Six Trout - Black Boobie

Today was the perfect day to fish. I was up at 5.00am and had all my urgent work done by 9am.

Sun was shining and the water was like a mirror, perfect for me! (I know a little ripple is supposed to be better but I like it like this). I take a boat and start on the Gold Buzzer that I had so much success with last week, I did get a little knock but no takes. Graham is there - its great to see him again and he's already caught 5 trout! He had fish swilling all around him, you wouldn't believe it, luckily he invites me over and we both fish at the shoal of around 30 trout. I still get nothing and he gets his last one to make six.

I switch to a small Black Boobie and hope for the best. I've never fished with one of these before and luckily I bought one on Wednesday. They have polystyrene eyes and float on the surface, so when you retrieve them they make a small wake behind them and the fish just LOVED it. Five fish later and my heart is pounding out of my chest. Can I catch six! This will be my PB and make my day! I cannot describe to you how excited I was. I decide to donate my 5 to Graham and row back to the jetty to hand them over.

Now it's 12am, its hot and I'm hungry and thirsty. Just a quick little half hour more and see if I can get the sixth trout! Before I go, I meet Mr Six Fish (he catches 6 every time he comes to the lake and I've wanted to meet him for months. What a nice chap and very helpful with tips - he fishes from the bank and hides behind bushes for camouflage). I push off from the jetty, see a fish rising and cast just beyond it, bang! It's on and I have number six!!! I'm so lucky and grateful to have this fantastic lake on my doorstep - its totally changed my life for the better..........

PS: Mr Red Cap Old Guy has been missing for months, he turns up as I'm leaving and tells me he had a heart attack in June and this is his first time back. I really thought he had died, I missed seeing him as he ties his own flies and is very interesting.

Four Huge Trout ... I Love Fly Fishing!!!

12.15 pm. After not having fished for a week I'm having withdrawal symptoms, I'm irritable and have a constant headache, I have to go to the lake today for a bit of fly fishing.

It's windy and overcast but warm, perfect for me to top up my tan and to catch a few trout. I know this sounds obvious, but until recently I'd just pick a pretty spot and fish there, now I know I have to find the fish, where  they are jumping or swilling around feeding? Also my casting is so amateurish that fishing from the bank becomes very frustrating as I feel I can never reach far enough. I see a few jumps at the bottom side of the lake near the gate and decide to take a boat and give it a go.

Starting at the top end I decided to do 10 minutes at one spot where a few fish are jumping. Another guy is 100m away and I watch him pull in 3 trout within 10 minutes. It's too painful for me to watch - I HAVE to move away so I can't see him. Keeping to my original plan I put on a smallish black Boobie (it has green foam eyes that keep it on the surface) - that's what I caught my single trout on last Sunday. Nothing..

The old chap with the red hat is there again, he's been there since 8am and has nothing, the lady with the fizzy hair is also there, she's had 3 trout all on a Hare's Ear fly (I'd actually forgotten what that was, so couldn't use that). Off I go past them both and tie up to the white buoy. There are lots of fish around and they look pretty big too. Still nothing on the Black Boobie. Time to change to my Killer Gold Buzzer!!

Two minutes later I have fish number 1, it's huge and fights like a shark!! I using the Hywel Morgan technique of doing a figure of eight retrieve for a bit, then some short sharp jerks and then some longer pulls - a variety of retrieval methods. Then comes number 2, not as big. I lose one right by the boat, as I retrieve and am coming to the end I jiggle the line past myself to the right to prepare for the next cast, bam.... another take - but not hooked well enough and its gone.

Then comes trout number 3, then 4 - can I break my record and get 5? I lose another one and then decide that I've had enough. Four trout in one day!!! Wow I feel so good!!! 3lb, 2.12lb, 2.10lb, 2.12lb

Back at the jetty, Mother-in-Law (MiL) has just arrived so I can show her my haul!! I feel even better now! I give all four away to another fisherman as I'm sick of trout and it means I don't have to gut and clean them. I direct MiL to where I was fishing, give here the Killer Gold Buzzer and hope she also catches. She's as dedicated as I am and she deserves to catch loads!!!

