Babies of the Wet

I had a great week last week with a new guest. Richard landed three good Snakehead including one of 5KG. He also lost a fourth because of line tippet classes - that we would normally have had in th boat. But not at all bad for five days!! When you put in the early shot then you’re in the game - it’s as simple and as complicated as that. Everything else has to come right as well, but it’s really about making the most of that early opportunity.

I thought that I might be pushing my luck with these two bookings, what with the wet season coming in, but I’m pleased I took them, because it’s fishing well  right now and can only get better. Some of the best fishing of the year in fact - mind you, it’s been a strange year and even when the opportunities are there, you still need to make it happen.

The more time I spend on these fish the more fascinating I find them. The eat is remarkable. But it’s also about the stalking and at any point in the day everything can turn from nothing to the spectacular. Richard has been chasing Giant Snakehead for 20 years so he is fully into it and knows what to expect - it was excellent because the approach I use is different to anything he’s done before and it’s transformed his game - he now looks very dangerous!

I know I’ll be seeing Richard again and I look forward to his company in the near future.

I have the Wet Season coming up fast - there is lots of afternoon rain already - but there are babies around, and for some of what we do here, this is the key to big fish opportunities.

As you’ll know already, I spend most of my time putting people off from coming here - because it most certainly doesn’t suit everyone, or indeed most fly danglers! This is some of the hardest fly fishing you’ll ever do, period. It’s all about new skills, new casts, new techniques and taking fleeting opportunities in order to make magic happen. Basically, in my opinion, it’s the pinnacle of fly fishing.

Don’t come in your droves and don’t come  at all unless you are a little bit nuts! But if challenge appeals to you then you won’t find anything else quite like this. It is totally addictive.

Anyway I’ll have done my two weeks guiding for this month and so I’m shut for the next few weeks because I need to have the rod in my hands again :D :D

Next month - we’ll play it by ear - but I might have a couple of weeks available. Normally I shut up shop completely through the Wet, but from what I saw last week, I might actually be open for business for two weeks next month as well.

Of course, if it’s really amazing I might stay “shut” - it’s been a hard year for me too and turning it around is actually very appealing! There were some brilliant opportunity days this year - when I was guiding - but I haven’t seen anything yet this year that I would call “red letter” - and “red letter” weeks - not days - are long overdue now.

Also, Ashly hasn’t caught a Snakehead in a while and I’d like to see that change!

So if I start talking a lot about rods but you start seeing lots of pictures with me and Giant Snakehead then you’ll know what’s happened :D Regulars of course are always welcome!!

But now it’s “TC’s” time (or Zhongxiang Zhu - which a lot of people struggle to pronounce!).

Cheers, Paul

Today's POD - Richard and the "FB Pose" :D :D