Summer struggled to arrive a bit yesterday, when the sun broke through the evidently high haze being pushed from the east it felt “like summer” but then the fringes of that east coast haar pushed in and it would fade. Eventually the sun did succeed in pushing through and we had a fairly nice day overall, and it looked set fair for some evening fishing. I couldn’t be bothered lugging my outboard and battery up to Coulter for the few hours that were available so just opted for the waders and was up there for the back of seven. I was delayed at starting my fishing as I got chatting to an older couple before I ventured onto the water for an hour and a half. It was a nice evening to be out, there was still a touch of bite to that breeze but it never really made any impression on me until the sun set behind Earls Hill and the temperature dropped.
If an evening like this doesn’t put a smile on your face, nothing will!
But where were the trout? There was little moving for a good while and I think I had fished for a good 45 minutes before I even heard the plop of a fish somewhere. There was some insect life on the water initially but it wasn’t until it was nearly sunset when the buzzers became really evident. I had opted for a wet-fly/buzzer cast, I didn’t think the dries were really going to be in with a shout tonight, it’s still not really that warm and the fish weren’t rising with any certainty. So buzzer, a black spider and a Kate McLaren on an floating line were my opening gambit.
I was maybe 6 or 7 metres out from the bank up to nearly waist deep when i saw a fish rise, between me and the bank pretty much right inside a rod length! I wasn’t sure whether to cast for it, or try scooping it up in the net. Clearly my presence wasn’t putting them off! The odd fish did show but nothing regular and almost all well beyond casting range. But one fish rose and rose and rose in one spot near some trees further down the bank. I opted for a two casts and then two paces approach and worked my way along parallel to the shore, though sometimes getting a fright when the bottom dropped a few inches more than anticipated round a submerged tree root here and there.
Not a touch or a tug did I get. I had opted by now for a heavier Diawl Bach on point and another buzzer pattern on the middle and finally one of Tommy’s Midges on the top dropper. Still nothing.
One nice Brown on the black spider fished on the point
By now I was close to being in range of the fish that had risen all evening. Believe it or not it stopped! It wasn’t me spooking it I was sure as I was still a good 20 yards away and treading warily. Then fate played a hand. On a cast I felt a definite snag as I went to deliver my forward cast. I looked back and there was a bush in range though I wasn’t caught on it, my line had cast out. I retrieved the flies and decided to have a look- no point beaded Diawl Bach! It must have caught on the bush but the line had parted rather than actually catch on. I was only on 4lb line. I couldn’t be bothered trying to fish another fly out my box from my bag as the light was getting poor now, so I edged to the bank, sat on a stump of grass and tied on the wee black spider again this time on the point not the dropper. As I sat there a fish rose not 15 feet from me. I have said it before, they know you know! I got back upright and cast out where I had seen the fish. Nothing. I then cast again a bit further and started a fairly steady retrieve. Bam, there was no doubt the fish wanted the fly the take was solid. I had no fears the fish was properly hooked. There was a lot of leaping jumping and cartwheeling as a nice brownie maybe of 3/4lb to a pound came to the net – though it really did not like the look of it, and was off every time I got it close.
My hands were feeling the cold by now especially now they were wet and I decided ten minutes more and call it a night. Next cast a fish head and tailed right over my line, a good sized fish too, easily getting towards a 2lb’er but it didn’t take my flies.
I called it a night and spoke to another lad who was out fishing nearer the boat house. He had 5 pulls but hadn’t managed to get a hook up he was telling me, but on a similar wee black spider pattern so looks like that’s the fly to be on. Just now.
