I had it on good authority that the Lake was fishing very well and that dry daddies and hoppers fished along the Malling shore were the answer. Therefore, on Saturday evening, I spent a pleasant few hours tying up some killer dries. I then took them out to my shed and ginked each one very carefully and pinned them up to dry – I just could not wait to try them.
When I arrived at the Lake early on Sunday I met Derek Kilgour who told me that he had been told that the Lake was fishing well and that daddies and hoppers were working. This is when I remembered that my ginked wonder flies were still drying in my shed – what a prat I am… and then I remembered that my camera was with them! What a start – it must get better, thought I.
Due to late call offs and late additions I had to shuffle the boat partners and I again was fishing with Hugh Thomson – I went with dries (hoppers and half hogs). Hugh went with wets, and we headed for the plantation. We set up a drift that took us out behind David Tyrie and it wasn’t long until we saw him hook and land a fish. I had a swirl and a bump but no hook-up, so we changed position and drifted along the Malling shore. Then we watched Derek Kilgour and Allan Brown catch fish after fish. I had some more offers and then landed a cracking blue of about four pounds. We then drifted into Gateside bay, where a fish tore my middle dropper and hopper clean off the cast – and for me that was it.
Derek and Allan finished with twenty fish to the boat. Both used floaters. Derek had his fish on fiery brown hoppers (just like the ones I had left in my shed).
Trevor and his guest Garry had a good day – Trevor used a midge tip with a FAB on the point and Garry used a floater with a daddy. They had 6 to the boat.
John Levy was fishing with Dougie Goddard in Gateside bay. John had 4 fish using a floater and a FAB, while Dougie had 3 using a DI3 and a FAB.
John Miller and Alex Ramsay both used floaters and FABs in Gateside bay – they landed 8 fish.
Jimmy McBride and David Tyrie both used floaters, boobies and hoppers. They had 20 fish to the boat.
The water temperature was 14°C when we started and only climbed to 15°C – the water was 16°C.
Our 14 anglers had 62 fish, giving a rod average of 4.43. Not a bad day after all.
