Once again, another year goes by, and we come around again to my “birthday” weekend. As always I try to get some time to myself at this time of year and hit the bank somewhere. If you have read this blog for a while ( and why wouldn’t you) you will know that while I wouldn’t claim to be the best river angler, I don’t make things easy for myself, as I do like to explore new places or sections of rivers I have never been to. This is always going to make things a bit dicey, on the fish catching front.
PS. For those that prefer or additionally , like to watch a wee VLOG of my outings, I should have a video up on YouTube in the next couple of days as time allows. Remember to Like, Subscribe and Comment if you head over there.
This year was to be no exception. I had my gear packed, yes I remembered to put the wading boots in the bag, finally!, and I was headed off down the River Clyde. But this time to a section I did scope out once but have never fished. I have, many, many years ago fished part of this “beat” but not this particular section, and back then it was using the Dry Fly for Brown trout…. this was going to be bugging for Grayling. I had no idea how feasible this would be.
If you read my River Clyde Page you will be aware that the Hozier AC section of the river has been taken under UCAPA management recently which opens up this section to the UCAPA angler. Hozier is a nice bit of water but does have some challenging sections like the Clyde Shoals which have been known to offer up some top sport but you need to be a more physically robust angler than this one for that game I am afraid.
However having identified another access to the river, I decided to give it an explore and see what happened.
A Frosty Start
When I left Stirling it was one of the colder mornings this winter and a hard frost had settled on the car, so I had to do a bit of defrosting before I set off. As I got south of Glasgow however I couldn’t help notice the temperature steadily rise and the sky get a deal more cloudy than what it was like at home. By the time I arrived at the spot I had decided to park up at, it was actually quite overcast, and there was unfortunately a wee bit of a breeze. Up this section of the river which I wouldn’t personally designate as what most anglers to refer to as “up top”, it isn’t far from the wide open expanses around Carstairs, and any visit to that section needs to be tempered with an eye on the wind vane. As much as a slight breeze at Sea Level will likely be a gale up there.
More of a Breeze that expected
Here, it was most odd, to look at the tree’s you would barely notice them sway, but the clouds were certainly scudding across the grey somewhat wet looking sky. Nonetheless, I was here now so might as well explore.
The river bank is full of silty braids of reeds here and so there is a fair bit of climbing and clambering across pools and outcrops of silt to get to the more clearly defined river. The water pace looked about spot on, but I really had no idea of the depth or type of bottom that constituted the river bed here. Only one way to find out. The main flow seemed to be from about half way out across to the far bank, so I gingerly slid off the side and into the water.
Tough Wading
The wading was tough. The bottom seemed mostly constituted of bed rock with some very undulating outcrops, One minute you had reached mid river to find your wading boots barely covered by the water, then one more step and you were almost chest deep! Add to this the flow, which was pushing along a wee bit, and it made for at times precarious fishing. However I did stick it out for a good hour as I tried my best to cover the water as best I could. it didn’t make for efficient fishing. You could not but help feel you were bound to be missing spots where fish may lie. Also with the undulating bottom, you had lots of snags and trying to get your flies down but not stay stuck to something, whether weed or rock was challenging and a few bugs were sacrificed it has to be said. Ideal Klink and Dink water when the fish are “on the fin” but not the easiest to fish for Grayling where you need to be covering every square metre in front of you.
I Surrender
I eventually surrendered, and acknowledged the river had beat me this time and retired to the bank, only to find I had misplaced my mobile phone and could not find it in my pockets. I knew I had had it just as I had arrived at the rivers edge so it had to be close ( unless I had somehow managed to drop it in the river from my pocket. So I then spent 10 minutes retracting my steps and did in fact find it lying on the grass, bankside! Phew.
Easier but Harder
Gathering up my gear I took a wander up the river and about 500metres upstream found less turbulent looking water where the wading was much easier. I wouldn’t say dead easy, but much easier than before, and as I could not see any more alluring water in the visible range ahead of me I decided to give it a go here. the pace was a good deal slower, so much lighter flies went on, just a small beaded pattern on point and a couple of Czech nymphs up the cast was all it needed to get down. However mid river the depth started to increase to about as far as I dare reach, I was almost chest deep, and that breeze was proving to be a real problem in gaining any real distance beyond the reach of the rod. I stuck at it about 45 minutes but the wind defeated me. To be honest while I have no doubt there would be fish here, it had enough pace and depth to give fish decent cover, in the absence of visible features like seams and eddies you can see on the surface, it would be very difficult to know where the right place to fish might be. Again, on a warm summers evening when fish are rising to take flies off the top I can imagine this being a great spot but on a day of bottom hugging into a head wind it was challenging. So with Lunchtime arriving I decided, head back to the car, get something to eat and head downstream to the valley.
By now the sun was making fleeting appearances and I had realised just how warm I was despite being waist deep in the River Clyde for the most part of the morning. For the first time I can recall in a January on the river I was arguably too warm! Not a bad problem to have really.
A Drop in on the Clyde Valley
I drove down to the Clyde Valley and decided to go give Mauldslie a go as I had failed so miserably to get on the water on my last visit a few weeks prior due to me stupidly forgetting my wading boots! I have not fished here for several years due to the bridge works. I suspected it would either be mobbed (it is a popular spot) or empty ( it being Friday). It was the former. There were several anglers visible from the bridge looking upstream and more below. I knew though where I wanted to go fish and as I was already tackled up was soon on my way down stream.
I found a space between two anglers near where I wanted to be. One was wading but not far out on a rocky beach above me, the other was using conventional fly casting from the bank over the slower water below, but I had a good 100metres of space upstream and about 50 metres below so set to work wading out mid river- which took me further from the others as well.
The water was a bit fast flowing for my liking here but I stuck at it. The two anglers were evidently together and ended up both below me but looked fairly half hearted in their efforts and soon left and so I just worked my way down, in and out from the bank, covering water.
Result!
About midafternoon I finally felt a solid take and I managed to get a nice Grayling about 25-30cms in length to the net. It had taken a small dark olive bug with a green tag.Thats my 2022 account finally opened with my favourite fish species. I find green tags work especially well where you are picking up loads of these small black cased caddis from the bottom with your hooks). The fish came out of moderate depth water where the pace was a little slacker than to be found in the main flow- kind of where you would expect.
I spent the rest of the afternoon into dusk and managed a further two fish, these both took a small pink bug on the top dropper. One was one of the wee 4″-6″ fish you get from the last brood of hatchlings, the other was a bizarre cross between one of these in body dimensions yet was really long, maybe 8″ long. I don’t think I recall catching a grayling this size before. As the sun was setting I got talking to another angler and spent the rest of the “shift ” blethering as I made my way back to the car. A thoroughly enjoyable day out and not in the slightest bit cold, Even with wet hands it was bearable. A very odd winter we seem to be having this year.
