Not a single pull

I am sure that is Powie crying into a hanky after reading the results!

After Thursdays sublime evening today was ridiculous! I cannot remember another day that I fished for 8 hours and didn't even have a pull.

The day started with Mike forgetting his waistcoat so we went back for it. We didn't think we were behind but I felt so rushed that as we motored off I still hadn't tied my last dropper or tied on my flies.

My partner for the day was Sheena Goode who had just won the Brown Bowl and Gold medal in the ladies international last week on Bewl and was great company on a difficult day.

The wind was extremely strong and as usual upsets your rhythm. You would sort a tangle and you were in another and if you pulled your flies in they would catch anywhere. The boat was drifting awkward too as there was a current running left to right and the wind coming across right to left. The motor was again either fast or stop and I didn't seem to be able to set the drift right and together with not using my own drogue made it feel as though I didn't know what I was doing. There - its out now!

I still really don't know what I did wrong though as I seemed to be using the Di5 and Di7 in the morning and then the fast glass and nymphs in the afternoon. I think that I was poor at controlling my line and I hadn't practiced. I guess there's two good reasons.

Trying to console myself I asked around. Mike hadn't caught either and Ash and Powie were struggling too. Feeling better I looked around and there was Haskey sitting on his seat having bagged up - Great! Well done to Team frog hair and the boys who were top on the day with Gareth in second place.

We got back to the lodge and it was very mixed although it seems that the fish did come on in the afternoon to hares ears, daiwl bachs and the bung. Damm, the bung would have allowed me to get control of my flies.

The team had done rubbish with the winners on 41 fish and a rod average of 4.1. . Michael and Powie had three and ash two. Mick also managed to blank with me and Mike but not through poor fishing. His partner kept wrapping him a number of times and then had stuck a fly just under his eye and spent the afternoon in casualty. You can see the red mark on the day but when the anaesthetic wears off bet it hurts.

Never mind another day another fish!!