What a day!!!

Three Trout with Buzzer Ben

Sunday lunch time. Ben and I are off for a quick fish before our trout BBQ (we love trout fishing in Cambridge during calm summer days). The lake is like a millpond and we decide to take the big green boat. We see some fish swilling near the surface in the middle of the lake so we get within 10 metres of them and put the anchor down.

Ben starts with a lure and I start with a tiny size 16 nymph, nothing. Then dry flies, different coloured and sized lures, nymphs and damsel fly dries. We are casting right over and just beyond the swirling fish and retrieving the line through their midst - nothing.

Ben decides to put on an epoxy Buzzer, with red highlights - as always when you've got the right fly he has a take right away! Missed, and a few more times too, then finally he has a fish on the line and lands a beautiful 2lb Rainbow Trout. I put on a Gold tinted epoxy Buzzer and I've got on too. We are retrieving them just below the surface and the fish seem to love it. I land up with one more and we decide to call it a day. Ben's wrist is sore and I don't want to catch my weeks quota in one day. We could easily have caught 3 more trout but it was almost too easy..

Big Trout Week for Mother-in-Law

Caught 4 rainbow trout in two sessions!  My best yet – and, having caught 2 yesterday, I could have caught more if I hadn’t dropped my ‘priest’ into the lake!  The fish were leaping so close they were splashing me! 


On Friday, after trying a host of dry flies, I eventually hooked one (1lb 13oz) on a Shipman's Buzzer and another (2lb 1oz) on a red-bead-headed lure (Woolly Bugger?)    

On Monday, again after numerous attempts with different dry flies, I was twice successful (2lb and 1lb 14oz) with a gold-bead-headed lure (Woolly Bugger?)     One of these days I’ll know what the damn flies are called!

 

Blue Damsel Trout

After a long hard week, I'm finally going fishing - yay!!!!

Only two of us there and the lake is beautiful. I can hear a Buzzard in the distance and Swans are strutting their stuff. As I did so well last week I decide to start on the little Bronze thing. I see a few fish following it but no takes. Moving up to the top end of the lake by the gate I can see literally hundreds of fish swimming around. I must catch one now surely!

A boy and his granddad have one on the line from the bank, poor child was being given so many instructions to bring the fish in I would have broken the rod over his granddad's head! He loses the fish and I can hear him being told everything he did wrong. I move away they are ruining my chill.

I try a CDC blue Buzzer, more small nymphs under the water and a red headed damsel nymph. No interest! I'm reluctant to put on the Blue Damsel dry fly as I notoriously have no luck with it. But on it goes and I have a take immediately. Interestingly it just swirled over the fly and I caught it by just lifting the rod rather than striking (all the experts say to do this, but I'm normally so excited that I strike and pull  the hook right out its mouth).

So, one fish and I'm happy.... Sunday with Ben will be fun..

Three Trout!!

Just a quick note. I caught three in a feeding frenzy. A small Bronze nymph thing, under the water. Graham and I fished a huddle of trout near the channel on the far side of the lake. He approached on a boat on one side and I from the other. We both had the same fly and I just couldn't stop catching. If I stayed I would have done my quota in an hour. So I took the 3 and went home. Its so exciting when they do that, my heart was thumping and I realise the competitive streak come out in me..

3.2lb Trout -Wow!

We're off the see Clare and Alba today for the weekend. I'm just popping down to the lake for a quick one hour - that means 2 hours in fisherman language!

I'm on the bank in the far left had corner. On goes the little bronze nymph and the next moment i have an enormous take. It fights like its a shark and finally I have a 3.2lb trout - my biggest yet!!

I tell you this little nymph is proving to be deadly in this lake..... I must remember all of this for next year!!

One Trout - Nymph Time

What a beautiful day! I just had to go for a quick fish this morning. The lake is busier than I've ever seen it, six people! The big question is always 'Which fly to I start with?' - I decide to put on a small green nymph. I'm off to   the top of the lake, the wind in north westerly and my casting is not good enough in the wind yet.

