I was at Waulkmill today for my normal Sunday "fix" and I hooked and landed a rainbow around two pounds - as I netted the fish I noticed another fly attached to my net. After removing my buzzer I discovered that the "foreign" fly was attached to a length of line and had passed through the fish and out its vent! I pulled gently and the line came out easily only to discover another length of line disappearing down its throat - there was no sign of a fly in its throat but it would not come out with a gentle pull therefore I assume that it had a second fly in its system somewhere. I thought it best to cut off as much line as I could and release the fish and it swam strongly away. The fish was not thin, it fought as well as any of George's fish do and it was obviously still feeding.
Later in the day a chap came along the bank and I was telling him the story and when I showed him the fly that I had removed, he said that he had lost the fly three days before when he had a double hook-up - one large fish and a smaller one and was broken. This would explain why such a small fish could have broken away as he claimed he used 6 pound line. The fly in question was one that I had never experienced before - it had a body tied in a buzzer fashion but had a length of foam tied along the back with a short piece left as a tail and he called it a Chernobyl Ant.
I hope that this fish survives the object left in its system and goes on to be caught by a few other people - it certainly deserves its chance after the experiences it has had!
All the best
Peter
