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An outing for pleasure
That day, the goal wasn't that big trout. After so many failures, I'd given up on the idea of seeing this fish again. Perhaps it had been caught? So I was there on a "pleasure" outing, just to relax and enjoy the calm of the river. I also had my little 7.6p toy with me, not a weapon to take on the specimens.
I arrive shortly before noon with my snack in my vest. I like to eat by the water, as it allows me to blend in with the scenery and take the temperature at my leisure.
No insects on the water, but that's to be expected at this time of year. I spot a small trout of the year. A 0+ as the specialists say. It's a beautiful sight, already behaving like a big one. Nothing else to report, so I set off upstream, polarized glasses on my nose and eyes wide open.
A pretty first fish
I quickly spot a nice fish under some branches. It's positioned close to the surface, so even in the absence of a gobble, I'll present it with a dry fly. Good girl, she'll come and take it on the first pass.
It's always great to see a fish gobbling in these clear waters.
The unexpected encounter
A quick photo and I continue my prospecting. The second fish leaves a lot to be desired, but I finally come across it. He's also in position, but deeper. There's no chance of him coming in for a dry so I take out my box of nymphs while keeping an eye on the fish.
I choose a small pheasant tail in size 18, my go-to at the moment. As I prepare to attack, I see the trout suddenly flee. I'm a long way behind and haven't made a move, so I'm surprised. I think of another angler or a walker. But I soon spot a large silhouette coming down the river. A large trout is out and it's this one that has triggered the escape of its fellow fish.
I immediately made the connection with this big fish I'd come across a few months ago. The behavior was the same, moving rather quickly in the middle of the river. Yet I returned at the right times, early in the morning and in the evening. But I never saw her again. And here she is, right in front of me, in the middle of the day.
At that moment, I would have preferred to have my 9p #6 in my hands! This little 7.6p isn't ideal, but it's still powerful and I can't miss this opportunity. The trout continues on its way and I follow it, trying to remain as discreet as possible. I don't see her deviate in the slightest or pick at the bottom; she gives the impression of inspecting her territory, confident, like the queen of the place.
I'm about to reach a threshold. I don't think she'll go down it, so I'm banking on her turning around and coming back up. So I stop the chase and position myself in an area that gives me both good visibility and the chance to cast. I take the opportunity to put on a new 16/100 tip and swap my small pheasant tail for a larger marabou nymph.
I have a good shooting window and now wait patiently, ready to fire. It seems like a long time, but my gamble was right, and I finally catch sight of her. She's coming up and has slowed down a bit, which bodes well.
A deep breath and I cast. I'm not quite on target, but I'm hoping the fish will react to an animation of my voluminous nymph. But no, nothing, not the slightest reaction.
Second try, and same failure. She's now almost facing me and in danger of seeing me, but I try one last throw. This time, the nymph lands right on its axis. I scan the fish and see it "crunch" briefly. The rod bends and I'm hooked!
It's not very crowded, but the fish are very powerful. My poor foil is taking some unexpected curves. But it still has a good reserve of power. The situation finally turns to my advantage, with the queen ending up in the landing net.
A large, well-proportioned fish, simply magnificent.
Fly-fishing for large trout leaves little to chance. Even when well prepared, the ratio of fish bitten to fish caught is low. But when you're lucky...
