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How To Use A Drogue With Your Float Tube To Get A Perfect Drift

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In my previous post , I discussed one of the challenges of using a float tube: getting it to drift correctly in the wind. The issue is that a float tube will naturally drift bow-downwind but you want to drift stern-first so you can cast with the wind and into undisturbed water. Paddling with your fins to maintain a stern-first orientation often slows you down to a standstill and I suggested that a solution might be to use a drogue (also known as a drift chute or wind anchor) to solve the problem. Well, I'm pleased to report that I have since tried a drogue and I found it worked really well so I want to share my experience with you. My drogue in use In this guide, I’ll explain how to use a drogue with a float tube, what equipment to buy, and how to rig it up. Using the Drogue What is a Drogue? A drogue is a simple device, typically a rectangular sheet or a sock, that is attached to the windward side of a boat by ropes. It creates drag in the water, which helps to keep the boat orien...
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Float Tubing Is Awesome!

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  So, I bought a float tube. I wasn't really anticipating wanting one, but after fishing a lot of smaller "hill" lochs for wild brown trout lately, I realised how brilliant it would be to have one for that type of fishing. Another inspiration was Douglas Heron (YouTube - Piscator UK Fishing ), who has been posting about float tube/belly boat fly fishing for a while now. Douglas was kind enough to answer a few questions I had about how the boat would handle drifting with the wind, and that really sealed the deal. Which Boat Did I Choose? I had my eye on the Savage Gear High Rider because a high-riding boat is supposed to be better for fly fishing, and on Douglas's recommendation, I opted for the larger 170cm model because it has oars, and rowing is faster than paddling with fins over long distances. I was planning to buy the Savage Gear fins, but Angling Active , where I bought the boat, was sold out, so I opted for the DAM XXL fins instead. My new boat loaded and read...
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Location: Fort William PH33, UK
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A Pre-Season Look At The River

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With the trout season a week away, I took a wander up the river near my house to see what (if anything) was going on.   After a mild end to February which stripped most of the snow from the mountains, we've had a very cold start to March with fresh snow and temperatures hovering around freezing during the day so I wasn't really expecting much fish or insect activity. The River Lochy with Ben Nevis in the background Still, it was a fabulous day to be out for an early spring walk. The weather was clear and settled and there was virtually no wind. As expected, I didn't see any fish rising but there were a few small midges hatching from shallow areas that got the sun.   I spent a while turning over rocks to see what I could find underneath.  Small nymph Larger Nymph, maybe a March Brown There were quite a few little stone clingers like the ones in the pictures.  I have no idea what the smaller one is but (based on my pocket guide to matching the hatch ) the lar...
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Location: River Lochy, United Kingdom
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The Easy Way To Strip Materials From Old Flies

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I've been tying a few new patterns recently and that has left me with a tub of rejects that I want to strip so I can use the hook again.  I used to do this by mounting the fly in the vice and scraping everything off with a knife but I found it was hard work and I had a tendency to bend the hook by pressing too hard.   Instead I figured out a much easier way that I want to show you.  Make sure you read to the end because there are a couple of cases that don't suit this method. Tools First of all, leave your tying scissors on the desk.  They are too good to waste and they are not all that useful for this anyway.  What you really want is chunky a pair of kitchen scissors.  A small sharp knife can also come in useful for particularly stubborn clumps of material. The tools you'll need Process Grab the fly by the bend of the hook and chop off all the hackles and soft stuff until you hit the varnish/glue/resin that’s hard to prune.  I find the best way i...
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Location: Fort William, UK
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A Tale of Two Summits

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One of the best things about living in the highlands is that you can just pop out for a walk up a Munro.  Sadly, my partner Ania and I do a bit less of that than we really should but Sunday looked like a nice day and met up with a couple of our extremely accomplished walking friends, George and Susan, who were ticking off  Beinn an Dòthaidh and Beinn Dòrain  on their 4th (!) round of Munros. Both summits we repeats for me, but Beinn an Dòthaidh was a new one for Ania (who is catching up with my tally of 150 Munros pretty quickly). The forecast was for a clear morning with some cloud later on and a strong cold wind all day. Our first objective was Beinn an Dòthaidh so Ania could get her tick.  The view was excellent and the light was really amazing.  It was pretty cold though so we didn't hang around for long. Ben Dòrain from the summit of Beinn an Dòthaidh After a break and a snack between the 2 mountains we headed off up Ben Dòrain.  The weather real...
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Location: Beinn Dorain, Bridge of Orchy PA36 4AF, UK
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Learning to Tie Flies In the Internet Age

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I started learning to tie flies at the end of the 2022 trout season - around 4 months ago.  I wouldn't say I have mastered the art but I have reached a point where I can generally have a go at most patterns and achieve a respectable result after a few goes.   Like many, I started with a book.  In my case it was Fly Tying for Beginners by Barry Ord Clark.  The idea of the book was to teach a number of flies in an order that was designed to guide you through various techniques and materials you need to learn about. The thing that made this book different to any other was that Barry had also posted videos on his YouTube channel of each one so you could follow along. Now, I don't want to criticise Barry or the quality of his work; but after a couple of weeks I started to wonder what's the point of having the book when you can just watch the videos online? My other problem was that I found the flies he'd chosen a bit irrelevant and costly.  I live in the Scotti...
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Location: Fort William, UK
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