Needs must

Today was to be half decent and I really was in the mood for fishing from a boat, I can fish longer sitting down than I can on my feet. However by the time I was up and ready to head out it was a bit late to head to the obvious places where boat fishing is the norm. Saturday mornings are a bit difficult for me as I take my meds on a Friday night.
I decided to head up to Pendreich and hope it wasn’t too windy and that the boat might be back. It’s been away for repairs.
I got up there and it was pretty windy and the boat wasn’t back. Nae luck. The wind though was off the north bank though so I thought I might get away with my 4 weight rod but a few trial casts on the grass behind the car soon showed it wasn’t on, the light line collapsing in the air with every big gust. Time to up rate, so out with the 6/7 weight HM3. Before heading out I was chatting to a fellow member and his wife/girlfriend about how the loch was fishing and what works. He was about to take his new float tube for a swim. We ere discussing wets and dries mainly but the comment that a small damsel is sometimes called for to succeed… I was relaying how I hate fishing lures but it happens, as Willie said…..”needs must”.
I left the intermediate line on I last used at Menteith and also used to some success here a few weeks back but decided to have a three fly cast though not excessively long, with a couple of snatchers and a PTN on. I also used fairly heavy for here 8lb fluorocarbon to try stop the wind causing tangles. I find heavier stiffer ‘ nylon’ resists tangles better in the wind.
Nothing doing after a couple of hours up the north bank. I had numerous fly changes mostly imitative nymph or bushy/ sparse wet flies. I did give a small Ace of Spades a swim too but nothing doing. Around mid day, a few fish were moving though none in the north-east corner where I was. Willie in the float tube was there too and had been able to cover more of the spots where fish showed. He had been broken off on one and had a few knocks but that was it.
The wind did ease a bit and a few times it almost felt a bit warm (!) and I decided to give the 4 weight a cast with two small dries on. Wishful thinking maybe but nothing seemed interested.
I was fishing right to the bottom with the intermediate and felt it was maybe fishing too deep at times for the retrieves needed to keep the flies from snagging the weeds. I was about to put on a sink tip but on opening my box I noticed my Neutral Density line lying on top. I never use it as I never felt it fished how I would expect. I decided to try it and it was a revelation in the conditions and gin clear water. Just what the doctor ordered! I guess you could consider it an ultra slow intermediate and you could fish your unweighted flies at a very precise depth which was what I wanted.
However it was now time for a cuppa. Back to the car for my flask, losing then finding my phone again on the way ( thanks Willies wife/ girlfriend for helping me find it).
Fish were moving again near the dam wall just on the limit of casting range, I decided to give the dries another go. The wind was turning now from the west so the 4 weight was ok as long as there were no gusts. Still nothing after a fair time and a further fly change Right down to size 20 Griffiths Gnats to match the numerous midges I could see. The few visible fish had gone quiet. Back onto the heavier rod and the wets/ nymphs and more fly changes. By now I had a hares ear on point, a Black Pennel and an olive cruncher on droppers.
Willie in the float tube was calling it a day by now and I was very inclined to do the same. I was slowly moving down the dam wall. Then a fish moved just beyond the end of the gantry. Due to the by now southerly ( still cold ) wind I now had to move further down to cover it. Second cast and a fish darted in just as I passed the point of no return on my lift off to recast. Another cast and it happened again though the fish was deeper and further away. They ( it) followed the fairly big hares ear.
A few more casts and no more. Maybe more movement needed?

My second nice Brown this year from the loch. Heavier than it looked.

What to use? A few days ago the Hillend Dabbler was tying some variants of the Yellow Dancer lure. At the time it crossed my mind that a competition legal variant of this pattern might be effective as effectively a type of soldier palmer tied in yellow with flash body and a short but thick and therefore mobile white marabou tail. I hesitate to even call it a mini lure but maybe that’s what it is? I fastened this on the point and cast right out. I let the ND line get down a good 18″ along its length. As I retrieved there was a sharp hard pull. I went to strike but the line seemed to go slack but I was still in control of the line and as I pulled back the slack created by the pull the fish came again but this time it was hooked.

A competition sized “wet fly” variant of the ubiquitous Yellow Dancer.

It looked a fish of about a pound to a pound and half but as I netted it after I have to admit a fairly short fight it was definitely more like a couple of pounds. It was pretty heavy in the net and a male fish with a bit of a kyped jaw. On the wet dancer.
The fish wasn’t the prettiest it had a bit of a ragged looking top edge to its tail and a boil on its head but it recovered in the net and swum off.
I cast out again and as soon as the flies hit the water a fish was on the point fly again. I on the other hand had too much slack to recover, after the cast, to set the hook and it escaped. A few more casts saw one or two further follows but no more takes and frankly I had had enough, feeling a bit sore and weather beaten but at least I had a fish.
Home for tea and medals.