holes we had previously found worthwhile, but nothing stirred today. As the day wore on and different flies were tried I surveyed my flypatch and decided to give a Sooty olive a turn, for a simple reason: it had a history of working for me in the early season. However choice of flies is very personal and a lot to do with confidence. I remember recommending this fly to a friend and he fished it intensely before dismissing it as about as much use as an ashtray on a motorcycle.


We motored to the shallows that run like a spine through Greenfields bay and I began to fish the team with twitchy pulls among the rocks. Within a few minutes a solid thump hit my tail fly, the sooty, and I was in battle with a good trout of two pounds plus, who did his best to return to the rocky home he had previously inhabited. It as a fine feeling to slide your net under the first good trout of the year and I let out the customary whoop as he came aboard.


As the evening came we did a few drifts within sight of the moorings and a few more small trout kept us on our toes. Well satisfied with our day afloat we came ashore and there was Raymond with pep in his step, and a pretty amazing story to tell. With his broken rod flapping out a few yards of line, he managed to land six fine trout in a small bay, a great days fishing in anybody's book.


A fine start to a season and indeed to an angling career. In the car on the way home the slagging reached epic proportions.


Beginners luck was mentioned, once or twice!!


I Shoot and Fish E-Zine March 2012


11


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