Line shot out turning over enabling team greenwell’s, a glory on the point covered by his batman spider on dropper, to enter the slacker eddy sandwiched between far bank and mid stream gut. Instinctively throwing an up stream mend I wasn’t expecting the savage take and leaping zig zagging yellow blur that captured all my senses over the ensuing twenty seconds. Pull leap, shuddering run leap, dive leap, into the fast water zzzzzzz line given, reposition myself down and sideways right, now back in control. For another couple of minutes fish and I played then safely over the rim now lying in the meshes, fat yellow bellied, black and red spotted, nestled a fine River Barrow trout running half to three quarters of a pound.
Firmly hooked in the scissors applying wet hands I carefully extracted the greenwell’s glory, then facing trout’s head upstream cradled the fish until it revived, kicked and swam indignantly off. Gathering myself I waded towards the mid stream gut recast and instantly wallop I’m in again, this time not so lucky as trout and I parted after thirty seconds. Now most likely disturbed the fish holding pocket became silent, a few more casts and I moved on.
More noted for coarse fishing the River Barrow, especially in the streamy tail waters downstream of its weirs provides some quality wild trout fishing. Only picking at it over recent years, my experience wet fly fishing has been consistent catches of trout averaging half a pound, not many in any given session, usually a brace, but enough quality to make each trip worthwhile. Boat fishing I believe could up the ante, enabling more water and inaccessible places to be covered, of which more later.
Fishing on until about one o’clock, hunger pangs took over directing yours truly to slowly wend my way bankside upstream towards ultimately the Step House Hotel in Borris, Co. Carlow to devour a bowl of chef Alan Foley’s scrumptious pumpkin soup topped with Parmesan shavings accompanied by a trio of home made bread, all washed down with a creamy pint of Uncle Arthur. Now that’s what I call fishing…………
