Old friends reunite for fishing trip on the River Coquet

John has been a good friend for a long time. The friendship goes back to my teaching days and that of the Trout Tickers Club of which John was chairman.

For many years John was one of a number of us who fished and slept over at Whinney Loch twice every year. We stopped there between Christmas and the New Year, then again near the longest day.

This week I arranged that John and I should have a day fishing on the Coquet as he enjoys fishing the rivers for wild fish.

He brought his own rods and tackle. When I say his own rods, I mean his own rods. For a few years now, John has been making his own rods. The one he used, was a lovely nine foot cane rod. He bought the cane blanks from New Zealand, and sourced the bits and pieces, reel seat, cork handle and rings etc from all over!

John had never seen this stretch of the Coquet, although he has had a caravan at Rothbury for some years. The river was low and clear. He choose to fish the deep hole that had an overhanging tree with a dry fly.

The rod cast a lovely straight line, which was no surprise as John knows how to present a fly. However, nothing was attracted to the small dry Griffiths Gnat. I suggested he tried the faster well oxygenated water at the head of the next pool.

Second cast his line tightened at the dangle. A small Brown was tempted but it came off quite quickly. Next cast a better fish, ten inches,took the dry fly and it fought hard, putting a good bend in the cane rod. The reel was a Hardy Marquis which balanced the rod perfectly.

After lunch we moved to a different stretch and again, the home made cane rod did what it was built for.

It was a super day catching up with John, recalling the adventures and laughs we had fishing with all our friends and particularly Alan Young who unfortunately is no longer with us. We’ve arranged another day in September, can’t wait!