It was a fine day when I finally surfaced from my scratcher on Saturday morning. In an ideal world, I would have been off down a river somewhere in search of the Grayling, but I had a bad day Friday with the drug side effects and really needed a good nights sleep and no early starts! So once up, fed and watered I fancied a couple of hours “somewhere”. I settled on Burnhouse, as I had not been there since last spring though it felt more like winter the day I was there last time. I have yet to make it there in Summer which is bugging me, hopefully if I have a better summer this year physically, than last I might make it out and try the dry flies there.
Anyway, I digress, well actually while digressing, I have updated the Burnhouse review page in view of some recentish upgrades made to the fishery, which really make a difference to the place.
Once down there I was surprised to find the car park very icy, and the slightest evidence of a little light snowfall. Right enough Gary the fishery keeper was saying there had been a burst of icy sleet around 06:30 in the morning and had frozen where it lay. As a consequence of this it seemed the fishery was very quiet – maybe 6 other anglers out and the water was looking pretty still, though there was a bit of an awkward breeze blowing in from the lodge end. Pink Nomads and Cats Whiskers had been doing the damage, Gary said and that was fortunate as I had put a heavy cat on point and one of my floating fry on dropper with an intermediate line. The water was very brown along the lodge bank, so I reckoned any thing had to be big and “noisy” to make a disturbance and attract the fish, so any thought of fishing Buzzers or wee stuff went out my head.
I kept moving and spoke to a few other anglers, a couple had the odd fish, but most were blanking I would say. All the way up the lodge bank I never had any sign I was going to catch but did get one pull as the water shallowed toward the burn end and the new bridge.
I had done several fly changes really just varying the colours of fairly big lures. I was using my sons, “nae make” 6/7 weight 9 1/2foot rod. It’s a fair bit softer than I am used to but is actually not a bad casting rod as long as you let it do the work, any attempt to push it harder and it folds. I decided to cross the bridge, having a cast one the way over, as I was getting frozen rod rings in the shade on the lodge side at my last peg there. As I wandered down heading for the main wide part of the loch I stopped to blether to an older chap who is obviously a bit of a regular. He had had three fish in the morning as far as I could tell. He had kept changing and had one or two on lures and one on a cruncher which surprised me in the conditions. “Do you reckon small stuff will work in this?” I asked him, ” Oh yes” he said.
First rainbow of 2014 about 3lbs on the Possum Bug
At my next peg having had a few casts with my lures I decided to take him at his word and put on a tiny size 16 Possum bug.
Slightly out of focus – size 16 Possum bug
Now I usually reserve these for fishing in gin clear winter conditions where I have to say they have been very successful. I kept a wee red lure on point and cast out. About half way round as I fan casts into the wind I had a solid take and hook up and it was on the tiny wee bug! I unhooked my first rainbow of 2014 in the net and it was returned untouched, I would say a good 3lb fish. By now the wind had got up quite a bit and with the sun hiding behind a cloud the temperature became noticeably colder. I decided to retreat to the lodge for a hot coffee. Gary made me a cup and we sat blethering about flies and fishing. He took a fly out a box and handed me it- try that he said, it was a wee wet spider pattern about a size ten with a silver and fluro- orange body , tail and black hackle. When I went back out to fish for the last hour I decided to tie it on when I next had a change. On the top dropper it went, I figured it was worth a go as fish were showing on top now and again and there were the odd few midges appearing. Second cast and I had a belter of a take. The fish I would have sworn was a six pounder, it went like a train and though I managed to get it on the reel, it just took the line off again. It was very powerful. After a bit of a fight I eventually got sight of it, and I was astonished to see a pretty standard 2lb Rainbow. When I got it in to the back it actually had a bit of a deformed pectoral fin too. It fought way harder than any fish that size had a right too. It was on the wee wet fly Gary had just given me. The point fly- a Diawl Bach was gone along with all the leader from the dropper down. I don’t know if it had either been snagged off during the fight with the Rainbow- or maybe I had a double hookup? I can’t prove that but the power of the fish when hooked was amazing- could have been?
After sorting out my leader I fished on for another 20 mins and called it a day. Was good fun and nice to feel a fish pulling your line. I have done a wee fly tying video of the fly- which I am calling a Gary McClurg Wet Fly, hope you enjoy it.
Good to see you still getting out and about. I have not wet a line for about three months now as my back went while playing with my grandchild. Will have to get up to Burnhouse soon for a couple of hours to shake the rust off and look at the improvements they have made. That path on the north bank was essential as it was just a mucky path when I was there.
Yeah some big improvements the paths are very good, a bit like you I need to watch my step, while I am not unable to walk slipping isn’t something I want to be doing. Hope your back gets better soon.