

Fortu-

nately we

don't see

this side

of the

business

very often but now you know the truth. We

envisage coming face to face with the

golden fleece of fly tying, the beautiful,

shiny, full, crazy, sexy, cool item known as

a dry fly cape. A man significantly madder

than I (not possible - Paul) once wrote of fly

tying orgasms upon coming face to feather

with one. I see his point although prema-

ture excitement of this manner usually

fades upon eye contact with the price

sticker.

Posh hackles?

The capes and saddles of hens and cocks

are the number one hackle providers.

Imagine a chicken; the cape is the collec-

tion of feathers around the front of the

neck. It is cut off whole and sold in its natu-

ral form (feather on skin). The saddle on

the other hand is taken from the back of

the bird. Whenever I think of this I start

imagining little leather saddles strapped to

chickens for some reason, go figure. Sad-

dle, neck, hen and cock have different uses

and come in different grades (as if it wasn't

difficult enough).

Cock and Bull, Neck and Cape - Cock feath-

ers are used primarily for dry fly hackle.

They are characterized by stiff barbs posi-

tioned very close together and when

wound form a rather stiff collar suited to

standing

proud of

the wa-

ter's

surface.

There

are gen-

erally

three

kinds of

cock

cape/saddle available. Indian, Chinese and

Posh. The latter will have (in the case of the

neck) masses of long, narrow feathers for

tying small flies. The saddle will be a larger

item providing much longer and wider

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 48

feathers. Due to the length of saddle hack-

les it's possible to tie several flies with only

one feather. Companies such as Whiting

farm, Metz and Spencer provide posh capes

and saddles. Their prices range from about

£15 to £80. Yes, it is a wide price range; this

is due to the grading system.

All posh hackles come in grades ranging

from 1 to 3 or gold to silver etc, the higher

the grade the higher the price. As you go up

the

grades

the

feathers

become

nar-

rower,

the

barbs

become

denser,

shinier

and

stiffer and the colours become more vivid.

Top grade hackles are usually used for very

small flies (18 and up), middle grade for me-

dium flies (12 - 16) and low for large (below

12). To make it a little clearer, when wound

the tips of the hackle should not protrude

any further than one and a half times the

width of the gape. I would advise that when

buying a cape of this sort to find some-

where you can actually see the item for

yourself before buying to check its suitabil-

ity for your purposes.

This is the general consensus but as with

everything else it varies. You will get larger

feathers under the small ones on all capes

and saddles so most have more than one

use and despite being fairly expensive, you

do get what you pay for. Stiff barbs create

high floating, durable, nicely coloured and

very cool dry flies. I like my dries to be per-

fect so I invest, you don't have to buy a

whole cape, halves are available and whilst

still costing up to £30 will last for hundreds

of flies. Hackle selections can also be bought

in packs for a reasonable price although in

most cases you can't pick and choose which

size feather you receive and therefore run

the risk of acquiring something completely

useless. That's just me though, I know of

anglers who buy one cape in a low grade,

light colour and after completing their flies

trim the hackle and colours with a water-

proof marker pen. They look like crap but

they catch fish. There are other alternatives

by the way.

Indian and Chinese capes are very different;

they're not posh or cool but are very cheap.

Both ex-

amples are

much

smaller

than the

Posh capes

with the

Chinese being the bigger of the two. Feath-

ers of China capes are fairly large (wide) and

soft making them unsuitable for most dry

flies but good for wets and salmon patterns.

The Indian cape will have sharper narrower

feathers more suited to dry flies. Unfortu-

nately Indian and Chinese capes come un-

graded, which results in a sort of hit and

miss buying experience. Quality is depend-

ant on two things, supplier and breeding.

Perfect feathers such as those found upon

high-grade Whiting capes do not get that

way through sheer luck. They are genetic

capes, specially tended for flytyers. Birds

such as these have access to sun beds, sau-

nas, cocktail bars and are fed lobster and

caviar whilst being attended by Swedish

blondes. Birds not cared for in this manner

will be cheap flea bitten things that when

stripped are sent away to be coated in a

blend of secret herbs and spices. Genetic

feathers are better but that's not saying

everything else is crap.

