Extra-terrestials

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Settling on the back eddy, I punched a cast to the top, right up against the base of the rocky outcrop from which the waterfall fell. The hopper sat high and inviting, incredibly realistic. With mend, after mend, after mend, to hold the fly in the natural flow of the eddy, I thought perhaps the moment had passed. But with one particularly large mend, inducing some movement into the fly, it was suddenly replaced in space and time by an emerging trout snout rolling over the fly. Bringing the fly to life, and adding some movement, had clearly been the trigger.  And whenever you see the nose of the fish take to the sky, you know it’s going to be a good fish. This was no exception. Like a tear away, the fish took off for the faster water on the right hand side of the pool. Desperately stripping line trying to keep tension as it raced downstream towards me with the current, the odds seemed to be on this fish escaping. However, by the grace of the fishing gods, the fish turned back upstream and headed for the eddy from which it came. With this new battleground, I stood a fighting chance. Steering the fish clear of the rocks, and holding it for a time, allowed Dom and Pat time to work their way up to me and do the job with the net. It was the perfect culmination to a great day, with the fish in incredible condition.

Photo credit: Pat Ryan

In the brief moments I collected myself and checked gear before turning for home, Pat tried a final cast on the right hand side bubble line of the same pool. A bit of 'Hail Mary’ but worth a try, nonetheless. To our amazement, the fly exploded and Pat too was now into a red hot fish. A similar scenario to the one I had just faced was now unfolding. The only thing was that Pat’s fish was grumpy, tearing back and forth across the pool and giving him the absolute biscuits. It was charged up and Pat just couldn’t get a handle on it. Deciding it could use the current to its advantage, the fish turned on a dime and bee-lined back towards us. Passing by without much of a care, it was headed for the rapids below this pool, surely to be busted off and gone forever. Dom, net in hand again, performed a fantastic last ditch effort with the net wildly sweeping in the general direction of the fish and, luckily, came up trumps.