So I had a day at Crathes today - a wee treat to myself for passing the exams a while back
Conditions couldn't have been better, day started full of promise.... even the first cast of the day went well. Always a good sign.
By 10:30 (when
diverdave rang me) not a pull. Sod all.
Hurridly get going again, and yeee haaaa..... fish on. Yards of line going off the reel and all feels good. Then it all goes quiet and slack.
Seems the fly had turned over on the leader, so the hooks would never have had a good hold..... and the fish would never have been landed. Bugger
But shit happens, it's called fishing not catching, so move on and don't worry about it.
Light a cigarette, watch the world go by. Nice pair of tits playing on the other bank.
Kelts and fresh fish by the bucket load jumping all around me and not a fish taking, other three guys on the beat suffering the same.
So, re-started and...... bang.... fish on
For all of 3 seconds
Recast to same spot, light a fag, watch the world go by then... BANG... fish on
... lasted all of 15 seconds. Which was long enough for the Ghillie to leg it out of the hut with the net
This is beginning to take the piss, we agree.
Hamish has a mild 'character building moment' and starts again. Guess what
That's right. Naff all happened.
Move on down the beat and by lunch time, no less than 5 fish have been on and off for varying amounts of time
Still, nice lunch in good company.
Moved to the top of the beat after lunch. Looks very nice too but the wind is picking up and can't make its damn mind up which way it wants to blow either
Never mind, the shooting head outfit and my prototype cone-head-thingmy-fly seems well matched. Better than the guy on the other bank is doing anyway.
Oh.... the line has stopped moving. Odd, it was swinging around nicely. Hmmm. I wonder..........
Oh. Bang......... bang...... BANG. Yup, fish on. Still on 5 minutes later, but clear it's a kelt. Pop that one back, feel a smidgen better that perhpas I haven't completely 'lost it' after all.
Cast again, light a fag, watch the world go by. See that nice pair of tits are on the other bank again.
Hang on..... reel seems to be lossing line at a
hell of a rate. I wonder..... BANG
Has to be a springer this one, it's taking line and heading back to the sea. About bloody time too.
15 minutes later a bloody massive..... kelt.... is ready for landing. Fought really hard, needs some help to get it going again must weigh all of 15lbs as it is, wonder how big it would have been when fresh
One pool later and it happens again. Another kelt. But no fresh fish..... plenty around but none taking, so time to go home and earn brownie points
And that folks, are the thoughts that went through my head today, sort of a report on my enjoyable day at Crathes. Bloody marvellous fun - no springer (maybe one of the fish that fell off was, who can tell
) but to contact 8 fish and all on one of my prototypes is very gratifying. Would I do it again
Well, I've spent considerably less on rods in the past. So not right away. But soon
Very soon
Just don't tell
she who must be obeyed 
Hamish
PS - I have some pics on the camera of the beat (no fish, concentrated on landing/returning them) will load them up sometime soon.
PPS - For those interested, the tits were in a BMW
