Weekends that is! This last week hasn’t on the whole been as bad as usual on the aches and pains front ( for some reason) and come Sunday I felt I could probably throw a line out. The weather wasn’t as dry as I hoped and having got caught up in helping a friend ( remotely) with an internet techy issue, time was running out. I had sort of half hoped to head to Orchil for a couple of hours but as the time was pushing on to 2 in the afternoon that wasn’t going to be feasible. Damn you short days! I do feel though that late Autumn fly-fishing can bring amazing sport, the fish are still packing it on for the winter, the water is cold but not cold enough yet to slow them right down and it’s really just a case of gritting the teeth, dressing for the elements, and finding the fish.

I then thought of nipping up to Wellsfield but then remembered it’s not C&R and I don’t have a use for the fish at present, so sod it back to Swanswater. Nothing wrong with old Swanswater, I just like a change. It was about quarter past the hour when I arrived and no one was about to get a permit so I tackled up and had no one appeared I would leave a note at the counter and pay up when I was leaving. I was sure Alastair would be OK, however Alan who is usually there on weekdays turned up, so I got my ticket and just decided on fishing the small ponds, not done that for ages.

The water was glassy smooth but thinking that the fish would probably be deeper anyway I did not think that would be an issue and was rigged up with an intermediate line, a hot head damsel on the point and a snatcher on the dropper. A cast round a few times in an arc got nothing but it was obvious the fish weren’t actually that deep. There were tell-tale swirls of fish taking something just beneath the surface. It was very much like what you hope to see in summer time.  I could not see any signs of obvious insect activity but decided to split my chances. I left the line on but put a very buoyant, floating fry pattern on point. It has a bit white in it which in the flat grey light I think helps, a bit movement from the tail and it fishes like a lure but is always tending towards the surface. I didn’t think for a moment though the fish were crashing fry.

I cast out and the line didn’t shoot right. There was a pile of spaghetti round my feet so I was trying to sort this out, and as I looked back up at the place my fly landed I could see the receding rings of a fish that had obviously had a look! Darn. I cast around in an arc for another 5-10 minutes and had nothing and was just thinking about a change when the line ever so gently tightened, I lifted and was into number one a nice brightly coloured Blue trout about 2 lbs, hooked in the lip, and quickly released to fight another day. I wasnt convinced the fly was the way to go though and despite sticking with it another 5 minutes had no more interest yet fish were swirling all over.

I decided ( maybe foolishly you might think) to put on a floater and stick a shuttlecock emerger on point and a small Shipman’s on the dropper. The line was thoroughly decreased with the Troutwatch density mud- I love this stuff and cast out. Almost right away there was a swirl at the point fly but no actual take,  the fish though clearly were looking up and were interested. After about 10 minutes and a hobble back to the lodge for a cup of coffee, I still hadn’t had an actual offer though a few fish had definitely looked at the fly. It was a  bit waterlogged so I decided to bring it in, and change it. I changed to a three fly set up putting another smaller but more robust and visible “Sugar cube” emerger on the top dropper and two small buzzers, a small bloodworm and an Okey Dokey on the point.

I also moved to the other side. It looked like easier reach to the majority of the swirling fish. I cast out and right away there was a swirl at the dry, I thought the fish had taken and lifted but for a second the line felt little real resistance, then the resistance came and a fish was on, a nice wee Rainbow. It was fighting a bit odd though, not like a fish hooked in the tail but not in the normal way either. Also I thought it was on the Sugar cube buzzer, but as it got close I could see that wasn’t the case at all, it was on the bloodworm. In fact it was foul hooked in the belly! I think it had went for the dry, and either missed or refused it, I lifted it and snagged the unfortunate fish in the midriff. As soon as I got it in the hook popped right out and the fish was away. So a sort of vindication of fishing the dry if somewhat unconventional.

Next cast the line straightened out almost as soon as it hit the water and another fish was on, this time another Rainbow was on and it has the bloodworm again well down in the gill rakers. I was just about to cut the line and leave the hook when it popped out, and the fish was away. It was a great wee two-hour session, it was by now getting dark, and though it was far from warm I wasn’t feeling the cold and could have fished on another hour I felt. Beats being stuck in the house in front of the telly even if it looks grim outside.

Sorry I don’t have any pics from this outing, I took a few but they came out a bit rubbish, should have spent more time sorting out the camera settings before I started fishing.