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 49

A multitude of uses can be found for practi-

cally anything from wets and salmon flies

to tails and wings. In fact when it comes to

Chinese capes I don't really care. For dry

flies however a genetic Indian is the way to

go, they're cheap, decent and average

about £5 in price. But take note, whilst be-

ing of good quality they'll not be suited to

very small flies (16 up). I see capes like this

as good practice items, when you've got

confidence with the actual tying procedure

and know you won't be wasting feathers

then move up to something a little better

like a Metz cape. Finally, when you want to

go one step further, move on to a Whiting.

And no, genetic Indians do not live in te-

pees.

Up until now we have dealt with cocks

alone (if you'll pardon the expression), for-

tunately most of the previous discussion is

applicable to hens too; so I won't have to

bore you any further. The main differences

are that the cape/saddle of a hen typically

contain rather shorter, wider, softer,

webbed feathers that are more suited to

flies of the sinking kind. They appear simi-

lar to certain cock hackles (Chinese) but are

quite a bit webbier. The tips of good quality

hen hackles are often used as wings on flies

such as the Adams. Well I don't know

about you but I think that's enough about

feathers.

Kinky?

Fly tying materials don't even have to come

off animals! Yes it's true, practically every-

thing apart from feathers can be synthetic,

even vegans can tie flies. There are huge

ranges of dubbing made for every purpose,

flosses of many kinds (even Lycra ones!),

tinsels, yarns, sparkly braided things, foam

slices and what seems like an ever expand-

ing range of rubbery type products such as

flexibody, shrimp foil and nymph skin etc.

This is getting a little silly, the general pub-

lic already thinks we're weird, are waders

not kinky enough? Condoms, I'm not jok-

ing, people actually use them to tie flies.

Now I'm sorry but NO, even if you have no

use for them don't, it's the principle, are

we not men?!

God damn it!

Ribbed

No not condoms again, nothing as exciting

as that. A rib is more a fly component than

a material. Anything that can be wound

around a completed body can be a rib;

metal wires, tinsels, mono, tying thread,

hair, feather quills and herl. The rib has two

main functions. One, to give the fly a seg-

mented appearance representational of

the natural insect, and two, for increased

durability. By their very nature feathers are

not that tough and if caught will break, un-

wind and repel fish (or was that my cast-

ing). The same could be said for many

other materials. Adding a rib solves this

problem by keeping everything in its place

and therefore acting as a tractor beam on

trout.

Beam me up Scotty.

Pumping Iron

In certain situations only flies with muscles

prove attractive to fish, a little lemon juice,

a nice

chilled

sauvi-

gnon

and a

bit of

Van

playing

softly in

the

back-

ground

should

do the trick. Alternatively, rather than

tempting them closer you could pay them a

visit yourself; this is where weighting

comes in (seamless, I know). At times to

reach feeding fish it's essential that your fly

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 50

be matched accordingly to the depth and/or cur-

rent speed (depending on where you're fishing);

adding weight in varying amounts makes this pos-

sible. A good example as to why can be found un-

der upstream nymphing in either the glossary J or

flow L.

Weight can be applied directly to the fly in three

ways: one, as an underbody, two, as a rib or body

and three, in the form of a bead. Yes ok 4 if you

want to nit pick. Underbody materials range from

copper wire

to lead foil. Copper wire has its pros and cons; in

its thicker sizes its stiff and

awkward whilst in its finer guise you'll probably be

winding it on for about two days before you get

anywhere. I use copper underbodies more for

their visual advantages rather than their weight; I

use them under pale sparse body materials to gar-

ner the same translucent effects gained by using

different thread underbodies. Why not scrap the

body material completely? Leave it copper and use

the lovely shiny segmented result to your advan-

tage. I know I would.

