(^36) FLYLIFE
I flicked Dinga’s Stick Caddis out to
the fish, which was now only a couple
of metres from the rod tip. The cad-
dis sank right on its nose, and the
fish lurched slightly and rolled a little
sideways as it sucked it in, as if even
that was too much trouble. My careful
hook-up stuck, and as the fish rose in
the water column shaking its head, I
only then started to appreciate its true
size. I jumped into the water in case
it ran sideways through the branches
of the nearby pencil pine, but instead
of running, it just took me for a walk
along the shallows, like a dog pull-
ing its owner along with the leash. It
seemed hardly aware it was hooked
up to a flimsy piece of graphite via a
piece of 6 lb fluorocarbon. It eventu-
ally did run, many times offshore into
deeper water, rising to the surface like
a marlin at the end of each arc.
Bringing it near my feet for the first
time, it finally became apparent that
this fish was not just the “big fish” I
had pictured in my mind during all
the years searching the dead-ends of
the Western Lakes, and that I had
wondered if I would ever catch. It was
considerably bigger. After about 40
minutes I was able to grab it by the
tail and cradle it in the shallows, 50
metres along the shore from where I
had hooked it. Dinga and I were both
in shock at the size of the thing. It was
unnaturally thick and in prime condi-
tion, in a way we have never seen in a
big Western Lakes fish before.
A few photos later I released it, and
we curiously watched as it immediate-
ly and confidently swam back down
the shore, rather than out to deeper
water, and resumed its slow cruise
from where I had originally spotted it.
IS THE SEARCH OVER?
On returning home, friends and fam-
ily asked if that catch meant that my
search was over, and I no longer need-
ed to go out west. Some were probably
serious, though most were tongue in
cheek. Still, I expect it may be hard
for others to appreciate the difference
between Western Lakes searching and
Western Lakes fishing. Or any other
type of fishing. There are still new
lakes to explore, and I know there are
bigger fish out there, if that still needs
to be the excuse... FL
Dead-Enders... continued
The ultimate reward for years of searching dead-ends.
The search never ends.
Sometimes even very small and shallow lakes hold surprises.
SCOTT LING
GREG FRENCH
GREG FRENCH
lu
(lu)
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