As I continued to look at the weather forecast in the days before the outing, I was hoping that if the sun was going to shine then it was perhaps best if the wind stayed light to allow us to control the DI7s that were going to be needed to get down to the deeps where we had been told the fish were hiding in this very warm spell.
Well, we got the sun, high temperature and the murky water conditions, but the wind picked-up, making it difficult to control the flies.
Just about every boat was trying to park from Dog Island, past Stable Point, into Gateside, and down through the Rookery.
Partnered with Steve Kilpatrick, we moved onto a drift down past the crannog, where a fish followed my booby right to the boat but didn’t fancy it in the end and that was the only fish we saw on the way down.
We then decided to move out of the mass of boats to the gap between Inchmahome and Arnmach where I again had a single swirl without connecting.
Then up to Malling for a few drifts, as it had been reported that some fish were in that area. Nothing and by this time a bit fed up.
Back into Gateside, where numerous boats were vying for position. Ouch! What a far cry from my last day on the Lake, fishing with Colin Riach on floaters with dry Mayflies!
Another swirl, and then finally I hooked a fish that followed my tequila booby right up to the side of the boat. Wasn’t confident that the hook hold was good as I had had to stretch the whole length of my cast when he took at the last moment and that proved to be the case as after a few minutes he came off. Nice fish – probably around the 4lb mark.
More boredom for another couple of hours, then we saw a lone angler hooking a few fish. ‘Humongous’, he told us and we both changed. Then I hooked another fish late in the retrieve and thought that it was a cert, but after a few powerful runs behind the boat it came off. Bigger than the first one, too!!
That was the final straw. Headed for the beach about 5 o’clock.
Final tally: 21 fish to 14 rods. Best club rods: Alan Duncan and Trevor Gibson, both with 5.
Ouch, what a tough day!!
