On Saturday we held our first Masterclass of the season with one of our TAC Ambassadors, author and world-class fly fisherman Jeremy Lucas. It was a very special day for those in attendance, Jeremy also asked me to pass along his thanks and share with our wider membership an overview of the day.
‘We discussed and rationalised the water around us (Goose Island), assessing where the trout might be, and why. I presented the idea of water types and finding the most appropriate water for the prevalent conditions and for the method used in such water. I focused on the streamy, broken water, where fish always hold in bright summer conditions, which led to the tackle and approach most suited to this- dry fly. I showed my particular, simple, set up, including the plume tips that I use.
We also discussed other water, nearby, and the methods most suited to these, in the absence of a hatch – duo and nymph (on a leader rig). I suggested that these would be comparatively low percentage approaches, as would other methods, such as spider, or even indicator nymphing; entirely because so few fish remain on the glides in the conditions of the day.
I gave a brief demo of my approach, resulting in only a few ‘fresh air rises’, which I have found peculiarly common on the Tanfield waters. I told the members that the previous day I had caught eight trout, while having experienced over thirty rises to the fly.
Later, the members spread out on water from Sturdy’s up to Goose Island, seeking out the appropriate water with dry fly setup, and a few trout were caught, along with some fresh air rises. No hatch materialised, oddly, but members were able to see, I believe, that the broken water areas still provided the opportunity of fish’.
Thank you Jeremy, it was a pleasure to spend time with you this weekend, a fantastic experience for those in attendance.
2026 Masterclass Series (Places available)
Charles Jardine – Sunday May 3rd
Fred Bainbridge – Saturday 13th June
For further details contact secretary@tanfieldac.co.uk