Tuesday, 12th August

Loch Leven, Evening Session

Ah-ha!  An evening of 100% ceiling at last!  I am fast discovering that the light that is perfect for fishermen is no use to photographers.  Fishermen love a flat, grey light with little contrast.  The only thing that's good for for photographers is macro shots.  I sneaked in the shot above when there was a brief glimpse of sun for 2 minutes at the start of our first drift, and the rest of the shots went in the bin (save the one below).  How mixed up does that make me?  I'm looking for perfect fishing conditions, and when I get them I'm complaining that I can't get a decent photo!

We heard the water had coloured up, and it was undoubtedly moreso than on previous trips, but was still reasonably fishable.  We also had the ubiquitous easterly breeze that gets drawn in when there are no isobars to speak of.

With these conditions, we expected sport from the start, and so it proved.  For many, however, that sport proved to be restricted to undersized brownies.  Alan E and I set up to fish the same area that has been the mainstay for outing after outing this year: west point to south deeps.  A good rainbow on our first drift to a size 12 minilure on slow glass, plus missed chances, gave us confidence.  As things progressed, we switched to dries, but we only took (and missed and missed) small brownie after small brownie.  We did, however, see the 2 biggest fish we have ever seen in the loch.  The smaller of these, we put at about 12 lb (seriously).  It rose within casting distance of me, but having seen it, my casting arm turned to jelly, and my attempt at a cover was a tragedy.

Something a bit different!  My various attempts to get a good night-time shot continue to be thwarted by my ineptitude with the medium.  This one of the harbour, taken on our way in at 10:30 p.m., while not at all what I was aiming for, has a certain abstract quality to it, all the same.  (Jackson Pollock: who's he?)

Meanwhile, Dougie S and Bob N fished further up at the sluices and reported there being large rainbows up there, Dougie being broken twice, before landing 3 brownies (all returned) on red Klinkhammer and heather fly.  Stu B fished the west point area, taking 2 plus 3 returned, to DI-3 and wee doubles.  Ian C and John F had a rainbow apiece in the same area, while Tommy S returned 3 brownies, taken mostly on dries.

Our one boat to buck the trend of the St Serf's/south deeps area, Jimmy M and Derek K, fished Carden Bay.  Their gamble paid off, as Jimmy landed and returned 7 takeable (ca 12 oz to 1 lb odds) browns on a Cortland intermediate and wee wets: Wickham muddler, and black and gold spider (Alec Reid, where are you now?).  Derek fished dries, taking 2 rainbows and returning a decent brownie, mostly to a half-hoggish emerger pattern.

The club's total for 16 rods was 7 fish for 12 lb 3 oz with 20 takeable fish returned.