The Home Pool at Stonethrow

Keep an eye out for Popeye

Awesome Fish
Popeye the Rainbow Trout

11 January 2011

The season here starts not on a calender month or on the first booking of the year but when Popeye and Brian turn up after a hard season chasing lady trout upriver. These 2 trout have been living here for 4 years and that fact alone has created some lively debate among the know alls of Fly Fishing, the usual stuff like “oh that’s wrong they only live for 4 years” etc, whatever, who’s to say that white bread rolled into tight balls fed at lunchtime or whenever the guilt enticing look works doesn’t extend a trouts lifespan.

Popeye is a rainbow and aptly named as he was viciously attacked when he was a fingerling by a dirty big shag and has been seeking revenge ever since by stalking them whenever they show up. He has one eye that protrudes due the assault and now circles his intended prey with his good eye facing, circling like the great white after a seal. The eye that protrudes still works but he uses this like a periscope to watch his flank and due to the extended peripheral vision he sees Brian and others coming and can do a quick 180 and bang gotcha when hunting the illusive dough balls.

Brian we suspect is a very frustrated fish as he spends his days trying to intrude on Popeye’s turf and when the inevitable punch on the nose comes he backs off to his patch and stares at Popeye with a look that would pop a Koura from its shell.

With Popeye and Brian back and fed up with dough balls they then extend an invitation to all fisher folk around the world by leaping out of the water and showing all that once again we are here and if you think your up to it have a go, we challenge you. You might catch em once but never twice… good luck!

Subscribe to the Newsletter