Back to Farletonview to try and finally christen that new rod. The first hour was spent stalking fish in the margins along the West bank, but they simply weren’t interested, got a few follows but nothing more. At 4pm, as forecast, the wind really picked up and the rain started. I switched to a buzzer on the point and an olive snatcher on a dropper and started to fish along the North shore, working into the wind coming out of the East, and heading for the more comfortable wind-at-your-back and sheltered Eastern shore. Had a couple of slashy rises at the snatcher as it skittered through the wave, but no fish.

At last on the Eastern shore, finally got a fish on to a black and green buzzer fished ultra-slow back up wind, and a chance to see how my new 5# outfit handles herself. Superb, and I think this was a decent blue, but after a fairly lengthy fight, the fish making several looong runs (giving me a chance to test the drag on the G-Lite reel), and just as I was getting its head up, the fish came off. Hey ho. I didn’t get a good look at the fish, so I really don’t know if it was a big one, a strong one or just a ‘normal’ one which seemed bigger/stronger because I’m not used to the 5 weight.

No more takes to buzzer for a while and no takes on the various surface flies I tried (emergers, mainly) so I switched to the wonder fly and started getting hits immediately, first and second cast, 3, 4, 5 - but I just couldn’t hook up. Checked the fly and sharpened the hook and carried on - managed another couple of hits with the same result and then they just stopped. Word had got around - leave caddis off the menu, boys, they fight back.

Coming up to the end of my 3 hour ticket now, so a last cast I think - when CRACK! the rod snapped. Just snapped as I completed a forward stroke and fell in the water.

Wtf?

So, there’s a very clean break in the 3rd section above the butt. Jesus, what a horrible sound, what an awful feeling!

Lucky I was just about to wrap it up anyway. Lucky it didn’t break when I was playing that fish. I’ve been trying to think if it got a knock at anytime, but I can’t think that it has.

So, not having much luck with this new rod, on the whole…

Now to try out the Grey’s Repairs and Warrenty Scheme, see how that goes.

@20:59:26 under Fishing