Time on the river is precious and it is always disappointing to have one’s limited fishing days shortened by poorly maintained tackle. Over the years we have had many guests who having previously sworn to us that all was well with their inherited fishing setup, return to the hotel at lunchtime with tales of woe, and stating that their day has been cut short due to simply not having functioning tackle. It’s quite funny how the same equipment failures tend to repeat themselves each season, and we are all guilty of this at times in the busy lives we lead. However, with a little pre-planning much of this can be avoided.
Judging by the state of some fishing bags that we are presented with at morning inspection around the Arundell Cockpit, now newly restored, I suspect that for many their tackle is resigned to the cupboard pretty quickly after the final cast of last season. How often is the fly snipped off, the line wound in, and in the haste of forgetting one’s piscatorial failure, or delighted scamper to the bar with stories of the perfect dry fly presented that day or the one that got away, the de-tackling is overlooked leading to the next trips or next seasons woes.
Therefore, even if you do not fall into this camp, after a long winter of being mothballed, and with the trout season upon us, your tackle is worth a checkover before venturing out again this spring. Remembering the military’s or Scouts rule of seven P’s, notably; prior preparation and planning prevents piss poor performance. Take a look at our upcoming Journal entries we have listed our suggestions for the pre-season check before heading our for 2021.
As ever, if you are new to the sport, unsure about setting up your fly fishing outfit properly, the fishing team at the Arundell are always available and delighted to assist.
