Bigbrush-up

LAST Sunday was a total bummer – and I’m not just talking about the Scotland game.

My local river in Glasgow only allows fly-fishing for trout on Sundays – until, of course, the trout season ends on the last day of September.

I look forward to my Sundays, chucking bits of fluff at unwary spotties and keeping an eye on the resident wildlife. It certainly makes a change from endless hours through the week chasing salmon, often in vain.

Our trout are ready takers and, most days, you’ll catch a few – even if you have to run through your whole fly box to find something they want.

Since we started putting them all back a few years ago, they’re bigger and there are more of them, too.

The chairman of our association caught a huge brownie this year down at the mouth of the river – a slob trout of at least 7lb.

My own personal best was 3lb, caught a few years ago, but this year I managed nothing better than a pound and a half. However, that was a special fish as it was the first I caught with a new 7ft 6ins 3-weight fly rod – and what a fight it gave me.

None of which was any consolation last Sunday, when I couldn’t fish.

So, even though most of my trout rods will see service through the winter for grayling, rainbows and whatever I might find off a holiday beach or two, I decided to give the whole lot a good wash and brush up.

First thing was to get all the lines and backing off, give them a wash in warm soapy water, dry them and treat them with line-slick, all the while looking for damage that might stop the line doing what it should or, worse still, lose me a fish.

One 7-weight floater had been chewed up by a faulty reel and will need the damaged section removed.

Then I’ll have to splice the two ends together, which isn’t as tricky as you might think. Just Google it and follow the instructions.

You’ll save a fortune by not having to buy a new line every time one gets damaged.

Next thing was to clean the reels. All they need is a good soak in warm water, rinsing under pressure and thorough drying before oiling and greasing the appropriate spots – spindles, handles etc.

I like to give my rods a good clean, too, taking particular care that the reel seats on saltwater models are well flushed out.

I read somewhere recently of a technique for cleaning cork handles but, hey, life’s too short.

Plus a good coating of blood, sweat and slime gives your rod a certain venerable air you don’t get with a new one. Or is that just me?