River settling in a little now.  perhaps a sign of a springer or two from middle river down?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                             THE BIG ONE.  THE FLY – NOT THE FISH.

My Boss and I were watching the river rising at the Nyth one day and a relative of the family was coming to fish.   "If he doesn’t come soon it will be too late" Mr Robinson said.   Shortly afterward the relative turned up and the river was still rising and colouring up.  The boss took out his fly wallet which in those days contained a selection of large 4/0 sized singles and the like, which he and others commonly used on the beat at that time.    “Here “he said “ put this one on”  He handed me a size 9/0 Fully dressed Jock Scott/ “You are joking” I said but apparently not so I tied it on the guests cast as requested..

  I rowed him out into the pool above the lodge and he started fishing.  I say that generously as the casting of that big fly was somewhat hazardous to both of us but shortly afterwards a fish showed below us.  The guest, Michael was his name,  managed to cover the fish and to my astonishment the fish took.  I rowed the boat into the bank and the guest played the fish ok and I eventually netted a fish of about 18pounds.  There in the scissors of the fish looking like a gaff hook was the 9/0 Jock Scott.   We looked at each other and he said “Can you believe that”.   Well I could because it happened but I might have been pushed to do so otherwise.  That was the end of the fishing for the day as the river was now too coloured.   I did manage to convert my boss to double and trebles eventually but that’s another story!!

It only goes to show that the agonised debate that most anglers suffer when selecting a fly has little influence on the eventual outcome and even though I am a fly tyer and do my best to recreate an anglers suggestion for a fly pattern with a bit of this and a dash of that I very often get the feeling that this is a complete waste of time.  Believe the fly will work and most times it will do so - but you need to show it a fish first.  That's the real problem these days.