Saturday looked a bit breezy and dreich initially and I was pretty much resigned to spending a housebound day. But it brightened up in the afternoon and having spent an hour or so tying a few flies I was in the mood to get out. I decided to take a wee run up to Pendriech, though wasn’t sure it would be fishable. Having parked up beside one other car it seemed really pretty pleasant below the dam wall. However popping your head over it, it was pretty wild looking. The one angler who was out was on the south bank seeking the shelter of the tree’s I think but unless you are left-handed I could imagine it would be hard going there. Being right-handed I figured the North bank, though exposed would be a better bet for me. I really wasn’t expecting much sport though to be frank, I think the white horses would see to that. I was just about to head up there when the other angler returned and related to me he had only lasted 15 minutes but the wind was too much for him. That didn’t bode well.
Somewhat blowie conditions but it did brighten up
Up on the north bank the easterly wind- never a good direction for fishing was blowing in, in ragged fashion, but while it was a bit sore on the side of the face, with my balaclava on to cover my ears it wasn’t that bad really.
Wrapped up against the wind but it was Ok for fishing the bung, letting the buzzers drift round in the wind.
The conditions suited one method and that was a team of buzzers under a bung. Now fishing the bung isn’t a farourite of mine , I tend to go for a dry fly with a couple of buzzers beneath, but I felt I was just wasting a fly that could be fishing using that set up today, so fish-pimp it was with three buzzers on beneath. I have to say I have caught on buzzers up at Pendreich before but never with the bung and have heard the same of a few anglers, so really it was an afternoon of just being out and getting a wee cast in.
I fished about half way up the north bank then stopped for a change of buzzers, having had nothing to this point. The wind by now had relented a little and in fact the sun was making a show that was fairly pleasant to be out in.
The fish pinp- at least you could see it in the wave
With the new set up I was fishing again and within a couple of casts I seen the bung dip under, I lifted and felt the subtle head shake of a fish, but then it was off. The rest of my time was fishless and I spent the last 15-20 minutes blethering to a dog walker who was also a member. He was relating to me that he has hardly caught a fish up there in all the years he has been a member. Maybe I need to count myself lucky then!
Another Carron Sunday
Sunday looked to start nice but it got a bit grey and breezy around lunchtime and I wasn’t really thinking of fishing. But my other half suggested I ought to be out. I was pretty stiff but sitting around wasn’t going to change that so figured she was right. I flung the waders in the car and headed for the river, planning on tackling one of the other sections I hadn’t managed to fish to date but had recce’d earlier in March. I noticed a few other anglers on the water as I drove along the road that follows the north bank. They didn’t look to be on the fly. I reached the glide I wanted to try and first off walked over to the water side to see if I could see any fish moving. I watched about 5 minutes and seen nothing. I wasn’t sure if it was deep enough for fish but it looked it so I figured give it a go.
Tackled up with a Klink and dink set up and the waders on I headed to the bottom of the run, and aimed to cross over to get the trees away from the back cast and give me a go at a decent dead drift right ahead of me and to the side.
One of the brown flies coming off the river, maybe a March Brown but I suspect a bit too small. Not a colour I would regard as Olive either.
As I started a fish moved about 15 yards ahead so it gave me something to head for. I fished up to this point having seen another couple of fish move but never had any interest. I decided to stop and change to a small brown dry fly as there were some small brown upwing’s coming off and it was all I could imagine the fish could be taking. I fished over acouple more places I had seen rises, there were a few fish moving here, but still nothing. The size and colour were spot on with the flie son the water but no takers. I had seen a lot of daddy longlegs as I made my way to the bank side but seen no evidence it was these the fish were after, but decided to hedge my bets with another go with the wee leggy emerger pattern I had tried last week. Nothing.
