Not an appropriate title to go with this fish caught last night but I will explain and you will understand.
David finished his guiding earlier than usual yesterday and we decided to do a 2 hour float and test some new streamers and sink tip lines for those days when the fishing is slow. As it was a last minute decision and I was already preoccupied with defrosting my fridge that suddenly went berserk about 5.45pm, I took off in a flustered panic, grabbing only a 5wt TCX with sink tip, a box of streamers and a hoody. Bare footed and without my SLR.
As fate would have it we came across a fish that was rising to grubs. Initially we thought it wasn't a trout as it moved a lot of water and estimations of 3lb + proved to be accurate. After many refusals we found one of James' original 'Grubby James' patterns with the over exaggerated curve in the foam. Below is the result of patiently presenting and changing flies for nearly 40 minutes. Luckily we always have a Winston and teeny la fontaine line stashed in the boat so at least we could rig up a dry to fish to this guy.
Plenty of big fish around at the moment. This one was about 4lb but we are seeing and hearing of bigger fish being stalked and caught. One fish that a regular visitor to the area is trying to catch looks like a rainbow of about 12lb. Obviously a survivor of last year's token stockings.
Hope this finds you well. It's ironic that after all the hours I have put in with a camera these past few weeks that I didn't take my SLR with us on the boat. I was rushed and thought we wouldn't get the right light to get decent pics as the sun was well and truly going down when we launched. Then low and behold the suns poked out of the west and lights the river up in an orange glow.
Oh well. I will have to be philosophical about it and vow to have learned a lesson.
Cheers
Antony
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