This report in from Xander van Wyk after a great day’s fishing on Knockaderry Lake:
Herbert Hoover was quoted as saying that “Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine art of idleness.” President Hoover would have been sorely disappointed by our lack of idleness on a recent outing to Knockaderry.
Having been kindly invited by my friend Diarmuid Linehan for some early season fly fishing, I naturally jumped at the suggestion. Now Rainbow trout fishing for stocked fish isn’t necessarily the hardest challenge in fly fishing, but it’s still a great way to shake off the winter rust and to get body and equipment back into harmony for the coming season, pulling feathers (and hopes) through water.
This was my first outing to Knockaderry Lake, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Having cut my teeth fly fishing for stocked Rainbows in South Africa, the setup and feel wasn’t at all dissimilar to what I was used to back in the Rainbow nation (excuse the pun).
The conditions were mixed, with some sunny spells breaking up an otherwise overcast day. There were some brief hatches of buzzers, but nothing to really switch the fish into feeding overdrive – not that it mattered as the fish seemed eager enough to partake in most everything we offered them. Between Diarmuid and myself, we landed over 30 hard-fighting rainbows, a mix of stocked fish and strong overwintered trout.
We weren’t the only ones having success. Several other boats were on the water, and many reported equally—if not even more—impressive catches. It was one of those rare days when everything seemed to align, making for a fantastic start to the season. A person fishing here for the first time may be excused in thinking that things would always come this easy. But as my boat partner reiterated on numerous occasions during the day, that it was an exceptional day.
The facilities and boats at Knockaderry are top notch, and bears the hallmarks of a very well managed fishery.
Knockaderry has certainly set the bar high, and if this trip was anything to go by, it raises the hopes for the season that lies ahead. But as every angler knows, if fishes were wishes, we’d all catch the big one on every throw, but sadly reality often prefers to play hide and seek.
Tight lines to those heading out in the coming weeks!
Go fishing…
