It was a mixed group this week consisting of a group from the UK
headed up Eoin ‘rubber legs’ Fairgrieve and an experienced
‘Steelheader’ from the USA. A re-visit for some and a novel experience for others.

At the outset of the week the river was in good condition although the water was quite cold, (6 C) and a good number of fish were landed initially. Conditions were to change however and by Tuesday morning the river had risen to +40cm following some heavy rain at the top of the river on Friday. A quick rise such as this coloured the water and consequently fishing in the middle of the week was tricky with the fish being reluctant to take under such conditions. The days were warm
and still however so conditions were pleasant and despite some cold
nights the water temperature stayed at about 11C. By the end of the week the water had cleared and although still quite high it was a respectable tea colour.

As always conditions dictated tactics and intermediate lines were replaced with sink tips and large flies mid week. 2 tubes fished together or single tubes combined with a salmon fly were the tools required to get the message down to the fish.

On Monday Tim Mason having landed a fish owned up to never having caught a Sea Trout previously. Sophia our pastry chef was quick to take up the mantle and a cake and candles were duly presented. For David Mitchell this too was his first experience with Seatrout. Initially there were concerns over his fly-selection however it proved to be the right choice, in particular with the rise in the river. Dave had come equipped with all his steelhead flies and whilst these are
usually to big for the river they suited the conditions and he landed his best fish, a super fresh 20lb bar of silver. Not bad for a Steelheader.

No week at Buiteras is an entirely peaceful affair and this week was no exception. Musical twins Eoin (guitar & vocal) and Howard Evans (guitar and tambourine) set to work. The ‘terrible duo’, attired in authentic gaucho-style woolly hats treated all to a series of sets one evening. It was however the smokers who had the final laugh as cigarette butts were substituted for handy ear plugs!

Jennifer Lovett, Geoff and Jenny Lucas had all been fishing the river before however it was Geoff who set the pace from day one and maintaining a relaxed style just kept catching fish, so much so that his regular fly tier,his wife Jenny, declared a production strike.

In actual fact she diverted her attentions and supplied most of the team with excellent creations, throughout the week, from the tying table. Combined with Howard she created the fly of the week, a strange looking mix between an Egg Sucking Leech and a Yuk Bug and so the Eggsucking Yuk Bug was born!!

All in all this week wasn’t one of the easiest ones, but it was certainly one of the most entertaining with good laughs and stories all day long. Despite the cold weather and strong wind nothing could knock out this group.

We all wish you back…..