John Bailey – The Kingfisher Diaries
May 18th 2010
Fish and Fly or Stay at Home?
I wasn't around the lakes much week beginning 10th May because I was over in Spain guiding and trying to sell a rather decrepit cottage. Contact me for details on that and you could be in for the bargain of your life! (info@kingfisherapartments.co.uk) Anyway, to the fishing. John was the fly fisherman with me and though the species were Spanish barbel, the fly worked for them to perfection. He used both dries and nymphs and caught bags of fish.
But the interesting thing was the way each of his captured providing the most fascinating of challenges. Often, his target fish would be hidden by a willow, nestled under a fallen tree, lurking behind a rock or sitting perhaps in a difficult bit of current. On almost every occasion, John was faced with a real dilemma, a true puzzle, a demanding challenge. I often watched him sit and assess the situation for ten or even twenty minutes before making his move. In short, it was absolutely fascinating stuff and whilst we all appreciate the skills and delicacies of normal coarse fishing, we do wrong to exclude the idea of fly fishing. It can be exquisite, exciting and just
about as demanding a form of fishing as it gets.
But there's a BIG BUT. We nearly didn't get back to the UK because of the ash cloud. Malaga airport was shut on Tuesday and most of Wednesday. We were lucky to get out on Thursday. And who knows, if we'd delayed much longer we might have found Stansted closed upon our return. I noticed yesterday that the Sunday Times says the ash problem could be with us for years to come. Now, air travel is always stressful to a greater or lesser degree but now we have a totally unknown factor making life in the air even more problematic.
So, why not stay and home! Drive a couple of hours if you're a Londoner or living in the Midlands and come to Kingfishers. Beautiful scenery, luxurious apartments and fishing to die for on your doorstep.
See you here!