Inauspicious

My 2016 season has not started well, in fact it’s been something of an inauspicious beginning.

First River Outing on the River Carron

I decided on Monday later on in the day that a couple of hours running some early season patterns through the deeper spots on the upper part of the River Carron might be a good idea. it was brightening up as the day wore on but it definitely wasn’t anything close to warm, there was a definite edge to the breeze. On the river there seemed to be a little more shelter and it was not quite so nippy once out, and I headed for the first deep hole where I know fish are to be found from previous outings. I had a team of three spiders, a small beaded Endrick spider on the point, a little black spider in the middle and a Orange and Grouse spider on the top dropper. I tend to favour fishing these upstream and dead drift down rather than the more traditional across and down method and most of the spots I planned to fish, were likely to be easier with this approach.

Fishing spiders through a run on Monday afternoon

Nothing made itself known here or in the run I fished through next. While early season fishing can be slow and the Carron early last season appeared to be devoid of life at times, I thought I might turn up something, but not a touch. I fished on up a few more sections and filled a couple of hours, not fishing terribly hard but enjoying the sun and the relative peace of the river on a Monday afternoon. I even tried one of the areas I had discovered on my earlier reconnaissance, but I think it was a big ask to hope for fish here in the fairly fast water.

Lake of Menteith

A fine spring morning at the Lake, as the boat was readied.

I had hoped to be having an outing on the Carron Valley reservoir sometime this week but that plan fell through, so I was still determined to try get out on a bigger water on the Thursday as the weather looked best for that day. It’s quite handy Menteith post their boat availability online so I decided against booking a boat as they seemed to have plenty spare capacity and thought I would head out if the conditions looked OK and I was feeling up to it. I don’t usually like booking full days as I am not sure I can manage that many hours, and it was to prove the case today. What can I say about Menteith? It is something of a bogey location for me, maybe it’s because I don’t enjoy pulling lures or blobs, or maybe the fish their are particularly strong, I have a lot of difficulty getting fish to the boat assuming I can find them in the first place. The latter wasn’t to be an issue for me on this outing. I had read some of the reports from the previous week and Lochend seemed to figure in a lot of them, so once tackled up and boat made ready, it was there I headed.

As I allowed the boat to slow to a halt under it’s own weight, a fish brought its head fully out the water right in front of me not three rod lengths away. Actually it looked like a frikken dolphin! It was huge! I then heard another splashy noise like a fish rising but I couldn’t see it in the ripple. I had set up with a midge tip and a team of buzzers, fairly heavy at the point to see if I could find anything in the upper layers, and using my rod estimated the depth to be about 8 feet of water. As I drifted west across the bay more and more fish started showing and as I neared the reeds at the far end the activity intensified as a number of wee midges ascended from the surface, first hatch of the day.

Finally a rainbow took my Biscuit Blob

I never had so much as a touch. Two more times I drifted over these fish and I must have tried a dozen patterns and sizes and not a touch did I get. The fish at once stage were rising so densely I swear I thought I could walk on their backs to the bank! What was I doing wrong? I tried putting a bushy wet on the top dropper and then even tried lengthening my leader out to about 16 feet and dropping the tip section to 6lb ( I usually fish 8lb as I have been broken off so often at Menteith in the past) . Nothing! A few more boats started to arrive and one was half way across the bay for it’s first time and was into a fish, then later another! So clearly I wasn’t doing something right. After three fruitless drifts I allowed the boat to drift out round the point and I fished there for a while but the fish seemed to disappear here and I decided I was flogging a dead horse . The choice was go back into the bay where I knew fish were or head somewhere else, the Butts would be my choice but there seemed to be a fleet over that way and then I noticed a black squally looking front coming in. I decided to head back in towards Lochend and change tack. The sky darkened and the wind turned a full 180 degrees- that’s never usually good for fishing and a wave got up. I had already changed to a floating line after a couple of drifts and I felt was adequate  for the depth here with a white mini lure I had tied- I am told called a “Fireman” by a fishing friend Radek, and a Olive damsel on a dropper. I wasn’t sure where to position the boat as the conditions were changing so fast but I cast out towards the reeds, and as I retrieved back there was a sharp tug but the line wouldn’t give even though there was clearly a fish on. It was then I realised the line had looped round the upright for mounting the oar on the side of the boat and was not letting me control the line, by the time I realised I was broken off. Bugger! The wind now was taking me eastwards over the bay and I decided to fish deeper with a Di3 as the hatches had gone as the wind and rain started. I was sure I had a couple of pulls but they didn’t connect, then as the boat headed towards shallow water a definite pull, not immediately obvious I have to say and the line went off round the stern off the boat. I kept the tension and then almost inexplicably it went slack! I do find feeling for takes with these dense lines quite difficult I have to say.

When the weather passed through Menteith was a pleasant place to be on Thursday

Out now in the middle of the bay, the storm had passed, I think the anglers at the top of the lake must have got a bit battered but it seemed to have passed me mostly, and the sun then came out very brightly. I decided to fish where fish had been rising but keep the sinking line on as I couldn’t see fish being in a hurry to be on top in this glare. Again a few pulls and then FINALLY one stayed on. Not a big fish, certainly no more than 2lb but it wasn’t for coming in. It did get into the net and had taken a Biscuit Blob I had swapped with the damsel. I kept with this method for a while then seen clouds were soon going to cover the sun, and thought about fishing shallow again, so changed lines as the sun disappeared and right on cue the fish were back on top. But could I touch them again, on dries or buzzers? nope.

Menteith from the bank

I was pretty knackered now- I don’t like pulling lures and flinging heavy lines and my arthritis was making itself very known. I decided another change of approach was needed and I decided to tie on a tapered leader and a 3kg Stroft tippet section and try some smaller dries. I was concerned these might not be on hooks up to the job of one of these fish but I had little else to try, all my other efforts so far had been ignored. You have to keep changing until something works. I tied on a wee size 16 split wing midge pattern and right away the fish were looking at it . A few turns then as I twitched it a fish snatched at the fly and I was on. The fish pulled a bit but seemed well in control when the unexpected happened. My tippet section parted above the fly. I have never had Stroft do this and I am pretty sure there couldn’t be a wind knot in it as I had only cast it a few times and there was no reason, I was fishing at pretty short range. Despondent. I tried again and rose a good 3-4 fish but none would take and by now the pain was getting too much. The sun was out again and I decided to take a slow run down towards the lodge and call it a day as I had a swollen hand, and everything ached. So another difficult session for me on the Lake. There were plenty fish and clearly the inadequacies of this particular angler were laid bare! I run out of places to put all the flies I fished during the day, I tried loads. I could maybe have fished blobs or boobies more but frankly I don’t enjoy this and if you’re not enjoying it, there seems little point in fishing?