A Few Hours on Friday
A strangely book-ended weekend. On Friday with the Bank Holiday Weekend looming we were told by my boss to knock off at 15:00 assuming there was nothing more pressing incoming before then. I hadn’t had a lunch break anyway so all my tasks up to date I was out the door like a rat up a drainpipe. It was fairly sunny outside and rather than go my usual lunchtime walk I decided to head down to the River Carron to wet a line.
I headed for the Headswood Area and was surprised no one was there before me. After exploring an alternative way in to the river downstream I fished up a section I like taking time to get my heavy nymphs into a deep hole that often hides a fish but there was no one home. I was a little surprised to be honest. I did pick up one very small Brown Trout in the tail of the crease I was fishing and after trying a few other holes and pockets with no sign of life I headed down to the corner downstream which also has some deep subsurface ledges that always look like they should hide fish.
It was a little infuriating though I have to say. There were lots of dead seed head things coating the surface of the water , joined by thousands more every time the wind blew the tree above the pool where they appeared to emanate from. And in the water there was a lot of “rock-snot”, that stirred up as soon as you so much as took a step. It was worse than Autumn time!
I covered the pool and inlet and outflow and had one solitary offer where I didn’t connect with the fish, as it took as I was changing my position and not really focusing on the flies for a second. Typical. I then headed upstream and met two other anglers, one guy fishing worms through the pool at the recycling plant ( who told me he hadn’t had a single fish all season) and another old gent who also said he has dropped one small Brown and had nothing more. A bit disappointing all round it has to be said.
Will I, Won’t I?
The weekend went by and I never wet a line as household chores had to be attended to. Also, I should add, the old aches and pains have been a bit of a distraction of late, and I find I am procrastinating a little when considering going for a fish, I have been umm’ing and ahh’ing almost like I am looking for a reason not to go and avoid physically moving. Not good, but once I make the effort I usually feel the benefit for it.
Today ( Monday) was another case in point. I had mentally decided that I was going to try wet a line today but when I got up and made ready, it started raining. The forecast had been for it to be cold, not wet. In fact, my weather App on my phone said it was currently dry with 0% risk of rain….go tell that to the clouds in the sky. After hovering about unnecessarily I headed back to the Carron for another go, this time right down to Larbert. As I arrived no one appeared to be on the water, I had no sooner opened the boot of my car and two other anglers appeared and one was much quicker getting geared up. (Unlike me he had no waders to get into). He went upstream so I started at the viaduct and opted to head down the river.
A Bad Start
Almost right away I lost two of my three fly cast on a snag under the bridge, not the best start, then after sorting that out in the persisting rain, but not getting any interest here I fished the pool below the bridge where I saw a couple of fish move but well out of my range, and carried on down river.
I divvied the section into two, and opted to fish the top half first. But fishing upstream, so effectively starting in the middle of that whole run. After about ten minutes, and despite seeing some fish move above me I hadn’t had a touch. I decided to swap my bugs for wet flies. Almost right away I had my first small Brown Trout, on the point fly a beaded Endrick Spider, then had a second fish which I think was a maybe one of these Salmon Smolts I have been hearing about. I must say though if it was, though very silver, it was smaller than some of the Parr I see later in the season!
A fish moved below me and judging by the water it displaced I guessed it to be a decent size and I had to decide what to do. I could keep fishing upstream then try to target the spot when I fished the second half of this section. Try head down just below it and reach it now, or attempt to swing my wets across it and see if I could get a reaction. The second option was probably impractical and the first, by the time I did, might have seen the fish stop feeding. I decided to edge downstream close enough and try to swing my team of wets over the fish.
It took me about three goes working closer but I knew my third cast was in the right place and I almost wasn’t surprised as the indicator shot away on my French Leader and I found myself hooked up to a nice wild Brown trout. No stockie this one, it had a full tail and a fair pair of paddles for Pectoral fins with a bit of an orange tinge to them. A really lovely coloured fish. Like all the others ( bar one later in the day), it had taken the Endrick Spider.
I fished the lower half of the run after a steep slide down a section of banking where I managed to get a nice dose of nettle rash on one hand, but another 4 fish were the result, three more smallish Browns, none as good as that better fish, and one more Smolt.
Out with the BadBoy!
By now I was soaked, as it had rained solidly all morning. I decided to return to the car, get some tea in me and decide whether to knock it on the head or stay out. Once back at the car I was cold and wet. I had thrown my wee stove in the boot and noticed an abandoned Bombay Bad Boy Pot Noodle from my winter outings and decided to boil up a kettle and get some heat in me with that.
As I consumed the spicy noodle snack the heat from the pot seemed to clear the clouds and within ten minutes the sun was actually shining. Feeling much warmer I decided to take a wander upstream.
In some of the slower glides there were fish rising ( to what I have no idea) but I tried a few dry flies over the ones I could reach but had no reaction. In the faster water further up river, I did manage one more wee Smolt I think, and had quite a few plucks but no proper takes. It was though a very pleasant afternoon, and there was a lot of fly life on or around the water. Most of the duns coming of were vary pale shades of olive, getting on for yellow, and there were also some very delicate long but thin upwings I don’t recall seeing before, a deep brown colour.
I also noticed the Hawthorne flies were about in places and quite a few Alder flies, but for all the fly life I saw little sign the fish were at all interested. It was though at least moderately warm in the sun and not an unpleasant afternoon though a lot less productive than the less inclement morning
