Best breathable chest waders of 2008

• Granted, chest waders may well not be the most exciting thing that any of have in our fishing tackle collection, but for mobile bass fishing they are in my mind about the most important thing to get right. Being dry and comfortable whilst being easily able to roam around is so important to our fishing, and I know that decent chest waders help me catch more fish and also get a whole load more photos than I would without them. I wear chest waders for so much of what I do, both fishing and photography wise, indeed using them for bass fishing is just a part of the hell I put them through.

• A lot of people know that I do some work with Hardy & Greys Ltd., and these people will also know that I am always honest and forthright in my opinions on fishing gear. I am not about to use anything that I don't reckon works properly, whoever makes it. So, bearing in mind that I do some work with these guys, logic decrees that I should be telling you that the most expensive Hardy EWC waders are my favourite for bass fishing, and that you should go out and buy them. Yes, they are fairly good waders, but are they what I tend to turn to for my own mobile saltwater fishing ? No, not generally.................

• There are a couple of ways to look at buying chest waders for bass fishing (and if you are clever, for a hell of a lot of UK shore fishing) - either spend serious dosh on a top of the range pair like the Hardy EWS, or various Simms or Patagonia models. They will be awesome to use and they will last very well over the course of many years' regular fishing if you look after them.

• But when was the kind of bassing a lot of us do ever going to be regular fishing ? It is easy to slip over on rocks and weed, and I am sure you will agree that sharp rocks rip and tear expensive waders as easily as they do somewhat cheaper ones. Believe me, I am talking from experience here.

• So my theory tends to be to use really good cheaper breathable chest waders - easy to patch up with either the excellent Aquasure stuff (see here) or else simply use a load of good old fashioned gaffer tape. Better still, don't slip over in the first place, but that is often easier said than done !! The good news is that there are a lot of good quality chest waders out there from lots of manufacturers such as Greys, Orvis, Snowbee, Wychwood, Vision and Scierra.

• But without doubt the standout pair of chest waders that I use for my bass fishing more than any other are the outstanding Greys G-Series ones - these are the cheapest waders the company does, and I really like using them. I am not paid to say this if that is any help, but I stand by how good they are, and that they are excellent value for money. A really good tip for the G-Series waders is to buy one size larger than you would usually take - for some reason they are cut slightly differently to other waders that I have used, and while I tend to take an XL in virtually everything I wear, in the G-Series I use an XXL, and I find them far more easy to move around in for long hours and many, many miles. Get hold of the excellent Hart Fly Shop right here and ask them to get you a pair.

• So there you have it - my favourite waders of 2008. Not very sexy, but vital to lots of us. A bunch of guys I fish with also use and abuse the G-Series waders to great effect. As for wading boots, well in my mind the jury is still out on this one. I am hugely in favour of some kind of studded sole, whether it be on rubber or felt, but I am not completely sure if I believe in either buying the best you can afford because they will be more comfortable and durable, or otherwise buying cheaper and accepting that they will not last so long. Sounds a bit like my thoughts on the chest waders I know, but the wading boots issue is a bit different (they don't tend to tear and then leak for starters). I wear shoes and boots very hard anyway, so I go through most things eventually. Still to decide..............

Out in Ireland - surely bass fishing can't get any better ?

• Andy Bignell and I got here bang on time yesterday, with an easy Stena Line ferry crossing from Fishguard to Rosslare, and a short drive this side to our hotel. We met Graham and made a plan to be on the rocks for first light, together with local bass freaks Pat and Cian. Dawn this morning was stunning, with a beautiful sunrise and really good plugging conditions, and I knew something might be up when I very quickly caught a bass around 3lbs on a Halco popper. I honestly thought I had seen south east Ireland as good as it can get for bass fishing, but this morning's session was simply off the scale........

• After my one bass, I essentially stopped fishing to make sure I got proper photos of the awesome light and the fantastic fishing - this place never ceases to amaze me, and as always, guess how many other anglers we saw on the rocks this morning ? That's right, none !! The mind boggles. There were around fifteen bass landed today, a few more lost, plus some nice pollack - Graham had a treble hook busted by a really good fish, and as well as the outstanding fish below, there were some others around the 6 and 7lb mark - this coastline is as good as it gets for bass fishing, and the whole area we fished this morning was completely new to me. That's it, enough talk, I have got to move over here !!

