Successful river fishing is all about observation - carefully watching what is happening all around you, and then translating this information into your choice of fly. As always there is no substitute for experience, but there are a few shortcuts you can use to help you gain that experience quicker. This book helps you with gaining experience (and knowledge) quickly. It identifies, for each month of the year, what you should be looking for and which flies to use to imitate the insects hatching around you.
I'm a firm believer that each river has its own nuances as far as fishing (and the fish contained within it) are concerned and that the most successful anglers on any given stretch of water are the ones with the most experience of it. Generally in life, there are no shortcuts, but there are ways to help your experience along a little quicker.
Our ALL NEW River Fly Anglers Almanac outlines which flies are expected to hatch and which flies to use to best imitate them. It follows the fly fishing year - starting in March (and ending in February) - detailing the hatches and flies to use for each month. Along with all the hatches and fly info, there's a whole host of other new information, including specific insect info and hatch charts. Along with the supplied Diary & Catch Return book, there are even pages to jot down your fishing notes for each month.
Essentially this is a journal to accompany you throughout your river fly fishing year. Something you can annotate and make notes in, allowing you to refer back to in years to come - helping you ‘crack the code’ on those difficult days.
We’ve called it an Almanac as it takes its inspiration from a few different sources, think of it as a cross-over between:
- Old Moore’s Almanac - An annual publication that prophecies what will happen throughout the year - only this one is fly fishing related.
- The Fly Fishers Entomology - A seminal publication from 1836 by Alfred Ronalds, the first to detail river fly life from the angler's point of view.
- A Moleskine Diary - As used by Van Gogh, Picasso & Ernest Hemingway
For each month in the river fly fishing year - covering the conditions and hatches you are likely to expect - there are pages detailing fly selection info, techniques, tips and tricks, including pages to note your catch return and any tactics used.
Our River Fly Anglers Almanac is available now in three separate formats for immediate delivery:
- Leather Edition @ £18.99 - Our Leather bound Almanac is professionally printed on high-quality paper stock, with a separate 2024 Diary & Catch Return. All are designed to fit neatly inside the specially designed leather cover.
- Paperback Edition @ £12.99 - professionally printed on high-quality paper stock and includes a separate 2024 Diary & Catch Return.
- Digital Edition @ £4.99 - Available in a downloadable PDF format, delivered directly to your inbox as soon as your order is placed.
Frequently Asked Questions:
We've had quite a few questions on our Almanac, so I thought it would be helpful to answer the most asked since we launched it!
Here goes:
”I bought last year's Almanac, will I learn anything from this one?”
- In short yes. We've updated it with lots more flies, tips, tricks & techniques you will find this is the perfect addition to your fly fishing year.
"Who is it aimed at?"
- The Almanac can be used by fly anglers of all skill levels but will be most useful to those who are new to our sport or with limited experience and those wanting to know more about which techniques/flies to use in which conditions. We've even had anglers with 50+ years of experience comment on how informative they found it.
"As you are a UK-based company, is it only for UK & Ireland rivers/anglers?"
- No, is the short answer. Whilst the information contained within the Almanac is based on experts' knowledge (who mainly fish in the UK & Ireland), the techniques and flies discussed are relevant whether you fish rivers in Europe, the USA, Australia or New Zealand.
"How long do I have to wait for delivery?"
- We only advertise products which we actually have in stock. So if you order an Almanac from us, you will receive it within a couple of days (assuming you're in the UK), orders to addresses outside of the UK can take up to 10 working days depending on location. We still deliver all orders FAST to anywhere in the world.
- Sort of, the way our revised Almanac is designed allows you to replace only the Diary & Catch Return section on an annual basis - we will sell each year's Diary & Catch Return for only £2.99. We are hoping that over time our combined Almanac & Diary/Catch Return will build into a library of information dedicated to each of your fly fishing years.
- No problem at all, just return it to us and we will give you a full refund - no questions asked.