By Stevie Munn
Really Exciting Times Ahead A new dawn beckons on the river Saone
T
he Covid situation was now less scary and regulations allowed a trip to France and we finally set off. We travelled via the channel tunnel, which was a great experience and a first for me, as in the past,I had only been by air and sea, although I did ride a motorcycle to Paris and Le Mans when I was a lot younger on a couple of occasions with some old friends, which now seems a distant dream anyway. This appeared to be a lot easier, and for my old back now maybe a bit kinder, as you just drive onto the train and park and stay in your vehicle, plus it’s cheaper and better on fuel and probably better for the ozone layer as well. I remember thinking it was indeed a good experience - apart from the toilets which where closed, because of Covid apparently. After a rest in James’s house, I jumped on a short flight from England home to Belfast and now writing about 60
my first work out on the road in almost two years and it was fantastic to be back with likeminded people again and to eat, drink and talk fishing. I must say my French is somewhat ‘petit’ and I have decided it would be good if, I tried to at least to learn a bit more. It was not really an option in the old school unfortunately, I think my choice went art and history followed by metal work and then I left to work at sixteen. Once arrived, we toured to Burgundy in a van to film some coarse fishing, something that I really know little about as I am basically and always have been a trout and salmon angler. Nevertheless, here I was on a wonderful crisp, sunny, cold day, and I just needed to hang out and watch guys, who definitely knew what they were doing, fishing on the massive river Saone, a tributary of the Rhone. Then, after a few days meeting our
Winter 2021 Irish Country Sports and Country Life
team in the flesh and not just on a Zoom meeting, we were to move on to something I am a bit more used to, s flyfishing show. After all, this was the reason I was in France, to do a few demos and give casting lessons for a new company with old and new comrades. Sometimes in life you do need to pinch yourself and this was one of those times. The show was to be held at a beautiful place called the L’Ephemere De Bourgogne and, interestingly for me, this was the region where the Gaul King, Vercingetorix, the first to unite the Gauls, failed in a revolt against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. Sadly the proud chieftain of the Arverni tribe was executed in Rome back in (46 BC). Amazing. I do love a bit of history! And now fast forward to my first event. Amid all the Covid restrictions
