There are snakehead babies around. Let’s see, one chase this evening. Two chases yesterday evening. Broken on one midweek into a snag. All big and annoying fish.

At first my shots were not going where they should and that’s what I’m going to talk about. But also the shots have been very tough and brief. This happens sometimes. Fish that have been partly spooked, or turning down fast because of the wind, or just sometimes they don’t give you a money-shot opportunity. That I can handle, but not putting in the shots is unacceptable.

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The Tongariro in winter is not a secret. The car park makes that clear before the river does. I fished the upper river anyway, in the rain. At least that thinned the punters down and I had it somewhat to myself for two hours.

The river was low and clear, sitting around twenty-one cumecs against a yearly average closer to twenty-eight. Rain overhead and gin clear, which is a combination that fits an El Niño year and not the one you'd order for winter fish. Prevailing westerly winds, drier and cool. I fished Tongariro Bomb style, which if you haven't met it is a long leader and nymphs heavy enough to worry the rod tip, or your head if they hit you. It always surprises me that this is likely the main way that fish are caught on the river. Some people make it look easy, but the easy bit is getting yourself in a tangle and then having to re-tie the whole set up.

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After working all week in Scotland where it was lovely and green, also much cooler and where I had seen lots of people fishing, I came home to cinder-dry Wales and had thought it might be a while before I got to go fishing. However, as we had our friend Chris visit on Saturday, James and I decided we would meet him in Corwen to fish the river Dee. None of us considered that we would catch much and started by sitting in a pub garden to have a few drinks over the blazing hot afternoon chatting about fishing and casting.

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Another two minute read from me this week as I'm still on holiday, I thought I might as well continue with the mullet flies this week, so I decided to give you another of Colin Macleod's patterns: The Ghostbuster.Another one minute read from me this week as I'm still on holiday, I thought I might as well continue with the mullet flies this week, so I decided to give you another of Colin Macleod's patterns: The Ghostbuster.

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When I started to work with Paul I didn’t really know what I wanted to learn in fly casting, or specifically single handed casting. So everything seemed like a good start. Well more distance was off course a goal. My main fishing is blind casting for seatrout a long the coast. Distance and fighting the wind is hard to avoid then. But the rest of the things I didn’t know specifically when I would need, but nice things to have in the toolbox. So I was a bit surprised that it seems like almost everyone else working with Paul is shot taking saltwater anglers. I think that if you are a stream fisherman you want everything that Paul offers in the curriculum.

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I foul-hooked two fish. I hate that. It’s been awhile but a foul hooked fish always colors my mood for a while. I’ve foul-hooked carp too. I think the mechanism is a little different for them but with both carp and corbina it’s a problem that stems from the combination of weighted flies, and bottom feeding fish in shallow water. I think, can always be avoided by right fishing. It’s a sin of inattention and imprecision. My joy of a perceived eat is infused with doubt. I hate it. Hate hate hate. 

Corbina showed in a variety of postures, crowding the backside of flooding waves, surfing in front of them, tailing in pooled water when a set flooded a flat, and nosed into the beach fighting the currents while making divots. Conditions were good all week - the middling tides fished well. Still only a couple ate and I failed to hook those. 

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