Today was probably as fine a Grayling fishing day you would get this time of year. It was frosty, still and sunny. A perfect Autumn fishing day for chasing the ladies. But that wasn’t an option for me, I haven’t cast a line in about 7 weeks and really haven’t fancied my chances of getting out, but this morning though I felt sore, maybe a couple of hours would be possible. I set up my rod on the drive and had a few practice casts to see how the hands and shoulders were feeling. Not too bad was the answer, certainly tolerable. A couple of hours on a fishery was possible so I got layered up and headed down the road to Swanswater, it’s nice and close by.
It was still, sunny and looked stunning. I was set up with a floating line and a long leader with a small heavy Yellow Dancer Lure on the point. I put a blood worm and a Montana nymph on the droppers. All staple autumn/winter stockie bashing stuff.
Looking fine in its autumnal colour and bright sunshine
It wasn’t too busy though the car park looked quite full. I think a few anglers were finishing up. So up to the main loch with a C&R ticket I went, starting at the roadside pegs. Alastair reckoned the back of the island was holding a few fish but quite deep down. My first 15 mins were uneventful and I was finding the long leader challenging what with the fairly high bank-side greenery ( though it’s dying back) and my less than optimal casting abilities with my shoulders.
I decided to shorten the leader and just fish two flies, and decided to put an intermediate line. While I sorted this out a fish made its presence known on my right. I left the dancer on point and the bloodworm on dropper and moved along to try cover the location the fish showed in. What followed now was about ten minutes of snags tangles and frustration as I kept catching on the weeds on the bank or if not that, the flies were getting wrapped round themselves.
I finally got sorted out, composed myself and fished on but no luck.
I changed flies and put a Bibio Snatcher on point and buzzer on the dropper, and fished back at my starting point over the channel between road and island. One angler over on the island was doing well , I seen him catch at least two maybe three fish in that first hour. It looked like he was on buzzers under a bung.
My second cast out, letting everything sink, I started my retrieve, a slow figure of 8 when I felt a drag on the line. I thought to be honest it was just the flies dragging in the dying weeds and I kept the retrieve going. Maybe 6 feet later it happened again but it felt a little heavier, I lifted to be sure and right enough a fish was on. If ever a trout wanted to fight like a Grayling this was it, it head-shook just like one, and to be honest I thought I had foul hooked it in the tail as it felt odd. But once I got it near me I could see it was a Blue trout of about 2 lb or so and it was well hooked in the top of the mouth on the Snatcher. It unhooked easily and swum off without me taking it from the water.
While I had caught I wasn’t sure there were many fish here and so despite putting a red and black spider on the dropper and having five more minutes, nothing else happened so I packed up and moved round to the main basin.
I tried round the area of the bridge but had no interest so then chased the last of the sunshine and moved onto the island.
Coming in close the second Blue of the two-hour session, weighing probably over 3lbs.
By now I had a hot head damsel on point. First or second cast and I had a good pull but it never took, I fished on but no more interest. I changed again to a bunny leach on point, a peach one, a pattern that’s often got me a bonus fish when they have seen it all. Nothing. Just then as Alastair approached three fish moved in the area in front of me. Maybe there was a wee hatch of midges? I decided to swap to a buzzer and the chap next to me had mentioned he had found white to be effective on his flies today. So an Okey Dokey went on and I cast out. As I recovered slowly there was a very hard hit and I had a cracking blue on. It looked quite broad and right enough it was a fish I would say 3 to 3 and a half pounds. It made my day. I got it unhooked in the water with a bit of a struggle but it went back fine without being removed from the water. I was chuffed time – for home.
