A recent post by Dan Morris linking to an article on the Field and Stream Blog by Kirk Deeter caught my attention, it was about the ever increasing prevalence of “bobbers” on trout streams. He, like me, doesn’t think that it is quite the done thing and perhaps like much in life, whilst in moderation a level of errant behaviour can be given some leeway, an excess really is just that, excessive.
I generally fish dry flies, and I am fortunate that my local trout will most of the time eat them if they are well presented. Even then I occasionally resort to “dry and dropper” methods, or in extremis: Euronymphing or fishing with coloured nylon built into the indicator. Dry Fly Fishing is my passion, it is intimate, delicate and visual and it really is the essence of our sport, at least for many.
This “battle” between the surface and subsurface fly has lasted decades, Frederick Halford maintained that anything other than a high floating dry fly was sacrilege, whilst G.E.M Skues was villified for having the temerity to suggest subsurface patterns were perfectly acceptable in the eyes of man and God. All that back in the late 1800’s.
So with a a glass full of scotch and a belly full of righteous indignation at the use of “Thingamabobbers” my mind turned to things poetic. The result below:
The Fishing Gene 