When in doubt....Stay at Home!

Finally I can get around to updating the blog, Well what can I say but Crap I wouldn't wish my week on anyone.
Last week I had what I thought was the beginnings of the Flu bug, I took the usual precautions as a man does, a couple of sips of night nurse went to bed and got on with things and went fishing as usual, thinking things will be fine.......Really now!
The day started off OK the sun shone as I walked the bank in search of fly life, making my way downstream through the wood watching the abundance of fly life starting to move in the heat of the morning sun, things looked promising.

One change which I was relieved I had made was to spool up my beaudex reel as quite frankly I was getting really annoyed with the Redington Zero Reel, dont get me wrong they are lovely light reels but there flaw is the pawl, Ratchet I explained about in an earlier post, way to light and it allows fly line to spool off in hanging loops from the reel which have to be spooled off to then be wound back on tight.

So this trip the old met the new, I was quite surprised at how balanced they were together and it was a pleasure to use the carbon rod coupled with the beaudex, I think this will definitely be the setup that goes to Finland later in the year.

The view upstream was a delight in the morning sunshine.











There wasnt much of a hatch to speak of, the odd olive coming off but nothing in any great numbers

and the fish were staying deep with no signs of any surface movement at all.

So taking this into consideration I opted for a single nymph approach making my way down the water casting to where I thought there might be a fish in residence. It didn't take long to find the fish, however wrong species....Grayling.

No matter where I let the nymph run through the only fish I was connecting with were the Grayling, It was as if the Grayling were in residence on the full stretch, there wasnt a trout to be had.



I opted to walk further downstream to see if I could escape from them, making my way along the wall watching the abundance of wildlife on the other side quite oblivious to my presence.

The bottom part of the section was exactly the same as the top part, more Grayling.  After 16 Grayling and no trout I decided enough was enough and started making my way back to the car, but something wasnt quite right this time I was finding it difficult to get air into my lungs.

Thankfully I managed the short drive home and went for a bath as soon as I got in, about an hour later things were dire, I couldn't breath, could hardly move and worst of all severe pains in my chest.

My wife called 111 who immediately dispatched an ambulance after hearing the symptoms and within 10 minutes my chest hair had been shaved, I was wired for sound and on route to the hospital.
After Chest X rays, more blood taken than I care to remember and having an oxygen mask strapped to my face for several hours, the doctor informed us I had suffered due to a severe chest infection.

Thankfully I wasnt kept in too long and am now home recovering, albeit sleeping propped up in bed takes a bit of getting used to, I've been banned from fishing until completely clear of the infection and a bit more wiser to the fact that Im not as young as I like to think I am, Yes, fishing for me is pleasurable and rewarding and brings out the little boy in me but Im no longer the little boy I thought I was, take heed of symptoms and if your in any doubt, put the rods away and go back to bed, It just isn't worth the pain and suffering!