• Here is Cian O'Halloran with the best bass of the morning, a cracking 9lb 9oz fish taken on the shallow diving minnow of the moment, the classic Tackle House Feed Shallow (you can get them here). This is a fish if a lifetime, and Cian saw it come right in and hit his lure at his feet - what a bass, well done to the man, and as you can see, it was not difficult to ask him to smile !! Of course the fish went back just fine after the photo call.

• Don't do this at home !! Above is a somewhat extreme example of landing a bass - Graham is by the water's edge to help Pat land another decent bass, and they both got a proper soaking into the bargain. Both of them know exactly what they are doing though and they were in no danger - it made for a bunch of great photos, and I happened to be perfectly lined up to shoot the events unfolding. The bass was successfully landed, photographed, and returned. I know that some people are going to think that this is unsafe fishing, but Pat and Graham know these waters and are simply not into taking risks. Believe me, it looks far worse than it was. Anyway, you've got to be in it to win it !!

• Most of the bass this morning were short and very stocky, and the photo of Graham above does not do justice to the fish - we gave it around 7lbs, and of course it went right back. This modern lure fishing is such a blast. All of us are fishing with these outrageous red Tenryu plugging rods (see them here) and all of us can't believe we have gone so long without them. The ease with which I could work my popper early this morning was staggering - just a simple and small snap of the wrist and the popper was doing its lethal business. I got hit hard as well on big Duo Tide Minnow (see here), but really I had to stop fishing and take photos, it was that good. A bunch of bass were also taken on the ever faithful and highly successful Maria Chase BW in the holographic silver colour (get them here). Basically, the fish were on big time this morning.

• How can you have more fun in fishing than this ? A bunch of fantastic people, a deserted coastline, decent weather conditions (ok, so we got hit big time this afternoon by a bit of "Irish mist"), and even better tides tomorrow morning. I really thought that south east Ireland had shown me the best bass fishing that I am ever going to see, but then we have a day like today and I see just how much more potential there is out here. Andy is blown away, indeed I think he is not quite sure how to take in what he is seeing, and he has been bass fishing for years. I keep banging the drum about bass fishing over here, but it really is that good.

• We climbed and walked over some seriously treacherous ground today, but as with a lot of fishing, the more effort you put in, the greater the rewards. All of us are wearing decent breathable chest waders and wading boots, they are essential for this type of mobile fishing - the new Greys Platinum waders and wading boots are being seriously used and abused by Graham and they are coming through with flying colours. You simply can't put fishing gear through a harder workout than the kind of stuff we are doing over here. Anyway, time to dry the gear out ready for another early start tomorrow morning....

Front covers and packing for Ireland

• Hardy are really going into the US in a big way right now, and to help with this they decided to launch a North American version of their catalogue for 2009 - it will be available at the Fly Fishing Retailer Show that is taking place 14th-16th September over in Denver. I am really pleased that the cover of this catalogue is a photo of mine from my recent Montana shoot with Nick Hart (check out a whole load of photos from that trip right here). Yes, that's the back of his neck you can see there - he is a great bloke to work with, and in fact it was Nick who suggested shooting this kind of photo. To be able to work with people who have such a positive and creative input into what I do is a real help. I really like their choice of the front cover here as it is not a shot that one would instantly go for, but in my eyes it kind of gets to you and pulls you in. I hope the catalogue goes down really well in the US, and there are a stack of my photos inside as well.

• Above is the cover for the forthcoming Greys 2009 Game catalogue, and again it is a photo of mine on there - this time the shot is of an autumn (fall) steelhead from the Bell Irving river in the wilds of British Columbia. Check out a bunch of photos from that particular trip here, and then talk to Aardvark McLeod about heading out to target these truly magnificent fish. Steelhead are a species on which I could spend a serious amount of time, and I have plans to photograph a lot more in the future. It's always a real kick to get a front cover of a magazine, book or catalogue, and I really like the publications that the people from Hardy & Greys produce. I might do a lot of work with them, but I have no say at all over which photos make the various catalogue covers.

