Monday, 22nd May

Lake of Menteith, Day Session

Oh dear... another report where the pictures are going to occupy a lot more space than the description of the club's successes.  Not sure where we went wrong.  The Lake has been fishing well.  Didn't get a handle on how well the other boats had done, really.  We saw a few fish caught.  Most of them were very, very tight into the shore, and in calm conditions with boats moving little, there was not much scope to manoeuvre in, unless you were of the persuasion that says that you just muscle-in regardless.  Thankfully, most of our guys play the game.  Unfortunately, an increasing number of others do not.  Boat 16: you know who you are!  May the fleas of a thousand camels nest in your armpits.

Bob Allan and Dougie Skedd -- drifting into Sandy Bay

Anyway (ranting over for now), as mentioned, we did not do well.  It was blummin' cold for late May, with the breeze horribly variable and always from the easterly or northern quarters.  The water clarity was poor as well -- probably the result of a sudden flush of rain after a dry spell.  Excuses, excuses.  Here's some more.  There was quite a bit of fly around (decent black buzzers, small bright green buzzers, claret duns and mayflies), which should have given sport with dry fly.  Unfortunately, the fish proved very tricky to tempt with dries.  I was on and off dries throughout the day, and only nailed a couple very late on, with maybe half a dozen other chances.  Size 14 black hopper and dark F-fly were the successful patterns.  The best chance came in the bay immediately to the east of Sam's point, where a tight wee group of fish started showing between 3 and 5 p.m.  Very oncey, but do-able if you could get a throw at them.

Ken Maclean with a typically good-looking blue

Quint and Douglas had both told us that up the top end was doing best, and that we should stick to small flies, fished slow.  Many of the boats headed up that way, and it was soon clear that those that favoured the southern side (over by the plantation and the silage pits) were doing nothing (all moving away), while those that chose the northern side (up the reeds inside of Dog Island) were catching fish.  My boat partner, Ken Maclean, fished wee trads on an intermediate line (green-tail Kate, silver Invicta and black pennell), and would have done as well as anyone, had he not lost 3 fish well into play.  I went with a washing line set-up on ghost-tip: black snatcher, holo-Diawl Bach and wee booby on the tail, figure-of-eighted.  That was worth 2 fish, one to each of the nymphs.

Hot-spot corner: Alan Duncan readies the net for Dougie Goddard

Ian Macdonald fished the same area, and later Kate's brae and Lochend, taking 4 to slime line and orange and black cormorants and a white lure.  Bob Whyte had a brace to cat's whisker on the floater, at Dog Isle and below Sam's Point, while Dougie Skedd also had 2, to a peach muddler on a DI-2 in Sandy Bay.

Our top boat was Dougie Goddard and Alan Duncan, with 7 fish.  Dougie figure-of-eighted Diawl Bachs on the floater, while Alan did same on intermediate line.  They had most of their fish between the hotel and Sam's point.

The Club's total for 14 rods was 22 fish.

Then this guy appeared and showed us how it's done

Photos: Canon 10D with 70-300mm IS lens