Small Game Safari - three weight fly rod fun

To start off with it wasn't a conscious decision. But when I thumb through my fly fishing diary I am suprised to see which rod I have reached for the most - it's been my three weight. The light approach started I think, as a lighthearted diversion from the long haul of trophy perch hunting and hurling humongous pike streamers around. 

I've had the most fun when smaller specimens have been my quarry. And the light approach has thrown up a few surprise encounters too. So I thought I would share a few 'photos and thoughts from the album.

  

Off the top..

a lovely little chub taken on a Harry Potter tied up for me by fishing pal Ben Blood. Some challenging casts to get a dead drift through the overhanging willow and plenty of missed takes too. The chublets often like to drown their dinner with a splashy rise before turning on it and taking properly. 

and off the bottom

a little bar of summer gold, taken on a grub imitation cast to the tell tale feeding bubbles of this beautiful crucian carp. I guess you could call this sight fishing once removed.. takes were detected by watching for movement of the fly line. This approach worked well for tench too.

close encounters of the toothy kind

This fish was really  unexpected. Lowering a tiny jig fly into the water by my feet I was hoping to pick up a perch from the undercut river bank. The fly immediately snagged in what  I thought was a sunken branch. I hoisted the rod up and was shocked to see this 6lb pike rising like a submarine with my fly hooked neatly in its scissors! My little Redington 3 weight handled the ensuing lunges and runs with jaunty aplomb and the beast was soon tamed.

Quicksilver   
Quick reflexes were needed to bring the ide to hand. Hits were fast and aggressive to small streamers quickly stripped. Some nice roach jostled for position amongst the ide too. This fish, a scale perfect specimen, is the nicest roach I've caught for a while - by any method.
 

So the species list for my little 3 weight reads: perch, roach, rudd, pike, ide, crucian carp, tench and chub, as well as the more traditional quarry of wild brown trout. Not a bad start but plenty of room for more species to be added! All have been challenging in their own way and all have been great fun on  light tackle. I am certainly looking forward to my next three weight adventure!