Caroline at Christmas - her December report

Here at Brick Farm Lakes I had a wonderful fishing outing the other day. I decided to debut a new fly I had discovered which was a black and white cat’s whisker. I know that fish see the colour white best over a long distance in the water and I also know that a trout’s eyes see black as a very clear silhouette in dark light and murky water so, I figured that putting the two together like this would be a good bet; sure to succeed.  I was tempted into buying a dozen but, when they arrived, they were like no other cat’s whisker I had ever seen before.  The bodies were either black, dark green or white and they were tied with an interesting arrangement of a soft, wing shaped feather on the top and vice versa on the bottom. They were quite fetching to look at and when, that morning, I twiddled one in the water in front of my swim, they moved in a strange, gliding, ethereal type of way. I could see at once that any trout worth its salt could potentially become fascinated and entranced with this thing wafting ghost-like in front their curious noses.  Almost certainly they would be tempted to take a closer look! I once knew someone who swore that if he ever saw a ghost he would quickly be able to recover from any initial shock and take to interviewing it about its past life, times gone by, cause of death etc.  When, however, this opportunity did actually present itself to him, he did what we all would have done in his shoes… he froze on the spot in speechless terror and mutely watched with his wife as it glided across the floor, disappearing through the bedroom wall. His opportunity to make a name for himself was lost forever! What would the trout do? Would they turn, fin and tail and flee in abject fear or would they be brave and foolish and investigate further? I was about to find out.

This fly I decided could be fished in two ways: left to drift slowly through the depths, fluttering softly in the water current and maybe hook up a curious trout on the drop, (boring!)  or cast the thing out as far as I could manage and  then rip it back as fast as I could like some sort of “electric hare” on a dog track. Hopefully I would catch any trout in the immediate vicinity by surprise and trigger a brave, aggressive, predatory strike. This was the option I chose. First cast: The effect was so instantaneous that I was caught napping as they say. A massive bow wave tore after my fly and I could not react fast enough. With a huge splash the fish veered to the side and was gone. “What the deuce was that?” I could almost hear it cry and if a fish could swear then I’m sure it would have said far worse, like me! My fellow anglers gave me the thumbs up and muttered “hard luck” with wry smiles. Aiming at a fresh strip of water, I readied myself for another go. Was the first cast just blind luck? A random moment; it surely happens. Second cast: a repeat of the first. This time I managed, by raising my arm high in the air and with (if I say it myself) some nifty retrieving, to hook my fish. It was an explosive take and seeing that bow wave chasing down my fly was a sight to behold.  If a trout could learn to surf then this one had a good stab at it! Water flew everywhere as it leapt, and belly flopped across the surface. The shattering of the peace and quiet did not go unnoticed. I was, apparently, the first to catch that morning and a few curious heads began to turn with shouts of “that was lucky”. Was it? Having dispatched a beautiful rainbow, I cast again… and repeat!! Well, as you can imagine my dozen flies did not last long as I happily handed them out with the wonderful spirit of camaraderie so unique to fly fishermen/women. I had a wonderful morning, in the end catching four hard fighting rainbows and was thrilled to bits with my fly’s performance. I must remember to order some more and next time try the drifting-softly-and-silently-to-the-bottom approach to see if this works as well!

At Brick Farm Lakes we are now throwing ourselves into the Christmas fun. The Lodge is looking all lovely and twinkly and we have been stocking the three lakes regularly with top quality fish and will continue to do so throughout the winter months. We have vouchers as presents to purchase for your loved ones; for fishing tickets, coaching sessions and rod hire. Please call the Lodge from the comfort of your armchair and we can post them to your front door! Simples!

We are happy to announce the Christmas Competition will be held on Sunday, 30th December. Open to all ages and abilities and at a cost of £40 for a three-fish ticket, Domino pizza lunch, tea and coffee with the classic mince pie and a huge charity raffle, what better way could there be to top up the ration of fresh air and convivial company whilst enjoying this wonderful sport? Again, please call the Lodge to book a space or just pop in.   

Tight lines now for December, a time for friends, family, fun and fishing. Annie and Caroline.