sort of rainproof cover for my shoes on Carra. The Conn fish was flicked aboard with the base of a Kelly kettle!
I think once in our long partnership did Phillip forget the Kelly kettle and that was a major upset for me, a serious tea drinker. After sulking a bit I scouted in the islands undergrowth till I founded a lager can which was hastily remodelled by my pocket knife and was soon boiling up a brew. Where's there's a will there a way!
Anyway, satisfied I had all the gear required for the day, I met up with my partner and we headed for Greenfields bay, Lough Corrib, stopping to pick up an aspiring young angler, Raymond, who was meeting up with an angler at the lake shore. Half the joy of a day out with the lads is the crack, the tales, the slagging, and the road passed quickly as we indulged in plenty of each. Tackling up at the shore, and with my lunch bag being hassled by the resident three-legged dog of Greenfields bay I reflected: all is well with the world, another miserable winter has passed, and the Gods of angling have decreed that I would fish for another season. There is a fresh- ness about the early season, a sense of giddiness, a newness that’s infectious. As usual I regaled Raymond with my latest creation from the tying vice (the Baggett
Bumble, the Sharon Stonefly, and the O Flynn Flue brush were examples, patterns that promised more than they delivered!) I held up a weird creation and told him this was going to be the hot fly this season .Whets it called he asked.?
The “Jaw fly I replied. Come again? he asked .The J.A.W fly ,I replied—Just Add Water.!!
We hit the water and before long, drifting the shallows off Inchiquin I felt the shiver in the line and whipped the rod upwards. A hard fighting Corrib trout threw himself into the air, spraying droplets and shaking his head. As he settled, I turned to Phillip and crowed -“first trout to me, beat you for once". He smiled and cast leisurely. “Don’t speak too soon, you have just lost that trout!!” And surely I felt that awful slack line feeling, and could only smile as I rarely, if ever, beat Phillip at this game. And sure enough as lunchtime beckoned he had caught and released two fish, keepers but slatty after the long winter, while I had that sole contact.
We had arranged to meet on an island for lunch break and the minute I saw Ray- mond I knew all was not well. As we fed he told me the story: their boat had run up on rocks and in the ensuing chaos his rod had came to grief. None of us had a spare rod, and he was looking, or rather, not looking forward to an afternoon of sit- ting on his hands. It was broken at the top section so I snapped it near a ring and fed the line through, thinking at least it will give him something to do, trying to cast a few yards with this contraption. To cheer him up and lighten the mood I began to talk rubbish about the difference between a large chirognomy and a small duck fly I saw hovering in the air as we
ate.To our amazement another guy who was dining took up the argument with me, thinking I was serious and an amusing interval fol- lowed, me hamming it up to the last and at least Raymond was chuckling as we cast off.
Back on the water and feeling a bit more confident I remarked to Phillip this will be a game of two halves. I set too casting with a will and was rewarded by a small trout from the rocks which I carefully released, asking him to send his big brother out to battle. The breeze dropped away to a ripple and we decided to try a few duckfly
I Shoot and Fish E-Zine March 2012 10
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78