If your meanderings through cyberspace lead you occasionally to this blog there is a good chance you will recognise the name of Harry Abbott.

Harry is one of these guys who has fly fished all over the place and caught many kinds of fish and one of his fish, an Arapaima he taken in Thailand, is one of the most strikingly beautiful fish I have ever seen.

These days Harry plies his trade closer to home in the UK and is a regular at Rutland reservoir where we fished together last month. Rutland is only spitting distance from where he lives and so he leaves his gear set up in the car and heads off to do a little fishing from the bank whenever the mood takes him.

Yesterday he sent me a photograph of a lovely brown trout he took from the shore a couple of evenings ago. It was just an ounce short of 5 pounds and, while the fish gave a fine account of itself, he reckons it is a good deal smaller than a powerful unseen fish that broke his line when we fished together last month.

The locals at Rutland have been saying that the fishing has been slower than it has been for many years and that extensive weed beds which reach the surface each year have not appeared. The weeds of course offer food and cover for invertebrates and fry and so the trout won´t be far away!

Harry with his beautiful Arapaima, estimated at 25 kilos. These are among the largest freshwater fish in the world although, due to overfishing in their native range in South America they rarely attain their maximum size. They have been widely introduced in tropical countries and this one was caught in Thailand.

This is not the trout! Harry with his beautiful Arapaima, estimated at 25 kilos. These are among the largest freshwater fish in the world although, due to overfishing, in their native range in South America they rarely attain their maximum size. They have been widely introduced in tropical countries and this one was caught in Thailand.

This is the trout! It was just shy of 5 pounds and taken a couple of evenings ago. Harry says that he caught a 3 pound "tiddler" afterwards which he returned.

This is the trout! It was just shy of 5 pounds and taken a couple of evenings ago. Harry says that he caught a 3 pound “tiddler” afterwards which he returned.