Monday, 15th September

Lake of Menteith, Day Session

Yet another unremittingly dreich day -- perfect fishing conditions, in fact.  However, whereas we had a good haul (>4 fish per rod average) on our last trip in much less favourable conditions, this time out we struggled.  Douglas alluded to the likely cause before we set out -- "It's been hammered for the last week", he said.  The National final had been on the Saturday, and the competitors had been out practicing for many days before that.  So, just our luck that we turned up after the Lord Mayor's Show, to find the survivors with their tin helmets firmly strapped on.  A pity, as the day was looking good, with light easterly breeze, mild and about 1 candle power of light.  No matter, a challenge is a challenge and it was a case of adjusting horizons and buckling down to the task in hand.

One from Lochend

John levy and I started at Sam's point, where John had a grip of an early fish on floating line and nymphs, only for it to come unstuck.  There was an odd fish rising once, and I had a go with dries, but not a sniff.  We tried a move to Lochend, from where the bulk of the fish on our last outing had come.  We tried the same sort of water - a natural with that easterly breeze, and an odd fish was seen being caught, including one to Dougie Goddard - one of 3 he landed in the area to floating line and, variously: snatcher, mini orange lure and a dry claret Klinkhammer.  But, John and I failed to interest the scorer. 

Gavin Mac puts out a nice loop in the rookery

We gave up on the area and headed for pastures new.  We passed Tommy and Stewart coming from the exact opposite direction.  They were headed for Lochend, having only had 2 fish from a long drift all the way down the north side.  Well, that was 2 better than us, so we willingly swapped places with them.  We dropped in on the east side of Sam's point and quickly picked up 3 fish on our first drift, losing a couple more.  Olive seemed to be the answer, fished slow on floating line - John an olive flash-tail, me a semi-imitative damsel.

A fish to John's olive flash-tail

Our success was short-lived, and it was back to scratching around for an odd offer.  We went for the grand tour.  First, we were up by Dog Isle - a few boats were concentrating on the area, but we saw only a single fish taken while there.  We stopped by the heronry to look for rising residents in the calm at the back of sandy bay.  All very quiet (well it was while we were there).  We went on down to Shear point, again to look for residents on the feed.  This time we did see a few.  I was just getting set up with dries again when first the rain turned it up a notch, and then a boat drove right through the middle of the fish, and that was that chance gone.

John Levy with a bright rainbow

We ended up going back to Sam's point, where eventually I did hook one on dries, only for it to come adrift.  Game over.  Most of the rest of the guys did much the same as us... or slightly better!  Dougie Skedd and Paul Young had a couple at the butts and sandy bay, one to booby on slow glass and one to dry fly (Wyatt emerger).  Stewart Barnes and Tommy Steven ended with 4, taken in International Bay, Sam's Point and Hotel Bay, 3 of them to floating line and a black Diawl Bach, and one to a dry bibio.  John Miller and Hugh Thomson had 5 at Lochend, John catching on black hopper and buzzer on floating line, and Hugh to snatcher and lure on a midge tip.  Bob Allan and Dougie Goddard also ended with 4, Bob taking a fish at the Rookery to floating line and damsel.

Bob Whyte and Ed Green, doing the Sam's Point drift

Bob Whyte and Ed Green also landed 4 fish, all to floating line, mostly at Sam's Point.  Flies were black tadpole, damsel and black hopper.  Eric Singer and son Keith had 2nd best boat with 6, all taken on midge-tip and a black lure at Sam's Point.  Best boat by 3 was Gavin Macdonald and Trevor Gibson.  They sat and waited in sandy bay for the occasional risers that appeared in between the showers.  They managed to pick off 9 between them on dry fly: Gavin on an olive comparadun and Trevor on an olive CDC shuttlecock.

The club's 16 rods landed 37 fish.

Photos: Canon 40D with 24-105 mm IS lens -- all around ISO 400.