I had a wee morning/afternoon session up at Pendreich on Sunday. It was a very changeable day, not cold but a horrible gusty wind and big monsoon like rain showers. So a day for the wading gear! At least it was westerly so not as bad as of late in terms of direction.
I decided to fish from the boat initially and it was fairly choppy, and impossible to anchor. I drifted West to East with the wind, I would not like to say it was fast but the water skier at the back kept shouting me to slow down.
I set up a two fly cast of a red holo Cormorant on point with a claret bumble on the top. I would probably fish three flies in a usual set up for “lough style” but I was worried I would spend all my time picking wind knots out my line. I also went for 6lb tippet for a change too just to save me losing flies in the weedy snags which seem to be getting further out from shore as spring progresses.
First drift was a bit fast, soon I was in the East corner and dribbling the bumble through the chop, was hammered by a fish. A nice brownie close to a pound- long and lean, it looked like a fish I caught a few weeks back in the same area- I suspect it was. Quickly returned without handling I was in the weeds with the boat due to the wind.
A selection of Bumbles-the claret worked well in the waves
Back for another run this time with the drogue out- it helped but not by much it has to be said. The wind dropped and I put the anchor out in the east corner again. As the swell dropped I noticed a fish rise a couple of times over to my right- I needed a drop in the wind to get a cast over there but it duly abated for a second, I cast right on the spot and immediately had a firm knock. But no fish! A second cast (would the wind hold off?) this time the fish practically wrenched the rod from my hand! a decent wee scrap, and he was netted, safely unhooked and released, a fish of about 3/4 of a pound. The wind lifted again so I moved up the North bank and tried the same tactics- first cast I had a knock and a swirl at the bumble again but I failed to set the hook and he never came back.
The rest of the day I spent bank fishing the less fished (by me) South bank. I had loads of nips to a small hothead damsel on a sink tip in about 4 feet of water but no solid takes and eventually I gave up with the wind.
Not a wasted day by any means but will this wind ever cease?
