Airflo World Bank Masters Final 2012

Elinor Trout Fishery

A very, very tough day probably the hardest days fishing I have ever encountered. With in excess of 100 anglers all throwing a line over the water at 09:00, imagining the slap of all those lines hitting the surface to be fished back towards the bank, you could well speculate where the fish would head.

I came prepared to spend a lot of time trying to put out a long line, and rigged my 10ft 7/8 weight rod with the 40+ line. But I started on the 6/7 weight as I can fish all day with this. I know I struggle to fish the heavier rod for any extended period, and hoped I might get away with the lighter rod until at least lunchtime anyway. How sadly deluded was I?

Getting there early there was already about half the field in attendance and there were some serious attendees. National flags of internationalists were on display everywhere. There were an awful lot of Scottish voices, and in fact I parked beside a whole Scottish Team, Change Fly Fishing. One of their number was the runner up at my Orchill Heat. After the briefing (a run down of the rules including one- no flavourings to be added to flies! Never heard of that before). You have to ask why go fly fishing if you are going to apply bait tactics?

Peg103

My starting Peg was number 103 and I had a stiff breeze coming right to left, so not a big problem to me being a right-hander. Unfortunately there were no fish here, at least none showing interest in my starting flies. I opened with a small Damsel nymph on point, an olive buzzer and a Black Pearly Snatcher, all on an intermediate line.

There were no fish showing anywhere that I could see though my very friendly neighbour Dave, a Welsh born Elinor local/regular said there were fish rising at the dam wall.

I soon swapped lines to a floater when I was hitting bottom too quickly on the intermediate line, and this fished better. I had a few fly changes but the result was the same- nothing.

The horn went and it was onto the next peg at the dam end.

Peg 8

Peg 8, was easy to cast from with a following wind, and the light was better here. Some angler had hit a hot spot already apparently on peg 6 before we rotated and had 3 fish, but I never saw this. In fact I never seen a single fish caught by the 30 odd anglers in my line of view until I was four pegs in! I seen one fish move near me, covered it but it never showed interest. Another fly swap.

Peg18

Peg 18, things were about to get hard. I needed to wade to clear the reeds in the bank but the wind had strengthened and was killing the line on my back cast and I was hit by my flies. The same problem was getting all of us on this section. I swapped to the heavier rod and started casting backwards- ie. into the bank releasing the line on my back cast. I am not that good at this though and for every good cast I was having about 4 duffers.
My neighbour to my right had the first hard tug I was aware of, nearly ripping the rod from his grasp but amazingly it never took! Close in too.

Peg 28

Peg 28, my heart sank as it was obvious the peg faced a shallow bay- no fish in there I think and wading wasn’t worthwhile. But then it became an attribute as I was able to get a nice clear area to cast into forwards, to release backwards. I was getting into the rhythm here and as long as I kept my cast across the wind I was getting good range. I soon realised I could just reach the deeper water that was likely to be less fished beyond the bay. I dropped to a two fly cast with a black buzzer, and a “Wrong Midge” buzzer. First cast There was a sharp pull and a fish was one. I lifted and tightened and it was definitely hooked. It jumped, still on and I started to pull it in, a Rainbow I would estimate of about one and a half pounds. Then disaster, without warning it went slack. It had to be a bad knot but no both flies were intact. For some inexplicable reason it had got free. Was it nicked and pulled the hook out? No idea. I admit to flinging the rod down in disbelief, even the invigilator was surprised! About the same time an angler three pegs down from me had a fish- a tagged one at that! The first I had seen taken all day.

Peg 38

Peg38, harder into the wind again but I was maintaining a reasonable good cast to bad cast ratio at about 1:5 and getting fair range. On one retrieve I felt a tap, tap, tap. There was something there but it wasn’t taking. I mentioned it to my neighbours then cast again, another decent one, and bang a fish was on. Initially it seemed to surrender and was heading right into the net, then it woke up. A major fight ensued where I three times lifted the net and returned it to lie at my feet as I tackled this quite big fish. I even had to swap hands with the rod as it was proving heavy- who is playing who here?! Eventually though it was in the net a big Rainbow of about 3 to 3 and a half pounds I would say, on the Wrong Midge. I was delighted, I wasn’t going to blank and in fact had caught on a very lean day for everyone.

Peg 48

Peg48, last before lunch, more of the same as 38, I had two very strong tugs over this section and was sure I was into a fish but it wasn’t to be, it never stuck. My neighbour to my right got his first fish about the same time.

A long walk to the tent for a buffet lunch though there was little left by the time I got there. Asking around there were very few fish caught, with only one fish I was probably well up the leader board! A chap parked next to me had managed to break a rod on a fish that he then got in to between his legs, but didn’t net so they wouldn’t count it despite releasing there!

Peg 58 & 68

The least said the better! These were a nightmare of more headwinds and no fish. In fact I was tiring of the backwards casting lark now and my back was aching, and all semblance of timing had gone. I tangled up twice and ended up spending more time sorting out a birds nest of fluorocarbon than fishing. No one had caught near me though down the bank a few odd fish were taken. Over in a far corner, around peg 72ish we watched one angler cast 5 times and hook five fish, losing one and eventually getting his fifth, which stops you until the next peg. The adjacent angler too was getting fish. Obviously a pod sitting at that one spot and it was to prove a pivotal peg to have on your rotation….. I never had that one!

Peg 78

Peg78, relief, the wind wasn’t as bad, here, it was still strong and had turned into a bit of a headwind now but at least it was left to right, I could live with that. There were tons of fish here last night. More fly changes, I put a small lure on point initially a Cats Whiskers and got a definite tail nip but that was it. My casting was rubbish now though, my timing was all over the place and my double haul was ineffective. No one caught here, on again.

Peg 88

Peg88, nothing to speak of here, no fish moving and not a touch, well nothing definite.

Peg 98

Peg98 looked promising, butt up against trees, it was sheltered and the wind was Ok here. I late on spotted a few fish rising- a first today, so very quickly put on a shuttle cock buzzer as the time run down. I really felt I needed a longer leader but there wasn’t time. I managed to put the Yellow owl on the spot where the fish had swirled. Nothing. I fished it until the fly was waterlogged and changed to another Shuttle cock, but still no takers, and that was the time for the final whistle. Time for tea and medals.

The Winner of the Airflo World Bank Masters Final 2012 taking £2000 and numerous other prizes was Chris Jones with 13 points and I think nine fish. Three anglers had equal fish counts and it had gone to the last fish caught rule to split the winners. The very close runners up were Andy McLellan and Andrew Scott. There were a lot of blanks and DNF’s, anglers beaten into submission by the wind and lack of fish showing with the cold wind.

I was speaking to Jim Tomlinson ( former world champion fly caster) , he finished behind me at Orchill an was down for the Grafham Troutmasters final too. He had a good day with 4 fish. He came away with a wild card prize too. Good man.

For me, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, though have to say the fishing wasn’t up to much and the day was spoiled by the weather, but you can’t blame anyone for that and you have to say it was the same for everyone. Some pegs were a bit more equal than others I think and they would definitely decide the day, but again its all in the luck of the draw, and the good anglers make their own luck….. I’m not that good an angler!

On the tournament generally, pretty well organised, the five minutes between pegs could have been extended, it was hard to make the time sometimes, and some less able anglers ( Dave next to me was quite badly arthritic)  struggled to do it.  Ten minutes would have been better in my view. OK it adds 40 minutes to the day- but its a long day anyway. And they could’ve started lunch once everyone was back at the lodge!

A good event that was well organised and I would do it again though if the wind is blowing next time maybe I will just stay in my car.