This stunning fish absolutely inhaled a size 20 shuttlecock after I’d spent a good 20 minutes of trying to make the right presentation. As it tore up and down the thin, clear, snaggy pool, I was struck by that eery feeling of deja vu. The fishes eventual presence in the net confirmed it…. I had caught this fish before.

 

The beauty of a blog is that you have a sad almost ‘rainman-like’ record of virtually every fish you catch so I was able to check back and compare photos. That said, it is a very special fish so I recognised it immediately but later, I was able to confirm that we had indeed met before. In fact, it was on the17th May 2016 in almost identical conditions, from the exact same spot and with a similar fly pattern.

 

So what does this tell us? (other than that I need to get a life)

Firstly, It confirms that catch and release really works! It also confirms that fish are creatures of habit as this time last year, this fish took refuge in exactly the same lie as it provided both cover and food in the low water conditions. Finally, it proves that you can to some extent improve your chances of catching good fish if you take the time to study the river and the seasonal insect hatches.

What fun this fishing lark is!