I'm practising the double haul and really struggling, I just cant seen to get it right. Been trying to get the muscle memory for the actions (see video above) but when I attempt to put the rod in my hand all the line just ends up in a pile at my feet. I think that I should practice away from the lake, maybe in the garden.

Anyway, back to the fish. One cast and the green nymph is in and I've got a fish! So fast I hardly felt it take. I move round the lake to different spots, dry flies, CDC Buzzers, sedges - nothing.

Now at the bottom side I see a chap just pulling out the fish, 3 in 5 minutes - he's using a bronze nymph. Its really tiny and he's just jerking it through the water. The fish are going mad for it! I try for a few minutes and eventually settle for my 1 trout. Two hours, a beautiful setting and one fish - how lucky I am.

PS: The lake was restocked last week so fishing should be good for the rest of the season now - well in theory!

Fishing with Ben - 4 fish - my new good luck charm!

Decided to take Ben fishing today. It's 8am and we are ready to tackle the lake, its calm and a warm stunning morning.

We decide to take a boat for a while and see what happens. This is only Ben's third Trout fishing trip and I'm really hoping that he'll catch something. First we try the south side of the lake, he's got a damsel nymph on his rod and I've got a CDC Buzzer. Nothing, quiet, no action.

We move to the centre of the lake just past the island, the fish are jumping and swirling but no takes, we're on dry flies now. Ben is really casting well and it seems his determination as an athlete has helped him visualise his cast technique. Graham rows over and has also caught nothing, he also comments on Ben's great casting. Then.... right in front of us Graham hooks a fish!! I couldn't believe it and this makes me even more determined to catch. Graham moves away and Ben suggests we move the 20m or so to where he was fishing.  I put on a small (tiny) dry brown thing  - so does Ben. I've got one!! Just shows that if they don't take it in the first few minutes they are not going to take it at all. And another, then Ben gets one, I get another and loose yet another. That's 4 fish in 30 minutes! Amazing, I cant tell you how happy we were, right place, right time. All on that tiny little brown thing!!

No Trout but a Red deer for my Mother-in-Law

Just got back from fishing from 2.00 to 5.30.  Absolutely no luck!

I went to the far end to start with, as you suggested, but the fish must have moved because there was no sign of them.  After about an hour I moved down to the far side of the island.  No luck.  Then moved to quite close and right of the island and the pier.  There were plenty of leaping fish – but none wanted my varied choices of flies.  I followed a tip from Bill who gave me a floating sedge; he said it was a definite catcher, and if that didn’t work to use a dropper of a buzzer as well as the sedge.  I did both – and not a sausage!  So you see, everybody has their own suggestions, but they don’t all work all of the time!

There was no sign of anyone else at the lake until I was just leaving, when two cars arrived (5.30-ish).

While I was at the far end of the lake in the boat, I saw a red deer on the path moving toward the gate.  When it got that far, it started to pace back and forward as if it felt trapped.  I then lost sight of it.  Also, I am probably well and truly burned on my face in spite of my hat.  It was a stunning afternoon.

Hope you enjoy your brown trout.  What a catch!

Brown Trout - my first!!!

I just couldn't resist a trip to the lake today. Its calm and cloudy - perfect for me to catch!

I took a boat right up to the far corner of the lake - no mean feat in itself I have to say. Lots of fish were jumping and taking insects from the surface. The two people who had just fished before me both caught a small black dry flies. I asked myself why would this be the case when once again there are so many damsel flies around. Counter the advice I decide to start with a damsel - the same as I had used earlier in the week. I wish I new why, but they just don't like my damsels!! Last visit was a fluke...

The water is flat and clear - I can see the damn things swimming straight past my fly, I try two more different damsels - nothing not even a sniff. OK, time for the small black dry fly recommended earlier. As always, in a few minutes I have a fish, it really is fighting and at first swims directly for the boat. I couldn't pull in the line fast enough! Oh no I dont want to loose it, I recover the situation and after a few minutes manage to land the beautiful thing. It was my first Brown trout and at 2.2lb is pretty big. Its so stunning with its spots and square dorsal fin. I was always afraid that I wouldn't recognise if I had  one or not - but there is no mistaking this - its definitely a Brown trout. So easy to make me happy!! I'm told they taste better than Rainbow trout too -so you know what we're eating tonight.

