Not that tenuous actually..
Pike Flies
These flies were sent to me by Simon Graham – you can buy some of these enormous beast attractors here.
You can see more tenuous fishing photos here
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I am down at the vet school for a walk… the joys of mobile internet!
Powered by Twitter Tools It was cold and the wind was blowing – usually I would just score some brownie points and sit it out knowing that in a few weeks things are going to look a lot better weather wise for trout fishing however there was an itch that had to be scratched and that itch was for Pike. My fishing companions were Campbell and Ewan – Ewan had never caught a Pike before so it also made the trip a bit more exciting regaling him with stories of enormous teeth and ferocious monsters.  Big fly for a big fish Of course all the talk seemed a bit pish as after the first hour it looked like we were going to blank – we did not see any fish at all in the margins – so we decided to try some deeper water (3 footish) – we were bothered quite a bit by weed however Campbell found a channel down the middle where all the Pike were lurking so after taking the picture of his catch I started to cast away frantically– he only noticed this sneaky weasel manouvre after I caught a pike – nice one!
 A Bend in the Sage - Campbell The wind was fair blowing causing some pretty meaty waves – I suspect the Pike (which were all Jacks – the biggest maybe just above the 5-6lb mark) were using the waves as cover to pounce on any passing bait-fish – the takes to the flies were on the whole very visual – when a Pike took you could see them crash into the fly on the surface – we eventually worked out that they were all pretty definitely in the one channel – we lined up appropriately…  Lined up - waves at the back.. Pretty soon Campbell and I had a few Pike under our belts however Ewan was still struggling – we could not work out what he was doing differently – he was using an ever so slightly smaller fly ..  Holding the Beast! The way the Pike were taking the flies was very varied – sometimes the fly would be just in their mouths and on others the fly would be down the throat..  Fly down the throat! I am reminded of my first few trips out after Pike after raking a long break and being scared that I would scrape my fingers with the teeth – I did do that actually – I remember a couple of guys looking at the blood dripping from my fingers with good humour however these days it takes literally a few seconds to get the fly out..  Holding a Pike Even chinning Pike now holds no problems – the first time I chinned a Pike I was pretty nervous however after seeing how secure and safe the fish is I now use the technique with confidence. Sadly we found evidence of guys that had not been so careful with their fish – Pike have a reputation for being hardy souls however they are pansies when it comes to taking any kind of abuse – they go belly up quite quickly..  Dead Pike As you can see the fish was also damaged by a bird – not sure if this was after death or not – at least its nutrients will go back into the system and will feed the insects, the small fish, the bigger bait fish and then will finally feed the big Pike again. I have seen several fish in this area that have been damaged by anglers – Pike fishing seems to attract people who are ill equipped o deal with them.  A Pike in the water - grab it! Feeling a bend in the rod after the cold months of winter felt great – the jacks put up a fair scrap even on my 9 weight loop. All the Pike we caught were in great condition – they were fat and ready for some hot sex – we commented on how some of them seemed to have small heads not in proportion to their bodies.  Run Run Run... We wondered why Ewan had still not caught anything – I changed places with him and instantly had a Pike at my fly – we changed his fly – not long after he finally broke his cherry and caught himself a Jack of a few pounds – sadly no photo as it got off at the last moment before pick up however at least contact was made..  At last a fish... As I was righting this post I received a cracking email from Simon Graham. Simon is quite literally the king of the Pike fishers – he runs three excellent resources for Pike Fly Anglers. Pike Fly Fishing Articles - Simon’s blog dedicated to Pike fly fishing Baltic Pike Flies – Simon’s store to buy flies for the monsters Baltic Pike Tours – Simon’s guided trips The email was so good as he had tied me up some of his flies and sent some to me – we bloggers do nice things like that for each other – if he ever came over here I would be taking him fishing near some abandoned burnt out cars in the Kelvin. I must say the flies are going to arrive at just the right time – just in time to whet my appetite or the new season of both trout and Pike. Bring it on – when baby allows ~grin~ Today I actually went fishing – a report on that Piketastic Extravaganza to follow – however this weeks tenuous picture is an image of some of my fishing gear in “winter mode”  A heap in my attic! I have no idea what I was thinking when I decided to stick all my gear in a heap in my attic – needless to say it meant trying to find anything was a bit of a nightmare – in fact I think I have lost a fly reel – there is every possibility that the last person I leant it too still has it (you know who you are). When I told fishing buddy Campbell he wondered how I could lose anything considering I keep my reels in a “poofy bag” ahem! You can see more tenuous fishing photos here
Powered by Twitter Tools It is a pile of litter next to a burn..
