It was the SCAC club day at Butterstone yesterday. Weather conditions started very like my previous visit with very bright sunshine and little breeze. Good for casting but probably not so good for fishing. The water too was rather murky looking, though close in it looked clear enough.
I was paired for the day with young Steve McVean, a “former” member of the Scottish International Youth Team, so as a relative newcomer/returner to the sport (me) I was sure I would learn a few things from him! I found it quite amusing to think that previous to my return to the sport in July 2010, probably around the last time I lifted a fly rod would have been just before Steven was born!
There were few fish moving early on ( as it was to be for almost all the day) and recounting how we did OK along the shore parallel to the lodge bank on my last visit, and as it was the only place I seen fish move we started there. I was on a floater and Steven on a Midge tip. I had a heavy point fly : a Beaded cats whiskers and a Cruncher and Diawl Bach on droppers. I think Steven was on Snatchers with a heavier point fly.
We never had a touch or follow so after a wee while we moved up nearer the Reeds on the South/West corner. I pretty soon swapped to an intermediate “slime” line and was by now on a small Chartreuse Booby on point, a buzzer and a Pennell variant on droppers with the booby being used to lift the flies out the weed. I had tried a FAB for a while previously but it was still snagging and not keeping my flies clean of the weed. I had a fairly subtle thump in one drift down on a slow retrieve and my first fish was on. It was out at distance on the take and put up a pretty good fight, so I decided not to rush it in, I have lost too many fish this year. It fought well above its weight as I reckon it wasn’t even a full 2lbs in weight having taken the Buzzer which dropped out in the net. I spooned the fish and it was full of small buzzers and what looked like a solitary shrimp.
I continued with this tactic and a wee while later a fish took with about as fierce a take as I think I have ever encountered it REALLY wanted the fly! This one was a bigger fish and fought very hard, it just did not like the look of the net and took my line a couple of times before being subdued enough to keep it near the boat where we eventually netted it. I reckon it was about 3 and a half pounds. It took what was essentially a Black Pennell but with a bright fluo lime green tail.
I was suffering a little with the aches and pains by now so offered to drive the boat while Steven fished ( and let him catch up ! 😉 ).
Having a rummage through Stevens serious box of competition blobs.
It took a few drifts but eventually Steven caught his first of two fish I think on blobs. He sensed the fish was there and held the line on the hang and had time to say to me : ” there is a fish there”. There was no “snatch”, just the sign of the rod slowly bending over as the fish took, an amazing sight! This and the later fish were for sitting under the boat and took a lot of pulling to get to the net. One was about 4lbs or so.
Steven and his second fish, a very nice Rainbow of about four and a half pounds
We moved round the Loch trying different areas, no area seemed more “on the fish” than any other and by the end of the day we were drifting right across the full width of the loch, both of us pulling blobs of varying colours on intermediate lines. On one retrieve as I was about to lift off I seen the flash of silver as a fish followed my blob right across in front of me. It lost interest as I stopped and then turned again as I tried to get a final tweak on the fly : It was as far as my arm range would allow but wasn’t taking. I cast out much the same line and did the same again and this time it took. I fought the fish for a minute or so and as it neared the boat it suddenly came off. A bit of a disappointment.
Not to worry Steven soon hooked a third and after a fair fight a bigger fish was netted, and very soon followed by a fourth , also a big fish. He had a very heavy bag for his four around 15lbs I think, my bag of two was exactly 5lb 8oz.
The club managed a creditable 24 fish for 67lbs- that’s a pretty high average weight, there were a few blanks not just among the club but generally amongst all the boats out on the water, it wasn’t an easy outing but fun all the same.
