Thanks all, well i am home, and "DREAMS do come true"
Got up at 4am and on the way by 4.20, the weather down here was ok, but as i got ever closer it got worse and worse. I arrived at the gates at 7.20 and Dejori was in the office and let me start early, to be honest the water was clear as a bell, but the wind and the drizzle put paid to any real hope of proper stalking
I went around lake 1 and the first half is choca with week, but the second half was where all the fish were. I couldnt spot anything serious so just had a chuck at some shapes, and it wasnt long before a 6 and 3/4lb rainbow enhaled the fly. Faught like a demon and caused an over run on the reel, which i managed to untangle and play the fish out.
I then had a walk aroud 2, but it was imposible to see a thing so went up to 3 on the right bank and found under the trees aas far as you are allowed to go a school of fish and targeted the biggest with a catapult cast, unfortunately the smallest grabed it before i could get it out of the way LOL, never before have i said a 5 and3/4lb bow as unfortunate. Had a great tussle amounst the trees.
On the way back down at the start of lake 3 i thought i could make out a larger trout and hit it on the nose, it was chasing and Wham, got side swiped by a 4 and 1/2lb bow, i was cussing it, but to be honest soon forgot about it and enjoyed yet another real clash with this one running me down to backing
I then said to myself sod it its only 9am and i aint casting till i get a good chance at a better fish, by then alot of anglers had turned up, so i had 2 cups of coffee watching others bending into 5-7lb trout.
I went of mooching around, and the weather was getting kind of better. I must of walked miles looking in all the nooks and crannies, then all of a sudden the sun came out and i noticed anglers starting to concentrate in groups of 3 or 4 casting regulary, obviously at the bigger fish, mainly in lake 1, a big fish under a tree and 1 also in the centre had most of the attention, so i left them to it, another larger fish in the inlet of 3 had a guy well focused, i think it was the one i saw earlier. So off i went again mooching about up on 3, after a while 2 and 3 where devoid of anglers and as i passed between the two lakes i noticed a larger fish sitting on the bottom next to the out flow of 2, first catapult cast went in my thumb LOL, second cast aggrivated him and it snapped at the fly, i struck, fly in tree GGGRRRRRR. i changeded to a small yellowy/reen pheasant tail and jiggled it infront of its nose and i saw a flash of white from its job and struck, fish on, It went at a steady pace in a straight line from one side of the lake to the other, i couldnt do owt to turn it or stop it, then it came back to where it was laying to start with, this fish didnt know it was hooked, then it woke up and went mental towing me aroud the top half of the lake. i finally got it in and 2 anglers came over and shook my hand it was just great. The fish was 13lb exactly and i am over the moon.
The owner was brilliant, very friendly and a joy to talk too, as was Dejori, the other anglers too were brilliant, moving aroud you carefully if you were trying to stalk and chatty if nothing was happening, i couldnt of wished for a better day.
the flies i used, top caught the biggy, middle caught 1 and the bottom one was a simple leadshot thing i tied up last night which they were going mental over
fishing at Avington
) have a look at my Avington Blog:
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