I’ve had to reschedule several river days recently so when I contacted Mark to advise him of the predicted rain, I was half expecting another postponement.
To his credit, he chose to forge ahead stating that he was more concerned with improving his skills than catching loads of fish. He also added that as a part time gardener, he was used to getting wet!

 

Whilst the river was a little higher than normal when we arrived, it was still very fishable so we set about introducing Mark to the joys of French Nymphing. Even though he’d never even heard of the technique before, he was soon into his first fish.

 

Shortly after this the river started to undergo a drastic change as last nights heavy rain started to swell the river.
We witnessed some very accomplished anglers throw in the towel just after midday but Mark’s enthusiasm never waned and we carried on experimenting with the Double Nymph, the Duo and Suspended Nymphs.

 

The weather stayed fine for us but the damage was already done. The river rose another 7 inches during our day and went from tea coloured to something akin to drinking chocolate in the space of about an hour.

 

The fishing was tough and we were forced to change rods, rigs and locations countless times but Mark is as stubborn as I am so we stuck it out until the end.
I know that he will reap the benefits of such a challenging day in his future fishing. Mark, I applaud you sir!

 

I consoled myself later with a beer!