I am a bit late in writing this up but having had a week off I was not spending much time at the PC.
I had stuff to do Wednesday morning and needed to be in for a package arriving but luckily it arrived at the early end of the delivery window, so with time on my hands and a pleasant enough day I decided on a wee run along to Pendriech. I won’t tell a lie, I have been avoiding it as it’s become something of a watersports centre for….well….practically anyone. Being not a particularly hot day and midweek I hoped I might be able to miss some of the aggravation of swimmers, dog walkers, campers etc.
I was just out of the car when a dog walker said to me, “good luck with the fishing, I think you will be lucky to find a fish, there are at least 6 canoes in there!” I walked up onto the dam wall and there were 6 paddleboards, 2 kayaks and around a dozen people all in the water on the South bank. So the decision of where I was to fish was made for me, North Bank it was. It was pleasantly warm with a bit of a breeze blowing right into my face. I decided to fish in the margins and had a three fly cast on initially but this never got me any interest. Two more “Wild Swimmers” arrived and entered the water off the south bank. I had already decided to head around the Eastside but if they swam over there now I might be skunked. Fortunately for me, they swam out into the middle. I wasn’t seeing or connecting with anything, though the Osprey had some luck and I noticed where it got its fish…. Use every sign I say.
So around to the East Bank and it was as usual for the time of year a bit of a snag fest of weed in near the edge. You need a long and fairly stiff rod to fish over the margins and to lift any fish over the weed on the way in here. Also, I find more than one fly is a liability. I had reduced to two flies ( to save too much changing of leaders) but soon this was getting snarled up in the long trailing tendrils of the marginal plants, and I was forced to retire to the bank and change to a fresh single fly leader. I was not seeing any signs of fish, but the nymph and wet fly was having as much success as the wets, and the buzzers and cormorants I had tried so far….precisely nil. I was starting to think maybe I would be better sat out in the back garden and enjoy the heat. When the sun broke through it was seriously hot. At least now the Swimmers were back on the bank and getting dressed to leave, and the Paddleboarders and Kayakers had packed up and left too.
I tied on a small ginked up and roughed up Black Bobs Bits, a bit of a favourite fly for me on the Brown Trout and I cast along the edge of the margins. The first cast a fish slammed it!
I had to wade a distance to get back to my net as I had been wading along the margins trying new water with each cast and after sorting the leader had started from where I previously left off. I wasn’t optimistic about catching so had not bothered with the net! Now I needed it so I bullied the fish, around a pound to a pound and a quarter, over the weed and then made it to the net and scooped it up to recover. The water was not especially warm so it was fine in the shallows for the fish. With the “bits” removed it was off like a shot as soon as I freed it from the net.
I fished on and spotted a couple of fish move that confirmed where the fish were hanging out. The next hour or so was a lot of fun. The casting was difficult and at extreme range but I rose at least 4 or 5 fish that didn’t connect but managed one more also on the “Bits”, a fish of about a pound and a half this time, and I had a really enjoyable session that left me with a smile on my face as I left.
So when all was said and done I was glad I came out after all.
