Empty Handed

Managed to get out for what is hopefully becoming my “traditional” new years day fishing excursion today. As per last year, it was to Forrest Hills. I don’t frequent this place quite so much as I used to do, since the prices went up and the stocking went down, or, at least, not so often. These days it costs practically the same as fishing Bank House, and the stamp of fish isn’t as good. That said, however, I do seem to catch quite as many here as at Bank House, so I probably shouldn’t grumble… The main benefit is that it is open. The honesty box approach is great for fishing out of hours, so to speak.

The weather wasn’t quite as comfortable as last year, today. It was breezy to begin with (I arrived at a very leisurely 10am, and was the first to arrive for the day – no golfers had turned out yet, either), building to very breezy later. That pond was as choppy as Morecambe Bay. This helped to make it very chilly. Later, it tried a bit of rain, too. I started off with a PTN on the point and a black spider on the dropper (the spider being the star of the day this time last year) and fished buzzer style, swinging them round in the wind. Nothing. I switched banks to get the wind over my left shoulder and worked through buzzers, nymphs, bloodworm etc. Nothing. I tried a black and green lure, but unsurprisingly got nothing – I’m not well equipped for lure fishing and fishing this unweighted lure on a floater in that wave was probably a waste of time. Well, it definitely was a waste of time!

I’d seen a few swirls and splashes, and the occasional flattened wave which could have been a fish at the surface, so I tried a ginger shipmans, and, keeping a short line, plied the marginal weedbeds for a while. This felt right, and I was confident. Sure enough, a fish moved to my fly, but came short – I saw the wave flatten and a golden flank, it was surely a fish, but it didn’t take and several more casts didn’t bring it back.

By this time (12, 12.30?) I was cold and thinking about jacking, since I was due at the ‘in-laws’ for lunch by about 2, but thought I’d move down to the windward end of the lake for a while. I’d noticed some fish moving, and, besides, it was more sheltered and the water was calmer. I tried a buzzer under a bung for a bit, but NOTHING. Then, when I was really running out of time, I spotted a few more rises quite nearby, and whacked on a black shipmans, well greased because even here it was quite choppy. Leaving the bung on (to help keep tabs on the fly) I cast out to near where the fish were moving. Not so many casts later, a proper take, but I arranged for the fly to be removed from the fish’s mouth at high speed before it ever grabbed it… That was the bung’s fault (probably) so that came off. Really running low on time now, so a change of direction, casting back and into the wind this time… A take, within moments of the fly alighting. No mistake this time, giving it a few moments to turn and into the first fish of the year, a rainbow of about, ooh, 1 3/4 lbs, or so. Very welcome. I netted and released it and packed up the rod, headed for the car and, as I drove away, the rains came down. Perfect timing.