Well, summer arrived on Friday and I wasn’t going to miss it, so took a halfy from work and headed up to North Third for the late session, 16:30 to 22:30. At £18 including the hire of a boat and a 10 fish bag limit, with C&R also allowed, this has to be good value, maybe the best in the area amongst commercial fisheries?
George the owner told me the bottom bay had been where most fish were being taken and as many as 25 to a boat had been caught recently. He pointed out where to drift the bay from so I headed out with oars to drift in. Almost as soon as I kicked off from the bank the wind changed and pushed me the opposite way turning me around the back of the island. I really could not be bothered turning back so decided to stay on the drift across the loch that the boat had adopted and decided (with that contrarian side of me that says if no one is fishing here maybe its actually quite good) maybe fate was playing me a wild card.
This was wrong and the next few hours (well five really) were really quite frustrating.
A resident enjoys a late evening swim
On my first drift over I picked up two Perch ( at once ) on my three fly cast- set up with a hothead Damsel on point, a Diawl Bach middle and a Claret Bumble on top all on a sink tip line. As I reached the far bank below the cliffs a fish moved and I covered it, the first cast I got a knock, the second I was into a fish, but it was a wee half pound wild Brown Trout, so was going back. Now it has to be said I wish this hadn’t happened as it lulled me into believing
a) My methods were OK
b) There were maybe Rainbows here too
I was probably wrong on both counts.
Yes there were fish rising all over the place though not regularly but they all failed to pay the first bit of notice to my casting (which I have to say was much better than usual especially with an 18 foot leader and three flies) or my flies. I had one pull I think to the damsel and that was it. I spent ages fishing around the bays at the back of the islands thinking I would hook into a fish and failing to do so. It was a stunning warm and mostly calm evening and behind the islands, fish were rising, I switched to a floating line and then eventually to dry fly. I tried sedge patterns, klinkhammers, midges, nothing- not even a swirl or a refusal ( that I could see).
I eventually worked my way to the bottom bay and rowed up to drift down towards the bottom, by now it was about the back of nine at night but really still broad daylight and only just getting cooler.
Anglers enjoy a drift in the late evening sun
I covered the first few rainbows I definitely spotted and had nothing to the dries or buzzers I offered. I am now ashamed to say I went to the Rainbow bashing cast- a Tequilla Booby on top, a red holo, Diawl Bach middle and my own, “Killer Damsel” variant. As I neared the weedy bottom area of the bay I hooked into a very, very strong fish on the Damsel….. At Last!
It put up a massive fight and took me ages to net, but we got there. I set up for a shorter drift back to the same spot and other than another Perch nothing this time. Time was now against me as it was nearing half ten as I set off on my last go at the lower bay, and got one half-hearted tug before rowing to the shore.
Sunset at North Third
A beautiful, beautiful evenings fishing, a bit disappointing on the outcome ( some anglers had their bag) but not a blank this time, and like all experiences, you learn and move on. I will be back…. probably next time Summer turns up- so 12 months then!
