I was actually doing the trading in the morning and was only able to see occasional minutes of the Royal Wedding, but actually quite enjoyed what I saw - all that pomp and pagentry, Britain is quite good at that kind of thing. The people of TV and radio all seemed to think that the dress was great (do such things matter?). I was particularly impressed by Pippa, the maid of honour, who also looked lovely.
But soon after lunch, Jerome is back on the trading having taken his kids to a street party for the wedding, and I can go fishing for the afternoon / evening. A new venue today, Barnes' Lake at Standlake, only a couple of miles from home and billed as a "sporting venue" - i.e. one in which you can't fish with lures. Nymphs and dry flies only. My neighbour, Roy, had mentioned this venue in the past, but today was my first trip. I must say I really like the fact that it is only two miles away.
I met the owner at the little lodge - a spritely 70 odd year old who spent most of the rest of the day riding round the lakes on his Quad bike. As we talked, several dozen fish either rose or jumped in the lake by the lodge. However this was also flat calm and I went off to the larger lake at the back where I was promised a bit of breeze.
The main problem at the venue was the very close proximity of bank side vegetation - various trees and bushes. This proved a little challenging for distance casting. Also for the first hour or two there were no fish showing in the bigger lake. But then a slight change prior to a tiny rain shower, and I caught a couple of fish in quick succession - really hard fighting fish of about 2lbs each. Then something rather strange - a really savage take that nearly ripped the line from my hand but resulted in the leader snapping. Not had that happen for years using 6lb fluorocarbon. But having set up a new leader, the same thing then happened again two casts later in the same spot. I would like to think it was a huge fish.
Before I could have another go for it, the wind picked up and I found casting directly into it to be pretty impossible, so a move round to the bay at the far end and some shelter. There is nothing like having a slight tail wind to improve one's casting. Half a dozen casts later I caught a small brown trout of maybe 3/4 lbs. Then with the wind dropping again, it was back to the windier spot where I managed to raise three fish to the dry hopper fly I was using and have another 3 takes on the nymph, yet couldn't hook any of them.
The evening produced a decent enough rise and I managed another another half dozen takes on either the nymph or the dry, yet hooked only one more fish, another rainbow. Lots of fish jumping during the evening, including some very nice sized fish that looked over 5 lbs. A final chat to the owner, who instructs me how to lock up the lodge and fasten the gate before leaving me to it for the last few casts. Very exciting fishing as it got darker, with plenty of fish moving, but not taking my flies.
I should think this venue will definitely see a fair few visits from me this year. It is so nice to have somewhere so good and so close.
Saturday 30 April 2011
Thursday 28 April 2011
A River Runs Through It
It is now five days since Linda and Emma went to Spain. I heard from them on Sunday evening to confirm they had got there safely, but it has been quiet since. I thought they might have rung and told me how things are going. I have had a very quiet week, hardly seeing anyone, or speaking to anyone, alone with my thoughts . . . .
Some fishing tackle arrives in the post this morning - two new fly lines and some braided loops. I spend a little time at lunchtime setting up the new reels ready for tomorrow's planned trip. This week I have been dipping into some of the more philosophical writings on fishing; John Gierach's Trout Bum and some of his other writings, Tom McGuane's The Longest Silence, William Plummer's Wishing my Father well, Mark Browning's Haunted by Water. And finally, tonight I watched the movie A River Runs Through It for the first time in a long while.
It remains a tremendously powerful and moving film for us fishermen. The last few minutes always make me extremely sad, as he fishes "the big river" on his own, all his loved ones gone. I am left with many melancholic thoughts about life, the universe and everything . . . .
Perhaps due to the issues I had trying to tie flies onto my leader the other day, I am starting to feel a older and a little decrepid. Will I be still fly fishing in my 70s and 80s? And once again, I find myself missing my father . . . .
One of the last scenes - alone on "the big river"
Rarely has a film moved me so much - even on the fifth or sixth viewing
Some fishing tackle arrives in the post this morning - two new fly lines and some braided loops. I spend a little time at lunchtime setting up the new reels ready for tomorrow's planned trip. This week I have been dipping into some of the more philosophical writings on fishing; John Gierach's Trout Bum and some of his other writings, Tom McGuane's The Longest Silence, William Plummer's Wishing my Father well, Mark Browning's Haunted by Water. And finally, tonight I watched the movie A River Runs Through It for the first time in a long while.
It remains a tremendously powerful and moving film for us fishermen. The last few minutes always make me extremely sad, as he fishes "the big river" on his own, all his loved ones gone. I am left with many melancholic thoughts about life, the universe and everything . . . .
Perhaps due to the issues I had trying to tie flies onto my leader the other day, I am starting to feel a older and a little decrepid. Will I be still fly fishing in my 70s and 80s? And once again, I find myself missing my father . . . .
One of the last scenes - alone on "the big river"Rarely has a film moved me so much - even on the fifth or sixth viewing
Wednesday 27 April 2011
Fishing trip to Bushyleaze
It has been at least two years since I last went fishing at Bushyleaze, my favourite of the local trout fly fisheries. Indeed the last couple of years have been marked by the distinct absence of fishing - odd since it remains an activity that I really enjoy doing.
