The Sherry Spinner 

Many thanks Steve👍 I will still keep making some videos. Having spent more than I care to admit on filming stuff, I think the OH would kill me if I jacked it in completely 😅

RU-vid does seem to be completely arbitrary about which videos are popular? I really wanted to reach 1k subs just to remove the endless midroll ads, which ruin so many fishing videos. Having achieved that, I'm wondering what next? Maybe I should look further afield to some of the other rivers in the west country?

Many thanks David, maybe next season will be more inspiring? When I started these videos, I was really hoping to get the odd day when the flies were hatching, fish were rising, and I could show people the real essence of fly fishing. Those days seem to be increasingly rare here in the west country. Perhaps a change in government will see a reinvestment in the EA so they can get back to doing the job they were originally tasked with?

@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 I don't think it's just the west country. I haven't fished much over the last few years but I have fished in various rivers, from Wales through Herefordshire, Derbyshire, Yorkshire and as far north as the river Tees. Admittedly, I've probably missed some of the Grannom hatches but I've only experienced sparce hatches of different flies for short time periods. Maybe this is why so many fly fishers are turning to Euro nymphing. Like you, I miss the times of casting to free rising fish. Let's hope that reinvestment comes, along with legislation and development to keep pace with the added pressures of residential expansion and intensive farming. Anyway, you have certainly made me think of considering a trip to your part of the world. Thanks again for your videos and their great content. .

@DavidCESmith I can't quite remember the podcast (probably a Pete Tyjas one) where the guest was talking about fly surveys on a Northern River back in the 60s. Apparently, they used a square yard of floating timber and would place it on the water during a hatch and TRY and count the flies contained within. Needless to say, they're not used these days! One of the factors is that each generation believes what they have is the norm when infact the bio diversity decline is almost unimaginable.

Yes, Roy, agricultural runoff and sewage from the water companies have a lot to answer for. Let's face it, if you spray/treat a field next to the river with water soluble insecticides, it really shouldn't be a surprise when the aquatic insects disappear? Similarly, if you treat the same field with herbicides/biocide, then it's fairly obvious why the river plants have died. I will still do some videos, but it was getting to the point where I was worried about getting one out every week, which wasn't the idea!! I want it to stay fun and not become a chore.

Thanks for the kind comment, Peter. I'll keep some videos coming👍

Many thanks, I will keep some videos coming ( I've bought all the equipment now)!!!

Well, when you put it like that 👍👍

Maybe I just need to do more fishing so I can fit in some non filming days🤔 It did get to the point where I was taking the camera on every trip? The fishing hasn't been all that great this season either, which hasn't helped.

Many thanks, yes I'll keep them coming, but maybe not so frequently as I feel I need a bit of non filming fishing as well. It was getting to the point where I filmed every trip, just in case I missed something!

I will keep filming, I have tried this year to get out and fish with other anglers (I normally fish alone) and I've really enjoyed it. Doesn't seem right to film on those days ? Perhaps I should invite them on as special guests 🤣🤣

Everybody should carry a few whickhams for when all else fails. Apparently, some of the other club members have started using it now👍

@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 You're videos gave been an inspiration Chris, hope to see some more but you certainly deserve a few film free days on the water👍

Thank you for the kind words, I will keep making some videos, I just need to kick the habit of filling every trip👍 The slime is becoming more prevalent each year, although it actually appeared later this season because of the cold spring. The problem, of course, is money. If the only way to make your business profitable is to pollute your local river, then that's what you do.

You're most welcome, I'm not sure the weather is going to play ball for you, but I hope I'm wrong and you get out👍

I'm sorry to hear that you can no longer get out on your local rivers. It does come to us all, I suppose, and my father is the same, unfortunately. He would love to go and fish the Teign one more time but is unable to. It is sad to see our streams as a shadow of the rivers I knew as a boy. One of the main reasons people who can afford it now travel to NZ or Canada or Iceland, etc, is to find some fishing that isn't polluted. If I ever win the lottery...........

What has happened to our long, warm summer evenings, Dave? We damn near put the heating on one evening last week!!!!

