Thank you for looking at my channel. I’m an angler at heart, nowadays I mainly go fly fishing on the River Exe and when I can, Dartmoor. My videos will feature fly fishing, carp fishing with wild camping and hiking trips thrown in. I discovered a live of wild camping in 2018 and when I can I combine the three together.
I hope you enjoy my videos which I make for my mum, dad and sister, who live in British Columbia, Canada and my family here in the UK. It allows them to see what I get up to and I hope you enjoy it too.
I love hearing your comments on my videos and together we can see the beauty in the countryside.
The river I fished over 60 years ago - just a short walk from home. We called it the Hams. Saw my first mink in Paradise woods back in the early sixties making short work of an eel.
Good video from a technical viewpoint, no backs of hands, fingers, off camera work and excellent audio. Making holes through the cork/balsa, I use what is known as a mattress needle. It is used to repair damaged mattresses. They are about 30cms long with a sharp point. They can be pushed through the cork/balsa segments so the holes will automatically line up. They do need a bit of firm pushing but they should all line up with care. (E Bay for the needles) I then super glue (gel) it won't run. the segments together keeping the glue off the needle. The needle then goes into the drill chuck you are using the drill as a lathe (i have a cordless drill) stand the drill on the battery case and using the slowest speed and 120 grit sandpaper smooth out any misalignment. Much easier than by hand. Round off the ends leaving a small flat at each end. Then keeping the same set up apply the paint first coat to the rotating float. Much quicker and easier. Keep the drill slow! Finish the painting up to your satisfaction. Then remove the needle from the chuck and holding the assembly ease out the needle and at the same ease the plastic tube in to follow the needle out. Glue the tube in and then carry on to finish the float off. That is a quicker and easier way to make a float, I think so anyway!
Seems like you had a great days fishing 🎣, I’m going to pay visit as my parents live down in Exeter, thanks for the video. Fly fishing 🎣 is so addictive, I sense your passion for it, especially catching off the top.
It can be tricky. I was there yesterday evening and it was completely different, very few rises. Thanks for watching and great to hear you’re on the river
I’m glad I could help. I think fly fishing suffers from it having an image of being difficult and expensive. It really isn’t, the sport needs to do more to show how simple it can be. Thanks for watching
hey im down by the exe (down past tiverton), i want to get into fly fishing currently just borrowing my dads rod, although i have done some poking around with a lure without much success love the video keep up the great work
That’s the place. It can be tricky. Yesterday there were very few rises and the fish were being fussy. Every day is different on the river. Thanks for watching
My favourite video yet from you Paul, real entertainment and such similarities to my fishing. Glad to be out, taking in nature and missing fish! God only knows what you are saying instead of swear words, had me chuckling. Some good fish to boot.
Sometimes it can be so frustrating but I still just love being in the river. When the go pro isn’t on, the language gets a bit more fruity! 🤣. Thanks for watching
Hi, absolutely love your enthusiasm. It's very refreshing to see someone flyfishing purely for the joy of it. Keep the videos coming. Angelo, Johannesburg, South Africa
Loved the video, oh the trials and tribulations of the mayfly hatch! If I didn't edit out the language from my videos, you'd hear even more 'language' - shouting 'bastarrrrd' is apparently not the done thing on the Derbyshire Wye! 🤣
It can be tricky to hook our small wild brownies on the Mayfly. Often, they just splash at the fly, trying to drown it, and the big bushy pattern is harder for them to engulf. I have found a large (size 12) parachute Adams to be a good change fly if I'm struggling to hook the fish. Of course, at other times you contact every rise and wonder what all the fuss is about. Such if fishing.
Hi, I'm a member of the Dulverton fly fishers for the last 8 years, and fish the upper Exe, I actually travel/drive from south Birmingham 2.3 hours for the pleasure of fishing these waters because I love Exmoor and the wildness it offers; but one thing I have learned over that time is that the River Exe (as a spate river) doesn't really start to settle down until at least June! So now I don't tend to come down until that time. Though have noticed a general decline in both fly life and fish since 2018. On this trip in your video, for me, would have been the duo or just tungsten nymph fishing as the better option!
I think if I had to drive the distance you do, I’d definitely try more and focus a lot more! I know I’m spoiled by just being minutes from the river. Thanks for watching and if you come down now, the river is perfect!
@@WestCountryAngler Thanks for the heads up Paul, and as you are a local and fish the Exe quite a bit its always good to get local knowledge and your reports on the state of the river and how the fishing is going and those are some nice trout down your way, so hoping thats a good sign for further upstream of the Exe to! cheers, Steve
I did stay for a couple more hours, trying shallow water, slower eddies, close to the bank, everything I could think of. It just wasn’t a day to be there. Thanks for commenting and for watching, I always try anything that’s suggested to me 👍
Valliant effort! although for me the bright sunshine would have been more of a downer! I'd have been inclined to try 2 sea trout flies on a sink tip, swung downstream across the marginal creases anywhere you find slightly slacker water, inside bends etc or maybe a big black streamer across and down, often the chance of a big trout in spate conditions? they are annoyed at being pushed out of their normal lies and will often snap at an intruder in rage!! Brave to publish a blank, hats off🤣👍👍
Thanks for sharing - and keeping it real! I was going to say there is no such thing as a bad day of fly fishing - except two days ago my prescription glasses dropped into the river 'somewhere' when the hinge on their case failed- well, it really wasn't a bad day - but it dang sure became an expensive one!
Same here, tried an emerger pattern dry on Saturday, one take and then nothing. Really challenging at the moment. Forecast this week is for much warmer temperatures so fingers crossed!
hi, it's the same everywhere I think and after getting good weather for Sun and Mon my two visits to the river saw no flies or fish so blanked having tried dries,spiders and nymphs but due to illness giving me a break for a bit I was just happy to be on the water anyway.
I think a lot of the trouble in the southish of England has been caused by the terrible weather over the winter, seems to me that lots of the insect holding river beds and vegitation has been washed away or deystroyd . Update.... now water temps are right up so no oxygen, stopped fishing, can't win.
