The first swim proved a nightmare. Float bobbing about, chewed maggots, but no contact with anything. After 15 minutes I gave up, chucked a few more handfuls of maggots in in the hope of feeding what ever little horrors were down there off. Swim two failed to produce a bite so after half an hour I moved to swim three. This too was very quiet up until the point I was thinking of moving. I then had seven nice dace in about as many casts, before I bumped one and spooked the shoal.
Back at swim one and the little horrors had disappeared. I now seemed to be picking up leaves instead. After 20 minutes, or so, the maggots started getting pulled to bits again so I moved on. Swim two, first cast and I was in. Clearly a barbel as it crashed about the swim. Thankfully I was able to keep it out of the tree roots. After a bit of a prolonged battle it was in the net, all 4lb 13 oz of it. Along with it's rather tatty fins it had quite a deep cut near it's tail, but appeared to be in good health otherwise. I had a few more trots as it rested in the landing net before moving back to swim three which was now fishless.
Swim one was also fishless, or so it appeared. After a few trots though I had a lift bite, which I stared at in disbelief before it shot down stream at hell of a rate. Eventually, as it was about to round the down stream bend 30 yards away, I appeared to regain control. I managed to regain about half the line before it shot off again, right down the near side bank crashing through the over hanging trees before the line parted above the float. The last two foot of line was seriously abrade. I hate leaving tackle attached to fish, even just a hook length. I had a wander around down stream, but couldn't see any sign of the float or what ever.Not sure what I could have done even if I could see it bobbing about behind a fish. Somewhat pissed off I wandered up to swim two.
Chopping 6' of line off and winding it into the Monomaster, a damn useful device if you can hold of one, I re-rigged. It wasn't long before I was into another barbel. After a brief, but frantic fight a 3lb 4oz fish was in the net. With time ticking away I stayed in swim 2 and was reward with a somewhat larger fish that got far too close to the tree roots at times. Eventually a 7lb 2oz barbel was in the net. and with that it was time to go.
Not a bad end to the first week of the season really. As for the lost high speed fish, I've no idea what it was and it's not the first time I've lost a fish like this in the Nidd. A friend who lost a fish that disappeared about 50 yards down stream at high speed thought it might of been a salmon. Which is a possibility.
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