Yes! Went out on the little river last night, very sparse for rising fish, but had a few on my newly invented "spider nymph" . Chill on my fingers as I left, like an April or late September evening! Re utube thing, I know what you mean, it's an obsessive addiction, the compulsion to get more content out! I've turnd out forgetting camera or chest mount harness and been tempted to turn back or abandon the session, bloody crazy! I still record a lot of stuff, but now not all goes onto the editing suite, just filed away or deleted. If you go without the camera you're sure to smash your Pb🤣 I may take a break too. Bear in mind doing something different here and there tends to hold you back with YT, as I've found out 😂

@@soultrader57fishingandmusi25 it really should come with an addiction warning 😅😅

The weather seems bad everywhere this year, doesn't it? Terrible flooding in Italy, Switzerland, and of course Germany. I expect other areas have also suffered. It makes our weather seem quite benign in comparison.

@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 It feels as though it hasn’t stopped raining since 13.10.2023. Our temperatures collapsed from the mid 20s to single digits with constant rain. The rivers are very still very high and no where near summer levels. Hatches are late, but the fishing has been quite good on the days I went out. Discovering the chalk streams of southern Germany has been an eye opener. Fly fishing is not very popular and considered elitist “Der Sport des Königs” Miss the small streams of the UK and Ireland but your videos make me smile. Let’s hope next couple of months improve. Quick question, do you fish for sea trout at night? I miss that with a passion also🤣Tight lines

I did fish for Seatrout at night on the Teign years back. Unfortunately like so many rivers the run of Seatrout has collapsed to the point where you really have to put the hours in to catch anything 😕 I wish somebody would have told me just how good we had it in the 80's/90's and I would have fished more whilst the runs were still there. I've found your channel and subbed👍 those chalkstrwams look a bit special. Why aren't they better known?

@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 I hear you especially with respect to the seatrout. I used to love night fishing for them. Learned a lot from some great Welsh anglers 25 years ago. Super memories. Regarding German chalkstreams....what can I say. Went for a walk one Sunday afternoon and realised that the river was just like the Test or the Itchen. By chance there was a flyfishing school in the village and i spoke with the owner, an absolute gentleman. He told me that the Mayfly hatch starts at the end of may and can last a month! Moreover, most of the rivers in Northern Bayern are chalkstreams; day tickets are available and modestly priced in comparison to the UK, between EUR 15 and 40. Long story short, I met some other flyfishers and got invitations to fish some private stretches. I was shocked by the size of the fish, both Grayling and trout. The Grayling can be a nuisance! Like zou I have fished since childhood. A fish of a Lb is a good fish. In Bayern, no one bats an eye unless its over 4LBs: there are fish to 8 -10 Lbs and they will take a Dryfly........I have to say that the germans really take care of their rivers and that is evidenced by the abundance of fly life. However, i do miss the streams that you fish......

Wow, are these wild fish? The feeding must be especially rich to reach those sizes. It is sad to see how we treat our chalkstreams compared to other European countries.

Hi Mike, sorry to hear about the health issue, I hope it resolves itself soon. September can occasionally be the best month as the fish fatten up for spawning. Of course this season I expect the weather will be crap!

Hi Peter, I have to say I've been rather surprised by the number of people commenting that they'll miss the regular videos. Might have to have a bit of a rethink? Perhaps I could use it a chance to convince the wife that I need to go fishing more 😅 😄

Cheers, Peter, plenty of nectar coming in last week, which looks likely will be eaten this week!! Ah, the British summer.

From Serbia, that's pretty cool. You certainly have some stunning rivers over there. Maybe one day I'll get to cast for a marbled trout👍

We were saying exactly the same at work Carl, October in July, cold wet and windy, just not dark at 4.30 !! You wait in a minute it will turn boiling hot, and the rivers will be reduced to a trickle.

@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 Yeah just extremes......and you wait for grayling season, just one storm after another and wind and heavy rain galore 🙄

Share away Robert, share away 🤣🤣🤣 just let me know how I can reciprocate for your channel 👍👍

@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 done! Shared on Facebook and X. I think I need to really up the filming and sound quality first!