fishingtips

When I was first married, my husband and I used to go fly fishing, usually in the Isle of Syke and North Wales, where we had permission to fish for trout. When we fished on the river near my in-laws pub, in North Wales, occasionally, the water bailiff, came to check our flies, but they were always trout ones and we were quite happy to fish for those.

One warm evening we decided for a walk along the river bank, chatting away, and enjoying the quiet of even fall. As we walked slowly along I spotted something lying on some rocks right close to the bank, being nosy I decided to take a look. When I reached the spot, to my great delight, it was a very large salmon. I could hardly believe my eyes! I called my husband, who when he saw it, was equally surprised. He said, "Oh that's a pity, we can't walk around with that in our arms!! Everyone will think we've poached it!" I agreed, then I said, "Ouch, I've sprained my ankle!" He replied, "You haven't moved!" I replied, "I know. We'll put the salmon in my wellington boot and you can give me a piggy back, back to the pub!" He laughed and said, "What a good idea" So saying I'd slipped my boot off and slid the salmon into it, got onto my husbands back, and off we went!

The salmon had obviously been caught by someone who'd gaffed it, but unhappily for them and happily for us, it must have wriggled off the gaff and into the water and floated to where we found it.

My mother in law was most concerned when we arrived back at their pub, me riding on her son's back. We told them, I had sprained my ankle. My husband carried me through the crowded bar room and into the sitting room, at the back of the pub, and plonked me down onto the settee. As he did so his mum came hurrying in, to see how much damage had been done to my ankle! So surprised was she at our laughing and, also at the salmon, which I had pulled from my boot, but when we told her the tale of how the salmon came to be in my boot. Well, she joined in the merriment, then whisked the fish into the kitchen, to cook it.

By the time we left to return to our home in Buckinghamshire, the in-laws had told the tale of the fish and the ankle, to all their locals who thought it highly amusing, and everytime they met me they always asked after my sprained ankle and gave me a knowing wink! That was the one and only time I've ever caught a salmon!!