“if I’m too busy to fish then I’m too busy”

I am not very good at this blogging business. No blogs for ages. Life has got in the way of fishing a bit. Even though I have been stressed up to the eyeballs by work and dealing with family strife in the shape of my mothers decline into deep depression I have managed a couple of trips and I realise they have helped me sort out what has been a difficult time. Someone once said (Tom McGuane I think) “if I’m too busy to fish then I’m too busy” and he’s right. So I headed for the West Dart on a blustery wet Saturday. I am not good at this type of fly-fishing, actually I’m not good at any type of fly-fishing but I am worst at this type. I started at Two Bridges and walked downstream. With a stiff breeze in my face I started to fish my way back up. Really awkward fishing this and after about half an hour I gave up. I had managed to get a couple of fish to come to the fly but as usual missed the take. I headed for Hexworthy Bridge and spent the next the next five hours working my way upstream. This part of the Dart is a revelation. It’s like a secret River. So hard to get to that I’m sure it’s rarely fished. Much of the River is a boulder filled tunnel in the trees and half the fun is clambering about to get into a position to fish the little pockets and riffles that might hold fish. I had reread Anne Voss Barks “West Country Fly Fishing” recently and following that book’s advice I concentrated on fishing the likely spots rather than looking for rising fish. Again I missed take after take on an Elk Hair Caddis, fish coming from the depths of tiny pools between rocks to grab the fly but always without getting hooked. I struck fast and I struck slow, it made no difference. This was driving me mad, which considering I was nearly there anyway when I started wasn’t good. So I put on a tiny weighted nymph and hooked a fish first cast. Good fish this, about 12oz, and it came off. I was stoic, sort of. Walking back to the car I got lost and had to ford the River twice but driving back home I realised for six hours or so all I had really thought about was fishing and now I was content, I felt better.