I started fishing over thirty years ago, on the canals and rivers of
the Midlands. These waters supplied post-war industry at a time when
environmental stewardship was in its infancy. The fishing was hard, so
we searched the tiny streams that meandered through the Leicestershire
landscape, and found large chub and roach that could be caught on
ultra-light float tackle. The move to Ireland in 2000 galvanised my
obsession with ultra-light fishing using short rods, tiny flies on the
smallest of waters in pursuit of the wild brown trout. And much of my
tying reflects this obsession. I try to tie small, simple and robust
patterns to fish, and larger, more elaborate patterns to share with
others.