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Fish and Game

Fish and Game

By: SideCountry Network
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A SideCountry Network podcast about British fishing, shooting, hunting, wild food, working dogs and life in the field.

Presented by Avian Sandercock, Sam Turner and Jake Woolf.

Fish and Game:
https://sidecountry.co.uk/shows/fish-and-game/

Presenters:
Avian Sandercock: https://sidecountry.co.uk/people/avian-sandercock/
Sam Turner: https://sidecountry.co.uk/people/sam-turner/
Jake Woolf: https://sidecountry.co.uk/people/jake-woolf/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/fishandgamepodcast/


More from SideCountry:
https://sidecountry.co.uk/shows/

Support SideCountry:
https://www.patreon.com/c/SideCountryNetworkSideCountry Network with Sandercock, Turner and Woolf Art Cooking Food & Wine
Episodes
  • From Zero to Salmon - sort of.

    From Zero to Salmon - sort of.
    Sep 9 2026
    What exactly is fly-fishing?

    Is it the refined art of matching the hatch and delicately presenting an artificial fly to a feeding fish - or is it simply “fluff chucking”: standing beside a body of water, waving a rod around and hoping the fish do not laugh at you?

    Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner attempt to get to the bottom of it after Jake has won himself three days of salmon and sea-trout fishing in Scotland.There is only one slight problem: he hasnever really fly-fished before. So Sam and Avian are attempting to give him a crash course in the sport, covering what a fly rod actually does, dry flies and nymphs, matching the hatch, rods, reels, leaders, casting and the difference between trout and salmon fishing. They also get into why people become so obsessed with it: the escape, the challenge, the satisfaction of a perfect cast and the strange appeal of deliberately making catching a fish more difficult.

    Jake discovers that his salmon trip will involve bigger rivers, bigger rods and Spey casting, while Sam and Avian explain why a few lessons on a small trout lake may be a better starting point than heading straight for Scotland.There is also Jake’s plan to make fishing a family pursuit - with the added possibility that getting Mrs Woolf interested may make future permissions considerably easier.

    Plus sucky fish, Shakespearean nymphs, casts that sound like horse whips, cupboards full of unnecessary tackle and Avian’s ever-present sage advice.

    In this episode:
    • What fly-fishing is and how the cast works
    • Dry flies, nymphs and matching the hatch
    • Why fly-fishing feels more like hunting
    • The difference between trout and salmon fishing
    • Rods, reels, lines, leaders and basic beginner kit
    • Why timing matters more than strength when casting
    • Overhead casting and Spey casting explained
    • Where beginners should go to learn
    • Why a good instructor can save a lot of frustration
    • Getting children and families involved
    • Why you probably do not need to buy quite as much tackle as you think
    This is just the beginning of Jake’s journey from complete beginner to salmon fishing in Scotland.

    Useful links:
    • GOV.UK — Rod fishing licences
    • GOV.UK — National rod fishing byelaws
    • Fisheries Management Scotland — Catch and release guidance
    • Scottish Government — Wild salmon conservation
    Please note: Fishing licence and permit requirements, close seasons, catch-and-release rules and salmon conservation measures vary between countries, rivers and individual fisheries and can change. Always check the current rules for the water you intend to fish.

    Part of the SideCountry Network.

    DISCLAIMER
    Views are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.
    Show More Show Less
    47 mins
  • A Beginner’s Guide to Wildfowling

    A Beginner’s Guide to Wildfowling
    Sep 2 2026
    What exactly counts as wildfowling?
    Is it any pursuit of wild ducks and geese, or does it only become wildfowling once you are cold, wet, deep in estuary mud and questioning your life choices?

    Jake Woolf, Avian Sandercock and Sam Turner attempt to get to the bottom of one of Britain’s oldest and most demanding forms of shooting.

    They look at the traditional world of foreshore wildfowling: early starts, evening flights, shifting tides, slippery mud, quarry identification and the importance of joining a club whose members know how to get safely onto and off the marsh.

