Salmon
Fishing on
Ireland's Cork Blackwater
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Let’s go fishing –
with Glenda Powell
Salmon – Feminine Style
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Two French journalists from |
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To
see a fisherman perfectly mastering a double-handed fly rod is rare enough. When the fisherman turns out to be a woman, we are in the realm of the exceptional. It was on the banks of the river Blackwater in southeast Ireland that we met Glenda Powell. She teaches the art of salmon fishing with talent. |
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Portrait |
Good, and now ……….
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Do
we go fly-fishing or would you prefer that we go and catch a salmon? |
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After numerous seasons have passed working seven days per week as
ghillie or casting instructor, Glenda knows what she is talking about.
For the British, for whom the history of professional ghillies in
leisure fishing is longer than anywhere else, the tasks are well
defined! The ghillie’s
work is one thing; the fishing instructor’s is another.
The role of the ghillie is to put his fishing clients in the
right place and to suggest to them the tackle and techniques to take a
fish. It’s a specialised
job in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and Glenda even runs
training courses for aspiring ghillies too. |
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But
her preference is to teach fishing and fly casting, to teach her clients the
basics of double handed fly casting or to correct the bad habits of the more
experienced anglers (we all have them!). She loves teaching fishing.
“I prefer teaching individuals or small groups.
The most important factor is not to stress the clients.
A beginner must feel at ease.
Before he picks up the rod, I always start by explaining what he will
have to do - how and why. Always in plain English. I demonstrate how it should
be done, and break it down into the important steps.
The pupil must see the correct movements – his goal is to emulate them.
Then, before he starts to fish, I point out the stages which could cause
problems.
It’s easier to avoid an impasse if the pupil is aware of the
difficulty”.
For
Glenda, this psychological aspect is very important.
“It’s
no good drowning the pupil with details, but to bring out the essential points.
If he has problems with a particularly difficult movement, I don’t
insist. We go on to something else, less difficult, but in any case different.
When he has regained his confidence or changed his ideas, we go back to
it - and things invariably go better”.
Consequently,
even during a fly fishing lesson, she won’t hesitate to suggest a couple of
runs with the worms or a few casts with a spinner, just to put him at ease.
“I’m not a fly fishing purist. I love fishing worms in particular. To fish them with the right weight & speed down the right line isn’t so easy. Then – the sensation of the salmon taking the worms whilst we give him line – the suspense is much more prolonged than a pull on the fly or a hard hit on the spinner”.
I
watched Glenda fishing with worms. She
knows exactly what she’s talking about.
In
fishing, a woman’s place is always marginal.
In
spite of a competence and experience of Atlantic salmon fishing that few people
of her age possess, we could well ask if the fact of being a woman isn’t a
handicap in her chosen profession.
“Of course, some men don’t like the idea of learning to fish from a woman. But they are few and far between and, overall, I think it’s positive for the learning process. Advice is often better accepted by a man from a woman than from another man. Not getting blocked, vexed or stressed is undoubtedly easier. Not withstanding, a woman doesn’t have the right to make a mistake. Much more than a man, she must strive for excellence to remain credible".
As
for female pupils, they are still few and far between in Glenda’s clientele.
But her observations paint an interesting portrait of the fisherwoman.
“A
woman who fishes is rarely average. If she does so solely to please her man,
without real motivation, she’s a lost cause. At best, she will remain
mediocre, and progress little with time. On the other hand, if she fishes for
herself with a real passion, then she will probably be extremely good. To
persevere in this predominantly macho sport where women are at best tolerated,
necessitates an approach & motivation which permits her to progress above
the level of the normal fisherman".
The
Spey-casting Myth
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Teaching
and perfecting the use of a double-handed rod are Glenda’s speciality: |
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Indulging one’s passion throughout the seasons on a
magnificent salmon river,
it’s the little boy’s dream that still haunts many a fisherman.
In a Belfast suburb, a little girl had the same dream……..
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