2020- that might have been it!

Whether any further fishing will happen this year is unclear but doubtful, and this is rightly so as we all try to survive the Coronavirus Pandemic. The frustration of not being able to fish after a long closed season is of course nothing compared to the gravity of the life and death situation we find ourselves in. It is essential that we anglers respect the rules and by behaving responsibly and carefully there will be other seasons I hope and pray.

   I was fortunate enough to get a couple of short outings last week before the current restrictions. I have access to some new waters this year having joined my local club and it was to one of them I went eager with anticipation. Normally I would wait till a bit later to start fly fishing but a mixture of anticipation and concern took me out to the wee Lochan to kick off my season earlier than usual. My first visit was a little desperate as the weather was fairly awful. Blustery with continuous rain , the wind was blowing straight down the Lochan away from the shelter and safety of the boat hut. The water was new to me although I had fished it a good number of years before. I only managed a few casts before realising that my eagerness had saw me underestimate the conditions. I returned to the boat house and put it down to the first of many ‘school days’ I tend to need before achieving any level of competence on a water. My second foray onto the water saw me approach it with more caution. Even this early there are weed beds to negotiate and shallows to pinpoint and in today’s weather drifts that were again a bit too fast to fish fully. I was also experimenting with the best outfit to use. I usually take two setups if boat fishing on my own. The 10 footer with an 8 line was in retrospect a little heavy ! I collect vintage tackle and the 8 foot E.R. Craddock I had recently acquired for buttons was lovely to cast and appeared perfectly adequate even in a fresh wind. I was encouraged to see quite a few fish moving and a hatch of olives so early in the season. Foolishly I had not brought a floating line, imagining a couple of sinkers and an intermediate would be appropriate a few days into the Brown Trout season in Scotland . Having had no offers to a Bibio, Kate McLaren, Zulu’s , Black Pennel and a Damsel I tried a wee black spider with a blae wing and had some immediate responses. A couple of wee pulls were followed by a lively if small Brownie  to open my account for the year. Having reached the top of the Lochan I repositioned the boat to have another go at what had been a good drift. Drifting smartly over a clump of weed and shallow water gave me a fleeting few casts at where some trout were clearly feeding, just where the water deepened. Bang ! The same fly in the same place followed by a decent fight from a half pounder in very good condition. 

  I carefully returned the fish to the water and all too soon my session was over. Given other commitments and the ever freshening wind and rain this had been a short but satisfying early season outing.
Whether it will be the one and only outing for this season time will tell.

Argyll Trout Fisher.