To put the "stir-crazy" blues properly to bed Sally and I have bought camping gear. We have already a good trailer so an inflatable tent and all the rest of the gear was purchased. With our friends who run a canoe and guiding business we headed away to the Tarn gorge.
Sally was a little apprehensive as it's decades since we last camped and both of us have had recent health problems.
But the weather was kind to us and we had a wonderful four days amongst some of the best scenery in Europe. Of course I had to try the fishing!
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Only a small chub on bait, I had to trot the float and maggots 50 yds as the water was gin clear. Not easy on a short spinning rod!
I returned to fish the next evening with a 7' 4 weight fly rod, just as it was getting dark. I used the only fly I had that looked suitable, an epoxy nymph with a heavy brass bead head. I am not much of a fly caster anyway, but that fly was a difficult cast on such a light rod. After a few casts I was chuffed to get dace of similar size to that chub, the second came as it was almost completely dark. I was ecstatic as I thought the first a fluke, with the second dace I felt I had "done a proper job"!
Last time I caught dace off the surface was with floating chrysalis, freelined. I remember quite well, missing most bites so know how fast they are!
Wildlife abounds in the Tarn gorge. We saw a beaver, foxes (they raided our food supplies twice!), vultures and, pretty sure, it was a wolf on the opposite hillside.
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What a fantastic mini-holiday!
PS. Might have caught the chub on a shorter line - that shirt is hardly camo!
