Aggh the dreaded caenis, Straid 21st July

Managed to escape for a couple of hours in the evening. Everything looked great, the was a slight breeze and the sky was clouded over. Confidence was high for an incredible night fishing.

Unfortunately their was a big hatch of caenis and the fish were on them solidly. Started off with my old favorite the f fly but these didn't even get a look in. Switched to a rat faced mcdougal and tried to fish in the holes in the weed at the far bank. This proved more successful and I was soon into a great fish that took me down to the backing, my backing hadn't seen daylight for a long time.

After the first fish the trout moved in close and locked onto the caenis. it was incredibly frustrating seeing them so close and have them refuse everything. After a brief conflab with the manager, a shuttlecock fly was used. This proved to be successful and another smaller fish was hooked. By this time the night had fallen in but we still pushed through till we couldn't see the water let alone our flies.

We had been at Straid about a month ago on a boat but as we were bank fishing this time, we were able to see what the new fishery manager has done to the place. The banks are very accessible now, with new paths cut in the long grass and new pegs. Whilst it was alwaays a great fishery, I feel it will get even better over the next year.

I'm not being lazy, honest.

Thought it was about time for another post. Since the last post I've been quite busy. I've had a couple of days at the water. I was messing about at the sixmilewater, caught a couple of small brownies on f flies. Went out on a boat at Straid with Andrew and caught some amazing rainbows. The first of which attacked a trout popper, the second a sunken F Fly and the third a daiwl bach. This was the first one, weighed in at around 2 and a half but fought well above it's weight.

And of course Tara and I have finally had our first wee fisherman by the name of Ethan Ellis Torrens. I hope to have a fly rod in his hand before he speaks

I've been supplementing my fishing by listening to the orvis podcasts by Tom Rosenbauer. If you haven't heard these yet you can start downloading them for free by the link below. They really are excellent

Orvis Podcasts

5th march, killylane

Ye Gods, what does it take to catch a fish

ONce again the wind followed me around the reservoir, no fish were catch and only seen towards the end. a great deal of small flies in the surface film at the windblown side, nothing eating them though. Pretty much had a go at everything, but mainly concentrated on bloodworm and a black buzezer, although suffers alot of tangles when used together. Does seem like a credible brown trout fishery though, the people there spoke highly of it and it is largly unknown. When the weather calms down i will investigate this more seriously. It is largly surrounded by peat, i don't know if this will effect the aquatic life makeup at all.

Ponts of interest: i meet the straid fishery manager today at killylane, he recommended dungonnell in the summer.

Also just noticed that killylane is ment to be disabled accessable. I didn't think this was the case at all.