Headed out today and right up to the last second really wasn’t sure where to go. With the Brown Trout season close to kicking off, other targets for fishing, Rainbows and Grayling will be reducing. As I have the Airflo Masters in about 6 weeks time in the end I decided to head back to Orchill. While an outing for the Grayling was attractive, I would have to fill the car up and with my casting lessons over the last few days, I felt I should go put it into practice.
Orchill was fairly busy when I arrived, not mobbed though, and it was very mild, despite the changeable and blvustery wind that kept coming up.
With a 6 hour ticket purchased I started at the lodge end on my usual 6/7 weight rod and a sink tip line with a Montana on point and a GRHE on the single dropper. Working round in an arc gradually increasing the distance, I had the wind slightly behind me, by slightly I mean it was in my favour but the shelter of the trees behind meant that it was barely noticeable here. As I considered moving or changing set up a long cast to my left was met with a very sharp and sudden jerk that nearly ripped the rod from my grip but as I regained my composure to strike, there was nothing on the end of it. I decided to plug away here another 5-10 minutes but nothing was doing. There was the odd fish rising and there were odd insects on the water, but it looked to be some nice sized Brown Trout that were making a meal of them, I could see them moving under the water.
I decided to move down to the bottom left corner as the wind was channeling down there- clearly the fishing would be harder but hopefully there would be fish waiting on food coming to them here. A few casts in, I discovered how difficult it was going to be in the wind, the 6 weight Sink tip was a battle to cast , it was blowing back at me. I decided to have a re-jig of my set up. I swapped to the 7/8 weight rod I had brought with me, banged on a Airflo 40 plus floater in a 7# and lengthened my cast to 15 feet with three flies spaced at 5 feet, using 10, 8 and 6lb G3 fluorocarbon. On point I had an Apps Bloodworm , on top dropper a Black Pennel and middle a Black Diawl Bach.
Note to self: heavier rod, heavier tippet!
Nothing happened at first but after a short time I started getting the odd knock. It was odd, each knock really felt like a good take but when I lifted there was nothing there to strike into, its not like I had big flies on with long tails to be nipped at. I kept plugging away and then leaving the flies to sink a bit longer I felt a resistance and a very strong 2lb Rainbow was hooked, it took me quite a bit effort to get it in but it was netted safely, having taken the Black Diawl Bach. ( broke my duck onthe 7/8 weight rod at last now!) . It went quiet again and I decided to get more depth by putting a heavy Tungsten beaded Cats Whiskers on point, everything else staying the same. Almost as soon as this was rigged a fish moved out about 20 yards or so from the bank. Now for me 20 yards is about my normal comfortable casting range, I think its fair to say with the lessons on Friday and a bit practice on Saturday I have extended this a good few yards out on a normal 7# line. However I had a gusty wind blowing at me to contend with, so having the heavier rod and line seemed a reasonable way to compensate. I concentrated on my cast and tried not to throw too much power into the cast just keep it a nice tight loop. It landed bang on target, nice and straight and with the fast sinking fly, almost as soon as I commenced the retreive I had a fish on! Result! The fish was very acrobatic and was in to near the net a few times then steaming off again, pulling the rod tip down uncomfortably as it pulled right out in front, I was worried about the 6lb tippet with the heavier rod, and I was right to be concerned as the fish took a charge, I was trying to slip the line through my rod hand and unknown to me a knot had formed in the line which run up to my fingers, momentarily jamming the line as the fish powered down and snap- it was off, with my point fly and the 6lb section. Note to self: heavier rod, heavier tippet!
I rerigged the leader but went for 8lb on the bottom section and found another similar Cats Whiskers in my box- lucky as I did not think I had two!
After a few more casts another fish moved over on my left fairly close in, my first cast was maybe a bit too far left , but my second was on the money again and number two came to the net, a bigger fish of about 3lb this time. It put up a spectacular fight though: the fish at Orchill are amazingly strong I have to comment at this juncture.
With two in the bag I decided to move and let someone else fish here, so headed further round the loch to fish at the very top end.There were three other anglers already here and as I approached fromt he far bank two of them had fish, this spot had been good to me last time I was here. I moved to the platform a bit further up and started fishing. The others continued to catch but I had one slight touch and nothing else. I changed my flies a few times but nothing was taking an interest. When I was at Angling Active’s open day yesterday I bought a pack of these Thingamabobber strike indicators. Now I have said before and I will repeat here, I don’t really like indicators in my trout fishing, I usually prefer a dry fly as a sighter. But I have to admit there are circumstances where trying to see it can be a nightmare and also they can get a bit drowned, especially by heavier beaded buzzers and the like. Maybe it was time to try one- I did not need it for visibility it has to be said., I just wanted to see how it fished and cast. I put the indicator on the 10lb top section of nylon and tied on a beaded bloodworm on point, an olive holo epoxy buzzer on middle and a black Diawl Bach on top dropper about 2 feet below the indicator.
Number three comes to the net, on a buzzer under a Thingamabobber.
A couple of casts were still fruitless then the guys next to me all packed up and went away…. I moved in! First cast, the indicator went under and I had a fish on, another fish close to the three pound mark! It wasn’t giving up easy though and took me two goes to net it. Well…. the Thingamabobber works! The 3lb fish took the middle olive epoxy buzzer probably down about 7 feet. I decided to return to my usual Dry fly set up with a couple of buzzers, as the odd fish was swirling on the top… maybe I would entice one?
As the big bushy Stimulator swung in near the bank, there was a swirl at the fly- I was way too slow, too many months of sub surface fishing have left me rusty and the fish wasn’t touched, the heavy rod was not really suited to this either, time to swap back. I swapped back to my 6/7 weight rod and a lighter line, but then I was having problems keeping the two buzzers from sinking the dry sometimes so decided to remove one and just hang a single olive buzzer underneath about 5 feet down. A couple of casts and the dry vanished, and I lifted into number 4.
I was talking to another angler passing by when I missed what would have been number 5!
Then right at the death I seen a flash of pink and a Rainbow swirled at the dry, I struck and connected! My first fish on a dry this year, but then, how was that? I could see the dry above the water as I played the fish, then it became obvious, whether the fish had missed the dry or had rejected it, but it had become foul hooked on the buzzer beneath through the tail! So it came in in that odd way tail hooked fish do…… but do I count it as my first on a dry this year?
