'Fishing is in my blood' - Chris Tarrant

Into the Unknown

Chris Tarrant

It’s called the inconnu, which literally means ‘the unknown one’ and that’s why you almost certainly won’t have heard of it. Until this summer, nor had I.

There are some in remote parts of Asia and a few in Alaska, but they also exist in large quantities in the Yukon, in the North West territories of Canada. Martin Founds of Angler’s World and I fished in the Yukon for the first time this summer. It is everything that the pictures suggest it might be . . . but so much more besides. The air is the purest on the planet. The sounds of the Yukon at night - the water rushing all around you and the wolves calling to each other through the pines - the sun that never goes down over the still snow-capped mountains, are all just part of what makes this last great wilderness probably the most beautiful place on earth.

 

Chris Tarrant with a Canadian Carp

 

 

Chris Tarrant enjoys a successful week on the world's finest Atlantic salmon river, the Kola peninsula's magnificent Varzuga.

 

Remember temperatures may go up or down. This warning, slightly changed, comes at the beginning of most adverts pertaining to investment and a week's fishing in Russia can be considered an investment in terms of memories. The summer comes so quickly that one moment the snow can be swirling around your feet and the next you could be in shirtsleeves, bathing in warm sunshine.

Our merry band arrived at Middle Varzuga at the end of May, flying by helicopter over thousands of square miles of Arctic taiga, pine and birch forest interspersed with areas of water-soaked bog. The Middle camp is on a beautiful island in the river with home pools either side, the surfaces of which are constantly broken with leaping salmon. We were met on arrival by the camp manager, who showed us around and organised us into our cabins for the week. These are basic but perfectly comfortable and warm, offering a single bed with duvet and a place to store the array of paraphernalia that accompanies every fisherman. There is a central wash room and a dining room and for those brave enough, a Russian sauna or 'banya' to take the chill off after a day on the river.

The food for the week was nothing short of superb. It was quite easy to imagine being in a London restaurant, only to look out of the window and realise all the food is flown in by helicopter and the cook is working miracles with the facilities.

For the first day on the river the snow fell steadily and yet by the close we had landed fifty-eight fish; remarkable considering the conditions. The fish are not record breakers in size but to find a river where every single one is a bar of silver, fighting fresh and giving their all, is a revelation. We sat totalling the score before dinner, the regulars amongst the party hardly batting an eyelid when one rod announced eleven fish in the morning and a further four for the afternoon. Such is the Varzuga.

The rest of the week saw the weather change to comparative warmth and the fishing improved all the time. On one remarkable day, in between leaving camp in the morning and returning that evening, the field in front of the cabins had erupted into glorious flowering bloom. I even managed to catch a salmon when experimenting with a skated bomber on the last day, the fish boiled around my fly as it scored the surface causing my heart to miss a beat. Just as I felt I was getting to grips with my casting and reading this wide river, it was time to head for home.

The Varzuga is a resource like no other. Many thoughts spring to mind after my trip. 'Harsh environment', 'wouldn't like to live here', coupled with 'amazing', 'superlative' and 'salmon, salmon and more salmon'. A true gem in the world of salmon fishing, the Varzuga is unique. Treated with respect and admiration it will yield silver treasure like no other destination on this earth.

 

Chris and Bob Nudd

The Moyola flows its source in the Sperrins through the district past Draperstown, Tobermore and Castledawson to Lough Neagh. A good salmon and dollaghan river, the Moyola also holds some nice resident brown trout and offer excellent fishing on the fly, spinner and worm. The Lower Bann is internationally renowned for both coarse and game angling. The salmon pool at Carnroe is argued to be one of the best in Europe. There are two good throws for fly fishing, while spinning and bait fishing suit most of the rest of the water.

Coarse fishing on the Lower Bann and Lough Beg is excellent too - catches of 20-30 kg per day can be enjoyed. The waters are abundant in bream, roach and hydrids and Pike in Lough Beg. The famous Lough Neagh eels are a lure to the coarse fishermen too, with excellent fishing on the Lower Bann near Toomebridge.

Chris Tarrant (TV personality) & Bob Nudd (4 times world champion) displaying their catch during a visit to the Portglenone Fishing Points.

