Two French journalists
from Salmo magazine travel to Ireland to visit the Cork Blackwater and meet a unique
fisherwoman.
Let’s go
fishing - with Glenda Powell
Salmon - Feminine Style
By Olivier Plasseraud
(editor)
Photos by Marc Delacoste (assistant editor)
Translated by Ian Powell from the French original.
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.
Portrait
Northern Irish - Glenda grew up in the
suburbs of Belfast. A place where you learn quickly not to let others walk all over you.
Her uncle was the best fisherman in the family. She was only nine years old when he died
and left her a precious legacy – all his fishing tackle. Under the amused gaze of her
three sisters and other boys of her age, she decided – with a determination well
beyond her nine years – to learn to use it by herself. Not easy by any means, but
more a question of pride. Within a few years, many Northern Irish trout had paid the
ultimate tribute to her ability with the worm and then the fly rod. Even as an adolescent,
she knew that fishing would be the focal point of her existence.
At the tender age of eighteen years, she
left home to settle in Scotland as a salmon fishing ghillie, an essentially male dominated
profession in which she nevertheless succeeded admirably.
 |
In a short while, she found
herself selected to fish for the Scottish International Ladies Fly fishing team. On
returning to Ireland a couple of years later, she was appointed as manager of the Irish
Ladies team. Writing is another of
her talents, and in 19997 she came to the Blackwater Lodge to write a magazine article on
the world-famous Lodge and salmon fishings. She met the owner - Ian Powell - fell in love
with him and his river, and has never left. They are now happily married with two small
children. |
Good, and
now....
Do we go fly-fishing or would you prefer
that we go and catch a salmon? Glenda’s question is clear. The fly is beautiful, and
she has just given us a superb demonstration. Single Spey or double, roll cast, snake roll
and other subtle variations on the theme of double handed fly-casting, she executes them
all gracefully. But the Blackwater is running bank high and the water’s colour lives
up to its name. Not much hope with a fly rod in these conditions. For the worm, on the
other hand, the conditions are good.
Glenda loves to fly fish above all, but
it doesn’t take long to understand that she is above all - a true fisher (person!),
one of a breed who believes that fishing is for catching fish with the method best suited
to the prevailing conditions. To take a fish herself when she fishes alone, or to help her
clients take a fish when she is ghillying - is the defining objective. And she loves her
job!
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.
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
Teaching and perfecting the use of a
double-handed rod are Glenda’s speciality:
 |
"There is a myth
surrounding the Spey cast. Many fishermen who master the use of a single-handed rod for
conventional casting have a complex about spey-casting.
It’s true that to learn the spey-cast is complicated by the habits of casting
single-handed.
Generally, the right-handed fisherman who picks up the double-handed rod completely
underestimates the role of the left hand. He imagines that it only serves to support the
rod, which requires two hands purely because it is longer and heavierIn fact, it’s the scissor movement between
the two hands that gives all the power to the cast.
Until this manipulation is mastered, it
is impossible to cast correctly. The rest in simply a variation of a roll cast. When a
pupil already knows how to do this with a single-handed rod, they already feel more at
ease". |
Glenda has some memorable
moments in her time as a casting instructor of which she is particularly proud. The story
of the sturdy man, who in spite of being a keen fisherman, had given up after trying for
years to spey-cast properly. After 20 minutes of teaching, he was casting right across the
river. Tears of relief flowed down his cheeks as the frustration of so many years trying
in vain evaporated. Two days later, a large bouquet of flowers arrived for her with the
message "I’ve always been in the dark with my spey-casting - thank you for
showing me the light".
Then there was the story of the guy who
caught his first salmon on fly with her on the Blackwater after fifteen years of trying in
Scotland, Norway & elsewhere.
But her favourite tale is the one about
the Royal Air Force veteran with two wooden legs as his were blown off in the Second World
War. At the tender age of 86, he caught his first ever salmon on his second day fishing
with her.
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....
By Olivier Plasseraud
(editor)
Photos by Marc Delacoste (assistant editor)
Translated by Ian Powell from the French original.
For info on salmon fishing and
tuition on the Cork Blackwater contact:
Glenda Powell
Blackwater Lodge Hotel & Salmon Fishery
Upper Ballyduff
Co. Waterford
Ireland
Email: info@ireland-salmon-fishing.net
Web: www.ireland-salmon-fishing.net
For information on Salmo
magazine, contact:
Olivier Plasseraud (Editor)
Marc Delacoste (Assistant Editor)
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