I decided to chance my luck this weekend. Its a call out week and ordinarily I only fish on call, when I can go somewhere that’s “free”, paying for a ticket only to be called away isn’t usually wise. However last weekend I couldn’t even grip a rod so I feel I have to take the chance when it appears and the weather was pretty settled ( or I thought so anyway).
Fishing with the Big Guns: Burnhouse
I can only really manage a couple of hours fishing at a time just now so after seeing my son off to work in his new Saturday job I packed my gear and decided to take a run down to Burnhouse for a couple of hours. It started to spit with rain as I drove down the M80 and as I turned into the car park I thought I had stumbled onto a military exercise, there were a few dozen guys with Guns and Camo gear. The “shoot”. The car park was busy in the fishery and I thought maybe it’s not such a good idea, then I realised the motors all had dog cages in- so obviously the shooters. The fishery was pretty quiet and still. The water however was very coloured up. ( is Burnhouse always coloured- I don’t think I have ever seen it anything other than brown?).
4GEE
A quiet Burnhouse
I was informed ( and could see) that everyone was fishing buzzers under a bung. I started fishing on an intermediate line with a heavy point fly and a couple of buzzers, a black one and an Okey Dokey. 15 minutes and I never had a touch though a couple of the other anglers had a few fish well out on the static buzzers. What was noticeable was the fish being caught were all on top droppers so it seemed the fish were not deep. Maybe I was too deep so swapped things round and put a FAB on point to hold the end of the tippet up with the buzzers above. This got me nothing either. On with the floating line and a different mix of buzzers- including one of my “4GEE” patterns. I set the indicator about a foot or so above the top buzzer. I also had a Glass buzzer and a black fluo beaded one on point.
Indication
Second cast of this and the indicator ducked under as I slowly figure of eighted in, there was a really savage tug on the line as I lifted then a second one- so hard it yanked my little finger- quite sore! The line went slack. I sometimes wonder how a fish can tug on a buzzer (essentially a simple dressed hook) and not be hooked. I thought the glass buzzer had been the fly as it had a bit of a ding in it.
I persevered for a while but had no further activity. I had a move and then had what seemed like a fairly gentle take that then locked solid and I thought I could feel the fish but it wasn’t coming in ( the scenario seemed to be the same as a few weeks back at Harviestoun where I hooked a fish and it snagged me on an underwater obstruction). I couldn’t feel the line so had to pull it until it snapped and reel in. The rain had come on pretty heavy a couple of times by now and it was persisting this time so I decided to head into the lodge for a warm up with a cup of tea made by the very friendly fishery chap. After a warm up and a chat I resumed for the last half hour. Nothing took and it was pretty grim so I called it a day. But hey- at least I was out!
Double or quits
Sunday was a bright and still morning and my wife “encouraged” me to go out for a few hours. I wasn’t too eager as it seemed like I was a cert to be called out this time. So in early afternoon I headed out just down the road to Swanswater. There was a bit of an intermittent breeze but it was fairly quiet. The water unlike Burnhouse the day before was gin clear. Alastair told me a few fish were being caught by the dam wall on Diawl Bach’s, and a few Tigers had been taken behind the island.
“Wave your ass in the air like you don’t care”
As I headed round just by the dam wall I bumped into a face I recognised- he clearly didn’t recall me. I said the usual courteous “hows it going” and got no reply so followed up with the usual less courteous follow-up “dinnae speak then you miserable f*ck!”. It was Grant, my boat partner on Lake of Mentieth in the Scottish National clubs heat in the summer. It was only then he realised it was me so I stopped for a chat and to see how he was doing. He had caught 4 on a Yellow Dancer with an intermediate line and said he was catching about 4 feet down.
After I went on my way I started to fish at the back of the island near the mouth of the burn. I had a floater on with a very heavy Cats Whiskers on point and a Diawl Bach on dropper. I was only fishing two flies with the breeze being what it was. Not getting any action I was moving further round beyond the island when passing the burn mouth I could se some fish lying in near the bank. I decided to ping a fly over them. I got lots of chases to the Cats Whiskers but no takers. I then swapped flies to a Yellow Dancer with the same effect. I put on a wee stalking bug but as I stood up to try again the fish had moved in closer and were spooked by my approach. I decided the leave them be and move on. I fished behind the island over a couple of pegs for a good hour on both the floater and then an intermediate line, but had nothing, and tried a good 3 or 4 fly patterns.
As I passed by the burn mouth on the way back the fish were still in position so I tried again. I tried big and black, to tiny and imitative. Being able to see the fishes reaction to a pattern is a great help. The only thing they moved for was any lures with a bit white in, and sometimes three fish would chase but never took. It was great fun but wasnt being productive so I went out to the island for the last half hour with the knowledge that maybe a Yellow Dancer might get a fish, but again never touched a thing.
It was however a very pleasant afternoon and having been in two minds to go out- I was glad I went and took the chance.