If you just want weight however then go for lead. I

use sticky back lead foil ninety percent of the time;

it's great for really sexy smooth underbodies when

you want a lot of weight yet still need a slim pro-

file. On other occasions slimness may be the least

of your worries, I use square lead wire at these

times. You get gaps when you wind something of a

round profile around something else so it makes

sense that by filling these gaps the fly will be heav-

ier. Square lead is great for really heavy chunky

monster bugs and unlike foil has the advantage of

no sticky backing to take up room. Couple this

with either a lead, brass or tungsten bead

threaded on before tying and you'll have some-

thing really serious that'll bring new meaning to

the words 'chuck and duck'.

To finish we must look towards the upper layers,

the bright side of the road where flies drift merrily

along just under the surface and all is cool and

groovy. Just a little teensy weensy (yes I did say

teensy weensy) bit of weight is needed to help

your fly under, a fine copper rib, perfect! Job

done. And now for something completely differ-

ent.

But you'll have to wait for that.

And no I haven't forgotten.

Ben

Ben Spinks studies fishery science, "I have to com-

plete 3 environmental survey reports, 2 netting

operations, 4 exams and a seminar on lake resto-

ration. This is insane, I only went to uni for sex,

drugs, rock and roll and sex" and is our flytying

moderator on the bulletin board. He also ties a

mean fly... so what are you waiting for, ladies?

http://www.sexyloops.com

Dog transporters made to measure. 2 to 4 dog units available. Simply lift on and off to provide secure, smooth transport for your dogs. No more wet dogs in the car or trying to reverse trailers on narrow lanes. Made from durable, maintenance free aluminium sheeting. Included in price is mounting plate for hitch (Flange type hitches recom-mended for this product). For full details contact Brian on 087 2604060

Brian Mc Mahon Dog Boxes & Transporters Tel: 087 2604060

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 51

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 52

Carlow coarse anglers help out at Southern Counties

The weekend saw an absolute first for the

Carlow Coarse Angling Club as they were

asked to judge a competition and present

prizes at two competitions being ran in the

Southern

Counties

Fishing Re-

sort in Garry-

hill, Co. Car-

low. Ms Mar-

tina Foley

contacted the

Carlow cac

chairman Mr

Gerry mistral

regarding the

competition

and after a

committee

meeting it

was proposed that two individual competi-

tions would be better in the current eco-

nomic climate as some people wouldn't be

able to attend a two day event due to work

related issues.

With the back drop of the beautiful

mount Leinster as a canvas the competi-

tions kicked off on Saturday morning with

competitors well wrapped up for the day

ahead. Several competitors in the fly fish-

ing only competition netted Rainbow Trout

that were over two foot long thus keeping

judges Gerry Mcstraw and Leon Deere

from Graiguecullen busy for the day meas-

uring and documenting each anglers catch.

Anglers turned up from Shileliagh and as

far afield as Sallins and Dublin for the com-

petitions and were not disappointed at the

stamp of fish being caught, most of which

were in the 4 to 5Lb bracket.

After two hours on both Saturday and

Sunday the anglers broke for a well de-

served cup of

tea. The

Foley family

provided a

very well re-

ceived bowl

of home-

made soup,

sandwiches,

rolls and

cakes for all

competitors

in the pur-

pose built

clubhouse at

the lakes. An-

gling re-

sumed at

2pm on both

days with all

anglers eager

to get at the very hard fighting fish and fill

up their cards for the day. The first compe-

tition was eventually won by popular Lein-

ster angler Mr Robbie Phelan with eight

fish averaging around 50cm each, the big-

gest fish of the weekend also went to Mr.

Phelan at 63cm. Young 12 year old Ozzie

Conway from Sallins Co. Kildare won the

Sunday event with five fish averaging 40cm

each. Pics taken during the event can be

viewed on the popular blog ran by the Car-

loc cac chairman

http://

carlowcoarseanglingguides.blogspot.com/

If you require any information regarding

the fishery or indeed the Carlow Coarse

Angling Club please do not hesitate to con-

tact Gerry on 085 2844566.

