On Friday the 15th, I had a grand time, tying flies, cleaning and stretching lines, charging batteries and just looking forward to Saturday the 16th – our first outing of the year. I did look at the weather forecast but thought – no it just cannot be as bad as they are predicting. However, this time the devils got it just right.
When I picked Hugh Thomson up at Linlithgow, the weather looked fine; we even imagined that we could see trout rising on Linlithgow Loch. Driving towards Glencorse with the air temperature at 30C, it started to rain, not heavy rain, but rain that turned to sleet, and sleet that turned to snow as the temperature dropped to 10C. So we arrived at Glencorse in heavy wet snow and the grey cold looking water was without the slightest ripple.
I was paired with Ian G.A Macdonald; Ian is a guest who will fish with us a few times this year and hopes to join the club at the end of the year. Before going out we both had some sage advice from Mr Tyrie and Mr Bertram, we both took this advice and set out. Ian used an intermediate line with a wee FAB on a dropper and a white thing on the point; I had a DI3 with a FAB on a dropper and a black and green concoction on the point. We headed for half way along the road shore. As we started to fish, the snow got thicker and thicker and in a whiteout, we drifted slowly long the shore. At the point where the road wall and the burn comes in I was into a fish and had it up to the lip of the net then it jumped and swirled and was gone – and I knew that my only chance of catching a fish had passed me by. We repeated this drift for another couple of hours and watched the other boats head for the comfort of the beach. When we got in, we discovered that everyone other than Trevor Gibson was in; some had stopped at ten thirty and others stuck it out until lunchtime. At this stage, no one had fish. Trevor who had been fishing with David Bertram had gone back out again after David had stopped for the day.
Despite the conditions, it was good to be back at Glencorse, the boats are better, the parking is a wee bit better and by the time we go back the road will have the pot holes filled in.
Postscript – I had a telephone call late in the afternoon, it was Trevor, telling me that he had to be lifted/ helped out of the boat by Brian the boatman who immediately insisted that Trevor went to the warm shed to thaw out, but for his persistence, Trevor had a fish of 2 lbs. 11 ozs – he deserves the 50 points for perseverance. (Weighed and logged on the club card by Brian as Trevor could not hold the pencil)
Now we must look forward to the Lake on the 30th March – it just must be better.
