"The things of this world interweave dances made to different rhythms. If the world is upheld by the dancing Shiva, there must be ten thousand such dancing Shivas, like the dancing figures painted by Matisse…"
Carlo Rovelli, The Order of Time
To celebrate the start of the mayfly, I wanted to share what is probably my favourite piece of film.
"The Take" © Phishtitz/David Burton 14th May 2020
Filmed by @Phishtitz a couple of seasons back, "The Take" really shows what fishing a mayfly (in this case one of my Shaggy UV Mayfly’s) is like. The pure joy and exhilaration of it all. Cast… pause… BANG!
I’ve watched this clip hundreds of times (if I’m honest), I know the birdsong off by heart, can feel the temperature in the air and the coolness of the river and even though I know it’s coming I still feel that hit every time.
It’s no great secret that Phishtitz is my chief tester for fly patterns. This dubious honour achieved mostly due to my admiration of his fish handling skills. Managing to think of the well being of the fish and yet still able to capture them beautifully on film is a great skill. As anyone who knows me will attest, I am as technical as a peanut and if I attempted such videos then my iPhone would be at the bottom of the river in no time.
So, in the coming weeks and whether it’s from the most manicured of banks or the scruffiest of streams enjoy the dance, tight lines. N