Made a deal with the devil to get today off in return for working sunday
so I could tube Loch Park while the conditions were (hopefully) good.
On the water for about 8.30, flat calm and a good few trout rising in the margins.
First response took a while but it was worth the wait a lovely brownie weighing 1.2lb
Got the camera out to discover it was wet as was more important stuff like ciggy papers
Back to car to dry camera, ditch sodden waistcoat life vest and restock the smokes department. Had my collar type lifejacket in the car so got that on and confidently back into the fray.
For those who know the loch I started from the carpark end. Their were trout moving all along by the railway shore with the occasional rise out in the loch.
Its weeding up as always but still possible to push through at the moment.
There was a big hatch of midge which was turning into a massive hatch by the minute with increasing fish activity.
I noticed a lot of rising fish out in open water so headed that way.
Guys I have never seen anything like it
The water was boiling all around me, but could I get a touch...not a one.
I spent the next 3 hrs chasing pods of rising fish flinging everything and anything at them without any response...
Its hard to leave boiling fish rises but I eventually moved back close to the shore and back into a fish on a hares ear nymph this time.
Told ye I was trying everything
Started to get a good few pulls and hookups but only landing about 1 out of every 7/8 takes. That was fun for a while but started getting a bit frustrating after a few hrs...
Few pics
Had forgotten sunblock so had nicely fried arms at this stage but that was about to change, feckin thunder in the distance and ominous clouds gathering.
By now I had travelled down the loch to where it opens out and deepens a bit so I was contemplating setting up with three wets. It had all been single fly up until now because the water is very weedy.
The rain arrived, gentle at first so fished away, first 10 or so casts with the wets got a rise or 2 each time but still they weren't hitting the fly like you would hope.
Then heard what I can only describe as a wall of water coming up the loch, I thought it was hailstones with the noise and splashes but thankfully it was rain. Cold torrential rain.
Fish were still taking in this so I plugged on but after 20 mins or so I was frozen, bank time.
I was bloody soaked, sunburnt and getting well pissed off with the lack of fish to hand for what must have been a 100 takes. Ciggy papers were wet again too...
But the fish were still rising.. Had a mooch about the bank and noticed a few sedges scuttling about so new line of attack. Red arsed green peter on the bob, Bibio in the middle and a sunburst picris dabbler on the point and back at it.
They liked it
well sorta, still getting hit after hit but not sticking, most of them anyway.
Then I struck into a big fish and It felt like a 2/3lbr, struck splash pull and gone, with my flies
I had seriously had enough now and it was time I should be going but the fish just kept rising so how could I leave.
Set back up with a similar set up and things seemed to improve for the next 2 hrs or so til I got broken again
and called it a day.
Sunburnt, soaking wet and minus several of my favourite flies but happy as could be
Reckon I landed about 15 or so, weighed a few at little over 3/4lb and had a few down to half lb.
Bonny fish from a great loch. Get up there before it chokes up with weed.
A trout rising in the background in this one