I should be gutted but I'm not.
Fished the North Tyne Wednesday river up about 18" above normal levels having dropped about 3ft or more over the last week. Too fast for the fly,so out with the spinning rod. Nice, overcast conditions today which has been a rare event this year for me. A nice pool below rapids, a joining stream just below the head on the opposite bank a nicely defined run centre stream, either side of which has produced fish.
First time down the pool trying to get my technique right, short at first letting the lure swing round in the current and feeling the lure spinning as it straighted down current. Then a bit further out, same again covering all of the water. As I hit slower water used the reel to generate spin on the lure, nothing doing, but feeling like I'm fishing well.
Second time down felt a pluck as the lure was swinging down the run mid stream and felt the thump of a fish so lifted to set the hook. I'm on! The fish stayed deep mid stream and took quite a bit of drag with short runs,nothing too dramatic but it was heavy. Don't panic, Martin don't fiddle with the drag it's taking line when it needs too, let it tire. Well 15 minutes of hanging on, it just moved about in the main current and I'm seeing nothing of the fish. How big is this thing. At one stage as I managed to bring into my side of the stream I thought it had snagged me, it felt like dead weight, oh no! Then it moved, what relief. I sensed I was gaining on it ever so slightly. And as it tried to get back into the stream I was able to hold it just. A few more minutes passed and I saw the swivel and then just got it up to see this enormous tail and what a back. It turned a rolled back downstream, the line tail wrapped briefly, but the fish stayed connected.
There is a long rectangular stone where the net was just above where the fish was holding and I managed to very slowly bring the fish upstream and as the fish came up in the water I got a very good look at it. What girth, it's also longer than anything I've seen out of this river it's just bloody enormous!. A few very short stabby runs but I've got this. There is no place to beach the fish so it has to be by the net, grabbed the net and placed it into the water and realised that no way I can get this under the fish one handed. So rang the owner who fortunately was nearby and asked if he could come and help land the fish.as it's just too much for me and my net.
So I'm trying to stay cool and letting the fish hold close to the bank, but enough line out if it made a sudden run it could without fear of pulling the hook hold. I hear a shout and could just see them approach and looking back at the fish it sort of rolled, turned and that was it, the line went slack. I just couldn't believe it. After such a long 25minutes battle, got it subdude and that was it......gone!
I explained how big it was, still shaking, telling the owner and friend we need a bigger net!
Now I donate to a childrens hospital charity to pay for my fishing on the North Tyne, so the owner is going to recieve a bigger landing net as a gift from me at the end of the month.A few weeks ago, he had the same issue but a friend was handy and landed a 20lb fish for him in similar conditions from the same pool. The net they used for that fish was smaller than mine by some! I have landed an 18lb fish with my net, but on reflection wasn't easy.
I caught a small consolation fish of about 5 lbs in the afternoon a lovely spirited fish, but couldn't help thinking about the one that got away.Still got until the end of the month to get that big one!
Fished the North Tyne Wednesday river up about 18" above normal levels having dropped about 3ft or more over the last week. Too fast for the fly,so out with the spinning rod. Nice, overcast conditions today which has been a rare event this year for me. A nice pool below rapids, a joining stream just below the head on the opposite bank a nicely defined run centre stream, either side of which has produced fish.
First time down the pool trying to get my technique right, short at first letting the lure swing round in the current and feeling the lure spinning as it straighted down current. Then a bit further out, same again covering all of the water. As I hit slower water used the reel to generate spin on the lure, nothing doing, but feeling like I'm fishing well.
Second time down felt a pluck as the lure was swinging down the run mid stream and felt the thump of a fish so lifted to set the hook. I'm on! The fish stayed deep mid stream and took quite a bit of drag with short runs,nothing too dramatic but it was heavy. Don't panic, Martin don't fiddle with the drag it's taking line when it needs too, let it tire. Well 15 minutes of hanging on, it just moved about in the main current and I'm seeing nothing of the fish. How big is this thing. At one stage as I managed to bring into my side of the stream I thought it had snagged me, it felt like dead weight, oh no! Then it moved, what relief. I sensed I was gaining on it ever so slightly. And as it tried to get back into the stream I was able to hold it just. A few more minutes passed and I saw the swivel and then just got it up to see this enormous tail and what a back. It turned a rolled back downstream, the line tail wrapped briefly, but the fish stayed connected.
There is a long rectangular stone where the net was just above where the fish was holding and I managed to very slowly bring the fish upstream and as the fish came up in the water I got a very good look at it. What girth, it's also longer than anything I've seen out of this river it's just bloody enormous!. A few very short stabby runs but I've got this. There is no place to beach the fish so it has to be by the net, grabbed the net and placed it into the water and realised that no way I can get this under the fish one handed. So rang the owner who fortunately was nearby and asked if he could come and help land the fish.as it's just too much for me and my net.
So I'm trying to stay cool and letting the fish hold close to the bank, but enough line out if it made a sudden run it could without fear of pulling the hook hold. I hear a shout and could just see them approach and looking back at the fish it sort of rolled, turned and that was it, the line went slack. I just couldn't believe it. After such a long 25minutes battle, got it subdude and that was it......gone!
I explained how big it was, still shaking, telling the owner and friend we need a bigger net!
Now I donate to a childrens hospital charity to pay for my fishing on the North Tyne, so the owner is going to recieve a bigger landing net as a gift from me at the end of the month.A few weeks ago, he had the same issue but a friend was handy and landed a 20lb fish for him in similar conditions from the same pool. The net they used for that fish was smaller than mine by some! I have landed an 18lb fish with my net, but on reflection wasn't easy.
I caught a small consolation fish of about 5 lbs in the afternoon a lovely spirited fish, but couldn't help thinking about the one that got away.Still got until the end of the month to get that big one!