There is No Pattern to Trout Fishing!

Determined to fish a few times this week I went to the lake early this morning. Happy with my last catch on Sunday I thought I'd deploy that same tactics. First fly is the Bronze Fuzzy Thing from a few days ago.

I see Graham in the distance and as he rows nearer he's effing and blinding as usual - this means no fish for him. I must add that he caught his full quota of 6 last week, so he knows a thing or two. He's using a floating/dry fly and had no luck. This makes me think that the fish must not be feeding on the surface. There are almost no jumps and definitely no boiling up at the surface taking insects.

I fish for 30 minutes before my mother-in-law arrives - now the stress starts as she's been catching lately and I would hate to draw a blank today in front of her. What shall I do? Carry on with my tactic or put on another fly? Two people row past having caught 2 trout on a dry damsel fly!! What! Are they lying to me? I'm told fishermen will often mis-lead people.

I go up to a calmer part of the lake and put on a dry damsel, I'm doubtful but hopeful, I love it when the water is flat and I can see the fly floating on the surface. Next minute a big boiling at the surface and I've got a fish!! Now to land it. My record in landing trout with a damsel is abysmal!! I've lost two like this before and I MUST land this - what's more a fisherman is watching me from 20 metres away, I have my pride at stake!

This fish is really fighting, I'm also using 7lb fluoro carbon line so must be careful.. Finally I land the fish - I'm so pleased. 1.12lb and that means I've caught two this week. Cant wait for Saturday to try again... Still I repeat what I said in the title - there is no damn pattern to Trout fishing or is it just me!..

Three Fish Only One Trout

After ten days of not fishing at all - work has been so busy and weekends bad weather - I finally got down to the lake this morning at 8.30am.

Not many people have been catching over the last few weeks so I decided to test out some advise I got a few months ago. The really old man whom I used to have to help out the boat seems to have disappeared - I do hope that he is still with us! He said to me to use a small fluffy bronze shiny thing when fishing times are tough.  This was my first fly and I was fishing from the bank. I was delighted and stunned that hos advise seemed to work - quite quickly I had a beautiful 1.10lb trout.

I changed fly and put on a Dial Bach and got a small Perch - never had that before and they are really beautiful. Further round the lake I was back on the Bronze Fuzzy Thing and got a small Pike!!! Very small - maybe 10 inches long - luckily for me it didn't bite through my line, they have the most ferocious teeth I've ever seen on a fish (apart from a shark!!).

I was so peaceful standing in the sun, watching the beautiful lake and multitude of birds - Ten days is too long a break.. I must make sure I go some evenings during the week.

Got the Droppers so Where are the Trout?

There's not a drop of wind and the lake looks stunning. Two other people there but they are on a boat so I can't interrogate them. I take the small agile boat and head out to the far side of the lake.

I'm testing my new droppers. (a dropper in an extra fly or two or three added to your like)  I've been watching Hywel Morgan on Sky ( Hywel Morgan ) he seems to fish with droppers all the time. So on his advice I create just 1 dropper to start, 8 inches long and 50cm up from the end fly. I'm concerned that I will struggle to cast this without tangles and I prove myself correct, I'm starting to think I need a lesson. No fish with that so I switch to my normal set-up.

There are fish around but they are not taking from me! I use buzzers, dry flies, damsel nymphs and many more - its frustrating and I feel like my casting is very poor today - again I think I need a lesson. This is what happens when you watch a pro like Hywel, I feel like a total amateur.

Eventually a get a take on a nymph looking thing, pulling it below the surface. I'm really pleased and feel that my day has been retrieved.

I row around the corner and there is one of the other people. He says to me that he has caught 3 trout already and they are going mad for his dry Damoiselle fly. 'Just cast it in and they are gorging themselves - go on give it a try'. So I throw out the anchor and put on a dry Damoiselle. These have not worked for me in the past and this didn't work for me today. In the 20 minutes that I was there he pulled out another 3 fish! All on the same fly - what am I doing wrong? I need to know!

