Tay Salmon Course

Back to the Tay for our annual salmon course at Lower Kinnaird. Karl Kliem flew over from Frankfurt again to join us, along with his party of Stephanie, Frank and Nora. The other rods included Paul Lalwan, fresh from his success on the Rio Grande, and old friend Kevin Ray, another Argentina veteran. Enthusiastic fishing buddies David and Mark, newcomers to spey casting, made up the team. Fellow AAPGAI instructors Glyn Freeman and Illtyd Griffiths were teaching the course with me, while   Lower Kinnaird ghillie Martin Edgar was always on hand to offer advice on the prime lies and ferry us up, down and even across the river.

Karl starts  us off in fine style with a sea-liced 9lber

On the first morning, I took Karl and Kevin to the top of the beat to fish the pools where the Tummel joins the Tay. Here, Karl soon got us off to a flying start with a sea-liced 9lb cock fish that gave a great fight as it decided to return back into the Tay!

Kevin with another nice loop at Ash Trees

Kevin's spey casting has improved beyond recognition after his courses with Glyn and Illtyd on the Eden and Tweed. He was a different caster to when I saw him last down on Patagonia's Gallegos, and he fished the pools meticulously.

Meanwhile, all Paul's recent spey casting practice was paying off and he was throwing some lovely loops across the majestic Tay pools. After fishing with us at Villa Maria in March, Paul was keen to develop his casting and got a masterclass in fishing from high banks with Glyn and also made his first single speys with me. He seemed rather surprised by how far his line shot across the New Pool when he landed some perfect anchors!

Paul sends a circle spey cast out across Kindallachan

The first day almost ended with a double victory for the Germans. After seeing dozens of fish show in the Guay pool all afternoon, 19-year-old Nora turned to Illtyd with the famous phrase: "I think there's something pulling here." Illtyd sprang to help her as a big salmon hooped the rod and started to pull line off the reel. But unfortunately the hook came loose and Nora was left with her first tale of the one that got away. 

This salmon proved too much even for the joint efforts of Nora and Illtyd

The second day saw the Tay rise of a few inches to about 1'5" on the gauge - not the best conditions for this beat which fishes so well in low water, particularly as it has the junction of the Tay and Tummel which tends to delay running salmon. That was a shame as the Tay had been running low and steady for quite a while before we arrived. Undeterred, the team attacked the pools with commendable vigour. 

After pretending to be a bit baffled by spey casting the day before, the casting really fell into place for newcomers David and Mark by day two. Fishing down Mike's run on the Tummel, both of them fell into an easy rhythm with their circle speys and were shooting line across the pools and fishing every lie effectively.

Mark shows how it's done on Guay pool

These guys are avid fishing and shooting enthusiasts and David was determined to fish every second to try to realise his lifelong ambition of a salmon on the fly. By the second day both David and Mark were circle spey casting off both shoulders and had moved on to the double spey, too.

Relentless concentration from David off the stones at Guay pool

Fish continued to show in many of the pools but were proving difficult to tempt. After all this casting, another fish was certainly due, and Kevin was the man for the job (almost).  He got a surprise when a nice salmon grabbed his fly on the first cast off the tricky left bank at Guay pool. Clearly this was no sea trout (as Glyn had first surmised by the apparent lack of bend in the rod) as the fish suddenly woke up, realised it was hooked and headed downstream at a rate of knots. But Guay pool was to claim another victim as this fish, too, came adrift.

Heart in the mouth as a salmon takes Kevin for a run down Guay pool

What was really impressive was that on each night of the course, all the participants chose to fish on again into the darkness after a bankside dinner. No lack of enthusiasm or determination among this team. As instructors, we were really delighted that everyone seemed to be enjoying spey casting and clearly appreciated the lovely fly water that characterises this great beat.

Fading light doesn't stop Paul at the tail end of the Ash Trees

The fish may not have been in the most co-operative mood, but these three days again showed us what salmon fishing is about. Majestic scenery, heart-stopping moments, the hope of the next cast and, more than anything, the chance to enjoy it all with friends old and new. We'll look forward to hearing how the class of 2012 put their new skills into action.

All smiles after a great three days

- Bob

Cuba 2013 - with Jim Curry and James Norris

Tarpon heaven: Jardines De La Reina,  Cuba,  13 to 19 April 2013

We've just finalised the details for a stunning Cuba week hosted jointly by Jim Curry and James Norris.

The team will be heading to Jardines De La Reina on April 13 to 19 2013, in search of bonefish, tarpon, permit and snook (not forgetting the barracuda, jacks, mutton snappers etc). These protected waters offer some of the best saltwater flats fishing found anywhere, and Jim is itching to get back there!

