It was a nice warm sunny day today but a bit windy. I have been trying to get out walking to try get this daft leg moving and so decided to combine my need for exercise somewhere not too demanding, with doing a bit fly fishing for coarse fish. I bought a membership to the SCFA earlier in the year and today seemed like the ideal opportunity to head for the Forth and Clyde Canal and give it a go on my included canal fishing permit.
I decided I would fish light, and try maybe for Perch or Roach, if I could find any. My weapon of choice was to be my 3# Hanak rod, a long handled net, and some flies like nymphs, Black and Peacock spiders, as recommended by Dominc Garnetts book, Fly Fishing for Coarse Fish.
Minnows, Small Roach, Small Perch and other silver fish fry, a Smörgåsbord of fish in the margins
As I “struck out” along the towpath I was glad for having my polaroids as it made a world of difference in trying to spot fish. There were millions of small bait fish, I guess probably minnows but now and then you would encounter a small shoal of Perch, I stopped near the first shoal I found and tackled up, however in the time it took me to rig the 3 weight with line and a 2lb straight through leader the fish had vanished. I carried on an found a second group so prepared to cast. Just as I readied, a family of… Continue reading
When I was up at Pendreich yesterday I tried to walk a wee bit on my dodgy knee and it felt, well, not brilliant but tolerable-ish I think a mixture of the cortisone in my knee and the general steroid I got last week were helping a little. When I got up today it was lovely and warm and there was barely a breath of wind. Maybe not perfect stillwater conditions but prefect for a spot of burn fishing, I have really been keen to get out and have another go with the Tenkara rod since I got it, but my own immobility has held me back. But I decided, keep light, don’t go daft and go too far, frequent stops and I might be able to manage. I headed up the wee burn and with everything I needed in my rucksack/seat I took it gingerly down the valley following the burn. ( For what its worth, I am sat here now with a heat pack on my knee and feeling quite sore, so paying for it now!)
I borrowed my son’s hiking poles and this helped a lot. I eventually reached the first fishable pool and set up my Tenkara outfit with a 2lb tippet of Stroft ABR and an olive Sekasa Kebari style pattern. No fish were showing and my appearance upset a family of ducks who were swimming in the pool but they soon moved on and I had the place to myself.
It was warm but not overly bright and I felt there was a good… Continue reading
Fishing has been near impossible for me of late, but today with the nice weather and a bit heat, I felt I might be able to manage a short session up at the club water.
While there was bright sunshine there was also a fir bit cloud about and I figured there was a chance fish could be showing on top of the water. I wasn’t sure I would manage to cast though as my shoulders click and crack when moving my arms so I took the precaution of having a wee cast over the grass in front of the house and established that while it was a bit crunchy it wasn’t too sore.
I headed up and decided to I would limit my endeavours to fishing off the dam wall, never favourite for me but I need to make do with whatever I can these days. At least I can sit down here.
The boat looks great, but how on earth are you supposed to be able to get it in!?
A pair of anglers just leaving told me they had had three off the north bank all on Daddy Longlegs dries, and that fish were showing though mostly out in the deeper water. Fishing from the boat would have been ideal but for the life of me I still cannot understand how they got the newly refurbished boat out to the mooring keg and how you are meant to get it in to use it!
As I ascended the dam wall a fish moved on the limit of… Continue reading
Even thinking about fishing has been tough for me of late. I am struggling to walk and stand and the aches and pains are ubiquitous, its easier for me to say what doesn’t hurt than what does. Nothing.
I had a shot in my knee on Monday to help with that and while I don’t think its made a huge difference yet, it was a bit more tolerable on Tuesday and the wee niggly things like my fingers, elbows and shoulders were less aggravating, I felt if I fished light I would maybe manage a few hours out as long as I wasn’t fighting the wind. Tuesday was the hottest day of the year so far and I am dying to get out on the dry fly for some top of the water sport, so the plan was to have a go up at the club water where I could turn up, fish and if I was struggling, just hobble away with no issues over having paid money and not getting value.
It had got a little breezy as evening came and I was worried it might not be as nice up there as I hoped but I decided to head up anyway, and as I drove over the breeze seemed to die down again anyway, so set fair……. until I encountered a road closed sign at the foot of the hill leaving Bridge of Allan. I turned the car and headed for the alternate road up and would you beleive it, it was signed as closed too! I have… Continue reading
I went up to the club water yesterday afternoon for a couple of hours. I haven’t fished this week as frankly I am very sore and its all a bit of a struggle. I thought though I might manage a short time up there if the wind wasn’t too strong as I hoped to use a light line approach and hopefully dry fly tactics. Set up with a single Bobs Bits in black tied using Paul Davison of Troutwatch`s variant I headed for the south bank away from other anglers and with the breeze coming over my left shoulder. There was nothing showing but tons of fly life on the water. Some big olive coloured daddy long legs were especially apparent. After about ten minutes my attention was drawn to a fish rising about 40 yards away off the dam wall. After it rose a third time and then jumped I decided to go cover it. From the dam wall it was still a long cast away but the wind was right behind me. After a few casts in the general vicinity of the rise I spotted the fish. It was sitting with my fly right at the end of its nose. I patiently did nothing and it continued to sit there not more than one inhale from my fly. It continued to stay just/short of the fly so I decided a twitch might be in order. The fly moved and the fish backed off then returned under the fly. I twitched it again and the fish spooked. Another cast… Continue reading
It’s the end of a call out week and the sun has shone most of today ( not that its been massively warm ) but it was pleasant. There was still a bit of a breeze and not being brave enough to try to conquer the loch up the hill again after last night’s battle against a gale, I decided to have a couple of hours on the wee ponds at Swanswater.staying well down.
