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Supa Nova

It was good to go through the UK and see my family - we haven’t been seeing much of each other over the last five years and so I dropped in to remind them who I am. Remember: always be good to your mother. That’s a little tip for you.

Strange to be in a house of course. There’s a small bungalow that I have to myself, on a river, with a view over fields and no other houses in sight, but even so I don’t think I could ever feel that living in a house - even a house like this - could be home. Home for me, where I’m most comfortable, is travelling. Besides there’s a lot of this world I want to fish yet and you can’t do that by living in one place.

Having said this, I’m looking forward to getting back to West Yellowstone. West for me is like Te Anau. Two poles in my current travels, with great fishing, people, a friendly pub in each, freedom camping (it’s always free), campfires and I relax more and find the steady fishing groove. I’m drawn to places like this - Noosa was another (apart from the fish). I think it’s the holiday atmosphere. Less worries perhaps. Who knows?

Canada is an interesting country. I’ve friends on both coasts now. Let me say it right now, Canadians are different from Americans and Canada is a different country altogether. As I spend more time here I recognise the differences - I still screw up from time to time and think I’m in America when in fact I’m in Canada (Canadians get really pissed off when you do this by the way - but what can you do? They drive on the same side of the road, they have the same fast food culture, they talk the same - sometimes it happens, dudes. It’s like mistaking someone from the Republic of Ireland for a Northerner - well maybe not quite. Anyway many Canadians, like Americans, appear to think they’re missing something - it‘s a big melting pot of cultural differences and they don‘t go back very far. I don‘t really have any roots myself either - you may have worked that bit out - so if I get it wrong, and call you Americans then please don‘t take it personally; it‘s just because I like you).

Americans have bigger fish.

But they’re fatter.

Talking of fish, Dead Caddis Dave and I had a wonderful week of fishing. We really nailed those little fish. I even managed to catch one or two on Bob’s emerger - that’s how much on fire we were. I’ll freely admit, it took me a little while to adjust. You know in New Zealand we call four pound fish small. Hell, there are some places where six pounds isn’t exactly big. But I didn’t start out river fishing in New Zealand. I began learning in Scotland where half a poond is actually pretty big. The largest wild trout I’ve caught in the UK has been one pound and three quarters - from a Highland Loch. When I fished the Water of Leith I caught some veritable monsters that were around a pound to a pound and a quarter. So I can do it.

And I really enjoyed myself. The company - Dave and his friends - was superb. Dave’s a really good fisherman by the way and an excellent caster. I spent most of the last day watching him fish. He fishes a bit like he plays the guitar; precise, well timed and with the odd fuck up.

Note to Carl: three pounds is an exceptional fish in Montana. Don’t pack your eight weight.

Here’s another cool thing about Canada - and particularly Cape Breton: everyone (everyone apart from Dave, that is) smokes weed. At one point it was legalised, although for some reason it’s not anymore - possibly because people were having too much fun. Mind you just about everyone I know in Montana smokes it too. Of course I never ever touch the stuff; instead I smoke seal’s fur - preferably claret. There’s no law against that, not even in America - Land of the Free [women].

(ok it’s late)

Talking of which, generally speaking, Montana women and better looking than Nova Scotian women. In fact, apart from Dave’s wife, there aren’t any good looking women in Nova Scotia at all. Anyway I only chase women when the fishing’s poor, and as I said we were on fire. So that was lucky.

OK back to the driving - I’m driving from Halifax to Arkansas. If you don’t know where either of those places are, then let me tell you they’re a fucking long way apart. While I’m driving I’m planning my weekend course with Bruce Richards, Al Kyte and Chuck Easter ling - and making little notes on the ceiling (flycasting instructors do that). We’re teaching CI and Master instructors so the notes are quite extensive - which the customs' guys will enjoy. I’m doing part distance instruction, part dynamic rolls. The great thing about weekends like this is that everyone learns - especially me.

Have a great week. Lots of PODs coming your way.

Cheers,
Paul

Essential Bush Skills

The start of any flytying good flytying sequence involves squirting The Light of Apgai on your polyprops
Both alarm and curiousity set in when the polyprops start melting
Putting the lid back on the jar to stop *that* happening again
The flytying proper is underway
Notice the composure, that's true class that is
A difficult bit, you can tell that from the vacant expression
Essential bush skills: the third hand
Notice my hat here, it's quite daring
Snip, snip
I'm not quite sure what I'm doing here, but it's cool
Trimming an oversize hackle that appears to have become trapped in the whip finnish manoevre
Delicate precision work, the hallmark of any good flytyer
A sexy catch...

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