Interesting site !

An interesting site for the Maine Outdoor Journal I found entirely by accident  !

New Season - 2012

Some cracking pictures from the Wild Fishing Forum guys !

Fish on ! The Brown Trout season is back - well done guys !

15th March 2012

And so it hs arrived, the 2012 brown trout season. Haven't been out myself yet but I wonder what tomorrows Fish On will bring.

I have a couple of crackers in mind already !

Chicken Cacciatore - Hunter's Chicken - Pollo alla Cacciatora

Nothing to do with fishing but this is one of my own favourite chicken recipes which I thought I would share. Part of the reason for doing this is the fact that I now reckon I've got it just right and want to preserve the recipe for myself too.

Ingredients

1 chicken skinned and jointed into breasts, legs and wings.
1 large onion 1/2 chopped, 1/2 sliced
2 largish carrots diced
2 celery stalks diced
3 large cloves garlic finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried cilantro/oregano
2 chicken stock cubes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 can dry scrumpy cider
1 tbsp capers
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 400gm tin chopped Italian plum tomatoes + 2 cans of water
1/2 a tube or 1 small tin tomato puree

Prep time 15 mins, cooking time 25 - 40 mins.

I use the stove top method for this recipe as it's a bit quicker but it can be finished in the oven in a casserole dish if preferred which is the more traditional method.

• Heat the oil ( I use a wok ), add the chicken and brown the meat but not too quickly  or on too high a heat. You are looking to achieve some colour.

• Remove the chicken and to the same oil, add the carrots, then onion, celery and finally the garlic. You are aiming to colour the carrots and onion slightly bot not too much. Add the garlic last so that it does not burn.

• Return the chicken to the pot, bring up to heat and add the cider.

• Bring up to heat and add the tomatoes, water, chicken stock,  tomato puree, salt, bay leaves, cilantro, thyme and capers.

• Bring to a simmer and stir.

• Put the lid on the wok or pot and simmer for 25 Min's. Alternatively, transfer to a casserole dish and place in a preheated oven at 190 deg C for 40 Min's.

Serve with focaccia or ciabatta bread, small or quartered potatoes and other fresh boiled or steamed vegetables of your choice if desired but the dish goes fine with potatoes on their own.

A tangy full flavoured and easily prepared chicken dish.

Banton Loch to get Clean Sweep

A clean up is currently being organised for Banton Loch.

Popular with people from all over the central belt, " The big Dam " , Townhead Reservoir or Banton Loch as it is also known has been a source of ire for many people for many years but a recent meeting of the local community council is set to put that straight for the meantime anyway.

At a recent meeting of Kilsyth Community Council, it was announced that Linton McBurnie, volunteer coordinator  for British Waterways Scotland who own the land has contacted the council in an attempt to recruit volunteers to help with the clean up.

Scott Johnson, leader of the community council said " it has been a bleeding ulcer around this table for years ". Despite North Lanarkshire Council doing past clean ups at their expense, their is an endemic litter problem at the beauty spot despite concerns from the Kilsyth Fish Protection Association who manage fishing at the dam but are not responsible for the land management.

Another local group member Paul Carter, secretary of the friends of Banton in bloom group recently confirmed members of the group recently cleared 12 black bags with rubbish from the beach area alone.

A date for the clean up is still to be set but anyone interested in helping should contact Keila Singh secretary of the community council by phoning 07856 763090 or by visiting the groups website at http://www.kilsyth.org.uk/ and using the contact us feature.

Hopefully this is a step in the right direction but it won't deal with the problem long term !

Sistema Slimline Quaddie

I came across this piece of kit in my local Asda in Cumbernauld while looking for a lunch box that would do me for work and when fishing too.

Basically it's a compartmented plastic lunch box and pretty neat if you like to take a variety of things for lunch but prefer to keep them in different compartments in order that they don't get squashed and tainted by other foods.

The name for the " slimline quaddie ", comes, I take it from the fact that it has four separate compartments contained in a single box with an overall capacity of 1.5 litres. A novel feature of the unit is that it comes with an integrated 50 oz screw topped bottle which can be used on it's own or integrally with the quaddie, as it fits in one of the quaddie compartments.

What I liked most about the slimline quaddie is the fact that it's large enough to carry a more than adequate lunch for one or even two at a push but unlike it's big brother the " quaddie " ( with a capacity of 2.75 ltrs and a 93 oz drinks bottle ) it will do the job without impacting heavily on limited carrying space of a rucksack or fishing bag. I guess if I was taking the car or a boat and had the family with me the 2.75 ltr quaddie would have to be the choice for the day.

Sistema is a New Zealand company with a large range of innovative food storage solutions in addition to the quaddies which are now available in this country and quite a few of their products such as the " Klip It's " ,

one of which was sent to me by Helen from Sistema would double nicely as handy little bait, fly or tackle box too ! 

But don't tell your good lady that as you slip one into the shopping trolley !

Further details from those innovative Kiwi's at Sistema are available here

Sistema NZ

Sistema Products & Shop

Contact Sistema

What's in My Fly Box !

A wee thread for the flies I'm tying and fishing. I try to choose flies these days that will be useful in a variety of conditions and waters, whether river or loch. If anyone wants any more info on any of the flies or if you would like me to tie some flies for you then please let me know.


Thought I'd start with the Adams upwing dry fly, a few of which I tied last night.

Hook                                                 Size 10 - 20 ( I used a Fulling Mill Living Larva )

Thread                                               Black No. 8 Uni Thread

Tail                                                    Brown and Grizzle cock hackle

Body                                                 Grey rabbit fur

Wings                                                Grizzle cock hackle points

Hackles                                            1 each Grizzle cock and Brown Natural cock hackles 3 - 4 turns


Although now almost eighty years old this is still a very modern looking fly that catches fish around the world in a wide range of water types. Although called the Adams, this fly was actually created by Leonard Halladay for an attorney from Lorain, Ohio called Charles F.Adams who commissioned Halliday to tie the fly in order to fish the Boardman river Michigan.

The historically accepted story regargding the Adams says that on a summer’s day in 1922 at the impoundment of Swainston Creek known as the Mayfield Pond, Mr. Halladay said: “The first Adams I made I handed to Mr. Adams who was fishing in a small pond in front of my house, to try on the Boardman that evening. When he came back next morning, he wanted to know what I called it. He said it was a ‘knock-out’ and I said we would call it the Adams, since he had made the first good catch on it.”

The rest as they say is history as it is generally accepted in fly-fishing circles that if most fishermen were to choose just one dry fly it would be " The Adams " or one of it's variations.