Going fishing with Kotare

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33101, 16 December 1972, Page 9

Going fishing with Kotare

Two of the most common results of haste when you are tacklingup at the water are missed rod-rings, and leaders that jump out of your grasp and trickle back through the rings under the weight of the fly-line.

Both can be avoided if you follow a certain routine. Once you've put the rod together and the reel on, rest the butt of the rod on something firm — out of sand or dirt — to your right, so that the rod rings point towards you. Pull the leader off the reel completely until you get to the line itself. Make a fold in the line just above the start of the leader and pass this loop through the rings, sliding your right hand along the rod so that it is stopped by each ring. You don’t miss any rings this way, and it is much easier to keep hold of the loop of line than the thin end of the leader.

With a bit of practice,’and holding the loop so that it projects from your finger and thumb, you can thread line through all the rings in a matter of seconds. The best position for the rod is actually parallel with the ground, and the reel should be firmly rested so that the rod cannot twist round.

If you persist in winding right-handed, the rod-rings must obviously be pointing away from you as you thread line through the rings, so as to allow the reel handle to tum. Waders and nets Waders need heel-plates, especially in the low waters of summer, when smooth

pebbles and boulders in shallow streams grow dangerously slippery. If you wear thigh-boots, and find that the straps are always coming undone, or slipping, replace the straps with pieces of nylon cord. Fasten the cord on your belt with looped thumb knots — which are quickly untied in case of trouble.

Prolong the life of all rubber waders by keeping them in a cool, dry, dark place. Nowadays, waders come in shades of green as well as black. Whether green camouflages you better than black in the water is debatable, but it certainly renders you less conspicuous to the fish when you are moving about out of the water against predominantly green backgrounds.

The merits of landing nets are arguable. Where it is customary to beach fish the man carrying a landing net will be thought of as a new chum. Usually, the fish in these places run fairly large and the edge of the water laps a gently-shelving shore. But bearing in mind that the longer your lure is in the water the more likely you are to catch a fish, a Handing net can save you (precious minutes. ’ If the (shore is rocky or steep, and if the fish are not too big Ito go into the bag (or not I too heavy to sink you if you string them from your belt . . .), a net is invaluable.

When you are wading deep, or moving with heronlike care across a glassy pool, a hooked fish which has to be beached can cost you many minutes. But if you carry a net and the fish is modestly enough proportioned (most of them are, I find) to allow you to tire it out without moving your

position, you can net it and dispose of it on the spot. Naturally, there will be occasions when you want to take a hooked fish away from the scene in case he scares others, but by and large you will find you don’t have to move off the spot. But having landed him in the net, yards from shore, what do you do? Suddenly, a third hand would be absolute bliss.

The right-handed angler who winds with the left hand is better organised in this situation, particularly if he favours thigh-boots. He finishes up with the rod in his right hand and the bouncing net in his left. He puts the rod down his thigh-boot and lifts the net with his right hand so that his left hand can get a good grip on the fish with the meshes of the net. If he decides to keep the fish he lifts the priest out of his wader to administer the last rites. If the fish is to be returned he removes the fly, half-submerges the net until the fish recovers, then releases it. If he wants to keep the fish he has netted he does not remove the fly before he kills it. Even if the hook does get caught in the net in the process, the fisherman stands a better chance of retaining a hooked fish than an unhooked one at that stage. Having lost two nets so far I find it pays to get really attached to them, with nylon cord. Metal clips are fine for hanging the net on belt or bag, but they should never be trusted to make the net stay with you the whole time. And the bigger and deeper the net, within reason, the better it will cope with your fish. I (To be continued.)