With the weather being so good, you feel compelled to get out while the going is good. I was in two minds last night but my Mrs told me the weather isn’t to last, make the most of it, but the body was saying take a rest. Sore feet and sore hands needed the break. But as usual the heart ruled the head and I was out pretty sharp for a couple of evening hours on the River Carron.
Probably a dozen or so patterns, nothing worthwhile.
Once I had an hours fishing under my belt I was starting to wish I hadn’t bothered. Oh yeah I had found fish, and a couple of pretty decent ones too, in the run I selected for my ventures, but could I get a look? Nope. Initially I had made my way to a gravel bank to get set up and as I sat and was thinking about what to try, nymph or dry, large or small, with a decent fish rising not 15 feet away a few times I was leaning towards dry. Then a large stonefly nymph made itself known by climbing up my hand, I presume having emerged from the water and looking for somewhere to moult into a fly. I watched it for a bit and thought I had dropped it- it had tried to climb up the cuff of my jacket a few times which was a bit disconcerting. It got me thinking maybe a sedge pattern would be appropriate, so I tied on a CDC and Elk as a compromise between a sedge style and all round upwing, who knows what the fish were rising too- it was hard to tell.
As I tied it on I caught sight of a master at work, a flash of blue and a Kingfisher dived into the water about 10 feet away, emerging with a small fish and shot past me upstream. Why do I spot them when I don’t have my decent camera to hand!
My first cast the fish rose and swirled at it but the fly went untouched. I then caught something out the corner of my eye- it was the stonefly nymph crawling about under the peak of my cap- time to get off sonny!
It was about as close as I was to get all night. To anything decent anyway. I did manage one wee salmon parr eager for my Para Adams. I tried flies from the fairly large to the positively microscopic and various nymphs too, but not a touch. Another angler arrived and was fishing the same pool but he was fishing downstream swinging a wee black spider and PTN combo. He had slightly more luck hooking three fish but again all tiddlers. I told him where there was at least one decent fish and right enough he came across it as he proceeded down the pool but it never looked at his flies either. I was actually glad to pack it in fairly early, around 9, as I was now sore AND fed up! Tonight I did give it a rest!
