When we arrived at Frandy, it was the start of a nice summer’s day with no wind, flat calm, and sunshine. We saw the odd rising fish. Ken told us that the water was 16°C, and with the air only being, 14°C most of the fishers were thinking about a sub-surface attack. I was fishing with Hugh Thomson, and as he is as daft as I am, we both set out for the north shore armed with dries. We did see a few rising fish, I think they were wee broonies; and we did catch a few, but only one brown keeper each. A move was called for and, as we thought that we could see fish moving in the middle of the loch, we headed out – but what we were seeing in the calm water was gas bubbling to the surface… but there was the odd fish rising among the bubbles. At this stage, the temperature had risen to 20°C and we got the slightest of breezes. Next thing, Hugh was into a strong fish that came out of the blue. We stuck to the middle of the loch and had a few fish each. We must have been having an enjoyable day, next thing we knew it was after 4 o’clock and time to stop! I was so busy doing very little that I just forgot to take any pictures.
Bob Allan did the sensible thing and went with a Di8, a fab, and diawl bachs. This got him four fish. His boat partner, Ken Hastings fished with a floater and daddies and had a nice brown and two rainbows.
Bob Whyte and Allan Brown, both on floaters and fishing in the dam area, had five fish between them.
Trevor, fishing a sink tip, with a fab on the point and diawl bachs above it, had six fish. His boat partner, Alan Holbrook fished a floater with a fab on the point and nymphs above it, taking two fish.
John Miller fished some of the time with a midge tip but most of the time with a floater. John Levy fished a floater – both fished a sunburst fab and diawl bachs. John M had four fish at the dam end and a further six at the west, end just past the dog-leg. John L had six fish. Fifteen fish to the boat was a great effort.
Our best boat by two fish was Derek Kilgour and Jimmy McBride. Derek had his fish on a floater and dries (daddies and hoppers). Jimmy had his using a midge tip with a cat booby on the point and daddies and hoppers above it.
Our twelve anglers landed 57 fish, 41 of which were returned – a rod average of 4.75 was a very respectable result from a day that did not promise much at the outset.