• I am getting my gear together for this Ireland bass fishing trip that I am leaving on tomorrow. Obviously I am going to be taking my ultimate lure fishing rod, the Tenryu Red Dragon Express, and both Andy and Graham also have these things. I still have not found a rod on the UK market that comes near to this thing for out and out lure fishing. You can get them right here. These red rods are without doubt my fishing tackle find of the year so far.

• For the bait fishing side of things, I will continue to use my Greys BZe rods - they are fantastic for light touch ledgering in the estuaries and surf zones, and they do all I ask of them repeatedly. For casting 4oz weights and nice crab baits, I have yet to find better rods, but perhaps their new Platinum Bass rod might be the one.........

• I am also taking over a pair of new Greys waders and wading boots that are due on the market I believe early next year - we are going to give them a proper working over, and they look excellent. Mobile bass fishing is a great way to use and abuse products to their limits.

• I will do all I can over in Ireland to keep this blog updated with our bass fishing exploits - we have some fantastic tides, and the weather forecast is looking ok, so if everything goes to plan then we should see some decent fishing. All one can do is push it as hard as possible and then hope that the fish oblige........

My new fishing book in Germany

• I have just heard from the German branch of my book publishers Dorling Kindersley (DK) that my new fishing book has been translated into German and will be on sale there soon - with the new style cover that you can see above. I really like their choice of main cover photo, it is a shot I took out in British Columbia (Canada) last autumn, of the legendary steelhead fishing. Come to think of it, the weather we had out there was very much like our current British summer !! You can see a load of photos from the trip here.

• If you had no idea that I have even got a new fishing book out, then please check here for all the details, and then click here and get yourself a copy. I still can't really believe I did this book, it was a scary amount of work to cram into the last six months of 2007, but we did it in the end.

• I am starting to get my gear together for my Norway trip, leaving Heathrow on Thursday morning - flying to Oslo and then connecting up to Trondheim from there. All I want is perfect light and a load of big Norwegian salmon - not too much to ask is it ? I seriously can not wait to photograph this fishing, and I will keep this blog updated as much as internet connections allow me to.

• I am also getting my gear together for my bass trip over to Ireland, and then north Wales on the way back - I have just under a day when I touch down at Heathrow on Monday to drive back to Plymouth, see my family, transfer and back up all the Norway salmon photos, do as many emails and phone calls as possible, clear the memory cards and portable hard drives, and then drive across to south east Ireland. Tight, but it should all be ok. When you work for yourself and on your own in the fishing world, you need to be able to move fast and remain flexible. Modern technology and communications have helped me no end in my work.

• I'll take my lure and light bait fishing gear, plus all kinds of clothes, from t-shirts to wet weather gear - you never know what you'll get over in Ireland, but we have nailed bass whatever the weather so I am not unduly bothered. I would never even think of going bass fishing without my chest waders and wading boots, and on this trip I'll take my Hardy EWS breathable waders and wading boots, plus a pair of Greys GRX breathable waders as back up. If a mobile style of bass fishing is your thing, you seriously owe it to yourself to get some proper chest waders and wading boots - they will revolutionise your fishing.

• I had a long chat yesterday with Nick Hart, discussing our fishing demonstrations that we will be doing at the CLA Game Fair at the end of this month (full details here). I reckon we have got these ones nailed down tight, and they should be a blast to do, and to come and see of course - hope you can make it, please give us a little clap at the end in case nobody else does !! I really like doing these demonstrations and the feedback has always been very good in the past. It is going to be a fantastic three days at Blenheim.

• It seems as though the bass are around in fairly good numbers at the moment, but the weather is preventing a lot of us from getting at them. A friend of mine managed a decent plugging session before these big winds came in, and he had some nice bass to about 4lbs, plus he was smashed by a really good fish that crash dived on him and did him in the rocks. There are some nice fish coming from Jersey, but again when the weather gives way a bit, and the same over in Ireland. There seem to be a decent number of smallish bass on baits around South Devon at the moment (with the odd good one thrown in), but the sea is going to have to calm down for the lures to work again. There is so much colour to the water at the moment that it looks more like the Bristol Channel in close.