Gerry Mcstraw Carlow cac Chairman presenting Ozzy Conway with his winners Trophy

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 53

Forget the Lough Ness Monster - The Barrow has its own

Carlow Coarse Angling Club Junior member Lewis Parr from Graiguecullen managed to

net himself a huge surprise whilst fishing for a Pike locally to Carlow town. Lewis a regular

on the river Barrow decided to go Pike fishing with his friend Robbie Lacey after finishing

school early one day last week. The lads had purchased some Roach to use as bait in

search of one of resident Pike in an area known locally as Mikey Websters. After around

twenty minutes the rod signalled a bite which could only be a big fish and Lewis immedi-

ately let the tension loose on the reel to allow the fish a fighting chance. Imagine the sur-

prise on the lads faces when a huge brown Trout rose to the surface jumping and kicking

in what can only be described as like a scene from Flipper. Lewis eventually managed to

net the fish and after a few pics released the fish safe and well back into the river Bar-

row.

If you have any queries as regards the Carlow cac or their activities please do not hesitate

to contact Gerry Mcstraw Carlow cac Chairman on 085 2844566 or visit the very popular

Facebook page Carlow cac which is updated daily with information useful to anglers. Or

visit www.carlowcoarseanglingguides.com who run a blog for the club and its events.

Lewis Parr and his Barrow Trout

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 54

TOP PIKE FISHING FOR TOPTACKLE DUO ON ROSCOMMON LAKES

It was quite frustrating as fishing can be at

the best of times as it seemed it was just

one of those days and we were just about to

refer to the big book of fishing excuses

when I suddenly I felt a powerful tug on my

line. I was so excited as I felt some more

thumps so I let Noel I was on and I started

reeling in. The line felt quite heavy and I

caught a glimpse of the fish but not enough

to judge the size of it, it was not putting up

that much of a fight so I assumed it was a

jack with a bit of weed caught on it. I reeled

it in close to the boat and was shocked to

see the size of it as was Noel, it was a mon-

ster and then the pike woke up and the bat-

tle was on. She leapt up and tried to tail

walk away but the Poseidon treble was well

hooked in and she was going nowhere, she

did some amazing powerful runs and two

more incredible jumps, I had never seen

such a big pike jump this high from the wa-

ter, it was truly spectacular sport. Noel got

the net and slipped it under and we boated

the beautiful pike which turned out to be

110cm in and around the 20lb mark. The

camera came out and there were plenty of

pictures taken and then we sent her home

and she slowly swam back to the deep.

Niall’s day out and his first pike

We have recently been out testing out some

of our lures from Top Tackle throughout No-

vember and early December and have had

some success. On one of these trips we

were joined by our good pal Niall Kenny.

Niall has always been a fan of our fishing

tales and wished to join us for one and see

the fish in the flesh and we didn’t want to

disappoint.

It was a great day and we even managed to

land Niall a lovely 15lb Pike, he had his wor-

ries about holding it when he saw the mon-

ster so I took on the responsibility for photo

purposes.

We have had some really cracking doubles

on some of our swimbait lures which can be

found in our online store

http://toptackle.ie/ also on the site you can

read all about our tales on our days out.

Anthony Greene

Top Tackle

www.toptackle.ie

Tel: +353 (0)85 7412767

Niall and Anthony with Niall's15lb

Pike

http://fishinginireland.info

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine January 2012 55

FOXING WITH ROBERT BUCKNELL 2: THE RIFLE

http://youtu.be/zB6E5

-Nl9AQ

Robert Bucknell, author of Foxing With Lamp And Rifle, and Sporting Shooter fox shooting expert, describes his custom fox-

shooting rifle and some of the shooting techniques he uses. by

James Marchington

I Shoot and Fish E-Zine July 2011 57

Cashel Bay, Connemara,

Co.Galway

Tel: +353 95 31111

www.zetland.com

e-mail: info@zetland.com

15 Thousand acres of

shooting.

COMING SOON:

New private members

club

-15 Lakes for salmon and sea trout not fished for 20 years.

-8 Miles of private river bank fishing including some of the best salmon and sea trout beats in the area.

Rainbow trout fishing open all year round.

Want to see your story and pictures in our e-zine e-mail to info@ishootandfish.ie or call Anthony

on 087-6690796