I have not been out fishing for a good few weeks. The weather has been truly awful, the arthritis has not been good and my one long time planned outing to Swanswater’s annual charity fishing competition ( I might have managed 3-4 hours at a push) I ended up waking up on the 27th with a tummy bug.
Number 2 trouser devastation
Any attempt to fish might have ended up with a horrific scene of number 2 devastation on the banks of one of Scotland’s most scenic small water fisheries. Spent most of that day in bed in the end.
Yesterday though the weather looked fairly settled, I was aware of the likelihood of rain later on so after dropping off my son at his Saturday job I was ready to head up for a couple of hours though I wasnt sure if I could hold a rod…. nothing ventured nothing gained.
My last couple of outings up to Swanswater have not been successful, mostly not even getting a touch, so surely today had to be better. One can only hope.
It was very mild and still as I tackled up, and though the car park was pretty full Alastair said there were not too many up the main loch so I purchased a two-hour ticket for the main water. I think I make things hard for myself being limited to two hours, sometimes you need that time to get an idea of what fish are taking but also the fish can turn on and off in that sort of time. Get the timing wrong ( and who is to know honestly at this time of year) and it can be fruitless.
Wind- not the trouser kind thankfully
Walking up to the main loch, suddenly as if from no where a bit of a wind got up and it was pretty strong. I planned fishing from the east bank but it looked like this was going to be right into the teeth of the wind. I stopped beyond the big tree one peg down from the boat mooring and decided to give it a try. Actually although there was wind that appeared to be in my face in fact it was swirling, probably in the lee of the big trees behind and was actually more of a help than a hinderance. I say that though on occasions throughout my session the wind would catch the line and my flies would end up in the tree or bushes on my right.
I started with a slime line and a Chartreuse and Black lure and a red Diawl Bach on dropper on a pretty long leader. Two flies was enough in the conditions. After a few casts I realised that being near the tree was not good, as I managed to get my point fly inextricably embedded in one of the branches so after retrieving my line I moved one peg up towards the boat mooring.
Follow
With a small unweighted hot head damsel replacing my point fly I recast and almost right away I had a fish follow it all the way in. In fact the fish looked for all the world like a very large Perch, I say very large, I am talking in the order of 3lbs as it flared its gills and fins as my fly slowed towards the end of the retrieve. I could hold it no more and the fish bolted. There are Perch up there but normally a 1lb one would be a giant. It was probably a Tiger trout of decent proportions but hard to see.
First fish of the year
Tiger fell to a Bloodworm pattern
A few more casts and right at the start of my retrieve I felt what initially seemed like weed dragging on the line- there is a lot of weed still on the bottom this winter, then it dragged again and I was a bit slow to realise there was in fact a fish on. Once it decided to move and jump a good 25 yards out it was obvious to all! I felt it wasn’t likely to be well hooked and so it proved as it came off and my flies ended in a heap in the reeds to my left. It was on the Damsel and the hook was debarbed so probably contributed to the remote release. I decided to swap the dropper for a red bloodworm pattern. It’s usually a good pattern this time of year, lots of movement. Almost right away I had another tug but this time it stuck on. It put up an unusually short fight for the type of fish but I bagged a 2 lb 8 oz Tiger, and a more perfect Tiger I have not seen. Full tailed and very bright markings, a stunner, on the bloodworm.
Once dealt with the very next cast I had a couple of tentative tugs. I cast again and this time hooked a Rainbow that initially came in right to the net almost but on first sight of it, bolted and so I had to decide to play it out. I could see the Bloodworm in the tip of its mouth, it did not look well hooked at all but it stayed on for the first run and I felt I was in control. It was splashing round a bit on the surface but I had fairly heavy leader on and felt I could bully it a bit though was conscious it had done a good job of tangling up the leader round itself. Not to worry, almost in the net……. and then it wasn’t….. it came off! Just as I was about to net it.
Had the sport
Oh well I had the sport from it, so can’t complain. I fished on a wee while in the ever strengthening wind and the loch soon became empty of other anglers fed up fighting it. It looked for all the world like I was fishing right into it, indeed the waves were coming towards me, but by some quirk of local geography most casts were being wind assisted and I was getting lots of line out and straightening it out not too bad!
Towards the end interest dried up so decided to have 20 minutes on one of the wee ponds before calling it a day. Nice to start the year with a fish and a bit sport
