This was our first evening session this year, and perhaps it was a mistake to have an evening session so early in the year. When I arrived, very early, the air was 19.5 Celsius if you were in a sheltered spot. However, when you moved away from the shelter and into the strong east wind, it was perishing. I was fishing with Keith Logan and we left the dock full of hope; we had both seen one daddy longlegs before we went out. Keith went with a midge tip and I started with a new DI3 sweep line I wanted to try out. We drifted all of the areas that Allan had advised, but with no luck. By this time, we were drifting towards the south shore and I saw a fish move. Being daft, I put on a floater and two yellow owls. I was casting into the sun and the water was so bright that I could not see my flies, but a fish came out of the blue and grabbed one of the flies and started to pull like a train. I was surprised but pleased that a fish had kindly hooked itself and was swimming quickly to my right, away from the sun reflecting from the water so when it jumped and my line went slack I saw it all happen. After sitting for a few seconds, and saying nothing, I pulled my line in to inspect the hook but all I had was a wee curly tail and no hook. It is not so good when you have only yourself to blame and I knew that I had tied that fly on without wetting the knot first.
Much later in the day, when a solitary cloud covered the sun for about ten minutes I did manage to hook and land another. Most of the members had a difficult time due to the bright blue sky and the wind chill. It really was very cold.
Trevor Gibson landed a nice fish of just over two pounds. Derek Kilgour had two. One on an Ace of spades and a fast glass, the other on CDC quill shuttlecock and a floater. Our best boat was John Miller and Stewart Barnes. They dropped anchor just off the heathery bank and both fished floaters. Stewart swung diawl bachs with a slow fig-of-8 and had three fish. John landed four fish, two to black and red buzzers, one on a yellow fab and one on Black JC diawl bach. On such a difficult evening, they did well.
When we came off the water it was suggested that our first evening session would be better later in the season, next year our first evening session will be later.
