Caning it!

A sunny morning on a dropping river provided the perfect oppurtunity to test out something that has intrigued me for a while- one of Luke Bannister's beautifully crafted cane fly rods. Luke lent me a sweet actioned seven foot four weight for a crack at the wild trout at Wiggaton, near Launceston.


The fish were typically cagey in the shallow water, but a march brown or gold head nymph still picked out some beautiful trout, giving me the chance to enjoy a pleasing fight on the cane- which really does have a great feel when playing fish. Above all though, I was amazed at Luke's dedication- these blanks take a painstaking process of forty hours plus! Refreshing to see real craftsmanship in this age of mass produced tackle.

Earlier in the week, a trip to Exeter Canal for carp proved fruitless again- despite a decent sized bream. Rob Darby joined me in this thankless task. After three nights for just one lost fish, albeit a big one, I kind of hoped it'd be his night. If anyone desrves a fish it's Rob. Still, the sunset over the River Exe was reason enough to stick around for the evening and empty a can of cider or two. In spite of all of our talk of baits, tactics and conditions we both agree that only one factor will win this battle- persistence. Bags of it. The Lord have mercy on our souls...