Paul Arden | Tuesday, 30 January 2024
I’ve got to tell you, that here in the jungle, there is not a lot of luck in fly fishing. It can occasionally happen but is extremely rare. So when it does happen it’s particularly noteworthy! Last Thursday was certainly an important day of luck around here.
Dirk was visiting with a friend for three days. His friend, Heinz, wasn’t really a fisherman, so Nick from Tacklebox Adventures had loaned him a spinning rod. Dirk set it up and simply cast it out once into the lake to show Heinz how to use the fixed spool reel. And, one in a million, a fish came from nowhere, possibly from another dimension, and immediately grabbed the spinner. I zipped over to take the photo.
Shortly after this, fishing on my own, I found a set of babies. One adult rose and I took the shot. Not the perfect shot however and a little bit short, maybe close enough, but as the fly landed the babies came up around it to breathe, so I did nothing and pretended myself and the fly wasn’t there.
But then I noticed that the other adult had come up and was now looking directly at my popper. So I blooped it. Fish took off after it in hot pursuit and ate it!
When I caught up with Dirk and Heinz, I said we’ve got to stop fishing and play the lottery. Today we’ll win jackpot!
This is not the first time that this has happened, that the second adult appears exactly where a bum shot has landed. I’ve seen this happen three times now in ten years. So it occurs about once every thousand days. There you go: a scientifically proven method!
I’ve been missing a few fish again. I lost two on the hook set when Dirk was visiting. I’m not sure how to solve this. I think I might be going off into one of those weird experimental modes again. Definitely not-striking helps, but when Ingebrigt was here I had one of those spit the fly out too. I’m now thinking what would happen if I turned the popper upside down? But I haven’t figured out quite how to do this yet. There is an inverted hook frog pattern that I know. Maybe I can modify this into a popper – as the beginning of my next set of experiments…
Starlink is awesome by the way. It really is life changing and I was thinking that next to getting married here, installing Starlink on the Battleship has been the second most life changing non-flyfishing event for me to happen on the lake. That’s just in case Ashly reads these FPs.
What else can I tell you that’s news? Ah yes, the new Battleship Gourami, which has been living with me for slightly more than 2 weeks, is now hand feeding with Parmesan cheese gratings. Giant Gourami love cheese, which is interesting because it’s not something they normally get in the wild. But I’ve had four Gourami friends now and they have all loved it. Not just Parmesan either. But also Cheddar, Mozzarella and Gouda. I have had blue cheese in the boat but I haven’t shared that. We’re not that close.
Life is good. Loads of lessons this week. I’m thinking of travelling to the far south of the lake but I might fish the dam area first. I haven’t fished either for quite a while and this is just the sort of flexibility that Starlink has given me.
I have to upgrade the discussion Boards this week. So that will keep me busy. And also plan out the new Sexyloops content management system and new site layout. I’ve found a web designer guru in the States who also happens to be a fly fisherman. I’m hoping that by the time he’s done this job, he’ll have realised that he needs the full range of Sexyloops Hot Torpedos in his quiver, because he is worthy of having the best rods in the world. Assuming that he is of course.
Have a great week and be lucky!
Cheers, Paul