Sometimes you just need to share..
Got the chance, at very short notice, to finish work early yesterday - so I grabbed my rod and bag and shot off to Hanningfield before anyone suggested an alternative (such as decorating the downstairs loo, for example). When I arrived it was windy, very windy, and blowing straight down the lake towards the main dam. I had to bank fish, so opted for Middlemead Bay (which was relatively sheltered) and worked my way around towards Saltmarsh Point. After a couple of hours I hadn't had a sniff, and hadn't seen any signs of fish. I suspected I needed to be fishing the deeper water off the dam, especially as the sun was bright, but I'm a relative novice caster and knew I would struggle in the wind.
Then I noticed a chap, huddled against the wind on the dam, catch one. And another. Then a couple of guys bait fishing caught one each. I decided to give it a go, and picked a spot halfway along towards the big structure (what is that thing? a pump house?). As I passed the chap who was doing the proper fishing, he landed a six pounder! "hares ear, gold bead" was his response to my polite enquiry, and my spirits lifted further - I had one of those!
On it went, along with a couple of other nymphs on droppers, and the tangles started. More trout were landed by the bait fishers, and the fly fisher, so I had a think. Off came the floating line, and on went a sink tip. I shortened the leader and went with a single fly, and finally I started to get a half decent line out. And then I caught one! Almost at the end of my short retrieve the line tightened and I was in.. and a short while later a gleaming, pristine three pounder was in the net. Then, twenty minutes after this, I had another which was almost identical - happy days!
But it wasn't over yet. On unhooking the second trout I somehow managed to snap the point off the hook - and I only had the one weighted GRHE! I tried unweighted versions and had nothing. I tried other weighted lures and had nothing. Finally, I put on a small weighted black and green montana nymph - it was the wrong colour, but the right size, but I had never used it before. I stuck with it for longer than I would normally, because for some reason it all just felt right. And I'm glad I did, because eventually the line tightened again and I felt what was obviously a very heavy fish. It powered off on numerous runs, staying deep, and I was starting to question my decision to use a 6lb leader. Eventually it surfaced some way down the bank, and it looked huge! Now I was nervous, this was clearly something very special. I played it carefully, and made my way towards the fish with my net.. which proved to be entirely inadequate as I struggled to get the trout in it. On the third attempt, looking a complete amateur, I managed it. I dropped my rod, grabbed the net with both hands, and heaved it up the bank. The trout, a rainbow, weighed twelve pounds exactly!!!
I was dumbstruck. It was also time to head home, so off I went. It didn't seem right to carry on after that anyway. The missus and the kids were at the in-laws so I went to the pub. They had my favourite beer on as a guest ale (Tribute), so the day continued to throw up surprises. I drank far too much of it, and I'm paying the price for that this morning.. but the urge to share my story, despite repeating it numerous times in the pub to anyone who would listen (and a few who wouldn't), remains strong. So there you have it, and if you've read this far then thankyou too for listening! :-)
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