Saturday, 9th September

Glencorse, Day Session

Just when we thought summer was over, it came back big time, and we enjoyed a glorious day at Glencorse.  We were on the water at 8.30 a.m., which was early enough for sections still to be catching shade from the trees, and I (on my own due to a late call-off) found a group of fish rising great guns just off the back of the breakwater (directly above this text in fact!).  Alas, they didn't last long, and by the time I had set up a dry fly rod, covered, hooked, played and landed one and got back into action, they were gone.

After that, it was off up the water to see what was going on.  We had bright sunshine for much of the day, and the winds were that 'light and variable' way, which meant that the direction was forever changing, and making a set drift an impossibility at times.  Actually, not all the boats headed up the water, and those that stayed close to home found plenty fish in the dam area.  Len Newby and Ivor Young landed 17 between them, fishing intermediate lines with damsels and yellow dancers.  Fraser Gault and John Gibson fished there early and late as well, and, although they had a go right round the water in between, the 8 they landed were all caught in the dam area.  Sparkler and cat's whisker were their best patterns, fished on a floater with a slow retrieve.

One on a daddy-long-legs

Further up the water, the going was tricky at times.  If you set out your stall to spend a day on dries, it was very slow for a lot of the time, though there was a decent spell -- in the middle of the day -- just when it was at its brightest -- go figure.  It was noticeable that when a cloud did come over, there was an immediate increase in the surface activity.

There was a slow trundle of daddies, plus assorted other terrestrials.  Dougie Skedd saw some flying ants and heather flies.  Quite a few fish were having a go at tumbling dandelion seeds.  I had quite a lot of sport with a full-on daddy-long-legs, although conversion rate was poor.  Other successful dries were Adams hopper and dark F-fly.

Dougie Skedd gives his butt section a work-out (not for the first time)

The fish were lying in the central, widest section of the water.  They were spread right across the deep water as well, though I suspect the only ones caught from the middle were surface feeders, caught on dries.  Switching between nymphs and dries seems to have been a common tactic.  John Miller and Ron McCarron had fish around the burn mouth that way.  John Dewar and Bob Norris had half a dozen from the burn mouth back along the road shore, taken on floater and sink tip (daddy-long-legs and Montana).

While one or two boats struggled for a fish, Dougie Skedd and Ian Macdonald had no problems putting a big catch together -- they finished with 21 to the boat, all caught and released.  Ian basically spent the day repeating the success he had on the last outing, by fishing Chew-style.  Floating line, long leader, team of nymphs, cast in front of the boat and just take up the slack as it moves forward.  Same as last time, Ian's catch was to a jungle-cock Diawl Bach, and this wee damsel.  Dougie split his attention between fishing a washing line set-up, and dries.  His washing line was a figure-of-eighted DI-2, with Diawl Bach and cat minkie booby thingy.  Dougie's successful dries were sizeable black and red versions of a Shipman's buzzer and a Klinkhammer.

The club's total for 15 rods was 65 fish. 

Photos: Canon 10D with 28-135mm IS lens.  A polarising filter was added for the last shot, which was converted twice in RAW converter; once for the sky and water, and once for the land.