First time I've sat here and tapped away to create a post in a good while! Not because I haven't been fishing with fly or walking with Ellie and Hamish, but maybe I just got out of the habit! Anyway, I've recently had a couple of days fishing which are perhaps worthy, and the first of these was fulfilling a commitment I'd made at a Fishing for Forces event in October last year.
Now, if you're unfamiliar with FfF, please do take a moment to visit its home on the Whisky with Water. It does some excellent work, and I've already volunteered my services to act as a mentor to forces personnel later in the year. The venue for one of this year's events will be the excellent Manningford Trout Fishery, and I'm looking forward to this already. Avon Springs is also worthy of a mention here, having been generous enough to provide the venue and facilities for a number of FfF events over the previous two or three years.
Personally, I enjoy acting as a mentor at FfF events immensely. My employer is generous enough to allow me two "charity days" a year, plus other opportunities stemming from the Lloyd's Community Programme. Corporate Social Responsibility is very much en vogue, but the CEO of the Lloyd's Managing Agent for whom I work is a strong advocate of putting something back in.
So, back to last October and the promise I made at a FfF event to a member of the RAF, a gentleman by the name of Rob Somner. Rob was one of a group of Chinook engineers from RAF Odiham undergoing a "decompression week" after a particularly long deployment to Afghanistan. He'd organised his unit's attendance on the day, having become hooked on fly fishing after a previous FfF event.
Anyhow, I was introduced to Rob by a colleague of mine who was also acting as a mentor. Rob had fished Meon Springs and got to hear from my colleague that I fished on a stretch of the River Meon, and Rob was keen to try fishing in running, rather than still, water. I quickly explained that the Meon would be unsuitable for a novice but suggested a couple of other venues and promised to be in contact via email.
So, at long last the day arrived and we met at the agreed time and place before making our way to the River Test at Timsbury. I was to supply tackle, flies and......errrr.....ummmm.....expertise, whilst Rob was in charge of supplying the requisite amount of enthusiasm. Now, I'd made a point of fishing this particular beat a couple of times earlier in the month with the desired result so was confident that I knew how to take care of fishing where there be fish.
The weather was dull, grey, overcast and chilly with a strong wind so I deployed what I think of as my "LCD" nymphing rig. I explained to Rob that the method we would be fishing was relatively short-line nymphing and ran through the basics. There would be little or no elegant casting of fly line - more a wristy flick or well-timed lob to get the flies where we wanted them to be. I pointed out the indicator and explained it's function. My choice of fly was a single Orange Tag, bearing in mind this is a successful pattern and the simplicity of no dropper or second fly to tangle. The goal was very much to concentrate on fishing rather than over-complication.
After a quick demonstration, Rob eagerly grasped my 10ft 4wt and set to work. I explained about reading the water and suggested where to cast the fly, and before long we were in a nice rhythm. I wasn't fishing myself, just helping Rob find his feet with suggestions and adjustments. We were moving slowly up the beat and after an hour Rob thought he'd had a couple of expressions of interest but not connected. I told him I was pleased as this showed we were fishing the right fly in the right way.
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| The end of the drift |
We'd been going about an hour by this time, and I'd also explained about inducing the take and how inadvertently this can prove deadly at the end of the drift. Well, with practically the very next drift, just as Rob began to lift the flies a solid take put a nice bend in his rod.
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| The culprit! |
I was amused to see this small grayling was responsible for such a positive take and some very respectable rod-bending. To say Rob was pleased is an understatement.
Before very much longer, slightly further upstream another positive take resulted in another decent bend. I quickly identified that this was a trout, and urged Rob downstream so we could net and return it with minimal disturbance to "The Zone".
Anyway, even though it's out of season here follows a picture. The panjet mark on the gill clearly identifies this as a stocked fish, which is my justification be it right or wrong.
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| Salmo Trutta |
No matter, after some nifty camera work on my part back it went none the worse for its experience.
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| Perseverance |
The morning wore on, and I suggested we break for lunch. After lunch, we resumed fishing where we'd left off but pretty soon the wind was strengthening and blowing directly upstream. Indicators were blowin' in the wind, so I suggested a move to another part of the beat where it would be at our backs.
This proved to be a very wise move! Fishing was much more comfortable, and I caught a grayling of half a pound or so. The day was wearing on, and Rob was looking at a couple of hours' drive back to just south of Birmingham. We had to depart in an hour or so.
Having explained that the trout season was closed to Rob, my mistake was not going to the same trouble with the trout themselves. Fishing in a previously very productive pool brought several to hand, mainly for Rob. The trout were taking slightly downstream of him, and I explained what I thought his fly was doing to attract the fish at this point.
Much to my relief, however, this series of (stocked) trout was punctuated by the appearance of a very welcome female grayling. True to form, the lady had showed up - eventually. We hadn't been stood up, after all.
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| Beautiful! |
I could concentrate on working the camera, and it was a further opportunity to discuss catch and release practices.
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| Back she goes. |
And with that, after a fruitless further 20 minutes, I explained to Rob that we would move on now if we were fishing on but alas it was time to go. A thoroughly enjoyable day was thus ended, and we departed, with talk of clubs and syndicates in Rob's neck of the woods.
Rupert (my CEO) is right. It's great to put something back in - I think Rob's hooked on running water now! Oh dear, chalk up one more to the pile of us obsessed types........
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