    The conversation also covers the dogs, guns, cartridges, calls, decoys and clothing involved; why a synthetic semi-automatic may be more useful than Grandfather’s best gun; and whether a muddy Labrador is easier to clean than a spaniel.

    There is also a look back at the formidable punt guns once used by commercial wildfowlers, before attention turns to the most important question of all: what should you do with a duck or goose once you have brought it home?

    Plus duck cooked over coals, smoked goose, wildfowl burgers, questionable jerky experiments, Teflon Labradors, baritone chickadees and the familiar suggestion that a badly cooked Canada goose may be less appetising than the brick beneath it.

    In this episode:
    • What wildfowling is — and whether mud is an essential part of the definition
    • Why traditional wildfowling is closely associated with marshes, estuaries and the foreshore
    • How clubs manage access, sporting rights, mentoring and local safety
    • The importance of understanding tides and learning an unfamiliar marsh from experienced members
    • Recognising legal quarry before taking a shot
    • Why Labradors are so closely associated with wildfowling
    • Calls, decoys and attracting ducks and geese
    • Why electronic bird calls cannot be used
    • Choosing a robust shotgun and suitable non-lead ammunition
    • Why an inexpensive synthetic semi-automatic may be a practical choice
    • The history and extraordinary scale of punt guns
    • Clothing, communications and emergency planning on the foreshore
    • Why newcomers should not venture onto unfamiliar tidal ground alone
    • Keeping both wildfowler and dog warm in difficult conditions
    • Cooking duck and goose over fire, in a wok, as burgers, smoked or made into charcuterie
    • Why Avian may finally have talked himself into trying wildfowling
    • BASC introduction to wildfowling
    • BASC wildfowling permits, handbook and code of practice
    • BASC guide to quarry species and open seasons
    • UK Government guidance on hunting and shooting wildlife
    • The Crown Estate — wildfowling and foreshore sporting rights
    Please note: Wildfowling law, quarry lists and local restrictions can change. Always check current government guidance and the rules of the club or land over which you are shooting.

    Part of the SideCountry Network.

    DISCLAIMER
    Views are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.
    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • What The Hell is SideCountry?

    What The Hell is SideCountry?
    Aug 28 2026
    What connects baking sourdough, climbing mountains, keeping chickens, deer stalking, forestry, fishing, farming and knowing how to sharpen a chainsaw?

    In this episode - broqadcast across every show on the SideCountry Network - Richard Prideaux and George Browne attempt to explain what SideCountry actually is, why it was built, and where the network is heading.

    They start with George’s idea of the “sourdough pipeline”: the idea that apparently unrelated countryside interests are often connected by the same desire to learn, make, understand and do things for yourself.

    From there, they look at how SideCountry brings those worlds together - not as one enormous general-interest podcast, but as a network of shows, articles, films and resources covering different parts of life in the British countryside.

    They also explain why SideCountry aims to occupy some of the ground between the usual rural tribes and echo chambers; bringing farmers, foresters, anglers, shooters, walkers, conservationists, climbers and others into the same wider conversation without insisting that every subject needs a simple good-versus-bad answer.

    Richard and George discuss plans to establish SideCountry as a Community Interest Company, how the project will be funded, why commercial income will be reinvested into the network, and the importance of maintaining editorial independence.

    There is also a look at what’s already here - SideCountry, Countryslide and Fish and Game - and some of what is coming next, including Wild Food People, a forestry show, How the Countryside Works and Land Girls, alongside articles, gear guides, practical resources and films.

    Plus drive-by agronomy, aggressive protein acquisition, Kevlar kilts, Heath Robinson smokers, professional explaining and the continuing possibility of a company yacht.

    This episode is being published across the SideCountry podcast feeds as an introduction to the wider network.Find out more, sign up for the newsletter or get involved at sidecountry.co.uk.

    CreditsPresented by George Browne and Richard Prideaux

    Produced and edited for SideCountry by Amy Green.

    DISCLAIMER
    Views are those of individual speakers and do not necessarily represent SideCountry, its presenters, contributors, partners or sponsors. For general information and entertainment only. Laws, seasons, access and guidance change; check official sources, obtain permission and act within your competence.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins
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