Not bad conditions, but very awkward.  The light breeze came and went all day, and every time it came it was from a different direction.  It made a nightmare out of getting the boat set up for nymphing.  The water is gin-clear, despite all the swansh*t.  One spooned fish revealed some grousewing pupae, along with shucks, case-less caddis grubs, immature hog lice and some odd copepod-like creatures.  There were lots of dead and dying grousewings around in the morning. Odd fish were rising (once only) all through the day.  Might be worth a go in the evening?

Young Macdonald shows the fish who's boss

It was a loch of 2 halves.  Those who fished in the west found it very slow going all day.  John G and I kept getting signs that we were getting somewhere -- we would make a wee move, or change tactics and get a fish on, or a few offers, and we'd think we were getting tuned in.  But, every bloody single time it just died on us.  It also didn't help that we were missing chances, getting fish on for a second or two, then off.  Our most successful tactics were getting them to take a hare's ear snatcher (on the right) on a washing line set up, fished on a fast glass, plus boobies, also on fast glass.

Stu B with a bright fish, taken late in the session

We had thought the east end might be a bit too weedy by now, but it turned out to be fine.  There is certainly plenty open water on a line west from The Rickle, which is where some of our boats found their fish.  It was slow early on there as well, with Steve Greig making the most of what was going, taking 4 swinging bloodworm and Cove PTN.  However, things started to pick up, later in the day.  Tommy S stayed with nymphing (bloodworm and Diawl Bach) and took 5 of his 9 fish in the last 2 hours.  Stu B gave up on nymphing after 3, changed to pulling (a result of George W in the boat with him catching 4 pulling with a Zulu/floater!) and caught a further 8 in the last 2 hours.  Most of Stu's fish came to a tin-head damsel on floating line.

Other catches: Len and Ivor took a brace apiece in the bay east of the NW point, to sparklers.  Ian Mac and son Gavin had 5 in the west end, to jungle cock Diawl Bach, damsels and boobies.