Monday 1 June 2009

A taste of salt?








Life has been sparse on the pike front BUT I’ve been playing with the fly tying and had a go at salt water fly fishing as an aside to a night away with friends last Friday.

I’ve included photos of the flies I tied for interest and comment.

Friday was a little cloudy to say the least and Janet and I thought that this was it for the day… to prove us wrong Anglesey was bathed in glorious sunshine! Well for a short time anyway… my pal Nick and I launched the RIB in what could have only been described as a pea souper, the sea mist came in thick and fast. With state of the art GPS plotting we set forth to meet Janet and Clare our respective wives and Anna (Nick and Clare’s daughter) at a bay along the coast for a spot of lunch. Civilised!

It was a little weird navigating in the mist but without a hitch we arrived in time for lunch. Bathed in sunshine and with the mist rolling back we decided to head for the Skerries a treacherous landfall surmounted by a lighthouse. We were beaten back twice by the mist that decided to envelope us again, we gave it best and I was allowed to fish for a while… I used the sand eel pattern exclusively on the floating line (yes I should have gone for the sinker!). No fish for tea then.

At about 1630 hrs we saw the lighthouse through the mist… galvanised into action within seconds the rod and line was away and we were speeding toward the Skerries. A minor hiccup, the mist came in again but we were so close to our goal we kept on. As if by magic we broke through the mist to find the islands bathed in glorious sunshine. Our skipper (Nick) skilfully manoeuvred us into the lagoon beneath the lighthouse to a welcoming wave from a seal sunning himself on a rock.

I have to say that it was a real privilege to be able to be there… it was an idyll and one of those places you must see before you depart the mortal coil!

Arctic terns nesting in their hundreds if not thousands and puffins stocking up on sand eels made this an unforgettable visit… we were alone in one of the most tranquil places on earth… no noise save for the birds and the occasional snort from a seal or two (alone apart from the girl from the RSPB that is!).

All too soon we had to leave to skim at high speed across one of the most dangerous pieces of water in the British Isles. No fish BUT the barbeque called.

I tried in vain at slack water to fish again for bass… no luck. However, we feasted on sausages swilled down with beer watching the sun go down on a great day in the company of great friends!







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