By now I was in very deep water, only about 6″ short of the top of my waders though there wasn’t much push to the water and the bottom was fairly level. Trying to get under the bough of an over hanging tree was proving to be a problem but there were clearly fish beyond it. I decided to get out the river and make my way up the bankside and come at them from above using the downstream dry fly method. I decided also to change to a deer hair comparadun pattern in olive. As I was about to begin a fish rose above me and I decided to give it a go before heading for my original target near the over hanging tree. A couple of cast and I had my first fish. It was a small wild brown trout, welcome but no specimen. I sent him back to go tell his Dad to come and play!
I then had another two fish in the same area, again all small ones, though this time Salmon Parr.
The big fish took, and bent the hook, but it wasn’t to be
Moving down to my original quarry with the fly restored and floating nicely I cast into the run where I felt the fish was. I didn’t think it was anythnig that sizeable, but you can never tell looking at the rise you see in front of you. The fish rose, and took the fly, I lifted and felt very firm resistance- this was a bigger chap, there was a splash and the line slackened! No! I brought the fly back and the gape on the Varivas 2200BL hook had been bent wide open. That fish wouldn’t rise again as it now had a bit of a sore face.
I gave the lower run another 10 minutes but never got anymore interest and after fishing a little further upstream and rising probably another 3 or 4 small fish decided I had had my fun out of here. Time to move on. I thought by now I would be heading for home, the forecast said rain but it was getting brighter and warmer and very pleasant indeed.
I took a run down the road with the intention of heading below the bridge near the garden centre but stopped at the quarry for a look over the side of the road into the deep pool below. There were fish rising right along here, but how to fish it? The far bank only allowed access to half of the run and meant fishing downstream with the trees on my right, not ideal. The near side was big boulders used to shore the river against the road. It looked a bit precarious but I reckoned if I was careful I could make it along to fish downstream dry fly here too. It maybe wasn’t ideal wearing felt soled wading boots though I have to say.
The good thing about downstream dry fly is the fly should be the first thing the fish see’s as the line will ideally be above it, but you don’t get a long drift before drag sets in and you need to cut the delivery so that some slack is introduced. Also once the fly reaches the end of the drift, unlike other forms of fishing where the fly is near you and you have a short line to deal with, this method is the exact opposite, you have all the line out and a dry fly that needs to be retreived, so you spend a lot of time drying and re-treating the fly. Where I was fishing here involved a lot of side casting too as the high roadside shoring would not allow for a vertical back cast. You do get a few snags as the fly catches on the line with the tight loops. Not to be deterred I fished down the run, clambering over a few rocks and getting a few casts in, re-treat the fly then try again. I quickly caught another small Parr.
Fishing on with the fly sitting nice and high there was a swirl. I lifted and felt a solid pull then slack! Get away! I pulled the fly in, but no fly. Broken off!
A new tippet was tied on- I don’t know if there was maybe a “wind knot” in the tippet, a bit of a hazard with the occasional line snags. With another olive comparadun tied on a more conventional Hanak dry fly hook I was fishing again. Again a rise. This time I turned and jagged another decent fish, but same as before it never stuck. Fishing on down the run I caught one more small brown trout before the rain started to make an appearance and it was the end of a nice but frustrating session. I usually don’t mind catching the wee fish, they are good fun but today I really could have done with one of their bigger cousin’s sticking.
Tale end interest
A bold Mink scampering between the rocks, came right up to me before dashing for the rocks below.
Two interesting things happened while I was out, about half way along the boulders I seen something move ahead of me, I thought it was a cat but quickly realised it was too slim and long to be one. I think it was a Mink, and it wasn’t shy. It darted between the rocks, and would pop its head up for a look at me before diving between rocks and appearing again, it came right up to me before dashing under me in the rocks below. I just managed to get a quick snap of it. I know they are a “pest” but the wee creature doesn’t know it, and was a very bold wee character. Also earlier in the first run, I was in fairly deep water when I noticed something swimming in the water ahead, it slowly came towards me with its head upstream I thought it was maybe a leaf of some sort but nope it was I think an eel, or maybe a stone loach, am not sure what the presence of either is in the river, maybe about 6-7 inches long but swimming head up tail down against the current, right past my legs.
