This is a true fishy story…
It involves an unusual hook-up following excitement confusion stress panic and eventual relief at Lake O. In other words, just a normal day fishing at Lake O.
The images are from TRM’s photo library of the Cadogans – surely Lake O’s most dedicated disciples. They are of Robbie on right and Eddie on left.
Over many years their catch results and their perseverance are legendary. But I digress…
Never a dull moment for anglers fishing at Lake O?
We warned readers earlier this week that the “A” Team were coming to tame Lake O again. This is their story as related by Roobbie’s wife Maggie – OK.
On Saturday two brothers, Robbie & Eddie Cadogan were fishing in similar small boats and helping each other re tactics and flies etc.
Every other so-called brotherly competition I know would involve heaps of ‘misinformation’ to deliberately mis-direct and confuse the other. Well that was my experience. But with these two I am sure they were genuinely trying to help each other. Well one was anyway.
We know this as Eddie had borrowed Robbie’s best rod that Robbie received from Maggie for his 50th birthday. So it had special sentimental value…
The fun started when Eddie Cadogan was drifting across Lake O on his own and cast out from the dinghy to what might (or might not ?) have been a ‘rise’. Then he then carefully placed his rod down on the seat while he used the oars to swing the boat around to the best position ready for the strike.
Suddenly the rod shot out of the seat and disappeared into murky depths down to the dreaded weed.
The lake was about 3-4 metres deep to the weed-bed at this point. Eddie had to return to confess to Robbie he had lost his best rod. So they returned to the scene of the catch to see if they could spot it?
The wind died just long enough for them to get a glimpse of the line waving at them as the trout – it would have easily been 15 pound or more – was trying to shake off the fly. Then the breeze returned and they lost sight of it.
So they eventually returned to TRM while Eddie was making enquiries about how much a new top of the line rod, reel and line was going to cost him. Heaps!
The next day Robbie was back on Lake O about 6 am before the breeze picked up and drifting around the same spot… You know the rest.
Unfortunately the trout was no longer attached when Robbie hooked his line and then wound the backing in until the rod surfaced.
Eddie was last seen casting from the shore.
And if you think the photo above of Maggie looks familiar you are correct. it has been used on the Turangi Tongariro tourist activity maps for years… She is Turangi’s ‘pin-up’ girl.