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Loch Leven - 28 August 2010
Well, I suppose in some ways the Loch lived up to expectations. Today was not exactly a fish fest and the wind tried but thankfully failed to emulate its performance of 2008 and 2009, although it was pretty breezy at times and the guys who went down as far as St Serfs have my admiration (I think!). There was a great turnout of B&B members for Loch Leven in our annual attempt to get a name on the Bob Stewart Trophy. Gilbert was looking forward to giving Anne some positive news on that front. 3 in a boat was a shock for some, as was the appearance of the Thomson Twins (Doctor Doctor!), sorry, Matt and Simon.
The word in the lodge was that a variety of methods would catch fish on their day, from buzzers on the bung to mini lures pulled fast on a Di7. A variety of set ups was evident in the car park, with the majority going for the optimistic floater or intermediate options. David, Sydney and Eric took the advice from the lodge and headed for the area north of Scart Island. John, Jimmy and Tom sort of followed, but ended up having fun on a sandbank near one of the bowers. The boat with 3 Williams tried the Burleigh Sands area before heading off for St Serfs and having fun with some shallow water and mud. Note the lack of discussion about fish. Eric and David both had pulls early on, but nothing stuck. Matt managed a small trout which he returned and it fell to the David, Sydney and Eric boat to save the blushes. David picked up a fish (1 lb 4oz ish) on a silver sparkler just south of the Green Isle around 1.30 and had another lively follow to a claret snatcher soon after. A better fish (2lb+) followed at 3pm to the same DI5/silver sparkler/fast roly poly combination. Eric then hooked what would have been the fish of the day at an estimated 3lb plus, but the fish spat the hook when it jumped. And that was that. The final result was 12 anglers taking 2 fish for a total of 3lb 6.5 oz. David therefore wins the Bob Stewart Trophy.
And that is that, too, for another B&B season. Keep your eye on the website for news of the AGM and Dinner, but well before that I will report on the Lexus Final from Rutland, Kinglassie (featuring Paul and Ian) in the Scottish Clubs semi on 17 Sep, RAF Fish Hawks (featuring David) in the Scottish Clubs semi on 24 Sep and anything else that I think might interest you. In the meantime, don't forget about the fly tying club, who's website can be found HERE. TTFN.
The word in the lodge was that a variety of methods would catch fish on their day, from buzzers on the bung to mini lures pulled fast on a Di7. A variety of set ups was evident in the car park, with the majority going for the optimistic floater or intermediate options. David, Sydney and Eric took the advice from the lodge and headed for the area north of Scart Island. John, Jimmy and Tom sort of followed, but ended up having fun on a sandbank near one of the bowers. The boat with 3 Williams tried the Burleigh Sands area before heading off for St Serfs and having fun with some shallow water and mud. Note the lack of discussion about fish. Eric and David both had pulls early on, but nothing stuck. Matt managed a small trout which he returned and it fell to the David, Sydney and Eric boat to save the blushes. David picked up a fish (1 lb 4oz ish) on a silver sparkler just south of the Green Isle around 1.30 and had another lively follow to a claret snatcher soon after. A better fish (2lb+) followed at 3pm to the same DI5/silver sparkler/fast roly poly combination. Eric then hooked what would have been the fish of the day at an estimated 3lb plus, but the fish spat the hook when it jumped. And that was that. The final result was 12 anglers taking 2 fish for a total of 3lb 6.5 oz. David therefore wins the Bob Stewart Trophy.
And that is that, too, for another B&B season. Keep your eye on the website for news of the AGM and Dinner, but well before that I will report on the Lexus Final from Rutland, Kinglassie (featuring Paul and Ian) in the Scottish Clubs semi on 17 Sep, RAF Fish Hawks (featuring David) in the Scottish Clubs semi on 24 Sep and anything else that I think might interest you. In the meantime, don't forget about the fly tying club, who's website can be found HERE. TTFN.
