The pager was off, the PC was switched off and work was done for the week. A quick dinner I threw some gear in the car and I was going fishing. I had no definite plan, I was undecided whether to head for the river or the Loch. I decided to drive up past Loch Coulter, and see if it was fishable. I had had reports it was fishing its head off. The sun was shining and while there had been a bit of a strong wind earlier in the afternoon, it had dropped a lot and I thought it might be OK up the hill. It was after 7 and its getting dark by 10 so I felt I didnt have the time to take the electric outboard and battery, and go through all the boat manipulation gubbins as it robs you of an hours, fishing time. No I was going to have a wee cast off the bank, most of the fish I have caught up there were fairly close to shore so as long as the wind wasn’t an impediment you had a chance. Plus I haven’t done any bank fishing up there so it would be good to learn the water a little more.

I arrived, and there was a stiff breeze rather than a what I would refer to as a wind, there was  nice ripple on the loch peering over the dam at the bottom of the track. ironically there was no one there nd not a boat out, so taking a boat wouldn’t have been any hassle at all. Typical.  I decided I would fish round the south side so parked up here and tackled up. The sun was still shining, but darker clouds had appeared over Earls Hill.

All set up with the 6 weight, the waders on and a selection of dry and wet flies in my rucksack I headed off. The Sun was by now vanishing. Oh pants!

I clearly didnt pick the best route to the south shore and was soon trudging through soft squidgy ground which was already making itself felt through my joints. I decided to turn across towards some fallen trees and seek drier ground, right enough there was a well trodden route through the trees skirting the loch. You only learn these things by exploring. About half way round this bay I found an accessible area and decided to see what it was like, though I felt it might be a bit weedy for my three fly cast of two Coulter midges and a Kate McLaren on top dropper.

Indeed it was. I waded in about thigh deep, and though the breeze wasn’t causing me any real issues I was catching in the long soft fronds of early season weed growth. Time to move. I moved round to the point before the bay with the burn incoming. Just changing location about 100 yards can make all the difference, her eit was weed free with a gravel bottom. I couldn’t cast straight out as the wind was a bit stronger here and coming into my right, but I could wade out a bit and cast with the wind behind me. I did this for a wee while until the wind was playing with my back cast and I ended up with a bird’s-nest on the end of my line. Maybe I needed to drop to a 2 fly set up?

I sorted the leader out and was undecided what to do next. So far I hadn’t had a touch and had seen no sign of life. It was very grey and very quiet. I took me right back to being on holiday up the Bonar Bridge way three years ago when we had free fishing available on Loch Laro. It was a fair trudge up the moors but once up here it felt like the remotest spot in the world, and it was all yours. Coulter tonight was just like that, quiet and desolate, the weather looked worse than it really was, but here I was with my rod and some flies. Perfect.

I made my way round the bay to the inlet of the burn. As I started to cast from the embankment/dam here I seen my first sign of a fish move but it was a little beyond my current casting range, but then I realised I could edge out on the concrete wall of the inlet and get out a bit beyond the fringing weeds. Here I could cover the fishes location my having done so, I never had a touch. One other fish moved much further out and I started to see the odd signs of life, I wouldn’t call it a rise as such but there were little areas of receding rings that suggested to me the odd fish was about just under the surface. But could I catch one? I decided to put on a dry-fly, a wee black midge pattern on a long tapered leader. A knock, a turn of my hand to figure of 8 another handful of line, another knock. Five times! But no take. I suspect it was maybe small fish something like either trout fry , minnows or  maybe small perch of which I understand there are a few up here. Whatever I never caught a fish. I changed flies a few times more and a fish rose right in front of me about a couple of rod lengths away but it wasn’t interested in the flies I was offering. By now it was getting dark and I thought really I ought to head back before it was too dark to see. There are a couple of obstacles to pass on the way back and its easier if you can see them.

So a blank from the bank but I did enjoy being out, though maybe I should have headed to the river?