Page 14 - RIFFLE4-flip

P a g e | 13 top of the banks. Despite the level, she had lost and let the line go. He paid some line out, placed that angry, churning look of a rising river. The the rod on the rest and waited. He was so level was subsiding and the ferocity of the flow confident of a bite that he was quite shocked had abated. It was looking smoother and more when it did not arrive. ‘Wasn’t that always the inviting. The field was wet and slimy. The river case’, he chided himself. After an hour, he must have broken its banks a few days ago and decided to move. had left its usual deposit of silt, thick and Again, he tucked himself into a tight swim, this slippery underfoot. There were a few dark time on a small pool created by a little island in clouds in the sky and a hint of rain hung in the the middle of the river. There was a deep gully air. The forecast was good. He took a deep here and, again, a nice smooth flow. He dropped breath. It smelt good, clean and fresh. the bait in and let it swing round and under an He headed to his first spot. He had decided not alder tree. As he sat back to await events, he to put in any free offerings. He just wanted to became quite captivated by a bustling flock of offer a hook bait, on its own, in as many likely Long-tailed Tits, chattering and darting through spots as he could muster. He knew the river the trees about him. They seemed oblivious to well. She was a small, intimate, upland his presence, as wildlife so often does. He river. Steep banks covered in thick foliage acted fumbled about in his bag and managed to lay his as the perfect concealment for the hands on the flask. Unscrewing the cap, he hunter. Himalayan balsam choked the native poured himself a cup of steaming hot coffee. He nettles and the occasional ‘pop’ could be heard took a sip and sighed in relief. Since giving up as a seed exploded from the Balsam’s flower. He smoking many years ago, this was his fix now settled into a nice bend. The river flowed from and a much needed one at times. right to left. The bank turned sharply to his left Another hour drifted slowly by as the sun and offered an enticing crease and slack, off peeked out from behind the dark clouds. It was from the main flow. The river was still pushing still quite warm, despite the weather. Steam through quite hard here, where the river began to rise from the field as the sun gently narrowed. There was still the odd branch being heated the wet mud. A car hurtled past the swept along, but otherwise the river was nearby lay-by at break neck speed. ‘Why do they quieter, friendlier. He set up with a simple do it, down such narrow lanes’, he thought? ‘Ah rig. He used a fairly light leger weight; he well. It was time to move on’. intended fishing in very close and wanted the bait to naturally bounce under the banks. This In fact he moved several times but all to no was fished straight through to a size 2 hook. It avail. Each new swim produced the same looked big but that was essential. The pieces of results; a motionless rod tip, except for the luncheon meat were big and the hook had to occasional tug from passing debris. Still, he had match the bait. left his top spot until last. He felt sure this would produce something special. The banks were He attached the meat with a baiting needle, slippery here. It was a steep sided swim that fell sliding it onto the hook and then securing it in away into a big, deep pool created by a place with a piece of grass. He placed his bank bend. The river narrowed at its entrance, passed stick at such an angle that it would allow him to a beautiful weeping willow and flowed hard into point his rod towards the baited hook. He would the far bank. The river then turned at ninety touch leger when it suited, but in some swims degrees and headed off downstream. The exit he decided a bank stick would be okay. He too was narrow and ran over clean gravel to a swung the bait out onto the edge of the current