Cocksburn Reservoir (Pendreich) 3 April 2011
Wasn’t sure whether to venture out for a few hours this morning or not, the forecast wasn’t great and its been pretty gusty for a few days, and a touch of the April showers, to boot. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, so went up to Pendreich, and it wasn’t too bad. In fact the sun was shining as I arrived but it was quite blowy from the west.
The boat would be fine though fishing along the East bank so decided to get kitted up and give it a go.
As I was kitting up I spotted a Lizard scampering across the gravel of the car parking area. A Lizard?! Surely not.
I caught up with it- it did not move that fast and I even managed to carefully pick it up. I was about 3 inches long and a golden yellow colour. For all the world I was sure it was a lizard, it occured to me it might be a Newt at first glance but holding in on the back of my hand- it really looked like a lizard- like the kind you get on the walls of holiday apartments in places like Spain or Greece- except it never had the sticky pads for feet.
A Female Common Newt? Not that common as I have never seen one before.
Since I got home I have looked it up and in fact I think it was a Female Common Newt– see what you think from the photo?
Anyway onto the loch and some fishing. A few fish were making their presence known with noisy splashes on the surface along the line of the bank and so much as I could neither see flies coming off or what the fish were taking I decided to try a few casts with the dry fly set up first. I was fishing a small Olive Klinkhammer and a Emersons Shit Fly. By now the sky had gone rather grey ( not necessarily a bad thing) and the wind had got up a bit, and the small waves were drowning the flies pretty quickly. After about 10-15 minutes and a couple of moves of the bot I decided to keep the rod/line set up but swap to a couple of nymphs. An unweighted Pheasant Tail Nymph and a Hares ear with the yellow Marabou tail again, on point. Fish were still taking something near the surface, so were not deep.
I got confirmation of this tactical change covering a fish to my left, second cast. I was hooked into a nice brown trout of about three quarters of a pound. It took the PTN.
A lean over wintered Brown trout on the Pheasant Tail nymph
I got confirmation of this tactical change covering a fish to my left, second cast. I was hooked into a nice brown trout of about three quarters of a pound. It took the PTN.
I never fail to be amazed in fly fishing, how the simple act of changing fly can turn your luck just like that. As the fish was returned, I seen another rise very near and in front of me. I cast again- nothing, but then after a few casts I had a knock. Not solid but I knew I just needed to vary my retreive a bit maybe to get a solid show of interest.
A couple more casts, nope, nothing. I cast round in an arc covering a few more splashy rises, nothing. One more time back to where I had the knock, nothing. Then a yank, I was too slow and missed it! Oh well you win some you lose some. The weather was blowing up by now and the rain had started so I decided to move along 15 metres or so.
Casting again to another rise form in front I was rewarded almost immediately on the retrieve with another Brown Trout, albeit a slightly smaller one. Safely returned I fished on but despite a few tugs nothing resulting in a fish. I tried changing my point fly to a heavier Hares Ear with a tungsten bead, but again nothing.
The weather was really hammering in now and was pretty wet so I decided to row into the shelter of the weedy area round the corner. My hands were freezing! As I arrived and anchored, the rain let up and the sun even started to make an appearance so a quick bite to eat and a cuppa to warm up. I sat quietly and watched a few fish rise, the only way to fish the weedy area is on the dry fly as you are going to snag up subsurface. The wind had turned to the south now so I decided to try a dry again, a Bibio Hopper and a Emersons Shit fly. I cast over a likely spot, but essentially blind. A noise over my right caught my attention; someone with a dog. As I looked back there was a huge splash right by my flies- was it a take? I have no idea- I struck but was rewarded with my entire line and flies in a tangled heap on the back of the boat. I sorted that mess out and the wind turned again so I had to move the boat once more. A cast over a fish that was rising stadily in the deep channel between the weeds. At this point I got snagged and lost my two flies and tippet! Pah humbug!
he grabbed a wee Brown Trout and was noisly beating it to death on the bank!
The local Heron wasn’t so unlucky- he grabbed a wee Brown Trout and was noisly beating it to death on the bank!
I headed back to the main loch to try the bank back near the mooring, but the wind was strong and back from the west now and I was cold and wet and ever so slightly miserable (it still beats work) . So after a few casts decided it was time to call it a day. Not a bad result though on such a changeable day.
