Total Flyfisher Magazine

I started where my mates – who were on the rudder at the main basin tower drifting into  Barnhill Creek – had caught the day before. They struggled this time, though; I spoke to them at the end of the day and they had four and nine trout, although both had fish over 5lb!

It was too windy to fish properly there for me and my boat partner – he borrowed my Di7 as he has no fast-sinking lines – although we gave it two 20-min drifts, but nowt!

My boat partner didn’t like it much either, so we went off to the safety of the monument into the corner of the dam, where it was BOAT CITY, and shedloads of bankies. It was a pain getting in and out as the fish were in the shallow water, which meant catching bottom and very, very short drifts. Some anglers were drifting way out, silly really, there was nothing there!

I managed two in here on a Pink Regurgitator three feet off the bottom and dropped one, so did my boat partner.

I suggested we start bouncing our way up the bank; he caught one just off Sykes, we then did another drift, again nowt. Then I started in the middle of Whitewell and drifted out past the point towards S buoy, again nice shallow water.

My mate had one and soon after that I ‘broke’ the Di8 (it was caught in the engine) so then I was snookered – it was too windy and I’d half a Di8! I needed to move.

I was going to go to Belgrano but the amount of birds working Whitewell Frontage was silly! Still, I had to have a look. An hour later and I had seven, my boat partner had one. Four on Pink three feet off bottom, one on a  buzzer in the middle and two on my little Black Biscuit on the point, eight feet off the end of the line.

My line by now was goosed, lots of the coating had come off so it kept catching on the tip ring. It also became bad for tangles as it starts to coil after being retrieved, so I took the thing off then mucked about with the buzzers. Silly boy, but I’m fishing Dave Hodgeson’s match soon so thought I’d see what’s what – it’s midge-tip lines only in that comp!

The next hour or so saw my boat partner on my Di7, oh and my flies, get seven, so he finished before me. Give him his due he did keep asking if I needed it back – I’d said no until then!

First cast with the Di7, fish on, netted and done – another quick bag on Rutland Water!