Fishing The Fly Scotland
Index => Rivers & Lochs => Topic started by: Howard & Stuart on 12/11/2019 at 13:50
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Down Lochter way last week the talk of the bothy, especially after last weeks rain was the important matter of the ‘waterproof jacket’. There was much evidence of jacket having been re-proofed using the latest ‘Martian’ technology on a cycle that even your washing machine didn’t know existed. For many fishermen there is the mindset that ‘there’s another winter left in it’ until the inevitable seepage and discomfort quickly disproves the theory. This then leads to the grim task, for a fisherman, of parting with hard earned money lured by the advertising Nirvana of ‘breathable dryness’.
In the bothy there was fond reminiscence of yesteryear when an oilskin jacket and polo neck sweater was the only layering you had but affectionately remembered was the then ubiquitous ‘wax jacket’.
These jackets were probably deliberately designed to leak at the seams and no matter what you did, the pockets always had the ability to fill and hold water. We won’t even go into the fun of its annual re-waxing as the dexterity needed to put it on on a frosty morning when the wax had hardened and then seemed to enjoy soaking any modicum of heat from your body.
Heady days of hardy anglers – “Breathable dryness!” – it will never catch on!
On the fishing front, the reasonable weather brought fishers out from far and wide – even from Macduff. Two famous residents of that burgh Ronnie Ewen and Sandy Brown had a fine 6 hour session when they caught 11 and 7 fish respectively, all on a selection of cormorant colours.
Peter Young on his two outings fished the Muckle Troot on a sinking lure with blobs and the method rewarded him with double figures on both occasions. Also on double figures were Paul Sharp who fished bright coloured buzzers, Neil Garden using either bloodworm or white lures, Paul Ingram fished a bloodworm and buzzer combination and one of his fish was a lovely 8lb specimen.
Others on double figures were I. Lindsay on the cats whiskers with 2 of his fish being about the 10lb mark, S. Mcgowan used either the cats whiskers or cormorant and Bill Taylor fished the old favourite, the ace of spades on the intermediate lure.
During the week it was nice to see some old friends meet up at the Fishery. Davy Gill came down from Ballater to fish with Stuart Thomson and John Bourke from Tayside. There were lots of stories and memories of competitions they took part in throughout the North East and beyond at a time when there seemed to be a competition somewhere most weekends. How things have changed.
Tight lines and breathable dryness to you all,
S.P 12/11/19