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FISH OF THE MONTH
Fourteen-year-old Ian McNicoll joined his dad and grandfather (also both Ians) on a recent family trip to the Watch Reservoir in the beautiful Lammermuir Hills. The youngest Ian, who has been fishing for two years and is improving with every outing, chose to fish with two foam sedges, swinging them around in the crosswind. The flies had just drifted into the margin when one was taken by a powerful fish.
His dad said, “I walked up the bank with the net and knew from the fight the fish was putting up that it was either hooked funny, or a big trout. It took him into the backing twice, but he stuck with it and managed to get it in towards us.”
Dad missed with the net the first time, which sparked a lively debate, but recovered to do a clean job the next time he had the chance. The fish turned out to be the young Ian’s first brown trout, a superb fish estimated at nearly 10lb, with a shovel-like tail.
Dad Ian said, “All three of us were delighted, although I don’t think he fully appreciates yet how big and nice a fish it was — possibly the fish of a lifetime. I contacted Jimmy Lang at The Watch and said to him, ‘I think he’ll toil to beat that fish’. To which he replied, ‘If he’s like the rest of us, he’ll spend his life trying’, which I thought summed up fly-fishermen perfectly.”
THIRD-TIME LUCKY
This 7lb salmon was caught by Cheryl Clarke on only her third fishing trip. The cock fish took a black-and-copper Flying C on the River Roe,
Co Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Her proud boyfriend, Patrick McCloskey, said, “It was big, black water after a lot of rain the night before, and after only four casts she was into this superb fish.
She played the fish without incident until I netted it for her.” Cheryl has been watching the weather ever since, hoping for more rain and the chance to catch another fish.
PROTEIN POWERED
A trip to Tyn-y-Craig Farm Fishery, Crinant, South Wales resulted in this lovely, clean 6lb rainbow for Pontypridd rod, Jason Williams, who was fishing a dry Daddy on a 9ft 6in six-weight rod. He said, “It was like a bar of silver with silver rays in its tail and put up one hell of a fight. I’ve had lots of fish over the years, but this was one of the best, in perfect condition.” Jason caught the rainbow from the Big Lake, which is full of sticklebacks and pea mussels. The fish, the best of an excellent six-fish bag, was full of both when Jason later spooned it.
FAMILY FIRST
Ned Foster, aged seven (centre), holds his first sea-trout, congratulated by dad Olly and brother Sonny, aged ten. Ned, who only started fishing this year, caught the fresh-run three-pounder from the Egton Estate water of the Yorkshire Esk on a size 3 Mepps spinner. Olly sai
