Off the Log #12

 

 Captain’s log: star date April 9^th, 2021, the Milky Way. The wait is finally over! This is a contemporaneous account, not one from the past. No first-light rush, instead a leisurely breakfast with she who must be obeyed, while the air began to warm from last night’s chill. I had some new things to try out: First, a waist pack bought cheap over twenty years ago, barely used, being trialled as an alternative to wearing the fishing vest. Next, an indicator rig, instantly depth adjustable, which I first saw in an Andy Buckley video. Then, an 8’ 6” #4 weight rod coupled with a Sunray International #4 Nymph line, both a few years old but never paired as an ‘outfit’ hitherto. My 10’ #4 would probably deal much better with an indicator rig, but I felt it would prove too long for the beat’s overgrowth etc. - well, in my hands, that is.

 The Association’s rivers opened on the 5^th, I headed for my favourite (to date) beat, the pervading thought that family matters and lockdowns meant I only river-fished once in 2020 and here we are a quarter way through 2021. The coordinates were punched in, stereo set to Stun, and away! 

 The river was flowing strongly, the deepest I’ve seen in Spring, but clear. A mixture of cloud and sun, I walked downstream, to fish back up. The first couple of tentative casts showed I’d forgotten what little I knew about timing and illustrated how hard casting this rig would be: the wind resistance of the indicator out-fought the impetus of the tiny, beaded jig nymph. The best solution seemed to be letting the rig drift downstream of me then ‘lob’ it back upstream in one long stroke. You just need to remember the fly will go in the direction the rod tip is pointing at the end of the ‘lob’ stroke. In tighter spots I used the ‘bow and arrow’ cast, even though that’s a misnomer. It was a real trial, I soon lost count of the number of flies lost to pesky trees, bushes, brambles, and roots. Nor could I count the replacing and untangling of the tippet section. I didn’t have any split shot with me, but felt that may have been a solution for both casting and presentation of the flies. I couldn’t use a heavier, possibly sacrificial extra fly, because the rule is single fly only. Even with all of my difficulties, it felt sublime. 

Indicators and float stops

 Most of the fish I spotted were Chub, unhappily, but I did manage to ‘bump’ two fish, seeing the subsurface flashes, and brought two wild brown trout to the net, thus avoiding the skunk! 

 By late afternoon I was cream crackered and headed for home, happy and content. When I write the Log entry I habitually note the barometric state and phase of the moon. The former was falling, the latter just three days before the new moon. What I don’t know, however, is whether these things affect the fish or the fisherman! The last remaining task will be to tie replacements for the flies I lost, but first … a cold one (or two)!