Friday
My intent was to get out on Friday as I had a long weekend booked off work, however weather, and unfortunately work, conspired against me. I had the Friday off right enough but the weather was rubbish and because of issues at work I ended up having to work Saturday, and today Sunday. Pah.
Remarkably still Pendreich, though heavy rain
I did take a walk up Pendreich on Friday just to drop something off and stretch the legs a bit. I was talking to one of the fellow members who I met on the road up as he was leaving. He said the conditions despite the by now pouring rain, hadn’t been too bad ( it seemed quite squally even on the roadside here) but he said no fish had been found.
I decided to park at the foot of the access track and walk up and when I got their it was actually perfectly fish-able if a bit on the wet side. Even that eased off about 15 minutes later and I was kicking myself I hadn’t driven all the way up as I had my gear in the car, even half an hour would have been something.
Saturday
So Saturday as I say I had to be up sharp for work ( really just a Clerk of Works type activity) and the days activities were finished surprisingly early, around 2pm so I decided I had to get out, it was reasonably bright out. However it was pretty windy and to ensure I didn’t have a wasted trip I opted for the River Carron.
River Carron
I just went down to Denny as it was fairly close and as it turned out I never seen any other fly anglers. The conditions were really not too bad, the river had a good amount of water so the long glide along Winchester Avenue was a fairly even 2 feet or so deep with a pretty brisk pace. The wading was pretty easy though it did get “challenging” as you moved upstream towards the faster water.
I started with a team of spiders ( as you do at this time of year- it almost seems like tradition) I prefer to fish them on a fairly short line, about a rod length and a half out beyond the tip, on a fairly longish leader and I put a small beaded spider on point just to get the flies under the surface on the drift down. There is nothing wrong letting them swing through at the end of the drift too if you prefer.
I never encountered any fish though did get a few annoying snags on clumps of weeds and riverbed rocks. These seen me having to venture out to where I would rather not tread to recover flies, as I was only fishing 3lb nylon, I wanted to avoid getting broken off and losing flies I had just tied.
Enjoying a cast but hope of catching was by now low!
There were lots of overhanging trees and was rather pleased I managed to avoid them… that didn’t last though. The next glide has a fairly deep slower corner that drops through a couple of pools, one is very short and deep and I have encountered fish here, the other looks as fishy as anything but I have never had a touch there before. The slower deeper water seems to be the “popular” spot and right enough as I was getting there a youngster appeared and started chucking a spinner through this water. That probably put paid to any likelihood of success for me unless any fish there were particularly gormless, but I was here now so gave it a go. The deep pool had water that was steaming through at a fast pace and you really could not see in to it. Avoiding the overhanging trees was a problem too. I changed set up to a heavy point bug and this was getting me down OK but I did manage to become ensnared around twigs and branches but by sheer dogged persistence did manage to recover my flies on the numerous occasions the point fly wrapped itself around a branch aided by the momentum of its weight.
Still no fish.
Stone Chucker
At the slower water it was time to rest the feet for 10 mins and having been thrashed to death by the youngster, I seen no harm in “resting the water”15 mins or so while I changed flies again. There was a splash and next thing a guy maybe as much as late 20’s appeared, beer can in hand, and started chucking stones in the water. I think the endeavour was to skim them over the flatter water but frankly he should have stayed in the pub or in front of the TV with his beer, as his skimming skills were frankly up his arse. I watched him carefully select a stone checking it for roundness and flatness then chuck it in the water with a vague skimming motion which really was more of a lob. It appeared the beer was affecting his motor skills, or he had two left hands as they say.
These efforts though all but destroyed any chance of a fish, but it was too late in the day to move on so after he had moved on with his Stella I gave the flies a swim through trying to reach the far side where any fish that might have found shelter from the lengths of spinning shiny metal, and then stones, might still have been hiding. This though did require me to get my flies under the odd overhanging branch and again I did become ensnared on one or two but again, got free, and from the river bed hazards too.
So no fish, but no lost flies, and I have wet my first line for the new season. Where ever you are I hope the new season is a success for you.just
