I’m introducing Gareth to Flyfishing. We’ve done some casting on the lawn and even a few drifts on the common waters. It was time to put a fly on his leader and let him lose on the river.
Recent rainfall had made the lower waters a bit murky so we headed to the upper Bok, the top portion of Birnam. We affixed brightly coloured hoppers (thanks Sci-fly), visible flies as it was a dull day. I demonstrated a few techniques to Gareth and moved to the other bank, I was trying to keep Gareth’s feet dry at this stage. He was on the bank next to a deeper channel with a cobbled bottom. The water was cool (10 degrees C). Blue skies showed occasionally but it was generally overcast.
Gareth shouted and I saw him with his rod bent. I crossed the stream to help him land and release the fish, we did so, a pretty rainbow of about 10 “. Gareth had worked out where the fish were lying and proceeded to take another.
We split up again and moved upstream, I noticed that Gareth was now I the water and on a mission. He proceeded to miss a few and take a few more fish. Between us we must have taken about a dozen fish, all on dries; Elk hair caddis and Hoppers. The fish were certainly more interested in dries than nymphs and were to be found in slightly deeper channels with cobbled bottoms. We failed to find fish in the sections with sandstone bedrock bottoms. The memory of the day was of a larger fish (between 15 & 18” ) that broke me up in a pile of roots and branches.
The area is really fishing well. Welcome to the brotherhood Gareth !!!