sooooooooo its been ages since i updated the blog, i promise this will not happen again!
On Friday i decided i should make the best of my only day off in a fortnight and head out for a few casts.The original plan was to cycle to a nearby quarry that is rammed with perch, fish for an hour or two, then head home and get geared up for a visit to my local-ish hill burn.
After the 30 minute (uphill) ride there i fought my way through the woods to find somebody sitting in one of the two fishable swims. Bugger.
Not to worry, the canal is only five minutes away i reasoned, thankfully the rest of the ride was downhill. I had a few casts for the perch without any interest until i noticed a shoal of roach feeding on the surface, The decision was easy. On with a wee klink that a friend was kind enough to give me and away i go.
Roach are frustrating targets on the fly at the best of times but these chaps were especially awkward! I was getting nibbles on the fly approximately every ten seconds from the wee roach but none were taking with any conviction. after 8976689728697 failed strikes i moved on.
Quarter of a mile or so further east i spotted a smaller shoal of better sized fish, thankfully these fish were a bit more eager, within seconds i was into a wee roach. Im not gonna pretend that roach of this size are fighters but the challenge they present on the fly makes them worth targetting. Over the next hour or so i managed a couple more, some of the takes were surprisingly aggressive considering how placid they usually are.In amongst one of the shoals i spotted a few rogue perch, busy picking off the smaller members of the group. Now would be a good time to chuck on a lure i thought.
Two or three casts later a perch of about 5 ounces smashed into my fly harder than i thought possible for such a wee fish! Watching these wee bullies chase a fly is a real pleasure, dorsal fins erect and gills flared they really are an impressive sight. generally they take close to the bank so although your not fishing on the surface, sport is very visual. I find that exploiting the overly aggressive, predatory nature of the perch is one of the best ways to use a fly rod.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon i watched scores of these wee predators chase and attack my fly, i spotted some really nice fish, nudging 2lbs i guess, but the older, wiser fish couldnt be any less interested in my streamers.
At about 4 o'clock i decided i was well and truly satisfied so began the trek home, figuring that the dual carriageway i have to cross would be safer now than if i left it a bit later. Just before turning off the canal track i bumped into an older guy i meet quite regularly on the canal bank, a keen trout angler himself we never struggle for things to talk about. He recently started fishing for coarse species, pike and perch namely and is always keen to learn about these fish and methods of catching them, an attitude i admire as most older anglers i meet are quick to tell me im wrong or that you "canny catch on the flee in the canal".
I was especially chuffed to learn that advice i gave him a few weeks ago helped him catch his new pb pike.
He shared some stories about his trout adventures in years past, tours of the west coast lasting weeks at a time, fishing every burn, river or loch that he set eyes on. Ive always enjoyed listening to stories about trout fishing from years ago, before sea trout were a myth and pre bow-hole dominance.
Anyways, Two hours later he cycled away, and i spotted some more roach rising....To cut a long story short they teased and frustrated me to the point of insanity so i chucked on a streamer again in an attempt to make the extra hours worthwhile. After drawing blanks at a few swims i managed the best perch of the day, by no means a monster at about hand size he still managed to put up an admirable scrap on the 3 weight rod. He topped off a day that despite not going to plan, turned out to be amazing.
I didnt feel like a had missed out by not chasing the trout, i couldnt have had a more fun day with a fishing rod. My two hour taster turned into an 11 hour epic, fuelled by two packets of crisps and a can of coke. All in all it was magic. The roach presented a fantastic challenge whereas the perch provided some exciting sport.