Getting ready.......

Canon 1D MK111, 24-105mm f4L IS lens (at 24mm), ISO 100, 1 second at f16, polarising filter

• I thought it might be worthwhile publishing the technical details of the photos I put up here, as I get a few emails asking about taking photographs of fishing and all that surrounds it. I shot this sunset the other day when I was walking back from a bass fishing session. The sky looked awesome, almost like a roof on the world - a one second exposure requires the use of a tripod of course, and I am really using the tiny little Gitzo Traveller carbon fibre tripod a lot these days. For ages I have been after a really small but sturdy tripod to carry with me all the time when I am out fishing, to get shots I otherwise could not have got. I am not interested in carrying a huge great hulk of a tripod around with my fishing gear, so this little beauty does the trick. I know of nothing better on the market - yes, it costs, but it is a part of my working life. Check out the Gitzo tripods here.

• If this fine weather holds, I am due to be out of Poole tomorrow on a boat, some 25 miles offshore, chasing cod, a species which I have a lot of time for. It's a bit of a drive from Plymouth, but this is the kind of thing I love doing for work - new place for me, a different way of catching them, and some thoroughly nice guys to spend a day out at sea with. If it happens, I will post the results here on Saturday - after England take on New Zealand in the rugby at 8am on Saturday morning I believe. As they say in Outer Mongolia - bring it on !!!!!

• I am just about to book flights to go and shoot some Atlantic salmon fishing on the Namsen river over in Norway for a few days in mid-July, with some of the guys from Hardy. Now this is something I can not wait to see, and current reports are of some outstanding fishing. My friend Cato Bekkevold had a load the other day up to 32lbs from the Gaula, and they were spooled several times he tells me. One of the extreme metal world's finest drummers (for Enslaved) and a seriously good angler as well - does life get any better ? Guess what we are talking about doing together next year ? (it has something to do with salmon)

• Sunday is getting closer, for that is when Nick Hart and I are leaving for Montana over in the US - reports from where we are going were of snow showers yesterday, so I am packing everything from a thermal buff and heavy duty Hardy EWS waders and wading boots through to suncream and t-shirts. The long term forecast is for it to warm up - personally I would love to see a mix of snow and sunshine to photograph this awesome part of the world. But I'll take anything we get as I know Nick will nail the trout (no pressure).

• My heart bleeds for my friends over in Ireland, so this is to let you know that I am thinking of you as the end of the bass close season draws nearer. I know how you have been suffering. The fact that you have got great tides and a nice long range forecast for the 16th of this month does not make me at all jealous, seriously. I will be thinking of your multiple bass when I wake up in Bozeman next Monday. Graham and Patrick have I know been staring longingly at their brand new Tenryu plugging rods sitting in their fishing rooms, pleading to be used............

Perfect conditions, but only one bass landed

• Check out how good it looked on yesterday evening's low water - about as perfect as I could hope for in fact. A small swell, a bit of chop, good clarity and fairly overcast skies. I had a feeling it would be like this from the weather forecast. Plenty of "life" to the water. These are the kinds of conditions you can dream about for chucking lures at bass, and I really thought we might clean up........

• Early on, a bass that might have touched 4lb chased my lure in almost right to my feet, to the point where I ran out of water on the retrieve. I never saw the fish again, but I knew they had to be around. The sea just looked too good. The lure ? The Maria Chase BW. There were also a few small pollack smashing at the lures, but Mark, James and I had only bass in our sights. Just seeing these fish chase your lures is enough to give me heart palpitations. One day soon it's going to be a monster bass chasing my lure in and grabbing it right at my feet...........nothing like dreaming !!

