New Season with New Tackle

Opening day of the river fishing season on the Isle of Man and of course I'm going fishing. As it was a Monday and most people are at work I decided I'd have a look at one of our Glens. Glen Helen is a beautiful Glen with the River Neb flowing in the bottom. Don't believe the Google Maps that say it's the Rhenass. They have a similar origin but the Rhenass flows into Sulby and the Neb flows the other way.

It was a cold day. Not ideal for the start of the season and trout as most of them are still hiding in their winter lies. Deep pools or where spring water comes in. The glides filled with the feeding fish of summer are empty. Turbulent waters avoided. It's all about economy of effort. Fewer and smaller food items about.

I was fooled. I saw one rising so I thought I'll pop a dry on. Drifted it till I drowned it.

These things happen. Sure you can use Amadou, some fancy powder or an old tissue in your pocket. A good shake and a blow will go a long way. However, I have one of those rubber band Twanger thingies on my pack so I thought, "Stuff it, the trout aren't biting may as well take some pictures to show this thing working."

I popped the fly into the little split ring, pulled it tight and strummed that rubber band like a banjo playing, hill billy. The end result was a fluffed up fly.

Not bad going.Of course I then put some of my floatant powder on (not available for sale yet) and it bobbed like a cork all over again.

Glen Helen can be quite tight for vegetation so I couldn't use my usual trusty Strooan. Instead I had to resort to my "rod with no name", the little zoom rod which works at 206cm or 245cm. It was good at it's full length. With such a small rod you don't have the range so a stealthy approach to your fishing is required.

Crawling around the margins and poking round the bare branches. Glen Helen is a beautiful place to fish. Even the tributaries come in with a flourish.

At last a fish! I'd gone back to small nymphs trundling along the bottom. The little beauty zapped it's way all around the pool. Then excitement got the better of me and I let the line go slack, just for a moment, as I reached for my net. It was gone and I muttered a few things I'm not proud of.

Another hit in the pool above but this one didn't stay connected very long. It really was sight fishing. You could see the black shapes over the pale gravel and each time it was a fish. Unless you got your cast spot on and the fly just past their nose it was ignored. Worse, they swam away and hid under a rock.

There were very few fish about and I was starting to think I might get blanked on my first trip of the year. The light was starting to fade and my eyes aren't what they used to be. I lost my fly that had been getting the interest in a willow like branch over a very deep pool. If I stood in the pool I'd have filled my waders.

Out came the threader. Now people are aware of these things for regular flys but they do work for jigs where the eye is in-line with the shank. You just put the fly in sideways, like the picture. Through the line went without any bother.

It was late. My stomach was complaining that my throat must have been cut. So this was to be my last pool of the trip. I couldn't see any fish like shapes on the gravel but I trundled the fly past a few of the big rocks without any effect.

Blind casting up into the narrow gully and a fish grabbed it immediately. This time the little beauty wasn't getting away.

In the net and posing for a picture. It was only small but it saved the day. A very lean, soft,  fish. It took a moment to swim slowly back to the depths and under a rock.

Opening day for the rivers on the Isle of Man. I didn't blank. Bonus!