Weird but wonderful

I was thinking about these strange bumphead parrotfish today because I have been sent a feature of mine to caption for a magazine, and I have just sent a load of photos over to the US that feature these fish. They grow really big, but only recently have they been taken on flies on the flats. When they are feeding on coral you can feel the sound through the water and to see them actually being caught was just incredible. Below, FlyCastaway guide Keith Rose-Innes is holding one he landed. Not bad considering the first one he hooked that day bit his Velcro Crab fly in half !! Take a look here for a load more photos, and then speak to Aardvark McLeod about a trip to the remote Seychelles atolls such as Cosmoledo and Providence - in my mind the best flats based saltwater fly fishing on this earth.

I tried to make this fish look as I perceived it - different, slightly strange, but utterly fascinating. I often stick my 15mm f2.8 fisheye lens in mg bag, but rarely use it as it my mind it can look very gimmicky if over-used. But I knew straight away that this fish would work with the light and the fisheye lens to produce a very different looking fishing "trophy" shot. When the fish was suitably settled, I asked Keith to literally push the fish's "beak" into my lens and then I snapped away, always holding focus on the eye of the fish. The fly happened to be positioned perfectly and this one here was the standout shot in my mind. A fisheye lens really distorts the perspective and here I think it has worked well. The FlyCastaway guides are utterly professional to work with and they are pleasure to be around, except when they take the p**s about English rugby. OK, so they might have won the World Cup, but roll on 2011....... Guess what ? It's blowing a monster outside, the skies are dark grey and its lashing down. Don't you love it ?