Plan A
I was determined to get out somewhere at the weekend and had made an informal and not legally binding to maybe go fish at Glenbervie as a few people off one of the facebook groups I frequent were heading there. I was aware though, that arriving around mid-day it might be busy and I wasn’t wrong. The car park was full and though there was a sort of space at one end , it seemed like a drop off area for the guy that’s building a house there for what seems like forever.
Wellsfield Trout Fishery
I had a look over the embankment that shields the water from the road and it was pretty full and with one angler I knew gearing up in the car park frankly it was just a wee bit tight for my liking. I do like to be able to move a wee bit if conditions are proving to be a battle for me. So I decided to go somewhere else, and as I reached the Stirling ring road the impulse took me that I had not been to Wellsfield for quite a while and I headed there on a whim. It is a fishery that’s not far from me really at all, arguably the second closest, and I pass it a lot heading for the river in the Summer, but why don’t I frequent there….. It all comes flooding back by the time I left.
Late Arrival, No Big Deal
So I got there about 13:00, thinking closing time must be about 17:00 ( actually I arrived at 12:53 – car mileage logging apps are wonderful sometimes don’t you know.) I kitted up and headed for the lodge to get a 4 hour ticket, aware I was maybe on the tight side for a full 4 hour ticket but not to worry, not going to quibble over 30 minutes and £2 difference. The guy questioned – “Was I sure I wanted a 4 hour ticket as they would be finishing up at quarter to five”,
” Yeah that’s fine, not worried about a few minutes here and there really”…. he wrote the ticket then as he passed me it said in a fashion I thought was a bit cheeky, “mind quarter to five, in fact be out the car park by quarter to five, as I’ll be locking the gate and you won’t get out….” ……friendly, I didn’t think.
While I appreciate its the closing time and yeah people want to go home, no issue with that at all, there are nicer ways to relate the fact to a customer….
I shrugged and went away to fish, starting on the lower of the two fly lochans. It was fairly busy but I found a spot and started fishing with my sinking line ( I can’t be bothered with fighting my Intermediate line- I really need to bite the bullet and go buy a new one) . I had a modestly sized Fireman Lure on with a nymph and a wet fly on droppers. The water was very clear with that blue tinge that I think is food dye used to keep weed growth down, some fisheries use. The line was proving too heavy for the depth and I had to change to a floater. I was listening to the other anglers blethering, clearly a bunch of regulars were in, and it seemed that unlike last week when the fish must have been borderline suicidal, they were proving much harder to tempt this week. Some had een their since sparrow fart and had blanked. Another angler came over for a chat, he seen my rod was a Daiwa and as he had just acquired a Lexa , was asking my thoughts and talking fishing generally.
Time to Move
After 25 mins on the floater with no takes and changing to buzzers I decided to move, to a spot that was freed up on the far side. I had a Cat bug on point, a black nymph on middle dropper and a tiny black spider on the top dropper.
First fish of about 3lb or so was a really pretty coloured fish.
I was right away getting very slight pulls, but they were very hard to feel, until a proper take finally happened and I was in to a really nice fish of easily three pounds, maybe more. A really bonnie Rainbow with dense spots. It had taken the Cat Bug. I cast out again, and straightened my line, and put one hand in a pocket for a second to try get the feeling back as it was very cold on the fingers when the line went right away and I was in to a second fish, I thought it had to be the Cat Bug again but no it had taken the spider. This fish was about 2lb or so and went back easily enough. My hands were hurting now and I decided to go see if I could get a cup of tea or something to warm up. As I walked round maybe about 30 yards from the lodge the guy appeared from the lodge heading towards me. I said to him, “Do you have tea or coffee available…?”, “You will need to wait, I’m doing the bins, will be half an hour at least, and with that he wandered off with his bin clearing grabber thing. Most fisheries let you make tea or coffee yourself, some have honesty boxes, or contributions for charity ( Swanswater) . Some, like Burnhouse just give you it, or you help yourself…… here you need to wait on the guy and when he isn’t for doing “Customer Service” you are stuffed.
Number 2 was pretty much a standard 2lb Stockie. Two others didn’t stick, or was it three others.
Miserable
I headed back to my rod with freezing hands and sore fingers. I carried on fishing and had changed my middle dropper to a Black Cat Bug and just as I was mulling over that it had gone quiet again I was taken and the fish decided to run directly away from me, which is always a bit of a lottery I find, trying to keep the rod tip up, the line tight and not get broken off. The guy adjacent to my spot commented it was a fair lunge the fish took, and true to form it went slack and was off. I thought maybe the fly was off, but no, all present and correct, the middle bug had a shiny fish scale on it as a parting gift from the fish….. then I noted so too did the point fly and a very slightly bent point on the barbless hook, which I was able to sort. Was it a double hookup? No idea.
I decided to move to the upper loch for a wee change for a bit and it was much quieter there ( anglers and fish). I moved a few times and up near the top hooked into another fish but with my cold hands I missed the line a bit when striking in to the fish and never had a good hook set, which was proven as it came off as the fish turned on the surface. Again I think it was the Cat Bug.
The Ticket Check
As it neared 4 I decided to have my last 40 mins or so back at the lower lochan again. I went down and fished on, it had brightened up a bit and was not a bad evening. Then our friend from the lodge appeared and came round asking me for my ticket, to see what my finish time was. I honestly think that is probably the first time that has ever happened to me on a commercial fishery. I was told…” you have ten minutes” but in fact I had nearer 20 if you want to be pedantic about it. However I really could not be arsed, I was fed up with the place, the shockingly bad customer service and frankly I doubt I will be back, despite the plaudits some of the other anglers were giving the place in their conversation around me ( mostly regarding the fish) . If Burnhouse is for me the friendliest fishery out there, and places like Swanswater, Glenbervie, Orchil and Harviestoun are all top notch in how they treat their customers, too, frankly Wellsfield really is the epitomy of how not to do it. My memory jogged, I remember now why I don’t like the place, my cage was well and truly rattled and this time I won’t be back.
