A day of decent conditions, though the temperature dropped noticeably as the hours went by, and the late brightness rather killed the dry fly sport we were enjoying. Water temp 16 C: air temp 17 C (though it felt decidedly cooler). Water crystal clear. Very little fly life – odd sedge and flying ant. We were informed that foam daddies were doing well, and also a hothead damsel on a DI-3.
Dougie Skedd and I spent most of the day fishing dries. We passed a few risers in the calm water close to home on our way out. I headed for the the road shore to give us a drift with the south-westerly breeze from the dog-leg into the burnmouth. We got off to a good enough start. I had one to a black hopper and one to a daddy, and Dougie had a couple to hogs. We missed others. Most were lumps of 3 or 4 lb. No rises to cover, but pulling fish up OTB. After a while it dried up on us, though. We started exploring – trying the south shore (made the mistake of not going east enough), and then going up to the top end and drifting all the way back down the arm. That produced nothing. Dougie was by now attempting to have a go with the dap, but the wind was doing its best to thwart his efforts by dropping away every time he picked the dap up. He did produce a single offer to it. i had a go with a team of nymphs on a 10 foot tip. That did nothing.
Into the afternoon, We tried drifting the east half of the south shore. We both went back onto dries. I changed to a ginger hog on the dropper and a black foam-bodied terrestrial on the tail. Straight away, I fresh-aired a rise to the terrestrial. Then another, then a third, and a fourth and a fifth! I didn’t touch any of them. They were nice rises too – not splashy or nervy. A 6th fish rose, but this time to the hog – and it took it like a sweetie. Another lump that sounded and took an age to get up on the lightweight dry fly gear.
The next fish that came at me again fresh-aired the terrestrial. I managed to get the flies back over it. It came at the terrestrial again! Another fresh-air shot. Again I got the flies back over it. This time it took the hog and I hooked it, no bother! This continued as we repeated the drift several times, for just one more landed – again on the ginger hog. Finally, a single fish took the terrestrial. Definitely some kind of presentation/footprint/pattern type difference going on there.
By now it was getting properly bright and we could feel the chances slowing up on us. We had the last half hour in the home bay, drifting towards the dam. Dougie was by now on a hedged-bet rig, and he took a late fish to a Diawl Bach.
The club had a decent day, with a rod average just under 5 (58 fish for 12 rods). Foam daddies featured strongly among the catches. Best bag went to Alan Frances, who had 8 fish, split between daddies and a fast sinker.
