On arrival at the water today things didn’t look promising. The rain was chucking it down , there was virtually no wind and the midgies were clearly having their end of season celebrations. Oh and the boat was 2/3’s full of rainwater. I considered my options over a cuppa under the cover of the car’s hatchback door. It was inevitable I knew that I would have a go. It took an hour or so to put on waterproofs, set up the rods , retrieve the boat, bale it and load it up. The midgies had left their mark on me but as I rowed way from the mooring I felt encouraged by the beginnings of a westerly wind.
I started with a floating line with a team of three flies – Blue Loch Ordie, Bibio and a Daddy on the point. My second rod had an intermediate line and a small lure, that I do not know the name of – a long brown hackle over a silver ribbed Black seals fur body. The intermediate was a size 7 Cortland 444 Camo line that I had acquired via eBay in brand new condition. It’s a pleasure to cast and must be one of the best lines I’ve used. I love a bargain and am happy to use decent 2nd hand gear rather than rushing to buy new gear. I hate our throwaway society but that’s a whole other post.
I dropped anchor off a reed bed and began. The wind had not settled and the boat moved round as I cast. Everything looked good but nothing showed any interest in my team of wet flies. I gave it half an hour then switched tactics to the intermediate and single lure. This produced a couple of half hearted pulls and a follow from what I think was an unconvinced rainbow trout. The wind was setting in to the moderate westerly that had been expected and I moved further along the weed bed and dropped anchor once more. I continued with the lure but nothing. Switching to the floating line set up again I missed a lively rattle that I cursed myself for. Then nothing as the wind dropped. I poured more tea and took in my surroundings. I always find this water absorbing. I lay back and watched a buzzard soaring above me – magic!
I decided on a change of lure and tried a small green Damsel with an orange bead.
The Damsel produced another follow and a firm thump but ultimately nothing more. Today was to be a short session due to family commitments so after a quick sandwich I decided to try a team of wets on the intermediate line. A Blue Zulu up top, Kate McLaren in the middle and a Bloody Butcher on the point. After a couple of casts I moved a fish and a few casts later I was finally in. A solid sub surface hit on the edge of the reed bed was followed by a hard diving fight from a wild brownie around the half pound mark. It had taken the Blue Zulu, an old favourite and it was good to get a trout in the net finally.
As the clock ran down I had no further success but as always I had enjoyed my few hours in this special place away from the hustle and bustle. In my first full season on these waters every day is a school day!
Argyll Trout Fisher 