Sunday, 25th April

Linlithgow Loch, Day Session

Every year there is a day around late April when we find ourselves out fishing, and the sun is beating down, and it's more or less calm, with the reflection bouncing off the water, back in our faces.  And we realise, by and by, that we are getting burned.  And yet we have not brought the suntan lotion, nor have we brought the Japanese POW guard's hat.  So, we fry.  This was that day for this year.  Having got it out the way, we remember to pack the necessaries from now on (hopefully).

(Er, no problems with lack of contrast on the photos this week -- Ed!)

Fraser and David got into action with buzzers in the middle of the day

The loch is in cracking nick, with water clarity more than 10 feet.  There were a few big buzzers hatching and loads of beetles falling, although the bright light prevented any surface activity.  So, it was down to fishing buzzers deep.  The usual 2 schools of approach were in evidence: fishing a static team vertically under a 'tache, or swinging a team on a dead slow figure-of-eight.  Both worked on the day.  The major conundrum was working out just exactly where one wanted to be placed.  Trevor and Alan H stuck to their guns up the west end all day, and took 16 to their boat.  Tommy S and JSB gave up on the west end, and moved to the east.  They plumped for the perfect position, just west of cormorant island, and they topped Trevor and Alan by one fish.

Ian Mac's younger son Gavin, with a fish taken on damsel and slime line

Tommy and Stewart maybe didn't realise it, but they dropped onto the eastern end of a line of fish that could be traced back westward by a good hundred yards or so.  Anchor on the line, and you were on top of fish.  Anchor 30 yards off to one side, and you got not an offer.

It was buzzers, buzzers, buzzers all the way, for the best bags (plus the odd Diawl Bach and Cove PTN).  No special colour or size stood out, but with the fish lying deep, long fluoro leaders were mentioned by most successful anglers. 

Alan M with a stoater, taken late in the session to swung buzzer

Very few fish were caught on any other method.  Bob N had a couple to booby and Gavin Macdonald took one to damsel and slime line.  Many of the fish caught were of a good size (3 to 4 lb) and had been in for a good while.  The club's total for 16 rods was 72 fish.