Just returned from a wonderful, fishless salmon trip from Scotland. Thought this part of a story from Donny Donovan summed it all up very well. Anyone else recognise this feeling?


You either really get it, or you very don’t.

Last year I was lucky enough to once again fish on the mighty river Tweed during the prime month of November and had a truly wonderful time catching absolutely nothing at all. Back end fishing on the Tweed is hard to come by and on some beats a case of dead mans’ shoes although no matter how stupidly sought after and ludicrously over priced, there is never a guarantee on numbers of salmon caught. Salmon fishing is always something of a gamble but back end fishing on a spate Scottish river is akin to betting fifty quid on a three-legged donkey at Aintree with every chance that you wont even wet a line let alone actually tighten into something.
This strange tradition involves forking out a small mortgage, looking forward to the fishing all year, going through all the hassle of packing, airports, cancelled flights, lost luggage and rip off hotels only to be told on arrival that it’s not stopped raining somewhere the other side of Scotland a hundred miles from where you are fishing that has somehow made your beat rise about fifteen feet. You are obviously expected to accept this as typical of your bad luck and start saving for next years fishing, if of course you are lucky enough to be offered it.
The river was actually in good condition during November but none of us caught anything because, according to our happy go lucky laugh a minute ghillie, it was slightly too warm, the river a few inches too low and we were all wearing the wrong colour underpants.
I caught a plane back to Heathrow from Edinburgh arriving at 8.30 pm hoping to be met by my darling wife. Once we landed I switched my phone back on to let my wife know I was there and tell me where she was parked. When I got through to her she was still sat in the armchair at home as there had been a terrible accident and the motorway to the airport had been shut. Yes I know there are other routes from Southampton to Heathrow but have learnt never to question the motifs or integrity of a fishing widow.
To cut a painful story short I eventually caught a coach from Heathrow to Southampton via every bloody town, village and bus stop in southern England and arrived back at about midnight. My wife picked me up from the coach station and we were at home by a quarter to one in the morning. On the way back home in the car I was telling her all about the horrendous journey, the delays, the filthy coach station full of filthy people and that I was never going to fly from Heathrow again etc. “Never mind darling, how many did you catch?” she asked with a total lack of interest. “Nothing.” I replied, “None of us caught a thing but it was absolutely fantastic, we had a great time and my casting was much better than last year.”
She looked at me in bewildered silence slowly shaking her head and eventually muttered, “So all that and you never caught a thing? Sorry, I just don’t get it.”
I totally accept and understand why she doesn’t get it; in fact I’d probably be slightly worried if she did. Although I’d lied about costs she undoubtedly knew that the three days fishing had cost me about a month’s wages, I’d had the journey from hell, caught absolutely cock all but had, apparently, had a great time. It was a difficult one to comprehend but she just put it down to her general suspicions as a river keeper’s wife that all salmon fishermen are complete tosspots.
That is the thing not just about salmon fishermen but fishing in general, you either really get it or you very don’t.

Donny Donovan 2006

Reg Wyatt

im going to print this out and leave it in the kitchen.

This the one you lost erlier Reg, I would have been Pi*sed of as well.hope my plan worked.
And your right, you get it or you don't.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

Americans wil never ever get it, ever.

I recounted to an american a friend's experience of 3 days salmon fishing in Scotland, caught a nice fish, his first ever Salmon at 4pm on the third day. the American , a seasoned fisherman , couldnt understand why he stayed longer than lunch time on the first day

For the same reason they can never understand why you can have a good "soccer" match with a score of 1-0

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" If you stand by the river long enough the bodies of all your enemies will float by"

Yes, thankyou as usual for your help Jim. My typing is painfully slow and this bloody computer has been that close to being lauched through the window. A bad tradesman blaming his tools etc. Thanks again.

Reg Wyatt. (I get it. Fishing that is.)

Absolute cracker Reg; I'm about to join those ranks in April. I know I'll get it though