Great plans of Rainbow trout and men

I was feeling a wee bit rubbish this morning (Friday) though not stiff or terribly sore so decided I would follow through on my thoughts of yesterday to go out and fish somewhere different. Maybe the fresh air would take my mind off feeling a bit off colour. ( not sure if its all the pills or something. It comes and goes a bit over the course of a week ).
I planned on going to Allandale Tarn and hoped to be there for 10. I needed to be home by 4 to take a delivery so that would give me enough time for 4 hours and not be too rushed to get home. The plan like military operations didn’t survive the first contact. I had to make a ‘quick’ call to DVLA to sort out an issue with my wife’s wee car, but the person dealing had gone to tea when I called at the back of 9.

They did get back to me but it was nearly 10 by the time it was sorted out and I never hit the road until after ten.

I arrived at the Tarn by 11 ( I had it in my mind it was near Whitburn but actually it’s just outside West Calder. )
It was warm and sunny maybe too sunny for fishing and there was a very gusty wind. A lot more than at home. I went and bought a 4 hr C&R ticket, from a very nice gent in the fishery lodge and he chatted with me on how it was fishing. He was quite candid and said it wasn’t fishing as well as usual what with the recent warm weather and the rainfall of the few days before had stirred up the normally clear spring fed pond.
He also said if I was on C & R to try get the fish in quick as the warm water meant they wouldn’t recover well with the warm water. That’s fair enough, I would fish my 6/7 weight to bully them in.
I went to tackle up and after threading the line through the rings on my HM3 I thought it looked a bit kinked.
Oh bugger! The tip section of my much used and loved rod had a crack in it at the second top rod ring. I don’t know if its been hit by a beaded fly or had some other knock but it looks like its suffered a stress fracture and it seems terminal. No choice but go fish my lighter 4 weight. This meant I was fixed to fishing a floating line and would be limited a bit by the wind and my possible fly choice.
I went back to the lodge and explained to the gent that I should probably upgrade to a ‘ take’ ticket as I couldn’t promise I could get fish in quick on this rod.
He was fine and said not to worry but I don’t like taking advantage so paid a few quid more to save ‘ issues’.

Started at last

One bank of Allandale Tarn was busy with anglers sheltering from the wind.

Finally sorted I went to start fishing ( at last!) and decided to start near a sprinkler arrangement to help I guess with aereation. The majority of pegs were in use on this side so I was a bit limited in choice. There were a few fish moving round in the margins so I set up with a dry fly. I was going to use a yellow owl but then a colossal red sedge landed on my leg so I put on an LTD sedge instead. The first few casts were tricky in the swirly wind but though I could see fish they seemed uninterested in the fly. After about 20 mins or so I decided to move to the other side away from the other anglers and take a chance into the wind.
This ended up being a good idea. While the wind was mostly against me, it would suddenly swirl and help the line straighten as long as you didn’t try to get too ambitious.
Plus there were lots of fish round here and not far out so no need to cast too far.
It never took long before I managed to hook a fish on the dry over to my right. It put up a good account of itself on the 4 weight and I eventually got its head up and the fish was netted.
While I was drying the fly out I noticed a few fish flash under the surface. I was pretty sure they were picking up nymphs or beasties off the bottom. I decided to swap the sedge for a bigger, Stimulator, and add a dropper so I could fish a flashback PTN under it.

About two casts in with this set up and as the fly swung round into the line of the sun I spotted a bit late the Stimmie vanish and lifted too late and missed the fish.
After this it went a bit quiet, the fish continued to cruise round but seemed uninterested in my fly selection. I swapped the point for a tan buzzer then an olive buzzer.
Nothing.

A consignment of Trout is delivered to the pens at Allandale Tarn

I moved further up this bank but this proved too hard to fish into. Where I fished seemed a little shallow, I later learned there was a shelf here, and the buzzer on a tippet, only two and a half feet under the dry , kept catching in weed or snags. The wind was much stronger and the 4 weight was no good here. A few places were by now freed up on the busier other side so I moved round there again about half way up that bank. I spent the rest of my time here, again there were plenty fish cruising ( some big ones to about 5 lbs I would say ) but they were mostly uninterested. I tried the yellow owl and also a CDC/foam beetle which got a tug as it submerged but no other interest. I even had a go with a stalking bug flicking it in front of fish , some ignored it, some spooked none looked likely to take it. For the last 20 mins I tried a few small lures but these seemed to spook the fish more.
It was though a pleasant way to spend a few hours and I am glad I took the time to visit though maybe wall to wall sunshine doesn’t make for perfect fishing conditions. It gets you out in the nice summer weather.