13th March, Sixmilewater

I went in search for the scenic sixmilewater as shown on http://www.sixmilewater.co.uk/index.html, Unfortunatly i bought my permit at a filling station in templepatrick where no-one could give my any info on where to get access, let alone what tactics i should be using. As such i didn't see anything like the piccies from the their website. (piccy on left shows the M2 bridge)

The next hour was spent going back and forth from doagh to Dunadry, trying to find river(i don't believe in pre-planning). Finally pulled up at where i started search near the templepatrick hilton. Rigged up, thought indepth about tactics and contemplated an afternoons fishing. After which i fell on my ass and slid down to waters edge. Great start.

Not having much experience of river fishing, i didn't notice the problems i was going to have later on. We had experienced gales and heavy downpour recently and i failed to put two and two together and of course the water was the colour of hot chocolate. Add to that, the wind was blowing strongly upstream, and the water was going at some rate, at one point i watched half a tree bob sedately by.

The only two flies i have ever been successful with on a river are an elk hair thingy and a wee gold headed hares ear, these of course were produced. Naturally they were ineffectual.

Many times i have read about anglers mending their lines whilst a current moves it downstream. I have to honest when i say that i didn't really grasp this concept, the important of this was hammered home today. with the current dragging my line away the instant it landed.

Eventually i had proof of life, something made a loud gloop downstream and i saw large ripples at a spot in slack water. quickly changed to a dry and targeted the fish.

....only to be defeated soundly by the current mess i mentioned earlier, just couldn't get the fly to float in a realistic way. Gah!

I'll be back though, maybe I'll pay a bit more attention to the weather forecast beforehand though