It was very quiet though again there was still that slightly cold wind guiding your actions so I decided to fish from the North side of the Meadow Pond with the wind coming over my right shoulder from behind me. Not ideal but not unmanageable.
When I was buying my ticket Alastair was saying the fish were still well down. I wanted to fish buzzers and wanting to make a start but having a slightly too short top dropper on the leader I had on my floating line I fished a hare’s ear gold bead on a jig hook on point and an olive buzzer on the dropper 3 feet above. The idea of the jig hook was to allow me to fish on the bottom without snagging as the ponds are not “that” deep.
The big bushy Stimulator stands out with two buzzers beneath
Second cast I had a knock, then a few more casts and another knock. I felt maybe the fish were not “convinced” so I pulled in the leader, sorted out all the sections so I had two droppers and a point… Continue reading
See what I did there?
It was later this afternoon and I was having a wee break from an all day on line training course/Webex and noticed the sun shining. I went and sat on the doorstep in the sun. It was actually warm.
There wasn’t much wind, I hoped it might actually be a nice night to wet a line…… maybe even get some dry flies out. As I am still on-call and I don’t like chancing commercial waters on such days in case the pager goes I went up to the club water. I knew it might not be so warm up there but hopefully still nice enough for some good sport.
I arrived there and yes it was still sunny. But on looking over the dam wall there was a strong easterly howling down the loch. Sometimes the wind drops as the evening progresses I thought optimistically. One other angler was already there.
I started with bushy wet flies on a floating line but soon realised that this stiff breeze was not far short of a light gale and it got stronger and stronger as time progressed. In fact it was absolutely freezing too. I fished down the North bank but as I progressed it became harder and harder to control the line, not in the cast so much as the loose line as you retrieved, it got more tangled round bushes, reeds and other hazards, not just the odd snag but nasty tangles lifted by the wind.
The other angler braved the South bank after a… Continue reading
Today was the club’s outing to Linlithgow. I haven’t been to Linlithgow for a while, it was late in the 2011 when I last fished there, the weather had been mostly rubbish and the water was literally green with an algae bloom that turned your flies to green sludge with an embedded hook. However once you located fish, it fished well enough and I had a good day all things considered. Hopefully though this time the conditions might be better.
As we got our boats I could see the water was very coloured up, I reckon there was no more than 2-3 feet visibility judging by when I lost sight of even very bright flies.
There were loads of Buzzer shucks near the mooring pontoons so I made my mind up this would be the main thrust of my tactics. It was reasonably fair at the start with a westerly breeze and a bit of a wave. I set up with a sink tip and three buzzers, mostly black and green variants.
I started over the opposite side from the lodge near the far bank and fished down a reasonable distance but had nothing. Then down by the island, again nothing. I decided maybe I was fishing too shallow so changed to a slow intermediate line,
Nothing.
Then a change to a Di5, a booby on point and a couple of buzzers on droppers so giving me depth but keeping the flies off the bottom.
Persisting down and blowing hard. Was glad for my EWS2 jacket.
Nothing. by now about… Continue reading
Spent a few hours on Bank holiday Monday up at Pendreich. It seemed Ok in the shelter of the dam wall but it was very windy and the place was pretty busy too with 7 or 8 anglers on the water. Most had chosen to fish from the dam wall or with the wind from their backs on the South bank so I opted to be obtuse and fished into the wind from the North bank. It wasnt unmanageble using a heavier rod and I covered most of the bank but never seen or touched a fish the entire time. I never seen anyone else get anything either though I know that Willie, who has been fishing a float tube this season got one on a PTN before I arrived.
I left with a second blank to my name just as another friend, Will arrived. I don’t know how he fared but the fish weren’t making themselves known I never seen anything in the book tonight suggesting he had success.
I currently treat each session fishing like it might be my last for a while at present, so nights like this even if a bit windy are quite special.
Today has been an entirely different picture on the weather front, I guess you could say we had Summer. Probably downhill from here, all the way. ( I shouldn’t joke- its probably true).
I went up this evening hoping for some still, warm conditions and the hope of seeing fish to target on top.
It wasn’t cold but boy was it… Continue reading
Went up to Pendreich this afternoon. It was fairly mild and dare I say it a little muggy down at the house though there was a bit of a breeze and the clouds kept threatening to dump big style. But after setting up my rods and lines at home, I put them in the car ready set up and went up to have a couple of hours sport ( I hoped). I got up there, and it was very windy, very grey, very coldand not very appealing to be frank. Not a fish was showing and the only angler catching was the Osprey which made an appearance a few minutes after I finished chatting to a couple of elderly ramblers who were asking if there was an Osprey here. I just commented I had not seen it this year, they walked off and the Osprey appeared, diving down from about 200 feet to grab a fish out in the middle, but it couldn’t hold it and it appeared to drop it again.
Did better than me anyway, not so much as a pull and tried wets and nymphs. One of the other club members, who I have mentioned here, Will appeared just after me and he ( surprisingly) managed to turn a fish on a small brown dry spider but in the shelter of the end of the dam wall, but it never connected for him. ( I think he was a surprised as the fish.)
A tree blown over in the last week
If there is any doubt as… Continue reading
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