One Fly, one dace

I took part in the One Fly competition on the River Test the other week. I plan to have a report in my fishing section soon when the FT gets round to publishing it.

For my own part I found it a little disappointing hauling out(not many)rainbow trout stockies from cloudy water on a fast retrieved nymph. It's not the way I like to fish a chalk stream.

The weather was warm yesterday so I popped down to the River Wey near Elstead only to find that it too was cloudy, like thin cocoa. There was nothing doing but on my way back to the car I saw a fish taking insects from the surface. It was a peculiar swirling rise, not like that you get from a trout or even a grayling.

Anyway I stuck a little black fly on, had it taken, and there was a dace. Just one little fish but it made the trip worthwhile somehow.

Here today, gone by Mayfly time

After three happy years writing the FT fishing column my tenure is coming to an end in April, just before the Mayfly hatch. It's time to move on. At least that's what they have told me. Now I know how a Mayfly shuck feels.

It's been a breeze - every bit of it. I have met some great people and made a lot of friends. I wouldn't know where to start the thank yous but people such as Orri Vigfusson, Peter McLeod and Simon Cooper have helped me so much in that time. They have taught me a lot and given me some great fishing experiences. I wish them all well.

This isn't the end of my fishing writing. I'm just getting going. I will be writing here regularly but I will be back somewhere else in the paper medium very soon. Watch this blog for developments.