Four times Out

My outings of late have been fairly short and frankly not much to write home about, so I have condensed them into this little “compendium” of fishing trips.

Pendreich 24th July

A mild but grey night and it looked good for fishing. However my luck wasn’t in and the closest I got to a fish was netting and releasing someone elses. He caught from the Dam Wall on a small “Ace of Spades”. For my part, as I do, I decided to try dries. I had tried a few patterns when I put on an F Fly, and managed to miss one which took me rather unawares, just where I least expected it to. Next I had let my fly drift over a spot I seen a fish rise, and nothing happened, I tried a wee twitch ( of the fly- in case you think I am a bit weird), nope nothing. I went to lift to cast out and the instant I started to lift the fly a trout emerged from the water grabbing at thin air! I pulled it from its reach and could not stop myself. I persevered before swapping to a snatcher and a small Ace of Spades. First cast down the bank a bit and a fish swirled at the Snatcher but never took it. Next cast I felt a jarring tug. It actually jerked my thumb hard enough to physically hurt. It felt terminal. The Ace of Spades had been snapped off. Was it a big trout or a Pike. Guess I will never know.

Pendreich 25th July

A warm and bright night with a few anglers about but on the South bank. I felt it was ideal for fishing from the East side so donned waders and headed off there. It looked a perfect evening for fishing, sunny but not overly bright, and warm with a corduroy ripple on the water.

A perfect evening with no fish

Idylic it may have been but I scarcely seen a fish move all night, I fished right round the east bank round the corner tot he edge of the nature reserve and never had so much as a look from a fish. Further down the North bank I stopped to chat to a fellow angler, he had had a couple on small dry olives, much as I was fishing variants of. My appearance was the nail inthe coffin for him as he never caught  again. Nor did I.

The Wee Burn 28th July

Decided I needed some moving water fishing and went up the wee burn. My last outing was terribly disappointing, as I never seen a fish or moved one. This one started badly, my Hardy Marksman reel seized on me. I don’t know if some grit had got in the bearing or what but it took me a good 20 minutes faffing around to get it to work even half reasonably. Once it was turning without loosening the spool nut I carried on down stream having had a fish att he top falls with no luck. I was starting to worry there may not be any fish, as the conditions seemed good and there was tons of fly life around but nothing moved. Then from the corner of my eye ( its funny how your peripheral vision picks up on non regular movement) I thought I seen a tail flick in a foam line in a narrow glide. I dangled a fly over the lower part of the run and sure enough a small and very dark, almost black Trout to the Olive Parachute dry. I moved up a few yards and using the same technique- I had a second, much the same. they must be hungry as both almost swallowed the barbless hook!

Down to the pool below the mid falls and a number of casts and a few fly changes and nothing was taking. How odd, as this is a banker pool.

Further down again there is a nice pool where another burn merges in. This was much better, I managed a further 3 fish, two of decent size all on a Deer hair Dun. Further down I could only eek one out the furthest glide I was going to try and I started back upstream trying a few other spots. I missed one in a  wee run I rarely get anything from despite it looking well fishy, then I tried a few faster spots I usually bypass and managed to get a nice fish from a take I barely seen in the fast water. Finally back to the falls for a second go, this time as the rain started, I managed a small fish and a bigger one, probably fish of the day around a half pound, maybe a wee bit smaller, but again very dark colouring, almost black. So Nine for my outing, not bad and good fun.

Orchill 29th July- Weird fishing

I have not been to Orchill since early spring and its my first summer visit ever. It looks great though the water is a little cloudy and coloured. A few departing anglers tip me off that it’s not easy and the few fish caught are being taken on tiny flies. I set up a three fly cast of small nymph type patterns and start on the North bank. I am a few casts in and I get a sharp knock that fails to deliver a fish. I seen a fish in the margins and watch its reaction as I drop my flies near it, it turns to go for the gold beaded PTN but then veers off and swims off. It came round again a few minutes later and I get the same reaction. The gold bead seems to get its curiosity but then something spooks it. I decide to swap my point fly for a tiny Orange beaded micro Nymph. First cast and I lock up, the fish rolls on the surface. It’s a bloody Salmon! Its huge, I can feel the weight but tis not fighting and I pull line in quickly on it, but then as it nears my platform it shoots off to the right under the bank. Its  BIG fish, at least 5 or 6 lbs and very broad in the shoulders.

A neighbour offer to help net it as I get line back on the fish but then it really wakens up and makes two hard runs right away from me. I try to slip line out through my fingers without losing too much tension. I hate it when fish bore away from you like this. I try to keep the rod up but it’s pulling very hard, then disaster. The loose line at my feet catches under the sole of my boot and the line goes tight and its off. Leader snapped and all flies gone! It was the biggest fish I have seen ever at Orchill. The rest of the session was very odd. I must have had three or four tugs that failed to deliver, and then on dries I had fish jump at the fly, one got seriously tangled in the line and seemed hooked but then again it came off. it wasn’t to be my day. As my session ended the water became calm and fish really started rising. I was taking my flies off and with the tip of the rod in the water but no flies on I felt a tug on the rod and a trout was mouthing the top rod ring on the rod, in the water! Maybe that’s what I am doing wrong- attach the hook to the rod, not a line!