I'm addicted to spots. Fish with spots that is. Trout. I love them. Wild trout in wild rivers. Trouble is I live about as far from such rivers as a person can get on this funny little island we call Great Britain. So, not surprisingly, my earliest angling memories (age four) are not of fishing for trout, but fishing for the many other wild fish species in my local rivers. So when the tenkara bug bit, it was only natural to take my rod and kebari and hunt the types of fish that, for me, are closer to home than far-flung trout, which feature mostly on my tenkara road-trip adventures.
And here's the thing. Chasing non trout species with tenkara is every bit as challenging and rewarding as chasing trout, in fact in many ways more challenging and more difficult. There. I've said it. So no comments about 'junk' fish please, I shan't be entertaining any of that nonsense here.
In the British Isles and elsewhere, non-trout species present an interesting quarry while trout are out of season. And, dare I say it, the new approaches, fish behavioural habits and fly-tweaks one needs to learn are a great way to extend repertoire and skill set.
Today I'm fishing for quick-silver (or dace as others know them). Quick-silver because these little metallic rockets with turn on your fly and spit it out quicker than thought itself. Doubly difficult here because they're shoaling up with chub - the fish Izaak Walton dubbed as 'the fearfullest of fishes'. So fearful that today, when one of their companions makes an especially enthusiastic and splashy rise, the rest of the shoal career about in all directions, panic stricken.
Dace occupy a special place in my heart, they always lift my mood, so jaunty and jolly, and there are some relative whoppers in this little river. The Holy Grail of dace is the one pounder - a rare monster of a fish in the dace's world. But even those of half this size will give you a fair scrap on a light tenkara rod. I'm not a trophy hunter but I have to declare an interest in catching a one pound dace on tenkara, and today I get close when what would be my biggest to date twists and turns right off the hook. It looks like a pounder but I'll never know for sure.
Tackle is a sensitive rod, 8x tippet and fly.. well let me see.. whichever fly they are taking. Every time I develop a theory about fly choice the dace changes its mind. Last week it was tiny purple soft hackle sakasa with a blue shimmer on the body. Then it was large pale cream sakasa, but today it's black stiff hackle jun with a red butt, ginked and fished dry. I'm not too upset about losing the lump earlier, I've had a dozen or so nice fish today and the last is a particularly nice fish, one of my better dace so far.
A couple of weeks and the season for dace is over until June, by which time I'll be lost in trout and dace will be forgotten. This year for the first time the thought leaves me with a little pang of regret.
And here's the thing. Chasing non trout species with tenkara is every bit as challenging and rewarding as chasing trout, in fact in many ways more challenging and more difficult. There. I've said it. So no comments about 'junk' fish please, I shan't be entertaining any of that nonsense here.
In the British Isles and elsewhere, non-trout species present an interesting quarry while trout are out of season. And, dare I say it, the new approaches, fish behavioural habits and fly-tweaks one needs to learn are a great way to extend repertoire and skill set.
Today I'm fishing for quick-silver (or dace as others know them). Quick-silver because these little metallic rockets with turn on your fly and spit it out quicker than thought itself. Doubly difficult here because they're shoaling up with chub - the fish Izaak Walton dubbed as 'the fearfullest of fishes'. So fearful that today, when one of their companions makes an especially enthusiastic and splashy rise, the rest of the shoal career about in all directions, panic stricken.
Dace occupy a special place in my heart, they always lift my mood, so jaunty and jolly, and there are some relative whoppers in this little river. The Holy Grail of dace is the one pounder - a rare monster of a fish in the dace's world. But even those of half this size will give you a fair scrap on a light tenkara rod. I'm not a trophy hunter but I have to declare an interest in catching a one pound dace on tenkara, and today I get close when what would be my biggest to date twists and turns right off the hook. It looks like a pounder but I'll never know for sure.
Tackle is a sensitive rod, 8x tippet and fly.. well let me see.. whichever fly they are taking. Every time I develop a theory about fly choice the dace changes its mind. Last week it was tiny purple soft hackle sakasa with a blue shimmer on the body. Then it was large pale cream sakasa, but today it's black stiff hackle jun with a red butt, ginked and fished dry. I'm not too upset about losing the lump earlier, I've had a dozen or so nice fish today and the last is a particularly nice fish, one of my better dace so far.
A couple of weeks and the season for dace is over until June, by which time I'll be lost in trout and dace will be forgotten. This year for the first time the thought leaves me with a little pang of regret.
Well said, very well said. I have found much joy in casting a fly for the so called "lesser" fishes. Thank you for saying it so well.
ReplyDeleteThank you for dropping by and for your kind comment, tight lines!
DeleteNice Fallfish! :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Isaac!
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