• It is Mark in the photo above, fishing a stunning looking gully with his holographic silver Maria Chase BW (you need this lure in your box for bass fishing, see here). Just before I shot this photograph, Mark saw a nice bass around 5lbs charge and turn on his lure, and although he felt the fish, it did not hook up. What a shame. If you want to fish ground like this for bass, do yourself a serious favour and look for a decent pair of breathable chest waders and proper wading boots. I know I bang on about them, but they will revolutionise your fishing. Check here for some good waders and boots. To me they are as vital as a decent rod and reel.

• James hooked and landed a small bass that you can see above, and all this happened before low water. Naturally I thought the flood tide and impending darkness would bring the bass on the feed big time, but for some reason all it did was switch them off !! None of us saw a proper hint of another fish, save for some small pollack. Weird......

• Note the green braid on James' spinning reel - he has gone and succumbed to the awesome Varivas Avani Sea Bass braid in 23lb breaking strain. It is vital to really underfill your spinning reel, almost to the point where you think you might lose a bit of distance because of it. But this is the right level to fish braid at so that you don't get those infernal wind knots. Sometime soon I will post a photograph of my line level on the spool of my spinning reel to show what I mean.

• It's a later low water this evening and a slightly bigger tide - conditions look good again. Guess what I'm doing later on this afternoon ?

Chest waders - live in them

• If you have yet to experience wearing breathable chest waders for your fishing, then you are missing out big time. The fly guys have been using lightweight, breathable chest waders and felt or rubber-soled wading boots for sometime now, but not that many anglers in the sea fishing world have switched on to just how useful they are for a lot of our shore fishing - and especially when you head out lure or bait fishing for bass. Some of you might not mind getting a soaking when you are fishing close to or actually in the water, but personally I like to live in my chest waders and keep nice and dry. The photo above from the other day is a perfect example of the need for chest waders. Please note that I used a long lens to compress the scene, and that the water is actually breaking safely behind where Mark is standing.

• Not only are they good for keeping dry when you are wading, but they are great for those (frequent) times when the weather takes a turn for the worse. I simply can not imagine going bass fishing without mine. I also wear them for a lot of my mullet fishing, plus every single time I go out to photograph fly fishing, and they are even perfect for a lot of our standard shore fishing. Think of the shallow reef marks such as Lilstock on the Bristol Channel and then think how useful it would be to be able to wade out a bit if you could. I reckon my chest waders are as important to me as a decent rod or reel, and as such, they are worth every penny. In the winter I wear a fleece bib and brace lining from the fly fishing market to keep me warm.

• Yes, you can pick up neoprene chest waders very cheaply these days, but personally I would rather wear nothing than have to wear neoprene for my fishing. Heavy, non-breathable, hot and horrible !! Look around though and you can usually pick up a good deal on a pair of breathable chesties and wading boots. You can't go far wrong using the Greys G-Series waders and the GRX wading boots. The boots are sized to allow for the waders, so just choose your regular shoe size.

• If you want to spend more, then I can really recommend the Hardy EWS waders and EWS wading boots - I use and abuse these all the time for my fishing and photography and I can't talk them up enough. Sure, they cost a bit, but as I said earlier, I reckon waders are as important to me as a good rod and reel. I hate to think how many hard miles I have walked in mine so far, and they are standing up strong.

• Some friends of mine had a few nice fish up on the Bristol Channel on Saturday, including a 6lb cod and a few thornbacks. This is a good time of year for the rays up there, and spring cod are always a real bonus. Southerly winds and medium tides are perfect for the really shallow reef marks - I have always been convinced that the thornies are put off by the noise or turbulence of rough conditions when you are fishing very shallow water, hence winds in the south being so good. My biggest thornback ray came from the Bristol Channel when it was flat calm, indeed all the best rays I have seen up there have been when the winds have been from the south, coming from behind us and flattening off the sea.

• Check out some serious pike over on Nick Hart's blog - Chew Valley is an awesome place, and Nick and I filmed a TV programme there some years ago now where we had some big pike on flies. I am due to be out tomorrow in fact to photograph some lure fishing for pike, so I'll post here if it all goes well. Although I have not fished for them for a while now, pike have always held a fascination for me and I can't wait to see them again.