The Flyfishers’ Journal: Winter 2023
Apart from his reputation as an outspoken environmentalist and dedicated salmon fisher, King Charles III has also been Patron of the Flyfishers’ Club for many years…
… and the latest edition of the Flyfishers’ Journal records the gifts presented by the Club to commemorate his coronation in May 2023.
These included boxes of specially-tied salmon flies (one of which caught him a grilse on the Thurso the very next day!) as well as trout flies for his grandchildren, and three fully-dressed salmon fly brooches for Queen Camilla, one of which is shown on the front cover.
This issue of the Journal also celebrates the Flyfishers’ royal connections with the River Em in Sweden – dating back to 1926 when Prince Gustav Adolf invited the first party of English guests to sample the sea-trout fishing there, an era revisited in detail by my Swedish research colleague Martin Sandgren.
There are features, too, from Neil Patterson (fry-fishing in Neuquen), Patrick Mileham (ancestral voices from the Salisbury Avon) and Bob Bradley (continuing the Avon theme with musings on Ollie Kite) as well as an important piece about imitating the Olive Upright hatch from David Marriott and Andrew Farr, and Barry Ord Clarke’s step-by-step tying interpretation of the classic Avon fly, the Pheasant Tail Nymph.
Last but not least, this time round, our chosen ‘good cause’ is the Mayfly Project UK, which provides opportunities for children in foster homes to learn about fly-fishing, conservation and the outdoors with safe mentors – with an inspiring article from founder and executive director Susan Skrupa. Please support this worthy charity if you can!
(The Flyfishers’ Journal is a complimentary benefit for all Members of the Flyfishers’ Club, and it’s also available to non-members by subscription).
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