Everything is on the Zoom these days – I have a weekly zoom quizz with the extended family as none of us can meet in person (like everyone else). I am part of Scouts and we are planning online meetings. I had a meeting not that long ago with the Kelvin committee which was online – Paul was unimpressed as I kept showing my records to one of the committee members. And lets not forget about work – all day I am on the laptop on microsoft teams talking to my workers and having endless meetings – seeing folk on the screen is starting to get a bit wearisome. I am even having an online night out next week- let’s see how it all pans out.
So when I logged on to my laptop again on Thursday evening my wife couldn’t believe I wanted to do it – however this was to take part in the Milngavie Fly Dressers club which has now taken itself online. You may remember Alberto Laidlaw phoned me from it a week ago to ask a question.
Interestingly, Charles Graves (an American) who drove to Glasgow from Italy to fish the Kelvin joined us which was most impressive.
Something I like about this group is the fact these guys are proper old school fishers – the type of guy that can give you a bit of a bashing however it is done in such a good natured way that you would be churlish to take any kind of offense. Alberto once told me a story about officiating a fly fishing competition with a group of around twenty fly fishers eager to get out and catch some trout. He explained the rules to the competion and at the end of his speech he asked if there were any questions – after a brief pause, someone at the back called out “where the fuck did you buy that shirt?”
And so it was with the group and every other time over the years I have dipped into the sessions – good natured banter.
John Bell aka “The Lomond Angler” received a ribbing for his new range of bespoke net – at £200 I guessed I am not the market that he is looking at however once I actually looked at them considering that this is a net crafted in his own workshop and can be tailored for your needs I think the cost fits the quality.
As I post this the snow is trying to start and we have just over a month before the trout season starts. I am predicting a false start this year – we are going to have a slow spring despite what the moles say.