I was itching to get out yesterday evening, was a cracking day and as the weekend is likely to be blown out got to make the most of opportunities. However, the wind is currently Easterly and that’s not good for fishing up at Pendreich. Aside from the wind, I thought it might be busy with so many on holiday just now. I took a run up mid-afternoon and was surprised there was no one there, though seeing the waves coming across the loch and the wind slamming into the Dam wall, maybe I should not have been.
I was there so might as well give it a go. The only obviously fishable method was from the boat so I got tackled up with my heavier HM3 rod and took the boat out to just about 30 metres off the boom on the Dam. With the anchor down the boat was still drifting, and though I could cast across the wind towards the wall it was a bit limited in scope. I fished the sink tip and a beaded ChesaFly on point with a red holo Diawl Back on the dropper. Never touched a thing. I moved the boat a couple of times but never had a sign there was anything interested, maybe fishing to shallow. Rather than change to a sinker I moved the boat up the loch towards the north end where it’s only about 4 metres deep. The anchor wasn’t dragging here and the flies I felt were fishing better but still nothing. I noticed the East end was very sheltered by the trees so moved there as a last gasp, maybe I should give up?
Not spectacular but fair reward for perseverance.
A Spring spectacular evening sun over Pendriech
It was not easy to get a cast into the calm area but casting with the wind I was able to cast right down the edge of an obvious wind lane. By now I had changed the point fly for a Hares Ear/Damsel type nymph- basically, it looks like a Hares Ear with a small Olive Marabou tail. Not a big fly. The first cast on a steady retrieve I had a knock and a fish on. A small half-pound Brownie. Not spectacular but fair reward for perseverance. I cast a few more times but nothing. However, the East shore looked tempting though its shallow and boggy it was flat calm- if that wind would just drop……
I moored the boat, tidied up and went and got the waders on. Dry fly was the only viable option so close to the weeds and So with the Orvis HyFlote leader on and a short Co-Polymer tippet I moved round to the east shore. I was hopeful the wind might ease as the evening progressed. It did and how! A spectacular evening, very warm there was just a ripple on the loch and the odd fish was rising. The only problem was the sun directly in my face and the occasional snag on weed. I used a Snake lift to great effect learned from Hywel Morgans Master class and Complete cast DVD and this let me lift the longer line over the weed and keep line speed up. I missed one fish- so hard to see in the light but soon hooked another casting to a previous rise. An occasional twitch of the Brown Klinkhammer works wonders. A nice three quarter pound Brownie. And that was much it- I missed another three fish- the takes were so so subtle and came from nowhere. and you needed to concentrate so hard on the fly directly into the sun, it was hard but great fun and I had a great night- reward for venturing out on an “unfishable” day.
