The early season on the whole has been a miserable affair for me, both by measure of my catch rate and also by weather. What early promise of early heat and wall to wall sunny days like we had in early April, soon vanished and its like we have rewound to late Autumn or even winter, on some days.
A change of scene was needed so having some unused annual leave to get through I decided to have a Friday off and see if friend of the Unfamousfly page, Tommy was up for a wee day up at Glensherrup, in Glendevon, a favourite spot of mine. Tommy was very kind to me when I first took badly with the Psoriatic Arthritis and invited me up to Loch Coulter, even though other than my website, he didn’t actually know me. I might have been an axe wilding psycho, though whether I could have lifted the axe was a question at the time! I have been meaning to repay the favour for some time and the opportunity arose this week so it was off to Glensherup we headed. The weather forecast was a little shaky, it said it was to be cloudy and turn wet around 4, but was to be warmer than of late.
I arranged to meet Tommy there at 9 but was there a wee bit earlier, though Tommy was there even before me and was already tackled up! After getting our ticket, a quick coffee and bacon roll and getting the boat ready we were off. The sun was making the odd appearance but it was pretty windy and dare I say it there was a bit of an edge to the breeze. We actually commented that snow didn’t feel far away!
Looking and feeling more like February than May!
We had seen an angler taking a fish out in the middle not far from the jetty and the fishery keeper said the middle had been fishing well during the week with the fish fairly high in the water. He said most fish were being taken in the lower half towards the dam so far this season. We had both set up with a sink tip , Tommy I think had a buzzer and a nymph I had a dry on point and a cruncher. Two flies seemed prudent in the blustery conditions.
Casting was a bit tricky at times and being a right handed caster with Tommy on my right put him in my firing line. The first snag of the day wasn’t far away- yep I managed to get the dry caught in the back of Tommy’s Jacket! oops!
The first couple of hours were tough. We fished all round the deeper end of the loch from around the middle towards the dam wall. It was cold, and as we drifted on the drogue Tommy said he seen a few fish move, but without photographic proof- no photo….didnae happen :-), not a touch did we have. The other two boats that were out, we had noted, ( as we are observant like that) had anchored up at the shallower end of the reservoir, we weren’t sure if that was where the fish were or because maybe it was getting more shelter from the wind. By the time we got up the top end I was on a di3 to see if I could pick up any attention deeper, Tommy had changed I think to a full floater having been on an intermediate for a while.
Tommy makes a break for the front
Tommy’s near 4lb Rainbow, a solid lump of a fish, fell to his flexy-floss buzzer
A further 40 mins or so and we still had nothing and moved right up to the very shallow water at the top. I was changing my line back to a sink tip when Tommy got a couple of knocks. I was just back fishing when at long last while fishing a buzzer practically static, he hooked his first fish. A standard stockie Rainbow about 2lb which was returned. I then managed to get a couple of touches. The first wasn’t much, the second I thought the fish was on but nope it never took. The usual conversations were had about how can a fish knock a buzzer without being hooked when there is pretty well nothing other than hook to it. Tommy was then into his second, this was a much better fish and took a wee while to land. It again had taken when the buzzer, an unusual pattern, something of a cross between a stretch floss apps bloodworm pattern and a Palomino midge, was static. The rainbow was I would guess about 3 and a half to 4 lbs, a very nice, thick set fish.
Tommy subduing another fish- 3-nil
I moved onto a full floater, and had one more slight touch. We decided to move about 20 -30 yards back up the loch and cover some fresh water, and this wasn’t holding Tommy back, he was into number three. 3-0!
Time for a response!
As it got to about half two I recall saying, I would have to have an epic last couple of hours to catch up with his success. I was fishing two buzzers ( I didn’t have one the same as his magic flexy floss buzzer, though had tried a Palomino midge for a while with no luck). To the buzzers I added a third fly, a dry as there were a few fish showing regularly on top now so in effect I was fishing washing line style. Two dries later and still nothing to show and Tommy still getting the odd knock, I changed the dry to a wee cormorant.
This Brown trout of about a pound and a half did have a head, I just failed to get it in shot! But it was a bonnie wild fish
Almost right away I got my first take. A rather pretty wild Brown of about a pound and a half or so. A wee while later I was taken by a Rainbow, but it came off- or rather the buzzer came off. Obviously a rubbish knot, as I was left with a wee pig tail where the line had clearly pulled through the eye of the fly hook. Poor angling.
After another wee while I was into another fish. Again the fly was practically static. The fish wasn’t- it took off like an express train. All the slack rapidly vanished over the side of the boat, saving me having to wind line to get it on the reel. The fish shot right under Tommy’s line before jumping for a second time. It was a decent fish and it really wasn’t at all happy. It went again and there was no stopping it. I kept the tip up and I gave the drag on my reel two clicks, to apply some moderate braking- I was concerned it might get over to another boat lined up with us on the right hand side of the loch so wanted to slow it if I could. About half way across the loch, though it suddenly went slack. Off! Pants!
At first I thought the hook had maybe opened out but I think the fish had only really been nicked in the lip and the fish had literally pulled the hook out, I had a wee bit skin still attached to the olive buzzer. I don’t think I did anything wrong or played it overly hard or allowed slack to form. Just one of those things.
Fish continued to show despite the by now frequent showers of rain, and finally I had another fish, this time a standard stockie Rainbow again on the olive buzzer. By the time 4 o’clock rolled round it was getting a bit wet and the scores on the doors were 3 landed to Tommy and 2 landd to me, but the last couple of hours did so nearly turn into an epic period with my two lost fish. Fish of the day went to Tommy, best Brownie to me and the one that got away….. well need I say more!
