Dad was an extremely keen and successful fly fisherman. He loved any body of water where he could fish, that said he wasn't a big fan of Canals. He once told me "The Leeds Liverpool houses more shopping trolleys than Asda" and he continued to explain "and I can't eat them!". In any case it was all Course Fishing on Canals and he wasn't into that after all he was a Game Fisherman. Dad did however marvel at the engineering that went into constructing them and the vessels that used them so for that reason I shall be walking Canal Paths too.
He loved the whole Man Vs Fish thing, the whole understanding the territory, the interconnected ecology of the places he fished, the behaviour of the fish, the effects he and the weather had on the chance of a catch. He also enjoyed the beauty, peace and solitude of the environment. He loved nothing more than to be slightly hypnotised by the line floating on the water's surface, then slowly and gingerly reeling it back in and then with an expert flick of the wrist the line would be deftly paid out again with an unmistakeable whoosh of the rod as it sliced through the air and the whip of the line as it travelled forward. On the end of the line was a fly, a beautiful feathered mimic of a water insect designed to draw in the fish. Dad used to tie his own flys until his eye sight got the better of him and he discovered internet shopping.
He loved the whole Man Vs Fish thing, the whole understanding the territory, the interconnected ecology of the places he fished, the behaviour of the fish, the effects he and the weather had on the chance of a catch. He also enjoyed the beauty, peace and solitude of the environment. He loved nothing more than to be slightly hypnotised by the line floating on the water's surface, then slowly and gingerly reeling it back in and then with an expert flick of the wrist the line would be deftly paid out again with an unmistakeable whoosh of the rod as it sliced through the air and the whip of the line as it travelled forward. On the end of the line was a fly, a beautiful feathered mimic of a water insect designed to draw in the fish. Dad used to tie his own flys until his eye sight got the better of him and he discovered internet shopping.
Dad found the whole Reservoir environment an easy win for fishing as they are usually quick to get to, they often have good access roads, clear paths and have well managed ecology. The beauty of them is they tend to be high up and out of the way, just what Dad liked. Here in Yorkshire we have a fabulous array of Yorkshire Water owned and run Reservoirs with good well documented walks, some are simple circular jobs and others are connected to longer routes. I think it makes sense to follow some of these.
One of Dad's favourite fishing Reservoirs, 'Stocks' in the Forest of Bowland.
And another of Dad's favourite spots, Embsay Reservoir in the Yorkshire Dales
Photo: Daleswalk Limited
Photo: SteveMG
The first official trip out in My Dad's Boots will be a Reservoir walk close to home.
Till next time... MDB
Lovely.... just lovely
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