Friday 13th… those with a superstitious mind shy away from the number 13; I on the other hand have always felt that it was my lucky number!
It is great being able to converse with one of pike fly fishing’s “greats”… Barry Reynolds and include him in the blog. However, it is probably more rewarding putting the theory into practice and getting a result.
We were meant to be going to Kielder for the weekend but the youngest turned up a very nasty flu like virus and had a raised temperature… so that was the end of the weekend away! Shame but never mind we’ll do it again.
By way of consolation I decided to go chucking flies for pike… so far I haven’t gone a week without a pike. Would we blank today? Each of my trips out recently I’ve tried something new… I’m a self taught fly fisher and style isn’t perhaps the best. The Rio Striped Bass intermediate is a great line and I have caught all this year’s fish on it. However, I have struggled getting distance on the cast and I have found that unlike the Cortland 333 Pike it picks up grime and has to be cleaned mid session. So the something new… well I guess it is double hauling BUT I’m now loading up the rod more and using it to its full potential… WOW I’m actually getting real distance on my casts today. Perhaps the middle of the lake will be achievable at some point!
I’m debating on whether to buy a Guideline Pike sink tip fly line in readiness for a big trip at the end of March… do I or don’t I? Fishing from a boat will be a bit different to casting from the bank. I might just have to think what direction my fishing is going and off load a bunch of lures to balance the books!
Back to today… After ferrying a small boy to the doctor and cancelling the trip I decided to head off. On reaching the venue I had a chat with one of the regulars… he’d accounted for 5 perch and a solitary roach! Mmmm… lunchtime and in my haste hadn’t packed any food. Fatal flaw for someone who works on his stomach! It was going to be a long afternoon; many pattern changes in each swim and changes in the wind didn’t help.
I had a sneaking suspicion that nothing would happen until the sun started to dip away and I wasn’t far wrong… back to where I started after covering a large amount of water and using a roach pattern fly of my own making, I started to cast for Britain! Having found the measure of the rod and line I allowed the intermediate to drop in the water using the countdown method… “Damn I’ve caught a snag” You know that thought! And the relief when the snag moves!!
After a short tussle a 5lb ish pike was banked!
Friday 13th… very lucky for some!
2 comments:
Ive just about had it up to here reading about all the fishing you are managing to get done and catching fish as well : )
I am so envious.......you have no idea.
Hilarious... hehe you suffering cabin fever...? just think it won't be that long before the ice goes and you'll be back to fishing in nirvana!!
By the way I guessed by the way we were going post for post in our respective blogs you were feeling it :)
The question is "How can I swing a trip to Finland?"
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