Fly Fishing the Kingdom - Day 2

DAY 2:

More blind casting in the morning. Nothing. More blind casting in the afternoon. Nothing.  And im not whipping a cute 3wt TXL around.  This fishing hurts.

By now Ive caught everyones attention and they've noticed my hard work and are most likely feeling sorry for me.  Sean approaches and recommends a new spot, I follow him round to the corner of the lake and I like what I see.  Its here that Ive seen fish rolling all day and there's a spring coming into the lake.

Fish 1:

2:00PM

There are Arawana cruising all around and they don't seem to want the Snakehead imitation.  I tie on a frog fly and a large fish follows and then swims directly underneath to take a sniff-no strike.  I try with every small fly I have until eventually a small golden wooly bugger does the trick.  A terrific acrobat and must be a great fight on very light tackle.

9lb Arawana

Disinfectant

Fish 2:


4:05PM

I spotted a fish on the surface, not feeding but sitting still enough to get a cast out.  It took, I struck and it immediately took off into the weed bed to the right and the hook pulled.

Fish 3:

4:20 PM

Only a few minutes after the first, took about 3 meters in front of me in the running water, quick take, hook pulled on first run (hook not set strongly enough?)

Fish 4:

6:30PM

By now I want an Amazonian Red Tail.  I spot one on the surface and drop a perfect cast about 2m in front of it.  and some ways past it, stripping fast so that it meets its nose.  I instantly lose sight of the fish at the strike point and then a strip later (on a fast strip) and a violent take.  A fish heads off to the left at such pace that the line is reverberating and shaking as it runs.  I whistle for help and about 20min later I think I have it beat.  When we see it its not the Red Tail I'm disappointed, but its a good Arapaima.  The fish is at my feet now and my heart sinks as the line goes slack- Gamakatsu 4/0 broken at the shank.

Broken Gamakatsu 4/0

Hiding from the rains in the storm drain.

Making up a new fly:

So I've lost the only fly that seems to work.  Well I've lost the hook.  I salvage olive green zonker, olive grizzly hackle, flash and eyes.  I tie all of this onto a hook that I strip and put eyes on using UV Knot sense using 10lb mono and 50lb braid as fly tying thread.