By John Bailey.
On November 2nd we wake to a frost and know well and truly that autumn is here. Enoka’s barbel fishing apprenticeship can be put aside and the serious work of turning her into a fly fisher can begin.
We’re all revved up and ready to go. Chest waders and jacket? Tick! An Encounter 8’6” and Clearwater reel, tick again. Perhaps best of all, the Orvis Recon 10’ 3wt, one of the great European nymphing rods to my mind. Bring it on, says Enoka.
Now, I’m not APGAI or anything but back in my teaching days I guided scores of kids to a fly fishing future, and being self-taught myself, still feel you can make headway before learning the finer points later on in your career.
And of course, now, in Herefordshire as winter looms, it is grayling that Enoka has set her heart upon. It will be all Czech nymphing and French leaders at this stage in her career. Short casts. Accuracy. Rhythm. Line control. Watercraft. Concentration. “I’m so looking forward to this,” Enoka says.
And of course, it helps my credibility in her eyes that my article on grayling is in The Field this month. The piece is all about Goliath Grayling but the three pounders can wait a while I say. ‘We’ll see about that,” Enoka says darkly.
So, now we watch water levels but I have a feeling by the end of the week we might just make it onto the Teme, half a mile from the Ludlow Orvis shop itself. I’m watching the forecasts like a hawk ..and it just so happens that she has a day off on Friday the 5th! There could just be fireworks down there but we’ll see!