Monday, 19th September
Lake of Menteith, Day Session
If I was to list the 20 soggiest days fishing I've ever had (I would never remember them, but just go with this), I would bet money that the Lake of Menteith would feature in about a third of them. And this day would be a contender for a place. The feature of the forecast that everyone was talking about in the car park was the southerly gales. Don't know what happened to them, but we were eternally grateful that we didn't have that on top of all the rain we did get! It started after 5 minutes fishing, and was steady until about 4 o'clock, whereafter it eased, firstly to a drizzle, then to a light drizzle, then to a smir, back to drizzle for a bit, then just as we were all heading in I could swear it was almost dry. Wind was a light south-westerly all day. Difficult to tell what the temperature was like when you are all happed up to the nines.
The word from Quint was that Lochend and Gateside were the 'in' places. I was on my ownsome (last minute call-off), and I have come to really dislike fishing in Gateside these last few years (not sure why), so I headed for Lochend. There were quite a few boats right in Lochend bay, so I headed into the Todhole area. I had set up 2 rods: one with nymphs on a slow glass (been working well), and one with a set of biggish dries (same). Conditions looked good right at the start and I picked up the dries. I pulled off a few yards of line and cast the team out to wet the nylon before I ran it through my leadersink. Before I even got the sinkant out my pocket, a fish head-and-tailed the black Klinkhammer I had put on the bob. One cast: one fish! Good start. Before I even got the flies back in the water, the rain started. Normally at the Lake, rain spells disaster for fishing dries. However, buoyed by my good start, I stayed with the dries. I was glad I did, as I continued to get interest to them.
I was seeing a reasonable number of rises. Only ever oncers, and apart from one cover that had 2 goes without nailing me, all my takes were out the blue. I fresh-aired a few, and there were a few others that splashed in that way that tells you you are unlikely to hit solid when you lift. The ones that did stick were cracking takes, though. S....L....O....W.... The sort that say that you can wait until October if you like before you lift the rod.
A resident rainbow that fell to the daddy
As well as the black Klinkhammer, fish came to fiery brown hopper, half-hog, claret hopper and daddy. However, all the time, the rate of offers was diminishing. By about one o'clock, sport had slackened off. I reckoned the rain was just too heavy and I picked up the other rod. That kept things going sure enough, and a figure-of-eight retrieve of the floating line saw steady sport throughout the afternoon to a mini white tadpole and a black snatcher.
The two Dougies, Skedd and Goddard, started down at Lochend, but not finding fish there they worked their way round the water, ending up in the rookery/Sam's point area. Dougie S eventually got tuned in quite late in the day, finding that the roly-poly retrieve was to the fishes' liking. Dougie took 8 to fast glass, Texas Rose muddler and minkie.
Fishing in the heronry, Tommy Steven and Stewart Barnes had 9 to their boat. Stewart fished a slow draw Diawl Bach and yellow dancer on an intermediate, while Tommy went with a washing line of yellow and damsel boobies either side of a red snatcher.
John Miller took 4 to Diawl Bach, goldhead PTN and white lure, all fished on the floater at Gateside and later at Todhole. Ken Mclean had 2 to silver invicta, while Fraser Gault had 3 to mini lures at Dog Isle and Lochend.
The Club's 15 rods landed 48 fish.
Photos: slightly damp Canon 10D with 28-135 mm IS lens
