Feel the pull
BY LOUIS FEROX FINGERS crossed we’re not getting locked down and you’ve all got plans to get some self isolation and peace and quiet on your local as soon as the 2020 Trout season opens up.
I’ve renewed one ticket and got my name down for a new club this year and I’m looking forward to getting out and about again now the evenings are stretching.
If you are after a salmon though, now might be the time to get a line wet.
The catches have been coming in steadily, the water’s probably higher than you’d like but Scotland isn’t keen on supplying perfect conditions.
The Dee’s report had 18 fresh fish last week with a couple of springers over 20lb on Lower Crathes.
Fish are coming off from the Findhorn to the Bladnoch.
I was at my desk on Monday morning when I got sent a shot of my friend playing a big fish in an even bigger river up on the Tay at Catholes.
They’d been drifting and harling through the beat having to fish hard with heavy sinktip lines and tube flies in order to get them down and fishing.
With the water up like it was you’d be thinking it was spinning only, his boat partner had picked up an out of season Brownie on the fixed spool.
It’s a long day casting a double-hander in the rain without much success.
But they persevered and just before this hook up, they’d had a couple of definite pulls, maybe missed their chance and put the fish down but my pal wanted to come back through.
On the second pass, there was a pull, a longer pull to try your patience, and then it was off to the races as he lifted into a 15lb sea liced fish.
In heavy water like this, the retreat to the bank was welcome but the normal edge of the water is about six feet out just now, so some careful wading and a good netsman is definitely required.
This weekend I’m off for a day of Fly vs Jerk on one of the big lochs before the trout kicks off.
I’m probably going to end up playing Ghillie to my boat partner.
All anglers have differences from time to time, the ethics of fishing the worm for salmon or powerbait for trout, there’s always a discussion whether it only counts on fly or you should just fish to the conditions.
No matter the disagreement, all fisherfolk are cut from a similar cloth and that means we all know of that delight when a line tightens and pulls away, even when it’s not on your rod.