The pictures of the new Avalon Fleet 1, the boat that will be the team's base for the week, have just come through. It promises real luxury with single rooms for everyone and lots of space to relax - and the great flexibility to follow the fish  Check out our new video slideshow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atOB7bAjHgY&feature=youtu.be

Luxury living: Avalon Fleet 1

With Jim and James leading the trip, it's certain to be a week of plenty of laughs as well as great fishing. And I suspect James will make sure the guys are not short of the right tackle!

Coming shortly on the back of our two hosted sea trout fishing weeks on the Rio Grande in Argentina, it's going to be an explosive start to 2013 for H&B.

But hang on - how come Jim's doing all the trips?!

- Bob

Hardy Proaxis rod and Fortuna X reel review

Just a few days before jumping on the plane for our Abaco trip, I'd received a new Hardy saltwater outfit to play with. Where better to test it? So I stuck it in the duffel and here is the result.

I have to say, amidst the usual array of US tackle in use at the saltwater lodges - the typical line-up of Abel, Tibor, Nautilus, Sage - it was great to turn up sporting top-quality gear from an iconic British tacklemaker. The outfit certainly looked the part.

Good lookin': Fortuna X1 reel on the Proaxis 9' 8wt

Proaxis 9' 8wt Rod RRP £559

This is one of the new breed of Sintrix rods from Hardy using nano technology to create stronger, lighter rods. In the hand, it is certainly light but it does feel strong: you could easily believe it was a rod for a heavier line weight.

In a brutal north-easterly wind, the Proaxis threw a Rio Bonefish line effortlessly. Tight loops were simple to achieve. Tip recovery was very quick and the rod can certainly generate high line speed, critical in windy conditions. In fact, the higher the line speed I created, the more the rod liked it.

For very short casts (in low light when seeing bonefish at range is impossible), I switched to a 9wt line, which loaded the rod more quickly at short range, and the Proaxis handled it easily.

But it was when a fish was hooked that the impact of the Sintrix nano technology was really felt. This rod just feels incredibly powerful and I was able to subdue bonefish quickly - that's really important when you want to release these fish unharmed. When a fish headed for the tangle of mangroves, the Proaxis let me pile on the pressure and avoid a lost fish.

I would normally tackle Permit with a 9wt rod or higher, but I was so keen to test this rod, I rigged it for permit when we were over prime water. Unfortunately, I didn't get my permit shot but I had absolute confidence this 8wt Proaxis would have been more than up to the task. The reserves of power are surprising.

In fact, back home, I have rigged it with a 9wt Rio Pike line, which is heavier than the 9wt standard. Even with a bulky pike fly, the Proaxis easily puts out the whole line. I'm going to use it as my pike rod this spring - its lighter than the heavyweight jobs most use for this task, but it's got all the power you need. And, of course, being a Hardy, you'll be hard pushed to find a more beautifully built rod.

Fortuna X1 reel RRP £599


This reel looks beautiful, as you can see from the picture, but it has a rock-solid build quality and feels reassuringly heavy (not that you notice it once it's on the rod). It is well machined and won't complain about a few knocks in the skiff or the odd bounce off a rock in a salmon river.

The handle is sturdy and easy to grip and the spool changes simply by unscrewing the knob in the centre of the reel. Underneath, the drag is completely sealed and protected from the elements.

And, naturally, it's the drag that you really want to know about. I particularly liked the oversized drag dial on the back of the reel - it's really easy to grip even when wet and you can adjust the brake in confidence even with a fish on. The drag is made of multiple carbon brake pads - no cork here. It is silky smooth and handled the lightning runs of bonefish without any jags and with very little start-up inertia at the beginning of the run.

It is powerful, too. Hardy says the drag has 32lb of stopping power. All I know is that if you crank it down, you can effectively lock the reel up. This reel is tough enough for permit and tarpon and even bluewater fly fishing.

Backing capacity is excellent, too. I put 300 yards of 30lb gel spun backing on and still had enough space for a 9wt line with room to spare. In a larger size, it would be a superb buy as a salmon reel, confident in the knowledge that when you do head to the salt (and you know you will) you'll already have the tool for the job.

In saltwater, you need a tough reel with a strong, but smooth drag. This reel is unquestionably pricy, but I'd be utterly confident in it whatever I hooked in the salt.

Verdict: This is a lot of cash to part with for a rod and reel combination. But it is undoubtedly delightful to own and use. And when you hook that big fish in the harsh saltwater environment and your backing is fast disappearing, you probably won't be wishing you hadn't spent so much on your tackle.

The Hardy Proaxis and Fortuna X are available from John Norris.

- Bob