 

Chris Tarrant presents Bury Hill owner with a plaque for supporting the Hounslow Junior Angling Club!

 

BBC's At The Waters Edge

Chris with Martin James

 

Chris on the cover of Reel life Magazine

 

Recommended DVD featuring CT

Join the world's best-loved angler on this exciting fishing excursion into the Florida Keys and Tampa Bay. John Wilson's Fishing Safari Series is fascinating for everyone who is interested in wildlife or loves a beautiful landscape.

British angling star John Wilson has covered continent after continent in pursuit of the world's most fascinating and exotic fish. In this excellent programme, we see him tackling the wildlife of the picturesque Florida Keys and Tampa Bay. Watch him and fellow fisherman and celebrity Chris Tarrant as they cast hook and line. Following in the steps of literary genius and fisherman Ernest Hemingway, they fish tarpan - but they also add jewfish, permit and amberjack to Wilson's amazing array of global catches. Landscape lovers will be delighted with the gorgeous blues of the Florida Keys and Tampa Bay - where 170 miles of water boasts the most spectacular water sport fishing in the world.

John Wilson ventures to Florida, continuing his inspirational world fishing tour. Let him and celebrity and fisherman Chris Tarrant introduce you to a host of unfamiliar fish including tarpon, jewfish and permit.

 

Fishing For Everybody

New barrier to be broken on Tweed with launch of revolutionary boat by Chris Tarrant

NEWS RELEASE October 2006

Chris launches Tweedability 1

The arrival of an ingenious and innovative new boat will for the first time allow access to disabled anglers for fishing on much of the River Tweed. This follows over a year of development and collaboration between the Wheelyboat Trust, the Tweed Foundation and River Tweed Commissioners. The end result is a modified 'Tweed' boat for disabled anglers to use in river conditions with fast moving water. Other Wheelyboat Trust designed boats are primarily for use on still waters.

"Tweedability I", which has been funded by the Tweed Foundation, will be available to any Tweed beat which has wheelchair bound or less able-bodied fishers who wish to take advantage of it. The boat is safe, comfortable, easy to use and handles well; in addition to oars for the boatman's use during fishing, it also has an outboard motor to help move between fishing pools.

Boarding, fishing and disembarkation can all be achieved with the assistance of a single boatman. Training will be provided as continuous communication between boatman and angler are key to the smooth operation of the boat, especially when getting the angler into and out of the boat using the specially designed hydraulic ramp. The boat allows anglers to fish from the comfort of their own wheelchair. Provided adequate access arrangement can be made, the boat will be bookable by beats and delivered by River Tweed Commissioners staff at the beginning of the fishing week. All running costs will be met by the Tweed Foundation, which will request a small donation from beats which make use of it.

Andrew Douglas-Home, Chairman of the Tweed Foundation, commented: "This is a unique development which, for the first time, will allow less-able and elderly anglers to fish large parts of Tweed".

Nick Yonge, Director of the Tweed Foundation, explained: "The launch of the Tweed Wheelyboat marks the culmination of more than a year's collaborative work between the River Tweed Commissioners, the Tweed Foundation and the Wheelyboat Trust. From the start we were determined to provide a river boat that would enable disabled anglers to enjoy salmon fishing from their own chair and to overcome the practical problems that currently prevent them from doing so. I am delighted with the boat design, which has been developed, as it enables safe and comfortable angling for people with a wide range of disabilities; we now hope that the Wheely Boat Trust will supply many rivers throughout the UK with this boat".

Andy Beadsley, Director of the Wheelyboat Trust: "We are sure that this new boat will overcome many of the physical barriers faced by disabled anglers. It has the potential to transform the angling opportunities available to disabled people on rivers across the UK".

Photographs and text Copyright © The Wheelyboat Trust. Used with kind permission.

 

Calling All Anglers

As you probably all know Chris Tarrant loves fishing. I recently set up this fan site because Chris has done so much on TV and radio I thought it'd be nice to put everything he's done (well as much as possible) together on one site. But I also want as much information about Chris's passion for fishing.

If you have any stories or photographs to share with other fans for the Fishing page please get intouch. Maybe you bumped into Chris at the waters edge, maybe you attended a special event. Whatever the case may be I'd love to hear from you.

Just click on the fish below to send email!