When I left the house this morning to get my stillwater gear together, it was grey but otherwise clear, still and not unbearably cold. I was even then really unsure where I was heading and never really made up my mind until I pushed the starter button on the car and plumped for Burnhouse, as I have not been for a wee while.
Where’s the water?
Driving down the road it suddenly became very foggy just over the River Carron on the M80 and by the time I reached Allandale at the bottom of the hill from Burnhouse, it was like pea soup. Before you could find fish you would have to find the water it seemed!
The fog on arrival
Gary, the fishery manager told me during the week the fishing had been variable. One angler had been a few times and had caught something like 28 fish the first visit, 5 the second, 19 the third and I think he said blanked the fourth time! I think he was fishing a black buzzer pattern under a bung. So it was anyone’s guess how today would be. I started with a floating line and three buzzers fished very slowly, the point buzzer having a small dark bead on to get it down. After 30 minutes or so and no offers and finally snagging on something utterly solid on the bottom and breaking off to get my line back. I had not had a touch, and my rod was covered in ice, with the freezing fog settling on the carbon and turning solid! I swapped my point fly for a small beaded Irish Cat and fired it out, and started varying retrieves. Right away I had two pulls and kept it going before the line finally locked solid on the third knock and I was in to an exceptionally hard fighting Rainbow of about 2lbs. Time for a wee break to warm up the now very nippy fingers despite my finger-less gloves, and a cup of tea from the lodge. A very friendly fishery, Burnhouse you can always get a brew!
Video Courtesy of Burnhouse Lochans Fishery
After this went back I had a couple more pulls, and a fish that swirled at the fly as it hit the water but I had too much slack in my tippet to connect properly so it got away. After another half an hour it had gone quiet- almost unbelievably a few fish were showing on top in places but had by now stopped.
Time for a move
Fish number 2 a very fit 2lb going back
I decided to move to the far bank and try a new place. The next hour and a half were pretty slow and the fishery was slowly filling with other anglers and I never say anything caught, though bear in mind I could only see about half way along the bank before fog obscured the view. Sound did travel though and you could hear people walking along the far bank even though you could bearly see them, but I did not hear the distinctive splash of fish being taken.
Rainbow number 3 on the fireman, a fish about 3lb
By now I had swapped to a standard sinking line, and having tried flies slowly along the bottom and then using a FAB to support a washing line arrangement with a couple of buzzer son the dropper and th eline on the bottom I was still no closer to furthering my tally. I decided to go back to a small lure and this time put a Fireman( unweighted) on the point still with the sinking line. After about 10 minutes nothing then out of the blue it all locked up again and a second really hard fighting fish came in, another ‘bow of about 2lb. After a couple of knocks number three was on this time a slightly bigger fish I would guess nearer to 3lb, though it put up less of a fight to be honest and was relatively easy to net, it had taken a spanflex bloodworm on a dropper.
I then hooked another, the rod bent in to the fish then it went slack, I suspect it had the fly by the tail without the hook being set. Then a few more knocks before number four, a wee wild Brownie again on the Fireman.
a big beast of a fish caught by angler John Gould. He reckoned a double figures fish, I was more cautious and reckon 8-9lb
John with his big Rainbow
Just after this with a few anglers moving down to my corner, the two guys to my right both hooked in to fish at the same time. One was a horse of a fish getting on towards double figures. I gave it 8-9lb, the lucky angler, John Gould, reckoned heavier, but it wasn’t weighed so I guess we won’t know and it went back. A cracking fish that would make any anglers day. Well done John.
