Monday, 17th September

Lake of Menteith, Day Session

The weather forecast was for cold, with gales.  It was cold, but we escaped the gales, thankfully.  Just a bit of a swirly, changeable breeze that was trying to come anywhere from NE to NW, depending on where you were trying to fish.  The sky was a right old mix -- everything from glaring, brassy sunshine, to showers.  There was very little meat on the water and very few fish were seen to rise over the whole day.  Easy to think these were hopeless conditions to fish dries, but dries are always worth a try at The Lake, and it proved to be a really useful back-up tactic on the day.

Bob Temple and Dougie Skedd drift Reedy Bay

I was fishing with Paul Young (he's been a member of our club more years than he cares to remember).  We started off at the shallows just round the corner from the boats -- usually a good place to start -- as did several other boats.  Nothing doing at all.  So, we took her up to just shy of Sam's point -- a regular hot-spot over the last season or so.  Sure enough, there were fish here, and we took one each, Paul on slime line and a wee damsel, mine to a dry (pearl-wing heather fly).  Dougie Skedd and Bob Temple came in at the back of us.  Dougie reported having had a lot of bumps to washing line tactics, but had only stuck to one.  I had set up 2 rods, and had been swapping back and forth between dries and pulling, but had not had an offer pulling, so I re-rigged that rod to a washing line.  We had a few more chances at Sam's point, but as we found last time, the fish there quickly put the tin helmets on when you start repeating the drift -- it's shallow water, right enough.

Paul Young with a Dog Isle fish to damsel and slime line

We decided to make a move, and tried a couple of drifts in the heronry.  Brussels sprout.  We moved on up to Dog Isle.  There were several boats working the area, and we soon saw a rod bent.  Before much longer we were getting action of our own.  Still missing more than we were landing, but it was definite progress.  We decided to keep working away at it.  Paul was continuing to have success with his damsel, but also had a fish to a black hopper on the bob.  I was now getting Dougie's problem with the figure-of-eighted washing line getting too many bumps and not enough hook-ups.  One to a candy-stripe snatcher and one to a black booby was all it managed.

Sorry this shot is almost the same as last outing -- but, hey, it's got added rainbow!

Mid-afternoon, and suddenly there was a wee flurry of rises.  I decided to give the dries another go.  Instant interest, so I stuck with them.  Fewer offers than the washing line, but a much better conversion rate.  It makes a huge difference at the end of he day!  Just the heather fly, and a fiery brown hopper in 12s were involved.

Eric Singer and son Keith (first club outing in over 20 years!) had a good day, taking 9 to the boat (whereabouts unspecified).  They were both fishing cat's whiskers on floating lines.  Bob Whyte and Edward Hamilton matched the Singers for numbers, but using intermediates, and damsels (in addition to cat's whiskers).  They caught their fish in Reedy Bay.

Paul was most impressed with the quality of the blues!

Trevor and John Levy caught their fish in Roman Bay (Trevor -- where the Hell's Roman Bay???) and Malling Shore, to slime line and slow retrieve, with yellow dancer, cormorants and Kate McLaren.

Tom Steven and guest Hugh Thomson got theirs in Gateside Bay, with Tommy on Hi-D and booby, and Hugh on floater and yellow dancer.

The club's 15 rods landed 40 fish.

Photos: Canon 10D with 28-135 mm IS lens