I had the chance to get a boat on Lake of Menteith for Sunday evening, and originally the intention was to take my son out as he usually enjoys being out on the boat on a Summers evening. He wasn’t however, very keen and I was going to go myself.  On Saturday afternoon though, while I was doing some chores in the front garden, a fellow member of Stirling Castle Angling Club, who lives in the flats behind my house was passing and stopped for a blether. We chatted about the fishing up at Pendreich and I asked him ( Will)  if he had ever fished “The Lake“. As he hadn’t and I had the space, I invited him along, and so the pair of us headed out on Sunday, on what looked might be a reasonable evening.

Hopes were dashed however as we motored out into Gateside bay and a fair chop got up,  with a  stiff wind blowing in from the East, never a good direction. The plan was to fish the bay and maybe round to the Malling shore. Recent reports said this was the area holding fish and certainly the wind favoured that. Then the tiller arm nearly fell off! So ten minutes were spent trying to get it back on ( bear in mind this is a private boat not a fishery boat!). Semi-sorted we motored out into the bay to wet a line then moved up to the Malling shore.

A few boats were there already hugging the reeds on the bank. We tried to get in close too but the presence of other boats made it tricky and we were having problems getting the boat to drift in a straight line. It meant me on the left end of the boat was having to cast over my left shoulder to stop hitting myself with my own flies, and Will was having probs keeping his line away from himself too. We had a few drifts but never raised any interest despite a few fish being taken on some of the other boats. They wer epulling quite hard but what I don’t know. I started on a sink tip with a Booby on point and a Cruncher and Diawl Bach on droppers, and I think Will had a few wets on his cast attached to a floating line. I was getting in a right mess with three flies at times so had to adjust things to two flies to reduce the hassle in the strong wind.

It was all getting a bit tiresome and after a few drifts and fly swaps we opted to head for the shelter of Sandy bay- Ok it might have fewer fish but it might offer some respite from the wind and a chance to try a dry fly. And then the tiller arm started to fall off again- more faffing about with forceps and multitool. Once underway we reached the shelter of Sandy Bay. Right enough it was very calm here and the odd fish was rising, and we swapped onto full floaters and dries. However we never had so much as a sniff of interest in the hour or so we spent in the tranquility of the bay. We seen the Osprey have a fish though.

Will drives the boat ( or tries to keep the tiller from falling off!)

Will drives the boat ( or tries to keep the tiller from falling off!)

For our last hour we decided the wind looked to have dropped and to head to the Malling shore again. One more tighten up of the tiller arm and we crossed the Lake back to the point above Gateside Bay for a couple of final drifts.   The wind did not seem quite so stiff at first on motoring out but the further over we got the more it blew up and to be honest once we set up to drift and fish it was barely better than before. I never had so much as a touch, by this time fishing first a JC Cormorant and then a homemade creation I will call a Leggy, Cats Whiskers Nomad. Will turned a fish right at the edge of the reeds near the end of the drift but whether he missed the take or simply pulled it from the eager fish I dunno- I half seen the fish turn  and that was that. It was getting dark and still blowing so time to call it a night. Was nice to be out and I think Will enjoyed the outing, just a pity it wasnt the usual settled conditions I pick for these outings.