Friday, 6th June

Portmore Loch, Evening Session

Having had nearly 2 weeks of calm, balmy weather and plenty of cloud, it just wouldn't have been right if it had held for our evening do at Portmore... and sure enough it didn't.  A stiff south westerly -- that one that comes straight down the valley -- and straight down the water -- was coupled with a clear sky.  And the fishing, not surprisingly, was a struggle.  There wasn't much fly around, which didn't help, though late on, in the shelter of The Laird's bay, there was the odd buzzer, and even a few Caenis.

Early doors, the one boat to get into action was Adrian C and his guest Donald, who, not having a motor, stuck to anchoring on the home shore (while most others went for shelter up the top -- and not much sport!).  Donald had a bag of 5 plus 2 returned, nymphing with a goldhead hare's ear on the floater.  They did well to get fish with such delicate tactics in such a stiff breeze (so stiff that some of the boats who tried to join them couldn't get a secure anchorage and had to move away).

Photo taken while waiting for the sun to set... and for an evening rise!

For most of our anglers, the catches read like a text-book definition of "scratching around".  Stewart B... one on a dry, 2 on a Viva;  Dougie S... one on a dry, one on a booby;  Ron McC... one on a buzzer, one on a dry.  And so it went on.  Del K and I had 5 between us: one on a Diawl Bach (which also scored for Tommy S), 2 on weighted damsels, one on a black hopper fished wet, and one on a dry half hog (photo below -- sorry about the poor quality, but the light was just about goosed!).

Del boy with a cracking resident, taken on dry fly

Star performer among club members was Steve-O, who caught 7, all to dry Shipmans', some static from covered rises, some figure-of-eighted blind.  Steve's later fish came from a fantastic late rise that took place locally (so locally that most of us knew nothing about it until after we came off the water) in the area off the old car park shore.  They were tricky residents -- some rods got in among them and didn't catch any -- which underlines Steve's achievement.

The club's total for 24 rods was 33 fish for 77 lb plus 4 returned.