Went up to Pendreich this morning taking advantage of the clock change in a sense as I thought it unlikely there would be much activity up there today- everyone wants a lie in. So to quote Matt Hayes, while most people are sleeping or having their three Weetabix, I was out fishing.
It was a gorgeous morning as you can see in the picture, the sun was shining, but I have to say it was not as mild as last week and I saw no signs of fish activity, unlike last week. There were few insects on the water. That was fine, time to get the boat loaded and organised, I also wanted to try out my new Wychwood International Boat Drogue on the drift over the loch. I had a few rods with me but I wanted to fish mostly on the softer John Dicksons 9ft with a HMT-LZ 5# floating line as I had a few issues with losing fish last week which I put down to the HM3 being a bit too powerful for the fish here. I went to my favourite bay for a first few casts trying a red holo Diawl Bach on point with a Black Pennel on the dropper, on a floating line but nothing touched me so I rowed off to the other side and had a drift with the drogue. This went well but there were no fish so halfway across I changed to an Intermediate line. (This was on the HM3 rod as I kept the Dicksons one for dry fly fishing).
A stunning morning at Pendriech (Cocksburn reservoir)
I tried fishing different depths and retrieves but no luck, so after the first drift I rowed back over to a line about 10 yards from my first starting point and began again. I swapped flies, putting a small gold head PTN on point and a Hares Ear Nymph with a little olive marabou tail. I would hesitate to call it a Damsel Nymph as it really isn’t and it’s not as big, its simply as described a Hares Ear with a Marabou tuft for a tail, descriptions aside I still never caught a fish or had a show of interest. There were though tons of small dark olives coming off the water. In fact, I lifted a handful of water and was able to get a nymph in my cupped hand as it started to emerge, escaping the shuck in my hand and drying its wings on my thumb before flying off- amazing.
A nice overwintered Brownie of about 1lb
As I reached the far bank I spotted a fish rise, then another. Reel in and onto the dry fly rod. Second cast and a fish came out and took the fly- a singleton Emersons Dry fly ( the Shit fly- what else) and I was in. This was much more satisfying on the Dicksons rod and I had a spirited fight with a nice Brown Trout of about 1lb in weight hooked in the corner of the scissors. The fish was easily unhooked and released.
A few more fish continued to rise intermittently and I cast to the areas of the activity. After about another 10 minutes I spotted a very subtle dimpling near my fly but really wasn’t sure if it was a take. I tightened in and there was a fish on! I shortened the line and started binging it in but after about 20-30 seconds the line suddenly went slack. One that got away.
After about another 30 mins it went quiet, no regular activity so I decided to stop for a break. Just then as I was reeling in a fish rose about 20 feet from the boat. It’s quite tricky casting so close into a rise, I find as I tend to overshoot or present really clumsily. I did manage a short cast though but never got a sniff. Another fish rose nearer the bank where I had hooked the last one- I tried there and this time a fish rose and took the fly! It wasn’t big I could feel but it came towards me very fast and I was struggling to take in line fast enough- suddenly it went slack. I thought I had lost it but I could see it under the boat swimming as if still hooked. It was, the line had snagged round the Oar rowlock, I managed to grab the line with one hand while getting the net and netting it with the other. A fish of about three-quarters of a pound this time. I decided to move along and fish the whole bay round to the narrow end where it goes into the marshy/shallow area. I changed my cast for a copolymer tippet and added a dropper with an Olive Klinkhammer with a bright pink post to the point with the Emersons fly on the dropper. I had one rise to my fly I think but I never felt it and never hooked it so either I missed or the fish did too!
After about three-quarters of an hour of this and a break for lunch, I decided to head back towards the mooring and have a last ten minutes at the “hotspot”. The rises were much rarer now but as I anchored up a fish rose obligingly near me. I cast but nothing doing. I decided to try back on the intermediate line and the PTN/ Hares Ear Nymph on the other rod as the last go.
Casting to where I saw a fish rise a couple of times but which wasn’t responding to the dries, I let the line sink a little then retrieved fairly briskly- it’s quite shallow and weedy here.
One more cast- nothing, time to call it a day, I started to wind on the slack to my reel and just then realised there was some resistance- then a take! Another three-quarter pounder on the Hares Ear this time but hooked quite deep. I managed to get it out with the forceps and he swam off OK.
I have to consider myself a bit Jammy with the last one! So three caught and one that got off- a brilliant half day again at Pendreich.