The last week or two have been incredibly hot and sunny in the UK - the hottest Easter since records began . . . With Linda and Emma away in Spain for the week, I have a chance to do a few different things, but Jerome's child-related timings are not great and so I was somewhat restricted in which days I could go this week. So with the change of weather to overcast and cloudy, I figured this might be the best chance to get out.
There were about 20 other fisherman who had the same idea as me. Though the lady in the ticket office said it had been fishing ok in the sunny weather, fisherman numbers were sharply up with the cloud cover. But at the lake itself, things were mixed. On the one hand, people were generally catching a few fish each, but on the other, there was virtually no surface activity. One angler suggested the cool northly wind was keeping fly activity down. As I had intended to fish near the surface, this was a bit disappointing.
So I settled initially in the big bay at the southern tip of the lake, fishing two nymphs - a dawl bach and a buzzer. One problem immediately was that the fly line was rather grubby and was neither casting well nor floating clearly - time for a new one I think. Changing to a different line had the problem that the line-leader attachment had given way and the leader had to be attached via a standard know, which then kept snagging when I cast. I really should have checked the kit better before deciding on the trip!
Nonetheless, I was encouraged by the two fish caught in quick succession by the guy next to me (fishing suspended buzzer) and after about 45 minutes fishing a fish showed on the surface near me, I covered it well and two seconds later had hooked it - a nice opener of about 3lbs.
Things go a bit quiet and I moved round to the west side of the bay where one or two fish are showing. In response, I have switched to a red hopper on the top dropper just in case I can persuade a fish to rise to a dry. But instead the second fish comes to the Dawl Bach on the point, a very nice take which is indicated by the hopper disappearing quickly.
A break for drinks and some chocolate and then a concentrated attempt at the three or four fish that seem to be regularly showing near me (with breaks for tackle untangling which I gradually find more and more annoying - and which I find that my deteriorating eye sight doesn't help either!).
Perhaps around 5:30 (I have no watch with me) I get my third fish, a much better fish of around 4lbs which also takes the nymph. So three fish and still the chance of an evening rise. However this doesn't happen, indeed the little fish activity there had been dies away and though I fished on till 8:00, no other fish are caught.
I could perhaps have gone fishing again this Friday, but the tackle repairs I need to make might stop this. I will have to root through all the old tackle and see if I can find a line-leader attachment, or maybe I have some high breaking strain line and could do a needle knot (like we used to do in the 70s). Either way, I do need to be prepared better for next time.
I have also become better at gutting fish - taking just 10 mins to do all three tonight and get them in the freezer. Not a bad size for cooking either.
The last week or two have been incredibly hot and sunny in the UK - the hottest Easter since records began . . . With Linda and Emma away in Spain for the week, I have a chance to do a few different things, but Jerome's child-related timings are not great and so I was somewhat restricted in which days I could go this week. So with the change of weather to overcast and cloudy, I figured this might be the best chance to get out.
There were about 20 other fisherman who had the same idea as me. Though the lady in the ticket office said it had been fishing ok in the sunny weather, fisherman numbers were sharply up with the cloud cover. But at the lake itself, things were mixed. On the one hand, people were generally catching a few fish each, but on the other, there was virtually no surface activity. One angler suggested the cool northly wind was keeping fly activity down. As I had intended to fish near the surface, this was a bit disappointing.
So I settled initially in the big bay at the southern tip of the lake, fishing two nymphs - a dawl bach and a buzzer. One problem immediately was that the fly line was rather grubby and was neither casting well nor floating clearly - time for a new one I think. Changing to a different line had the problem that the line-leader attachment had given way and the leader had to be attached via a standard know, which then kept snagging when I cast. I really should have checked the kit better before deciding on the trip!
Nonetheless, I was encouraged by the two fish caught in quick succession by the guy next to me (fishing suspended buzzer) and after about 45 minutes fishing a fish showed on the surface near me, I covered it well and two seconds later had hooked it - a nice opener of about 3lbs.
Things go a bit quiet and I moved round to the west side of the bay where one or two fish are showing. In response, I have switched to a red hopper on the top dropper just in case I can persuade a fish to rise to a dry. But instead the second fish comes to the Dawl Bach on the point, a very nice take which is indicated by the hopper disappearing quickly.
A break for drinks and some chocolate and then a concentrated attempt at the three or four fish that seem to be regularly showing near me (with breaks for tackle untangling which I gradually find more and more annoying - and which I find that my deteriorating eye sight doesn't help either!).
Perhaps around 5:30 (I have no watch with me) I get my third fish, a much better fish of around 4lbs which also takes the nymph. So three fish and still the chance of an evening rise. However this doesn't happen, indeed the little fish activity there had been dies away and though I fished on till 8:00, no other fish are caught.
I could perhaps have gone fishing again this Friday, but the tackle repairs I need to make might stop this. I will have to root through all the old tackle and see if I can find a line-leader attachment, or maybe I have some high breaking strain line and could do a needle knot (like we used to do in the 70s). Either way, I do need to be prepared better for next time.
I have also become better at gutting fish - taking just 10 mins to do all three tonight and get them in the freezer. Not a bad size for cooking either.
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