Lucky Sod!!

Reet it's been a while the blogs been quiet..... same old..... same old you may say, well enough of the "I'm busy" and so on. I will try to keep this quick, maybe it will help me get on here more often! More than likely though this will end up in a long winded story akin to war and peace. About twenty years back my Mam n Dad gave me a rod for my birthday, that rod was perfect in my eyes, it had a spliced tip spot on for silvers on the river, and enough back bone lower down to tame bigger fish. After some years and some great days, I managed to break the tip on a branch as I made a strike. After an attempt to mend the rod and a few pounds spent on subsitutes, my mind was made up. Now I have had hit outs with some good rods Normark, Greys, Shimano the list goes on and on. I kept browsing the web, e-bay got some hammer!! So when a mint Diawa matchlite stick rod came up I made the move. Rod on the way, the normal worries take over, will it be ok? are my recolections like some fishermans tale? the rod was not really all that!! Well it turned up, it was just well "perfect". Now would it perform? Work had dropped off weather was not bad...... errrrm new rod "Day off!!" So off to the river, some mashed bread and a few bits n bobs, just fish needed. They had other ideas. An hour past, not a touch, then a good take the rod was.... perfect like an old friend, not seen it for a while but comfotable within seconds. Blast a Trout, a few months earlier and on the fly this would have been so welcome not now though. Another hour without a touch and a move. Now Im not bothered with cows normally but these cows had bollocks and when one lowered it's head grunted and pawed the turf, I made a quick return to the water, waded past them not worth the risk I thought. The next swim had a little more depth, a little less flow and I soon had my first Roach. Not a monster but very welcome another half dozen followed before my next strike saw the rod arch over. When the red fin broke the surface my heart quickened it was a better fish. It looked big, my mind went back to a fish I lost some years back, the spliced tip soft middle section of the rod eased my fears and when the fish went nice and safe into the net I was sure the rod was as good as I thought. For a moment I thought could it make the 2lb mark, not quite my scales are a bit funny they dont do oz so the 1.7 made the fish go about 1lb 12oz I think. It was under two but I'm getting there!

So a perfect new but old rod, a nice day and my favourite fish. "Im a lucky sod no doubts!"