Wasn’t the weather stunning this weekend? Cold yes…very cold actually but crisp and clear, none of the grey dank horribleness that usually characterises our winters.
Not “really” winter yet
In point of fact, it is only really winter in meteorological terms. The met office can only do comparative stats based on identical dates and in order to fit that particular model they rotate seasons on the 1st day of a month, so December 1st is first day of winter, March 1st will be the first day of spring.
The true astronomical first day of winter isn’t for another three weeks on the winter solstice! While it hasn’t been wall to wall freezing this last wee while, we have seen some very low, lows, for the time of year sustained over a few days. When I got out of the house on Sunday morning before sunrise it was -6C but already you could tell there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
It warmed slightly heading up through Perthshire away from the Forth Valley and the bank of mist that hung over the line of the river itself. I was treated to a stunning sunrise over the River Earn en-route, and when I finally reached the Tay valley which extends up to its short tributary, the Tummel, there was another bank of mist hanging low over the line of the river and temperatures were back down at -6C again.
The plan was to fish the same sections as my trip a few weeks ago, but in reverse fashion. I would walk up to Moulinearn, give the areas I scoped out a few weeks back a good go, then head back down and fish what I could later in the afternoon. Sunset was to be just after 15:45 so you need to get your skates on to get much fishing done at all!
The river on the gauge was about 20cms lower than last time, but it was hard to really tell standing on the bank. At Ballinluig there was a small fringe of “beach” where there wasn’t last time so I guess the gauge was right enough.
While the current was still fierce if you ventured right out into it, you were able to wade much further out than last time. I was pretty sure I would encounter a fish somewhere. The majority of the Moulinearn section that is wadeable is screened by trees on the sunward side so it remained in shade the entire day. The more open bottom run is beyond my wading capabilities and would be better fished by trotting in my opinion. I fished a good 100metre section, then retired upstream to have a warm-up with a cup of soup in the sun before tackling another 100metre stretch and never touched a thing.
I think what is kind of surprising is I never even had so much as one of this year’s small fish. I will add, on the Tummel I don’t think I have had any of the 6″ fish that you usually get on most rivers, from that year’s hatch in the past, but one assumes they have to be here somewhere. Most Grayling I have had on the Tummel have been modest to decent size in the past…..when you do find them!
Find them pesky fish
And therein lies the rub. Finding the fish. Grayling fishing is a game of covering water. There is little to be gained spending long in one spot, it is cast once or twice then step and cast again, getting out as far as you dare, then moving down (or up) 2 or 3 metres and starting over.
I tell you what were here….Cormorants. I don’t recall seeing any up here before and I saw two on this outing ( or maybe it was the same one twice in different spots?). One assumes if they are about there have to be fish to sustain them?
After fishing all I could at Moulinearn I started back downstream around half past 2 in the afternoon with the sun noticeably dropping, and had a good half hour at the area I fished more thoroughly last time.
Like before I was eager to be across the horrible culvert or drainage channel that I suspect is there to let water escape off the A9 behind the trees. This channel really is a total neckbreaker. It is only 2-3 feet across but it is very steeply sloped, consists of slimy concrete slabs and today, was covered in a coating of frost. Last time I managed to cross at the bottom getting a good foothold on some dry patches either side of the main channel and using my walking poles to aid stability. That was impossible with the thick frost today so I had to get to the top of the channel where there are two rather dodgy planks you can try and sidle across over, still slippy but I could get the heel treads of my wading boots over the edge of the plank and stop my feet slipping forward. It was buttock clenching stuff- you really would not want to fall here.
I was back by the car by about 4pm with the glow of the sunsetting still shining on the water and I had a few casts at Ballinluig and enjoyed a final cup of tea in the golden light before packing the gear away and heading home. Disappointing once again not to hit fish, it certainly isn’t for lack of effort. I have to say I have not seen many posts on the usual fishing groups mentioning fish being caught on the Tummel this year and I have not seen a single angler out bar me on either trip. Yesterday seemed to me, near enough perfect conditions if you were dressed appropriately….. I was warm as toast all day though it never crossed freezing point even in the sun.