Trout Flies have arrived - I'm out to Conquer but am Humbled

Monday morning. I'll go out for a few hours as the weather is supposed to be bad for the rest of the week. So maybe I only fish on Saturday.. grrrrrr

Graham is back, obviously he's been there since 6am and is effing and blinding having no luck at all. The other chap always there early has had one on a black and cream lure.

I put on the smallest fly I've ever used. Its hook is unbelievably small and I wonder if it will work. First tactic, Strip it through the water just below the surface. Instantly a fish is hooked, I'm so excited and all in view of the other two fisherman. I arrogantly call out to Graham that I have one and promptly lose it!! I could cry, serves me right, I need humility!! I'm sure it must be to do with the size of the hook how can that really work to bring in a big fish - I clearly didn't hook it correctly, it was on the line for 2 minutes and then shook itself free and the fly was fine.

Ok, now to try my new Blue Holo Shuttlecock Buzzer from Ebay. Gavin the guy I bought it from hand makes them and has been very helpful with tips for fishing buzzers. These things are so small its hard to believe the a fish will take it. It has a tuft of feathers on the top to make it float on the surface. In it goes and in 10 seconds I have a trout. I must keep this one on the line, I must! I land a beautiful 2.4lb trout! Phew I'm relieved. Again it goes,  I hook another and its lost!! The fly is wrecked, its wont float and I must move to another.



Now the fish are taking Damoiselle flies - I also have a new Damoiselle fly from Ebay - all my others have never worked... I throw it in and lands beautifully on the surface, take, strike, I have another fish.. I'm so happy. Then I lose it! What's happening to me? Why now, I've never lost a fish before, what's going on? Is it because I am using these tiny little hooks?

So I go home with one... I'm satisfied but it could have been THREE!!!!

Trout Fishing is Getting Tougher - But I Caught Anyway

Thursday 30th June

I havn't caught anything for 10 days.... I need my fishing fix. I've been busy doing lots of research and buying new flies. I met a couple last week, they caught 6, I caught 0 - both in 2 hours! You can imagine how I pounced on them as they came back from the boat. They had caught all on a Blue Holo Shuttlecock Buzzer - new to me, I'd never heard of that before, and magic floatant powder so it floats on the surface. Ebay.

Anyway, I'm fishing like a blog suggested. A small furry thing, just below the surface, pulled in short, fast tugs. I have a trout, the blog was right! people are so clever. Few other fisherman around, no Graham he's away, but they're all not catching anything at all.

Everyone wants to know what I'm using, I tell them its a furry brown thing. Two hours later I have another, this time on a similar fly to the first both one of my new purchases! Very pleased indeed.

The day was good and the fishing very different - need more blog tips...

Just before I leave I had a strong attack on the fly below, also pulled fast through the water. This is so exciting as the takes are very powerful..

Trout Belated Birthday Party

Today is the only day this week that will be decent weather I'm told, so I'm off to beat the lady of the lake!

Its a day off for me today and I'm going to correct the tragedy that happened last week, when I caught no fish and even worse NOTHING on my birthday. I know that catching is not everything, in theory, but I find it very difficult to be satisfied with just the view, gorgeous as it is.

When I arrive at 9am all the boats are being used and there are more people there than I've ever seen before. It was crowded! Maybe 5 people in total, where the hell did they come from?

I have to fish off the bank and I'm kind of pleased to hear that they have not caught anything since 6am. Graham is cursing, its a good sign that he hasn't caught either.

Next minute I here him shouting from the boat - 'I'm on!' Apparently that's fishing code for 'I've got one you fuckers!'. I shout over the lake from the bank (bad etiquette I know but I've got to know what fly he's using). He says its a little brown thing. Then the lady in the boat nearest me has one too!!! Its like they're spitting in my face ;-). Buy now I'm changing fly madly - dry fly, wet fly, lure, fuzzy coloured thing, pink thing, Fantastic Green Monster - still nothing.

