Its been a tough April. Very low levels, cold water and cold winds combined with little insect life has meant that catching trout has been hard work. The grayling which are out of season have been rising freely and feeding well whilst the trout have been hiding , The last few days have seen the temperatures rising. This weekend as it is now May I thought I would mark the occasion by going to a local favourite stream armed with bamboo and silk . I apologise for using the American "Bamboo " rather than the traditional English term "cane " It is not because I have been reading to much Gierach it as a survivor of the English boarding schools system enough to say I have several painful memories of the Cane. So for me " Bamboo " it is. I am not a die hard bamboo fan as most of my fishing is done with Carbon rods . But over the last few years the appeal of the traditional Bamboo and silk has grown on me.
The growing appeal is not linked to any romantic notion of returning to times gone by . It is I think more a reflection of my interaction with the river . It may be all in my head but when you play a fish on a silk lane and cane rod the feeling of connection is more intense the lack of stretch in the line and the flex of the cane gives a different experience . It is also a very efficient method of fishing . The silk line I was using above was a 3wt which I can confirm floated nicely for all of the four or five hours fishing . its diameter was thinner than that of the 2 wt plastic line I used a few days before . It casts beautifully with very tight loops and roll casts better than any plastic line . Fishing Bamboo makes you slow down your cast , force one and it will protest . But work with it and it will do everything that modern materials will do , granted a little slower and also a little costlier . Although decent cane rods can be obtained for less than the cost of expensive carbon and silk lines are dependent on the brand can be obtained for less than £100 . The truth is for me If you love the places you fish and you are happy with the size of fish you catch then the only way to improve things is to change the way you fish and therefore the quality of the experience . For me that has meant that sometimes when the intent is to fish dries and perhaps tiny nymphs on a warm summer day then make a Bamboo rod and silk line your companion.
When I started this blog many years ago it was started so that a relative could follow my exploits but these days it has become a journal , blogs have fallen largely from favour they have been replaced by the instant gratification of FB and instagram. This blog has matured now and there have been times I have considered ditching it but I am already looking back on the posts I made some years ago. I know that some years hence I will look at this post and remember that one moment when the river , the weather and the fish all aligned with me to give one of those special moments when everything is perfect. A rising fish , a decent cast a perfect take followed by some airborn acrobatics to signal the start of summer and the perfect result.
