It's one of things.
Seems to be my lot in life to land fish for other folk. Now that's not a hardship and I'm not moaning..... I enjoy it as it goes, nothing better than helping other anglers.... but this evening I went to go and try a nice new Skagit line on my 15' DTX and it felt very very fishy.
River was running at nearly 2' on the gauge below Lovat Bridge so I nipped down stream to beat 2. I'd just 'wet' the line when I had a good hard pull and a fish showed on the surface.
'Bugger' said I as it didn't take hold :z6
I had just rounded the corner when Lee (a guy who joined the Beauly AC the same time as me) shouted at me from down stream 'fish on :!'
Transpires the fish had actually been on for some 30 minutes....
(http://i48.tinypic.com/2rf5u29.jpg)
I'll continue this post later...... (dinner is ready).
H :z3
Now then.....
So, continuing the tale, I did the honourable thing and reeled in.
Partly as Lee was walking the fish back up right through where I wanted to fish but mostly as I guessed it was a good fish by the way Lees rod was bent.
So I lit a cigarette and waited with Lee. Two ciggies later (so twenty minutes or so) and the battle was still going:
(http://i47.tinypic.com/10egcn8.jpg)
And ten minutes after that it was still going:
(http://i47.tinypic.com/2j8e1d.jpg)
Anyway... to cut a long story short eventually I managed to get in the water and tail it out.
Here is Lee with his prize, fresh off the tide and smothered in long tailed sea lice.
(http://i46.tinypic.com/r1elhv.jpg)
I put a weight on it of around 23-25lbs. I couldn't have been happier for him, a belting fish which took a buggeringly long time to come in. Successful fly :? A Park Shrimp I'd given Lee last year. Git :z7 :z4
H :z3