CROWN FLY FISHERS

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FISHERY REPORTS 2008

 

PINBRAID FISHERY - 15/03/08.... A damp but mild day with an easterly breeze, not too bad for the first outing of the season considering recent weather conditions. Sixteen members attended and were not to be disappointed as fish after fish came to the net in the first hour. In fact quite a few rods had their bag limit of four fish within this period. The right hand bank was fishing particularly well and a Cats Whisker or Yellow Dancer on a slow intermediate line proved to be the method that brought the best results. As the morning wore on fish were up on top, a tiny black smut enough to provoke interest and although a few anglers tried dry fly this option was unsuccessful. Buzzers, Bloodworm variations and mini lures under a sighter took their fair share especially when the wind dropped away as it did on several occasions during the session. In the afternoon fish were harder to come by and long spells occurred when nothing seemed to get a response. Of the fourteen anglers with a limit bag Robert Irvine's weight of 11:15 for four was best. This included the days heaviest at 3:12. Stewart Wallace was second at 11:08 and Hugh Skeoch third at 10:12. The final total of rainbows at the weigh in was sixty two and this was only two fish short of a club limit. Other patterns worth a mention were the Green Pea, Blobs of various colours and Black Rabbit. A couple of nice browns were returned with Alex Watson having one around the 5:00 mark and Dougie Hek returned a large rainbow after reaching his limit. A highly recommended fishery well worth a visit.

Scott McDade about to net a Pinbraid rainbow

LAKE of MENTIETH - 30/03/08....Club members Scott McDade and Robin Brazier made the trip to the Lake on opening weekend and had an enjoyable day with a few fish thrown in for good measure. Conditions were good and a steady south westerly meant a nice wave pushing the boat from Stable Point round into Gateside Bay, the first drift of the day. Both rods were loaded with DI-3 lines and Yellow Dancers on the point. Cormorants and Orange Blob patterns completed the set up. The first drift saw Robin land a nice blue and Scott a rainbow, as other fish were hooked and lost and a few missed it was decided to concentrate on this area and repeat drifts were made throughout the day some down as far as the Rookery. Scott finished with five rainbows for 10:08 and Robin three for 8:00 with at least another fifteen showing some form of interest in the flies. Robin thought he had hooked the fish of a lifetime after striking at a take he quickly found himself down to the backing and then to the bare spool before he could retrieve any line. A very tiring forty minutes later he boated a nice pike in the twelve pound range that had been hooked in the tail, hence the terrific battle that followed. After a couple of pictures the fish was safely returned. The last hour was spent in International Bay but no further fish were caught. Looking at the returns in the lodge afterwards eight fish proved to be a good return with a lot of boats only managing one or two.

Robin Brazier with a bonus from Mentieth

LOCH AWE - 12/04/08....Snow remained on the tops of nearby mountains as fourteen members attended the first boat outing of the season to this beautiful loch in the south west highlands. At the start of the session the surface of the loch was like a mirror but at least it was dull and not too cold. All the boats apart from one headed to the popular drifts around the islands at the northern end of the loch with only Scott McDade and Rab Brazier opting for a long motor to the islands near Portinisherrich. A DI-3 line with two traditional's on the droppers and a mini lure on the point was the set up most favoured at the start of the session and the dull conditions meant small pods of trout could be seen cruising around picking off black buzzers just under the surface. Tam Campbell picked up two fish quickly close to one of the islands on an Ace of Spades, the first was the best of the day at 1:01 1/2. Shortly after this the sun came out and the fish went down. For the rest of the day everyone struggled and following the fish down anglers changed to DI-7, Cortland 6 and HI DI lines. While some did not touch a fish all day others had missed opportunities and Tam lost another two, one on a Gold Humungus. Scott McDade won his first club outing after coming very close in previous years and his three fish weighed in at 1:13 1/2. Scott had two rainbows and these fish farm escapees are capped at 12ounces with only two allowed per angler. His winning tactics were to cast over rising fish (a rare event due to the sun) and try to entice them into taking. Stewart Wallace and Colin Hek continued their excellent start both with two fish and finishing third and fourth respectively. Only ten fish were brought to the weigh in and top pattern was the Red Tail Kate.

