Kennick - Dartmoor 22/09

BaggieRich · #1 09-30-2007, 06:48 AM

Got up at the crack of 8 O’clock and went with a friend to Kennick reservoir on Dartmoor last weekend. We arrived at about 9ish paid our £16 for a two fish bag limit. The plan was to scrounge my kit for the day from my mate, who’s got more fly fishing gear than is entirely natural.

Conditions were fairly overcast, with a very slight breeze so we parked the car and walked round to the far side of the lake. I had borrowed a 9'6" #7 weight rod, with a floating line and all sorts of flies (Which I'm not even going to pretend to know the names of). Now bearing in mind that I hadn't even picked up a fly rod for over 4 years, I was planning of spending the first hour or so just trying to remember how to cast. Of course, fishing being fishing, I'd had 4 casts (All of which were truly terrible) when I felt a tug and the line went tight. Moments later, and with a bigger than normal smile, I'd landed a rainbow of about 2lb. I’d forgotten just how well trout can go, and playing a fish on a fly rod for the first time in years was a real joy.

The look on my mates face was a picture. The poor bloke had lent me all the gear, set me up, selected the fly, given me a brief refresher course in casting and I'd gone a landed a fish before he'd even put his rod together.

Don't cha just love it when that happens?

Having caught the target species for the day the pressure was off and I was able to relax and just enjoy the fishing. As the day went on the sun came out and the rises that were going on all around us stopped before the fishing went quiet. It was after lunch time when the next fish came in. Duncan landed another rainbow at around 2lb, and then another smaller one before I had a nice take resulting in a small (and camera shy) brownie which wriggled out of my hand before a picture could be taken.

As the afternoon worn on, conditions varied between brilliant sunshine and more overcast periods as the sun dipped behind the odd cloud. My mate’s vastly superior fly skills started to show when he landed a small brownie, another rainbow and a much better rainbow at around 4lb which went like an absolute train. Having stood next to him when he landed the better fish, I was determined to get my head down for the last hour and get one for myself. Having thrashed the water to foam, my efforts were rewarded with another 2lb ish rainbow. Now the 4+ lb’er I was hoping for, but very welcome none the less.

Before you knew it, time had come to pack up and leave. It had been a brilliant days fishing and one which I can’t wait to repeat. I love playing fish on the fly line rather than on the reel. It just feels so much more natural. The small fish that I had fought quite well, so what must a decent fish go like?

Sorry about the *really* dodgy photo’s. A borrowed camera and I obviously hadn’t set it up properly. I promise you they are rainbows!

Lessons learnt.

1. Beginners luck can be re-charged with long lay off. About 4 years should do it.
2. Don’t break your wrist when casting. No I said don’t break your… No really, look… don’t break your wrist… Come on now, stop it. Oh good grief.
3. Practice with you camera before going out, means not taking dodgy photo’s when it matters.