Nick Hart’s enthusiasm for wild brown trout fishing is obvious as he shows how to get the best from small streams.
Nick goes back to his fishing roots to target hard-to-catch wild brown trout and grayling on Devon’s swift-flowing upper River Exe.
He has two main approaches; travelling light with an 8ft rod and four-weight line for the traditional technique on water like this, upstream dry fly fishing; but also taking along a longer, heavier set-up for nymphing work.
WATCH ‘WILD TROUT FROM SMALL RIVERS’

Learn the importance of stealth and how trout approach and attack surface flies – understanding this will certainly improve your presentation and catch rate.
Nick runs through his favourite flies and passes on important advice on which areas to target on rivers like this, and spots to avoid.
Our ace then moves onto Czech nymphing techniques for when the fish are feeding deep in this fast-paced, enjoyable 34-minute show.
He shows how to make sure the nymph stays deep, and how to spot takes in tricky light conditions using indicator yarn. Nick rounds things off in style, with one of his best ever wild brownies (albeit a slippery one!) and a beautiful Exe grayling.
It’s free to view in the November 2011 issue of Game Fisher’s Diary – the monthly video magazine for fly anglers everywhere – until December 8th.
WATCH ‘WILD TROUT FROM SMALL RIVERS’