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Big Trout with Small Fly  --Vol.6--

Taking Steps

Although I was pleased that I was right in my estimate, I found my worries utterly came true. I put only a small single hook to the leader and retrieved the line in a slow current. A big sea trout bit my fly and in the next moment jumped high in the air. It was almost a miracle that the hook did not come off.

Now how can I make the sure hooking?

Through my last year practice in Russia and this summer's device in Norway I had made a great progress in the sure hooking. Except for extremely unlucky cases, I had had confidence to avoid any hooking trouble. But only two days' fishing in the River Em robbed me of my confidence.
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Near noon, almost all anglers leave the river to take a rest for evening fishing.
A busy pool turns into a lonely one.

After leaving the river, I thought again of why my hooking was not sure. The hook sometimes deforms or comes off after tearing the inside of fish mouth. Those troubles were mainly caused by small hook size. Usually anglers use double or treble hooks to catch large fish with small flies. That would be the most effective way. But in the River Em only single hooks were allowed to use. Then using large single hooks might be one of solutions but, unfortunately, fish do not tend to bite such large flies now. In addition, heavy flies do not look attractive in such a slow current.
Therefore, I have to use light small flies in spite of some disadvantages.

Small hooks can get great results as far as they catch fish jaws firmly. In order to get a good hooking condition I have to spend much time in piercing fish mouth deeply with the hook. When the hook pierces deeply enough to conceal its bend or it pierces through the fish skin, the hook will less frequently become straight or come off after tearing the inside of fish mouth. So it is vitally important to spend enough time with hooking. When I get a bite, I will extend the line as long as possible and try the slow and calm hooking.

Furthermore, these two days’ fishing taught me two things.

One is that nocturnal sea trout can be caught during the day in a certain fishing method. The other is that it is difficult to choose the fishing spot in the morning and evening because most anglers gather to fish. But in the daytime they give up fishing and leave the river. There remains no angler. In short, daytime is the only chance to fish Home Pool as I like, which I think is the largest and the only possible spot to catch fish in such low water.
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The sun is going down in Home Pool. It's time that anglers came back from their afternoon break.

Green Fox

Mary Anne and I were beginning our third day's fishing for sea trout in the River Em. All the anglers knew that I had caught a big male sea trout on the previous day and said to us "Congratulations!"
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Size 4 Green Fox. Its squirrel tail is slightly swung every time I retrieve the line.

We took enough time to get ready for fishing and headed for the bridge in Home Pool to see the fishing condition. I was not sure but the water level seemed to drop. It was already past ten. It was only Mary Anne and I who started fishing so late in the morning. The other anglers came from dawn and many of them took rest at this hour, sitting on the bank. The rest of them were still fishing but seemed to half give up.

We headed upstream slowly, fished down Pike Pool and came back to the bridge in Home Pool. As I had expected, the remaining anglers were getting ready to go back and there was no angler who cast the line in the river.

While I examined the leader and the fly, the remaining anglers left the river, waving goodbye to us. We were alone again. Now it is a chance to catch fish! Our chance is limited now that they come back in the evening.
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In Pike Pool low water became still lower and it was like a pond.

I went down the bank, walked quietly into the head of the pool and stood in front of the giant rock, which appeared at the side of the current. On that day I put size 4 Green Fox on my hook keeper. I examined the fly again and drew out the line as the previous day. The rattle of the reel echoed through Home Pool as if it were announcing the beginning of the game. When I drew out most of the line a water column stood in the channel running just behind the rock. It stood so near that I could have patted it with the tip of my rod. I had already been nervous and this water explosion made me get all excited.

Feeling as if I were pushed on my back by somebody, I was completely absorbed in drawing out the rest of the line and extended it towards downstream, only hoping to avoid troubles. Fortunately, the opposite bank sloped very steep. I delivered the fly at the very brink of the opposite bank. My fly line began to sink behind the giant rock as I had intended. I retrieved the line slowly and had the same feeling as the previous day. The fly was crossing the channel quite well.
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A pearly shining fresh fish of 30lb.

It happened at my second casting. My line stopped with the thump. A fish has come so early! I lifted the rod a little in order not to loosen the line. The fish was swimming downstream slowly. Flat Beam in my left hand slipped through my finger and extended as the fish moved. After the whole line I had once retrieved extended, the reel started rattling quietly. When 15m of the line was drawn out of the reel, I held it and tightened the line calmly and surely.

The rod bent and my hooking finished. It must be perfect. So I believed and kept fighting eagerly with the fish. The fish ran, sank and suddenly jumped. It struggled throughout the pool but suddenly came up to the surface as if it gave up fighting. Now it became quiet. I held a 13lb sea trout in my arms and removed the hook that got stuck firmly in its left jaw. My hooking proved a great success.
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This sea trout had a very different image from ordinary black ones.

An Explosion

It was the same situation as the previous day. I had got a bite quite soon after I started fishing. Then today I got the fish. It was only my second casting. The core part of Home Pool, the deepest part in front of the inlet was still waiting for my casting.

I washed the slimy substance out of the fly in the current and walked straight to the spot where I had just been standing. The inlet opens its mouth at the opposite bank downstream. I made sure its place and drew out the line again.

The first casting was a bit too short. I drew out the line three more times and cast it towards the inlet again. I did it! The fly line passed across the heart of stream and Flat Beam crossed over it like the previous day.

I counted from 1 to 10 and started retrieving the line. I retrieved it calmly and slowly but my heart was beating so fast. I was nervous and scared stiff. I was waiting for a pull impatiently. Alas, my fly line returned to me in vain. I had nothing to do but breathe a sigh.
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Only a small single hook for this large mouth. Fighting lasted, making me nervous and stiff.

I cast again. And again. I fished down 2m downstream from the starting point. I started retrieving the line in the same way. My heart was beating faster and I could not move my right hand with the rod, as if it were tied down. Only my left hand was moving quietly. Soon the fly line appeared out of the water. It’s about time the fly crossed the heart of the stream.

Suddenly I felt the shock as if my rod were snatched away. The pull was too violent to call it a bite. Immediately the fish ran downstream at top speed. The line I had retrieved at my side rushed out of the rod like the bullet out of the gun. Without delay the screaming rattle of the reel echoed through the pool. How fast the fish is running! Within several seconds the fish will go back to the sea, passing Barrett Pool, unless I fight properly.

Please stay at Home Pool, my fish. So I prayed, watching the tail of the pool. Then something that was shining pearly rather than silvery tore the water surface and jumped high in the air. It jumped much higher and at much higher speed than an ordinary trout. It was like Sailfish jump.
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My trophy sea trout. A commemorative photo with Mr.Ulfsparre.

That pearly fish jumped twice at the end of the pool and suddenly came towards me. I hurried to wind up the reel but my line loosened. The fish seemed to take no notice of me. It passed by me and headed upstream.

It swam upstream through the channel like the previous day’s male sea trout. My line tore the waterweed. Then waterweed moved together, hanging from the line, as if it taught me where the fish was going.

I gradually tightened the line more and more strongly. The fish reached the shallow current, gave up swimming farther upstream and came downstream again. Our fighting continued for another 10 minutes. But probably the fish could not stand for high water temperature. It came up to the surface near the end of the pool. It had completely lost its fighting spirit and became quiet.

It was a beautiful fish. It was my trophy sized one. I measured it after landing it. It weighed 30lb, a record size in the history of the River Em.

-- To be continued --
2002/06/02  KEN SAWADA
Tranlated into English by Miyoko Ohtake