The last time we were at Cobbinshaw, 11 April, it was 2.5 C and dreich and breezy. All layers on. This time it was 5.5 C, and dreich and breezy. Every stitch on again. I counted 10 layers! At least it was 3 C less cold, but the wind was 180 degrees from last time and was out the north-east. Most of the boats headed for the tree-lined railway shore. Not that there were many out, apart from our club. Any time we looked across to the open, far shore, we would only see about one boat over there. The inclination when you see a near-deserted area is to assume there is not much happening there. And we had a good start on the railway shore. I had 4 in the first 2 drifts. DI-5 stuff. Brian Spence was on a DI-3 and was connecting with as many as I was, but most of his were dropping off.
We diod a 3rd long drift on the railway shore, but the fish had gone off. Brain had been out last Saturday and done well, fishing a south-westerly from the dam to the cages. As it was 18 degrees to that, we tried a big long drift from the cages to the dam. Nothing. So, having given it a good rest, we went back and tried the railway shore. I tried a few variations,switching between buoyant and weighted tail flies. Tried coming up onto the fast glass. Tried a 10 foot tip with a washing line. All to no avail.
By the time we got to mid-afternoon, it was a bit softer. It brightened-up and the wind dropped. I still had 10 layers on and wasn’t inclined to start taking them off! Then we started to see the odd rise. I looked in the water. Black gnats! Both of us decided to put up dries. I took the boat up to the head of the wind, where the gnats would be coming off and, sure enough, there was the odd rise along the ripple edge. I put up a 14 black half-hog and a 14 pearly-wing bits. We had about an hour at them. I landed one, lost one that was on for a good while, had the weight of one and fresh-aired a couple.
When we got in, most of the catches were similar to ours… apart from Bob Whyte and Peter Fionda – see below. It was their boat we were seeing any time we looked across to the far side. Doh!
The Club’s 12 rods landed 52 fish.
Bob Whyte adds…
Patnered with Peter Fionda on a cold and wet morning. Wind off the north east as expected, so we headed off to the top of the wind on the east shore . Really strange as all the other boats chose the opposite shore and we had access to all the water for ourselves.
Peter started with an 10 foot Di-3 tip, orange beaded lure, cormorant and an orange blob on the top dropper. I used a Di-3 with a hot-headed damsel, Diawl Bach and holo green cormorant on the top dropper.
We zig-zagged down the shore into all the areas that didn’t have weed and regularly hooked fish of between 2 to 3 lb, with them coming mainly to the damsel, with a few to the cormorant. Peter was catching on the blob and a damsel when the orange lure wasn’t working.
My conversion rate wasn’t great in the morning or indeed throughout the day as I lost 7 fish where Peter’s fish seemed to stick.
Most of the fish once their initial runs were over seemed to want dive under the boat or to either side and then behind the boat. They were very strong and that made landing them difficult.
The fish were all in great condition.
Briefly for the last hour Peter changed to a washing line and had a couple.
Final tally was 11 each.
