Over the weekend 13 & 14 August the Lowther Fair is being held after a few years absence. It will be at Lowther Castle which is very close to Penrith in Cumbria and only a few minutes drive from the M6 travelling South from junction 39 down the A6.

It will be like a smaller version of the Game Fair with all the usual country pursuits being catered for and hopefully should be great for everyone who loves the countryside.

The Game Angling Instructors Association will have a stand there so if you fancy a go at learning to cast a fly or would like help with your casting please come along and meet the team. We will all be delighted to meet you.

Tight lines

We were at Blenheim Palace last weekend at the CLA Game Fair and were part of the Game Angling Instructors Association fly casting instruction team. It was a great weekend with warm weather and a good turn out and lots of people wanting to have casting instruction.

There were a great variety of clients ranging from young children, absolute beginners to people who could cast but needed tuning or wanted to learn new casts or techniques. The whole team from the ladies booking in to the instructors did a fantastic job in coping with the large numbers of people who had lessons and it was a pleasure to see so many people leave the area with smiles on their faces having enjoyed their lessons and hopefully we will have more future fly anglers as a result of their instruction.

The next event will take place at Bank House Fishery, Caton, nr Lancaster on Sunday 31 July 2011.

Its open to any ladies who fly fish or who would like to try it in the company of other ladies and it should be a great fun day out for everyone.

The lake is small and secluded with lots of bays and islands making it perfect even in bad weather conditions. It holds an excellent stock of Trout including some exceptionally large ones and is stocked daily. No long casts are necessary so  is ideal for anyone who does not cast a long line. There are toilets and good facilities at the lodge and there is a well stocked tackle shop .

The day will just be for ladies so it should be great and we expect some lovely fish to be taken. There will be an opportunity to purchase subsidised permits including catch and release and kill options.

The venue is limited to just 16 spaces and it will be essential to book in advance through Vera and already several ladies are coming. For newcomers to the sport there will be GAIA qualified instructors to help out and we will loan you the fishing tackle . It will be a byo lunch and the day will start at 9.00am and finish at 4.00pm.

For full details please contact Vera on either 01539 733297 or 07886 817770 or you can email her on b9vee@lycos.com

We held the first North West Lady Fly Fishers event at Cleveley Mere Fishery, Forton on Sunday 19 June.  We all had a great time with fantastic hospitality shown by Roger and his staff who even had a birthday cake made for us to launch the new club.  All the ladies  ventured out on the boats, some faster than others, but despite everyone trying very hard we didnt manage to land many fish.  The ladies who caught trout were rewarded with prizes and we are all looking forward to our next ladies event which will be on 31 July.  Any ladies from the North West of England who would like to join us at any events are most welcome whether you have fly fished before or not as free tuition from qualified GAIA instructors can be given.  For more information contact Vera by email  b9vee@lycos.com

smile !!

Diets go out of the window

Beginners Luck !!

This day has rapidly arrived and we have plenty of ladies of all abilities who will be meeting up tomorrow for a social day fishing and hopefully they may like to meet 2 or 3 times a year to fish and enjoy a day out together. Fingers crossed that the weather is better than the forecast. No matter we are sure everyone will get on great and have a fantasic relaxing day out and hopefully they will catch a Trout or two.

Vera and I have just arrived back form 3 days in Northern Ireland where we did some fantastic advanced casting training. Hospitality was unbelievable and we were spoilt rotten.

A couple of evenings we relaxed by doing a spot of fishing for rainbow Trout and it was so nice to see free rising fish and with the appropriate techniques we caught and released many. Our host took us fishing for Mullet in the River Bann estuary on Thursday morning and this really was exciting. Mainly we fished in clear water shallower than our knees and we watched for small shoals of fish moving down river. Very exciting stuff and eventually we had a few takes but they were so quick we missed every one !! The takes were savage and we each cut our fingers as the line was yanked across our fingers and yet we still could not connect. vee also missed a Sea Trout.

Tremendous fun and we must return for some more as its addictive !!

Just back from a well attended meeting of the BFCC. Horrid weather for casting – started damp then really horrid & wet. It did not dampened anyone`s spirits and everyone enjoyed a really well organised event and it was great to meet friends old & new.

Bob actually came 3rd = in the B100 category in which the best cast with a #5 line and best cast with no 7 line are added together to give a combined distance. Bob cast with 2 unfamiliar rods having just had a few flicks with the 5 weight before his 3 minutes casting time so well pleased to finish 3rd equal behind Mike Halliwell (of Harrison rod blank fame – Mike was 1st) and Pat Stevens who was 2nd.

A great and enjoyable event and Bob managed 93.3` on the totally unfamiliar outfit

We have just been away for 3 days in Warwickshire helping with the Casting for Recovery weekend which helps ladies suffering from or who have had breast cancer. A fantastic weekend with a lovely bunch of ladies.

Great fun teaching them to cast although there was a really strong wind. The ladies persevered and most were rewarded yesterday when they fished with the help of a great bunch of guys who acted as fishing guides. We think every single lady had bites, most hooked several fish and a good number caught Rainbow Trout. It was superb to see the excitement to be fishing and hooking fish. A fantastic weekend and extremely well organised.