Another pretty nice day ( sunny with broken cloud) but a bit of a biting wind. I was keen to get out and by the time I had completed my Sunday “chores” I reckoned I could squeeze a few hours in up to Sunday dinner time, at my local fishery Swanswater. The river somewhat scunnered me yesterday- will need to give it a week or two I think before I try again, and the wind meant Pendreich and Loch Coulter, for me anyway would be ruled out. A hardy soul could probably hack it out but this aching body needs reasonable conditions to perform.
Swanswater was fairly busy when I arrived and there were maybe 3 or 4 anglers all coming off or weighing in, and there were some impressive bags of fish so a good omen I hoped. Alan in the lodge said the fish were proving to be a bit up and down in the water with the sun, as it got brighter they were disappearing but in the cloudier moments, they were up on top. Diawl Bachs and buzzers were doing well as well as the usual suspects in the lure family.
The conditions were very polarised though it has to be said, the top corner of Swanswater around the boatshed was warm and fairly still, everywhere else seemed to be exposed to a bit of a biting wind initially from the South east.
I was heading to try fishing into the wind first, as I might as well do this while I am not too tired and feeling the aches more, but as I passed one of the more sheltered pegs, first one then another fish rose in front of me. That was an offer too good to refuse. Recalling my post about yesterdays fishing, first find your fish, well with the fish found, surely that just left working out what would tempt one so I started fishing with a two fly set up of Buzzer and Diawl Bach on a floating line and a 15 foot leader. Fish continued to rise in front of me and some other anglers on my right and a guy in the boat right opposite me. No one was catching. Several fly changes later and I was still fishless. About an hour in and the angler on my right hooked into what looked like a good fish but alas it came off on its way in. I tried a change to an olive shuttlecock buzzer with a wee black buzzer suspended below about 5 feet under, and on one cat the top fly popped under, I reacted but never felt anything. One of the Swanswater regulars was passing as this happened and he seen the fly go and heard my uttered, but stifled expletive. ” I finished the sentence for you son” he said with a wry smile. ” I havnae had a touch all day!”
I fished on and even threw caution to the wind, tying on a pair of tiny midge patterns. Fish continued to rise sometimes right beside the flies but not taking.
Time for a move, as I ventured past the shelter at the bottom of the main pond the angler there, hooked into and landed a nice fish, it looked like a blue and was the sole fish I seen caught and landed up to that point. I tried around the back of the Island at “Nan’s peg” and there were fish here too but the wind had a distinctly icy bite to it, but I stuck at it. I kept ringing the changes and after putting a Squirmy Wormy bloodworm pattern ( you either love them or hate them) had a fish lunge for the fly as I lifted off. I was taking care to keep in contact with the flies to the last minute but the fish literally came from the coloured water when I was past the point of no return to commence my cast. There was a bump but no way I could hook it. I must have fished here for about an hour and tried various patterns but other than that one incident never had any interest though the fish were there.
The wind changed to an easterly and the temperature dropped further, so I decided to move again. Spotting some movement in the burn mouth I cast from the bridge over the burn but other than a snag with some weed on the left bank, had no interest from fish. Over to the Island the wind was utterly freezing and the fingers were really hurting so I had to dawn gloves to keep fishing. No fish were evident here and anglers were becoming notable by their absence. It was by now around tea time and the weather had turned distinctly cold and not favourable for fishing at all. Not a fish showed anywhere. I was of a mind to head over to the wee ponds for the last hour but again as I neared the boat moorings the shelter from the wind was much more pleasant and from a peg about two along from earlier, I decided to give it one more go in the much calmer water, bathed in moderately warm sunshine. Fish were showing here now and again and I changed my set up again, to a tiny Dark CDC emerger on top with two small buzzers at 3 and 6 feet below.
Panoramic view of Swanswater in Spring sunshine. However it was very cold in the biting east wind down the other end.
A nice Blue of about 3lb with a chironomid from the bottom on its skin. Safely released
After about 20 mins of this and a couple of changes of buzzers below, I noticed the tiny top CDC fly move somewhat oddly. It really was pretty small, arguably too small to suspend all but pretty small buzzers below, so any take should have been pretty evident. The fly appeared to spin and I thought at first perhaps the point buzzer was brushing the bottom and any twist in the top dropper was turning the fly erratically. I slowly tightened down on the fly but did not lift. I then noticed it almost imperceptibly lower in the water, not totally submerged just dip slightly and I took in whatever slack there was and yes there was a fish on. It really was the subtlest take I think I have ever experienced. The fight was pretty explosive, the blue trout of about 3lbs, I was connected to jumped a few times and did some nice runs, trying to tangle me in the reeds in the bank a few times but I was able to apply some side strain and keep it clear of the side. Safely in the net the barbless hook fell out and I was able to grab a quick snap without having to touch it or remove it from the net. It had a few wee chironomids on it and so was clearly hard on the bottom when it took. It still had loads of life in it as it swam out the net unaided.
A further 10 minutes and I was about done, but glad at least not to be fishless on this occasion. Another difficult but very pleasant day to be out if you were out the wind.