Graham gets another!! Lady in boat gets another! Oh god, what's happening. Graham finishes and comes over for a chat. He asks for a cast on my rod and says he really likes it. (£21 on Ebay - I love it). He kindly gives me the fly he's been using - a tiny little brown dry fly that almost looks like a moth. Straight away I get action on the line but no takes, its amazing how much difference the fly makes.

Now its 2pm! Sunburned, hungry, thirsty, I decide to pack it in and pick on last fly to try. I've used this one before and has some success. Instantly a trout is on it!

I strike and have a 2lb fish on my hands. I'm happy now, I can leave and feel that my day has not been wasted. I throw the line out again and again, its fish number two!! How can this be happening to me? Again I throw the same fly in, another! I have three juicy trout in 20 minutes! 2.11lb and 2.2lb. Why that fly? What does it think it is? There were millions of damsel flies around again and this doesn't look anything like a damsel.

So I get home and while gutting the fish decide to open up its stomach and see what's inside. I could not believe what I was seeing. Hundreds of damsel flies and also maybe one third of the contents was a white or cream looking damsel like creature, this is what the fish thought my fly was. Have I stumbled onto the secret of June fishing on this lake? I hope so. You can clearly see them in the last image below. Now all I need is a decent imitation of the damsel - none of the ones I've got so far have worked.

Birthday Fishing with Tennis Elbow

Saturday the 18th, its my birthday and I'm determined to fish no matter what. The weather is shit and wind is howling but at 8.30 I'm on the boat.

Back to lots of fish swimming straight past my fly, I'm changing fly every few minutes and there is no way they are taking my offering!

Cut to 5 hours later, I'm done. For the entire time I was alone on the lake, not a soul to be seen anywhere and it felt like just me and mother nature - and she was winning!

I get home and find I have the aching in the left wrist back again. Luckily we have Clare and Alba staying the night, Clare is an osteopath. She explains that I have the beginning of tennis elbow due to my retrieval technique... I have to develop more style in my casting and retrieving.

As for the trout, they eluded me today and the whole of last week - I ask myself - how can a fish outwit me? What does that say about me!

On Saturdays I Do It Twice

6am I'm awake, may as well fish.

Coffee, shit, car, lake - my needs are simple. Graham is there already, he's caught nothing since dawn. I have to catch, he's a pro and I want to impress. Boat to the nearest buoy, having learned my lesson I put on Fantastic Green Thing - everyone at the moment is insisting that dry flies are the only thing working. I know better!

In ten minutes I have a fish! ! I'm a god! Right in front of his nose, I even shouted over ' look graham, I've got one' - I'm such a bitch!

By ten I'm done, give Graham the 2.4lb monster and go home.

2.30pm Laura watching tennis, I think I'll fish. Now Mr friend/enemy is there - whenever I arrive, he's there with his son and ALWAYS got a fish on the line. (actually he's always nice and friendly, the enemy bit is I my head! ). He's on the bank by the clubhouse, I'm on a boat on the orange buoy. On goes Fantastic Green Thing, in 5 minutes I've got a fish, again right in front of him! I love it, so happy, happy, happy. God, I'm a child!

One interesting thing, on my way out chatted to mr bmw 5 series, he's been catching on a dry fly daddy long legs the last 2 times and caught 2 each time. Shows me the fly on his rod so I know he's not bullshitting me. Must try next time.

PS. Graham shouted over to me this morning, ' you have the most beautiful casting style Grant' - made my day, I'm slowly learning..

Bring Home The Bacon Trout

Thursday.. Friend coming from london for dinner. Trout would be nice! But can I cope with the performance pressure?

Today I'm fishing from the bank. Dry flies. As usual with me, the trout are swarming in my area, looking up at my offering and then pissing off! They were all in the far corner by the gate feeding on damn damsel flies.

3 hours later, I'm sun burned, arm is paralyzed, no fish. I give myself 5 mins, one more fly, and I have to admit defeat and go back to Laura and Carm empty handed. I move to the bank by the straw barrage, put on old friend, The Fantastic Green Thing, instantly I have a fucking fish! ! Joy joy joy..

