Busy property manager Mark was given a days fly fishing by his wife as a birthday present.
When we met up, he said that he was really just looking forward to a relaxing day in the Welsh countryside…but a fish would be nice.
Having only targeted sea fish like kamikaze Mackerel, Mark was a complete beginners to fly fishing so we needed to get to grips with casting a fly rod first.
The field adjacent to the river had just been cut so we were able to practice there without alerting the ultra spooky fish to our presence.
After making good progress, we fished for an hour or so before lunch and although it didn’t produce a fish, I knew that the constant casting would stand us in good stead for the afternoon session.
After lunch we found some water more suited to exploring with a dry fly and although there was nothing rising, I told mark to expect a take at any moment.
Whilst I sensed that mark was beginning to relax, his first ‘strike‘ would indicate that he was still a tightly coiled spring. When a Trout eventually took his perfectly drifting fly, he was so surprised that he pulled the fish clean out of the water, pirouetted on the spot and ended up with his back to the river and the line around his neck. It was clear we weren’t quite relaxed yet!
Another cuppa, a gentle reminder of the hook setting procedure and the peaceful babble of the river Dee all conspired to remove that final edge and before long, he was again casting a lovely line across the river.
He was now so much ‘in the zone‘ that I decided to leave him to it and wander downstream to look at some other water. A good Trout had showed in front of us earlier but I’d written it off as being way out of our range.
As I reached the bank I heard Mark shout “I’ve got it” and turned to see the rod bent over and bouncing aggressively. Mark tried to go into his trademark pirouette but I convinced him to remain forward facIng and between us, we got the magnificent Trout into the net.
He did the same thing later with a Grayling just as I was getting out to ‘inspect‘ one of the riverside bushes.
We spent the last half hour or so not even fishing, just sitting on the bank chatting whilst watching the birds and the odd rising fish.
Nature has a way of slowing everything down to its pace, even Mark!
One off the bucket list!!!
Last year my wife asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I said “I’ve always fancied a spot if fly fishing, tranquil waters, warm sunny day, not a sound around but running water and tweeting birds“. So what did I get? A box of chocolates! So when this years big day came around again she asked the same question and I said “surprise me” and she did! A fantastic day out with a true and very passionate professional, and a really nice guy to boot. We had some great banter and lots of positive instructions and encouragement. In addition, he knows just when to just leave you on your own to get on with the day. The location was excellent and to cap it off, yes, we caught some fish! Overall result well worth the days effort, one off the bucket list and a big thank you to my lovely wife Angela for not getting me chocolates!