FM and AT on the Fly

Dave gives in and lands one on a leech

And it was fishing

But it was nothing at all like that, it was fly rods from about 10am and the sharing of coffee and a wee dram or two as we fished side by side for rainbow trout until it was too dark to see and Aran set off back to Peterborough.

Aran hooks his first fish of the day

We first met at the Go Fishing show at the NEC a couple of years ago, but it was only at a recent Preston Innovations Press day that we spent some time together discussing fishing and business. Like me, Aran is a keen fly fisherman and before the day was out he suggested we have a day together and so I invited him to join me on one of my favourite local fly waters, a club and day ticket water that shuns publicity. We exchanged business cards and the day after Aran emailed me and said he was keen to take me up on my offer.

So, last Friday, a little later than we’d planned, for Aran had been stuck in traffic on the A14, my regular fly fishing partner Dave Chilton and me, met him at a nearby service station and led the way to the fishery.

Graham with one in the net

It could hardly have been a better day weather-wise; flat calm, crisply cool and mainly dull, until the last hour that is, when the low winter sun blazed across the water, lighting everything in shades of bronze and gold. The water had plenty of colour in it, more than usual, but it hadn’t stopped the trout from swirling and leaping on the flat surface. It was with a keen sense of anticipation we walked around to the far bank and fished three adjoining swims, all requiring wading to get the best from them.

Dave was on the left, me in the middle and Aran on the right (we swapped swims with each other regularly throughout the day), with a tree separating us. We’d been told that leeches were the going fly so I tied on an olive one, Aran a natural brown one, and Dave decided he was going to chance his arm with a buzzer.

Oh dear, a bit of a robble (as they say in Stoke)

“I’ll give you 10 minutes before you’re swapping the buzzer for a leech.” I said to him, grinning.

But I was wrong, it took about 20 minutes, and three 4lb-plus trout to me on the olive leech, before he swapped!

Then the three of us were catching fish nice and steadily through the day, swapping flies occasionally just for the hell of it or when sport slowed down. At one stage we all swapped rods, which wasn’t a good idea for Aran as he won’t be happy now until he has a Sage! Dave kept us well entertained as usual with stories about life in 1930’s Manchester (even though he was born a decade later). One interesting yarn that didn’t surprise me was that at one time, when he worked for a daily newspaper, he earned more from an enterprising tea brewing business for the workers when they had their breaks than he did in wages. And when he was made redundant he offered to carry on in the job for no pay! No wonder he’s made such a success of Kryston Advanced Angling.

We changed flies regularly but it was the leech that scored best

We discussed the angling media and tackle industry occasionally as we fished and when we rested the fishing for a brew and a small tot of finest malt. No, it wasn’t a busman’s holiday but three anglers who shared a common interest being as we’re involved in the industry in one way or another. It wasn’t surprising that the three of us recognised that the angling industry on the internet was growing rapidly while the best of the print media barely held its own and the worst was gradually going under. The news that the regional publications, Northern, Midland and Southern Angler, had suspended publication didn’t come as a great shock to any of us. But it was with a sense of regret because it is yet another sign that all is not well on the angling front and the industry simply can’t sustain all the publications that want a bite out of an increasingly dwindling pie.

Back to the fishing, at least that doesn’t change much, for although there are fewer of us the enjoyment of each individual remains as intense as ever.

Dave into another one

Although we tried several different fly patterns, with buzzers catching the occasional fish and Dave catching quite well on a spider pattern, the leech, in various colours, but particularly black, did best.

The fish were coming short on lots of retrieves. You could have as many as three or four sharp pulls in one retrieve, and no matter how you varied the retrieve – fast, slow, short and long pulls – it didn’t make any difference. Nor did altering the depth as they definitely wanted it within 2ft of the surface.

Graham with a nice brace that were destined for the pot

I don’t know how many we would have caught had we successfully hooked just half of the aborted takes we had, but as it was we caught 32 rainbows between us, with 90% of them over 4lb, and several of them going 5 – 6lb.

It was a day when business rivalry was put to one side when three anglers thoroughly enjoyed doing what they do best. Website visitor and magazine circulation figures were forgotten about when yet another hard-fighting rainbow slammed into a fly and the rod bent into a exhilarating curve.

As well as a great fishing result on the day, the best result was that good friendships were forged and I have no doubt whatsoever that we’ll be enjoying each other’s company again in the not so distant future.