Fishing with a Pro

I was invited to fish with Graham, a trout & fly fishing veteran. So late yesterday afternoon we met and went out on the boat. Three 'top' flies were recommended and the perfect anchor spot was identified.

My first shock was that for the first time ever, I hooked my fellow boat mate with the fly! Luckily for me it was in his arm. I noticed that he very quickly put on his hat, having already been to A&E that week to have a hook removed.

Fished for 2 hours, not even a bite or an ounce of interest!!

Shows that even with a pro around you cant be assured of a fish. I was disappointed and secretly pleased at the same time. I would have been horrified if we had caught loads, it would have meant that I was a true amateur - now I know I'm a lucky beginner..

BTW - I tried 12 flies in total - all dry flies (daddy-long-legs, spiders, moths, may fly, damsel) and in desperation the Killer Green Monster - still nothing. Still I met an interesting person, who gave me good tips and whose brain I can mine in the future.

Freaky Friday with Mother-in-Law

At the crack of dawn my mother-in-law and myself decided to do a joint fishing trip. Armed with a few new flies and the cool morning breeze to assist us in casting -we took a two man boat and moored ourselves to a buoy.

We first tried with a dry fly to see if the trout were taking from the surface, but I think it was too early in the morning. I should have known as there were no damsel flies to be seen anywhere.

After around half an hour of no action we decided to put on a long green thing that I hoped looked like a hatching damsel fly nymph. Instantly we both got big takes and landed two fish.... Joy of joy, now we have the one under our belts we can relax and enjoy the fishing. (As soon as I catch one, I'm happy to chill and enjoy the scenery).

Now we carried on fishing for another hour and no more bites!! Damn! By this time we could see the Damsel flies hovering above the surface so it was back to the trusty old dry fly. It was my day, I landed a 2lb fish straight off the surface.. So happy!!!

After 4 hours and way too much sun with no protection at all, we called it a day and went back to the jetty. M-i-L saw fish literally swarming around our feet, so we threw in our lines again, I got a take and lost one, but generally they swam right by the flies, turned up their nose and carried on their merry way. Why?? I cannot work out why a fly will work once or twice and then be useless.

It was a fantastic, exciting 5 hours and a great way to end the week.. and how fortunate I am to have a M-i-L that fishes with me..

Dry Fly Day

Today it was suggested that I try a dry fly for the first time. The trout were swarming at the surface to eat the thousands of Damsel Flies that were either on or just above the surface.

I, as usual, sucked the knowledge from the brain of a long-time member, got him to show me a suitable fly and went out on the boat. To keep the fly from sinking I added some floatation liquid to the feathers and this worked well. The trout took the fly in 5 minutes and I then proceeded to loose two, I struck too early and pulled the fly out of the month of the poor fish. I was later told that I should watch the trout take the fly, count to 2 and then strike. I can see how this would work better.

It was so exciting and for the first time I could actually see them swilling around the fly and pop their heads out the water to take a look. Again my heart was pounding and excitement growing as I hoped for a feeding frenzy. At one point I had a take, struck, lost it, threw the fly back in, it took it again, struck too early and then broke my line by being too enthusiastic. Oh well, you live and learn!

My Trout fishing frenzy

During the last week of May, I experienced a feeding frenzy for the first time in my life. I used a fly suggested by a member and it was a Damsel Nymph. (I had never heard of this and went out an bought one immediately)
I cast this fly and within two minutes a fish had taken it, I continued to catch 4 fish in 30 minutes and had I not reached my limit that day I could have caught 4 more. It was amazing and I could feel my heart pumping and excitement building as the fish swarmed around the fly.

May Trout Fishing

Well, May turned out  to be more challenging than April. (one long time member commented that the fish would take a brick if I threw it in the water in April). I had to start to understand what the trout wanted to eat and when. It was interesting to talk to different members who all had opinions on what to fish.

April Flies

April was my first month of membership and I had a lot to learn about the art of trout fishing and fly fishing. I have fished for trout in the past in South Africa, but this was a new situation that needed new knowledge.

Many members have been extremely generous with their knowledge and shared with me some techniques and flies to use.

Here are some that worked in April for me.