 

RIVER CLYDE - LAMINGTON - 19/04/07....A very strong, cold, easterly wind coupled with bright spring sunshine didn't fill the five members who fished this popular beat with confidence as they set out. Casting a fly was near impossible on some parts of the river and only a short stretch above and below Wolfclyde Bridge gave the anglers respite from the constant buffeting of the wind. When the March Browns started to hatch in large numbers in the early afternoon this was the place to be as fish came up consistently and Hugh Skeoch managed to take a couple of nice trout on dry olive patterns. It was a different story on other parts of the beat and Bill Hunter did well to hook a few smaller fish on a Gold Head Hare's Ear and Partridge and Orange fished down and across. Gordon Turnbull had a nice grayling in the Rock Hole area and Bill picked up the best of the day a fish around the pound mark just below Wolfclyde Bridge as the March Brown hatch tailed off.

Gordon Turnbull braves the cold easterly wind that kept trout from rising to large hatches of March Browns

 

RIVER DEVRON -24 & 25/04/08....Club member, Bill Hunter, took a trip to the Highlands and fished the River Deveron at Huntly over two days.  Many thanks to Chris at Sharpes Factory for his advice and help, which was "spot on". Despite the blustery conditions, sporadic hatches occurred throughout the afternoon.  Large Dark Olives and March Browns were the main flies on the water.  The river was about the size of the Irvine, but with deep streams and runs that are perfect cover for big trout.  It was no surprise that the five fish that Bill caught and returned ranged between a pound and two and half pounds.  Four fell to a large dark Klinkhammer and one to a GRHE.  The GRHE required a fast sink poly leader to get it down quickly enough.  The day was rounded off with a nice sea trout on a dry fly. Conditions the next day were better, less windy and warmer, but the hatch was not as strong.  Bill missed a few good chances and only caught two much smaller trout before setting off on the four hour drive back to Dreghorn.  Paul, another angler fishing the same stretch that day (and a Crown Fly Fishers reader), had a better day. He caught and returned a three and a half pound brownie early in the afternoon.

Bill with a cracking brownie from the lovely River Devron (right)

RIVER CLYDE - LAMINGTON - 25/04/08....Gordon Turnbull and Hugh Skeoch were back on the Clyde near Biggar for what turned out to be an unforgettable days sport. In near perfect conditions with good hatches of March Browns and Dark Olives fish were up feeding in large numbers and a well presented dry fly was enough to at least encourage hungry trout to have a look. Gordon in particular had a day he will never forget with his best trout (pictured below) near the four pound mark, another two over three pounds and four between one and two pounds. All these fish were returned to the river. He spent twenty minutes covering the big fish with various patterns before it took a size twelve Dark Olive Klinkhammer and the three point nine bs Varivas line held out as the big brownie made its bid for freedom. Even though this area around Wolfclyde Bridge is heavily fished large trout are taken regularly but usually in the evening and not the middle of the day.

 

Gordon with his four pounder from the Clyde

 

RIVER CLYDE - LAMINGTON - 27/04/08....A week on and this time a strong westerly wind played havoc with the usually straightforward procedure that is casting a fly. The rain that was forecast quickly died away and in the rare sheltered spots conditions were not bad at all. Ron Chesney on the top of the beat and Bill Hunter upstream of the ford found that weighted nymphs fished down and across had fish interested from the off. Ron on a small black nymph with a tungsten bead at the head and Bill on a Gold Rob Hare's Ear with a gold head. At one point Bill's three piece rod became four as the middle section broke while playing a decent fish which escaped in the process. Other anglers were having their share of sport with trout and grayling in good numbers, these smaller fish attacking spiders and small nymphs. Around lunchtime saw the first sustained hatch of olives and a few fish came up offering sport with the dries. Shortly after this the first March Brown hatch arrived and like the week before although there was thousands of these flies on the water very few fish seemed interested but a few big trout could be seen sipping them down in sheltered back eddies. The sun appeared at four o clock and effectively ended fishing fir the day. Only seven takeable fish were caught Ron with two at 2:13, including the best at 1:10, Bill with two at 2:07 and Hugh Skeoch two at 2:06. Partridge and Orange, Partridge and Yellow and a variety of dry olive Klinkhammers worked best.

The Clyde downstream (left) and upstream of Wolfclyde bridge