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My First Beauty Silver Springer on my own Fly :D |  |
After some info about high water, for which I wait many weeks I decide to go and try my new Matuka 13ft 8/9 AFTM rod form Scierra. As I came to river I saw nice 2ft level and 48F warm water, clearing and slowly going down. Additionally with pressure going up and cloudy weather I got some promising day.
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At 9 AM I start from top of Halton Lower Beat. After few cast with small tube fly I had something like 2 bits, but nothing hooked. After about 1,5h I got bottom, lost my tube and go down to some big rock, with Ally's Shrimp on.
Despite long nice cast I didn't got any signs of fish. Again I change place and go a bit up river to my lucky place where last year I catch my first, nice browne on fly. That's was strength of river just after neck. Where water slow dawn, is deeper and wider - place where should (and was in fact :) stay fish at midday waiting for changes in water lever to go up. With sink polyleader I cast really pretty distains, but not good enough to catch a fish. So I take it off and make new, gently leader with size 12 double fly on an end. I thing about catch some first fish on my brand new tackle - maybe some browne - that fly was so successful this year for them. Because of no wind at this uniquely day I still can cast nice and long :) Very helpful was here Turbo Spey technique, short head Spey line, and some room behind me.
After 3d or 4d cast on middle of river I saw some big muddling water?? At one sec my slack line got so tight, rod bend to the bottom and I got shock. Fish go so hard down and I need some while to understand what is going on. That's me?.. Yes, I got fish! :0 By stopping this torpedo at max of ability of my soft rod and gently leader I start to bring them back to me. First closer contact finished with furious run of fish up river. At beginning I expect it will be really big brown trout and want to take it on bank quick. But time clicked, and clicked and I can't finally see this monster under my legs. It run out again, and again - then I try to pick it up to surface. It turn and start to shack his head and then I saw a gigantic tail. This is a Salmon!!! Now I know - only persistence and constant repeat of giving the line and than reel them back (rocks in water) can do the job. Some smile under tight teeth, because of pressure of fighting fish and happiness with a wave of adrenalin get me out of control of my legs. I wait for this over 2 years, and I haven't to be hurry now - I pretty good know how it's can end. This way battle gets really long. However about 12:40 when fish try to run out I just give them line free and I see it don't and it can't go so far. That's it. Her big power goes off. I can tow them slowly to me. After I see it in water - a Big Mr Salmon faced to the current I take deep breath and start to land a beast. Because of many danger rocks and no room for fish as this one I need to change place. With Springer on the end I go to some beach with sand gravel. And by keeping pressing on still no happy of that situation and turned out to river fish at last I got it on bank.
So strong. So big. So silver. Even after all that time of fight it still was difficult to handle! I pick it up and put in some water about 3m off river and go for camera. But on auto set up I can't get photo?! Camera gets wet!!! So scared I go to manual settings. Sit in darkens and quickly make this so fantastic picture of absolutely no expected beauty :D To have something like proof of all that what happened, because I can't belief my self that I did it :)))
PS. If you don't want problems like this I advise to buy some waterproof camera. They cost about 50/ 100 pounds today days and are absolutely worth this money!
Then quick check - 11lb of live silver!! Last minutes to take breath for fish. Turn them to the current and my dream majestic go back away in deeps of River Lune. YEEEAA! YES!! This is it! Last look at water with smile on face and some missing inside.
Pack up in cogitate, pick up bike and turn to road. Maybe I should stay at this perfect day, but so deep satisfaction and tired hands let me go. A lot of Saturdays and Sundays (from Feb this year nearly all of weekends) I spend on river. It's time to spend it with family now. Do some celebrating and drink a big pint of cold beer :) . Break the rod.