You guys that follow me on Twitter have already seen this photo during the week – I have been taking pictures of litter next to water – this wee bridge goes over a burn somewhere and is used as a dumping ground by the looks of things. I want to fish the burn – it holds trout. You can see more tenuous fishing photos here Loads of people are going on about this being the first week of the season – it does not look like it to me to be honest – I mean it is bloody freezing out there, well not freezing like -15 however a pretty chilly 8-10 degrees – and it has only been like that for a few days – we need a good consistent spell of mild weather to see any kind of action – saying that I am perfectly willing to be out-fished by anyone willing to put the time in. Anyway – I have been getting my fishy fix in other ways: [singlepic id=106 w=320 h=240 float=center] I popped along to the annual Glasgow Angling Centre opening day last week and ran into none other than long time reader and fishing presenter Paul Young: [singlepic id=99 w=320 h=240 float=center] A true gent of the angling world (unlike John Wilson who blanked me last year) – this time we promised to meet up and have a fish (we have been threatening this for years now) Browsing around the offers I noticed a rather good deal on powerbait – 2 for 1- the chap from Fulling Mill gave me funny looks for this photo: [singlepic id=109 w=320 h=240 float=center] Speaking of dodgy shit – I was wandering up an isle when I ran into The River Kelvin Angling Association Secretary Paul Reid idly fingering a gaff: [singlepic id=98 w=320 h=240 float=center] I jest, I jest – it was a set up – I made him hold the gaff just for the picture – just in case anyone takes it seriously out there. We actually hunted around the shop to get a picture of him with some rod rests however they were either not on sale or they were sold out! Instead we went for a wander out to the casting area and then to the canal and enjoyed some of those loops… [singlepic id=104 w=320 h=240 float=center] That wee casting area is growing on me actually.. [singlepic id=102 w=320 h=240 float=center] I met finally and spoke for a while to Steve Cooper of Cookshill Fly Tying and this is where things get a bit spooky – totally unknown to me someone was taking my picture.  I look good from behind... That is right – Hillend Dabbler thought he would dish out some of my own medicine by snapping a photo of me and posting it in the forum. I suppose it is slightly less spooky than when my now fishing buddy Campbell sent me an email before he was my fishing buddy that stated “I was behind you in the queue in Ikea” I also watched Davie McPhail tye up some of his flies: [singlepic id=108 w=320 h=240 float=center] All in all it was the usual extravaganza that the GAC put on looking forward to the next one already – I managed to get through the whole day without not spending a penny – at the time that seemed good however now I realise I have no tapered leaders or tippet so am pretty screwed. Ah well! Ha – you guys thought I had forgot eh? I thought for my tenth tenuous fishing pic I would post a pic that I took the other day and posted to twitter – it is a pic of a little burn I pass most days on the way to work and am sure it deserves a cast – I imagine there are a few tiny trout that should be caught just the once.  10/52 Of course tomorrow everything changes – it is the first day of the trout season here in Scotland – nobody has told the trout though #grin# You can see more tenuous fishing photos here I mean seriously – lets say it was an experiment totally sanctioned by the health board right – lets say they needed a half dozen people to eat a slice of human flesh for some totally unknown reason – you are not actually told what the reason is other than the test is not whether you will eat it or not – it is something to do with chemicals in your stomach or something. This is not about extreme conditions where you have got to – this is about a moral decision.  A picture of the Fine Young Cannibals - slightly less horrifying than some of the pictures I found! If your initial instinct is to say “yes what the heck” have a serious think about it – maybe with a bit of cooked chicken on your fork. Would you? Could you? |
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