The last few days have been traumatic. I was in a bit of a daze to be frank Friday and was pleased John texted me to see if I fancied going out on the Clyde. Fishing had not even been on my mind and my feet were so sore I really wasn’t sure of the wisdom of wading round a river, but sometimes the needs of the mind exceed the limitations of the body. It was good to get out.
With a day ticket eventually purchased, I was out on the Clyde. We were bugging primarily for Trout but if a Grayling appeared there would be few complaints!
John with his first lady of the session
John showed me a run where he had had a lot of success before, the water was relatively low so you needed to wad to get near the deeper channels where fish would lie.
My first fish through was not that successful, I did think initially I had a couple of knocks but as time went on I think to be honest it was probably just snags or leaves.
John reckoned my three fly bugging cast was too long, and had one too many flies on ( he has been getting some tips from some top anglers recently- so I was willing to go with the flow and retired to modify my cast while he stepped in. I don’t find the wading especially easy round the bigger round rocks you get round here and already the feet were aching, so I decided to sit on the bank and watch John. He was soon murdering them, and had three of four fish on the bugs in the fast water. As I was sitting I seen quite a few fish rise a little down stream. I told John and directed him onto where the fish were and soon he was hooking into them on a wet fly, an “adapted” wet Greenwell’s.
I had another go in the faster water but I wasn’t getting anything so we decided to move upstream. Crossing a bridge we then came at the river from the other side to fish a fast run from a small over fall. About half way down here still on a two bug cast I hooked into my first fish of the day and it seemed like a pretty good one . Unfortunately the nylon pulled through the eye of the fly and the fish got off with my fly- that will teach me not to tuck the knot.
A wee fly rescued from the river and the wet fly that was working
Set up again I carried on and soon had my first Grayling, nothing huge, just average size about 8 or 9″.
John moved further upstream and I think got one or two fish, but nothing sizeable to the best of my knowledge.
I had a go upstream myself but never felt I fished it very well as the bottom was uneven and hurting my feet.
We decided on another move and headed downstream. There were a few fish moving on top further downstream but John showed me a wee run he reckoned might produce a few fish so I went there with the bugs. The wading was easier here. I soon had a wee Brown Trout and a few other knocks and takes that never stuck. John had went further down and was fishing wets, without much luck it seemed. I decided to give the wets a go, I don’t carry many wets and to be honest am not the most confident or competent wet fly angler. But that didn’t matter as I soon had another wee brownie on a Bloa pattern.
A nice September day on the Clyde
As I worked down there were a good few fish rising and one or two decent ones amongst them. The weather was very pleasant by now and the sun though dropping in the sky was still bright and warm. I decided to try a few wee olive dry patterns. My first fly rose a few fish but they never took. I decided to change to a similar pattern with a more curved emerger style body. First cast and a fish took it, and though still not a large fish at all, it was my best of the day. It had totally swallowed the fly so once I extracted the fly-hook and went to dry the fly off I managed to snap the tippet and drop the fly in the water. I’d had enough, the feet were killing me and I hadn’t blanked and caught on three methods. bugs, wets and dries. Good enough for me. John I think had a few more for probably around a dozen on the day.
