Saturday, 10th May

Coldingham Loch, Day Session

The outings seem to be in a run of winter, summer, winter, summer just now.  So, time for a summer one.  We found out when we got back home it had been dreich and raining in Edinburgh.  Coldingham is famous for its microclimates, and we had a day of warm, calm, sunny weather.  Another odd number outing, and this time it was my turn to be Billy-no-mates.  However, not a problem to have a boat to yourself when given the chance to chase after odd rising fish in a flat calm with dry fly, which is what I spent the day doing.  Great fun.  Very tricky at times, and I had to drop to a single fly on a 4lb double strength point.  Even then, I was getting crinkles under, false takes, fresh-air shots, and inevitably (on such a light point and hooking lumps in the weedy shallows) a couple of snap-offs. 

New developments on the lochside - nice view for the new owners - less nice for the anglers

There was a decent number of big buzzers about early on, and that was when the fish were easiest, and I had success with a size 12 Adams hopper.  That didn't last unfortunately, and as the fish turned tricky, I could see a lot of tiny wee white moths skittering about and a lot of the rises were those surging ones that push a bow wave ahead of them -- like when they are chasing Caenis nymphs just below the surface.

A good hatch of alder flies took place.  I spotted the odd fish giving chase to one skittering across the surface, but I don't think there was any real effort being put in to eating them.  Sorry about the fluff -- the fly hitched a lift home in my tackle box and I only found it when unpacking - it had picked up the fluff inside my box, and you don't even know it is there until you see the enlargement.  I thought about trying to Hoover it off, then decided that was not a good idea!

The surging activity dwindled, but the fish didn't get any easier until the last hour or so.  By this time, I had switched to a pair of size 14 sparkle gnats, and these worked a treat late on.  Maybe it just needed the sun to drop a bit in the sky - it did get a bit overcast later on, which no doubt also helped.

Bob Whyte with a lively customer

Of the remaining boats, some spent the day fishing buzzers on floating line, some mixed it up between buzzers early and dries later on, and one went with damsels.  The latter were fished by Bob Norris and John Robertson, on intermediates and sink-tip lines, in home bay.  The buzzer boys were Hugh Thomson and Ed Green, who fished  up the shallow arm, Tommy Steven and Gary Wright (best boat), who fished in home bay, and Eric Singer and Bob Allan, also in home bay.

Trevor also 'tached' up a bag to buzzers, sitting off the south west point, though his boat partner, Bob Whyte did better with dries later in the day, catching to black Klinkhammer (12) and olive comparadun (14).  Ian Macdonald and Euan Cluness were two more who did better after changing to dries - hare's ear, black comparadun and hoppers.

Stewart Barnes caught this one around the 5 lb mark with his last cast of the day

Stewart Barnes and Ross McLeod were another pair who fished buzzers early, dries later, and then back to buzzers, mixing it up all over the water and ending with Stewart taking a lump of about 5 lb, on a buzzer, in home bay, with his last cast of the day.

The club's 15 rods landed 62 fish.

Photos: Canon 40D with (image 3) 100 mm macro and (images 1, 2, 4, 5) 70-200 mm f4 IS lens