The stars certainly aligned for Chris Verrecchia & his team!

April 1st, this week last year we had landed 11 salmon. So i was excited for the week ahead, especially as I knew the river had been in flood over the weekend and it was dropping and settling lovely. The first few weeks in April are normally superb given good conditions so i knew we had a great chance of a fish or two…..

The first thing i said to Chris & his team as they arrived at the top carpark ( 4 Rods in total) was we will catch a fish today. Chris had previously fished with me earlier in the spring and loved it so much he booked more days fore this season and next. His dream was to land a salmon on the fly, it would be his first so a huge box ticked if i could make that happen and that was my mission!! It rained all morning but that certainly didn’t stop us from fishing hard and having fun. Within 20 minutes of starting Chris was hooked into a Big Spring Salmon in the tail of the Long Stream, a prolific stretch of water which has accounted for many salmon. One of mky favourite spots thats for sure. The spot i always say to get ready for, a 3/4″ willie gun tube swung over the rock and the line locked up. Priceless moments which in my eyes as the guide cant be beaten!! 20 minutes later and after a epic battle and no doubt nerve racking time for Chris the salmon was in the net and a beauty at that. A fish of a lifetime, around 14Ibs fresh from the sea. Our fish of the season so far thats for sure! Chris was shacking and speechless, he had done it! Made his dream come true. A big hug (not the fish) and a few photos we quickly got the fish back into the water and away it went back into the depths…. What a moment… I love my job and am very lucky to share moments like these with my clients!!

The fun didn’t stop there, as we carried on to land another Spring Salmon in the tail of the Pig. This time it was Dave, Chris good friend and once again, would be his first Spring Salmon on the fly. A superb fight and the fish was in the net, a lovely fish of around 7Ibs. A few photos and a hand shake and the fish was returned to carry on with its incredible journey. A quick cast later in the Ledges pool and bang, another fish on. This time a fish of around 10Ibs which i quickly netted myself and released after a photo. We decided to skip lunch as the fishing was good and the hours were slipping by fast. The rain continued to pour (all day) and we finally diced around 15:30 we would call it a day. What a day, a real success and day we certainly wont forget in a hurry.

At the time of writing this, Tuesday 2nd April due to being flooded off today. The river has once again peaked to just over a metre. Its now dropping slowly. Andrew Mellonie and team arrive this evening for two days then early next week we have Ian Sharmans group for three days followed by Simon who landed our largest Spring Salmon last season. I expect fishing to be superb once the river settles to a nice height. As always i will update my website blogs when time allows. This rain should provide superb Sport for not only April but May.

Best wishes & Tightlines

James Armstrong- Owner & Head Guide/ Chasing Fins