(click on flies for photos)
The first of our outings to the Loch this season, and with the whole of the country basking in the middle of a mini-heatwave we were probably all anticipating a pleasant evening out on the water, fishing in our T-shirts. To say that we were surprised to see white horses rolling down the Loch, pushed along by a cool stiff easterly wind is perhaps an understatement! Recent reports were saying that the fishing had been quite good, with numbers of this years stock of rainbows providing the bulk of the sport. Indeed there had been a boat out on the day session that came in with a catch of 31 fish. Not bad going in what must have been very difficult conditions. However, this outing turned out to be a disappointment for most of us and we recorded many blank rods.
It was a spectacular sunset!
Everyone headed upwind to fish around St Serfs, but the trout proved to be either scarce or difficult to tempt, with only a few being caught from this area. Eric B did best out of these rods, with 2 rainbows for 5 lb on a soldier palmer (red woolly worm, surely? - Ed.) fished on the Leven floater (aka the DI-7). No matter how tough it seems though, there is usually somebody who manages to come in with a bag of fish. On this occasion, it was one of our boats who found some trout that were willing to co-operate. They took 13 between them out of a quiet little corner at the top of the Vane Dyke. Firstly, the trout showed their preference for a Black Cat and a Dunkeld variant, fished on the Hi-D. Later in the evening though, a Jungle Cock Viva accounted for fish, as did good old standards the kingfisher butcher and the invicta. these were fished on the intermediate or fast glass.
It was sheltered in there, with lots of small buzzers coming off, but the trout were ignoring the buzzers and were stuffing their faces with daphnia, clouds of which could be easily seen in the unusually clear water. All the fish spooned were full of the stuff.
So, there it is, 4 of our boats came back with a total of 7 fish for 13 lb 8 oz, and our 5th boat had 12 for 23 lb 4 oz plus one returned. But that is how fishing should be: the where as well as the what and the how. Best bag was Jimmy M with 5 for 9 lb 12 oz.