Lake of Menteith - 19 Aug 10
Well, that was a strange day on the Lake. A few very heavy downpours, not much wind to start with, perfect conditions for much of the day, yet we could only manage 24 fish between 20 of us. The day started badly for many, with long delays on the A80, caused, according to BBC Radio Scotland, by a change to the road layout in the roadworks. Whoever thought of it got it wrong, then! Most of us resisted the temptation of the burger for breakfast, and Douglas and Quint were spreading their usual good cheer. David's boat was presented protected by a large rubber ring following a boat driving 'incident' when he was out with the RAF on Tuesday. Tom was keeping everyone amused with tales of duck and belated catch and release but eventually some of us got out although John G and Sam came back in again in jig time, John taking today's prize for dodgy boat handling. Gilbert produced some interesting pairings, with Adam and Tom fighting over who was not going to drive, with Adam losing. Gilbert decided to keep a close eye on Keith, leaving Billy G to watch over Ian as Keith and Ian decided 2nd and third places for the year. Gateside Bay saw a few boats early on, but with little success. After the first batch of heavy rain stopped, and with no fish rising, David and Alisdair headed for the Malling shore, finding that John G was a better angler than a driver, and had landed a fish. After another shower David landed a fish on the mid glass - white cat booby combination, but with little more action returned to Gateside Bay to find that Keith had bagged a couple of fish, with Gilbert yet to open his account. A few drifts into the corner by the cages produced another couple of fish for David (same line and fly) with Ian and Billy struggling and Paul reporting 3 fish on the Midge tip washing line. Alex and Sydney remained clean when spied around 1.30 as David and Alistair returned to Malling shore - once again the conditions seemed perfect. Bill and Billy were seen releasing a fish prior to it getting to the net, and a stop to chat soon afterwards produced a fish for David as a fish grabbed the booby (now on a midge tip) as the boat slid to a halt behind the Bills' boat. Bill C took a fish soon afterwards (Kate McLaren) and David completed his limit with a fifth and final fish on the booby, having roly-polyed the fly back this time, rather than the previously successful figure of 8. Alistair then took a fish (see him playing it above) and after another friutless spell headed to the Rookery, and on again to Hotel Bay as the day drew to a close. Eric and John M were struggling, Adam and Tom had little to report and as the boats landed the paucity of the catch became clear. In the end, the result was:
1st - Paul W - 5 fish for 11lb 6 oz
2nd - David O - 5 fish for 9lb 8oz
3rd - Keith J - 3 fish for 6lb 4 oz
4th - Alex G - 2 fish for 4lb 0 oz
The 24 fish caught weighed 40lb 4 oz and so ended another Bothwell and Blantyre competitive season. Paul won the Club Championship by a massive margin, scoring 27 points out of a possible 40. This is a fantastic achievement, and confirms Paul as the outstanding angler in the Club, at least in the eyes of this commentator. Keith finished the season 2nd, with 14 points and Ian was 3rd with 11. This was another good season for the club, with a healthy membership and reasonable numbers of fish caught. The final outing of the season will be at Loch Leven on 28 Aug, but this outing does not count to the Club Championship.
1st - Paul W - 5 fish for 11lb 6 oz
2nd - David O - 5 fish for 9lb 8oz
3rd - Keith J - 3 fish for 6lb 4 oz
4th - Alex G - 2 fish for 4lb 0 oz
The 24 fish caught weighed 40lb 4 oz and so ended another Bothwell and Blantyre competitive season. Paul won the Club Championship by a massive margin, scoring 27 points out of a possible 40. This is a fantastic achievement, and confirms Paul as the outstanding angler in the Club, at least in the eyes of this commentator. Keith finished the season 2nd, with 14 points and Ian was 3rd with 11. This was another good season for the club, with a healthy membership and reasonable numbers of fish caught. The final outing of the season will be at Loch Leven on 28 Aug, but this outing does not count to the Club Championship.
Carron Valley Reservoir - 24 July 2010
Sam with a rainbow of 9lb 8oz
Saturday 24 July saw the club return to Carron Valley Reservoir for the 2nd competition of the season on that water. 14 rods took to the water, including guest David. It seemed to be an ideal day for fishing, with a light SW wind and Carron reputedly doing well in the bays as well as the usual east dam area. A few of the B&B boats started off fishing the dam with a variety of tactics from boobies and blobs to the more subtle wet fly and nymph. Ian and Richard headed off west, with Ian trying a selection of dries during the morning, with little success. David O and Gilbert took Fraser's advice and headed for Bin Bay, intending to fish the bays and burn mouths. There were plently of fish moving during the morning, but precious few showed any interest in the fly and even fewer found their way to the net. A size 12 black cruncher accounted for an
early rainbow for David and this was followed by a wee brownie, which was duly returned. Keith and David P had little to show for an expedition to Carron Bay and as the morning turned into afternoon there were only 2 boats doing well. Sam had found fish around the dam area with Adam finally coming of age as a ghillie! He managed to net, with an inadequate landing net, Sam's huge rainbow trout of 9lb and 8 oz. (see pic.) We think this is the largest fish ever recorded in a Bothwell and Blantyre competition and fell to a booby. Congratulations, Sam. Sam added another 3 fish to this monster to win conclusively the day's competition. Meanwhile John Gould was matching Sam's fish in numerical , but not weight, terms on a variety of flies including a Kate McLaren and a blae and black. Paul had a couple of fish and Sydney one when they were spied in mid afternoon and Paul added 1 more before the finish. In the end, our 14 rods landed a meagre 20 fish (excluding a number of small browns returned) for a total weight of 50lb 5oz. In the points were:
1st Sam 4 fish for 15lb 11oz
2nd Paul 3 fish for 8lb 1oz
3rd John 4 fish for 7lb 15 oz
4th David O 2 fish for 3lb 8oz
early rainbow for David and this was followed by a wee brownie, which was duly returned. Keith and David P had little to show for an expedition to Carron Bay and as the morning turned into afternoon there were only 2 boats doing well. Sam had found fish around the dam area with Adam finally coming of age as a ghillie! He managed to net, with an inadequate landing net, Sam's huge rainbow trout of 9lb and 8 oz. (see pic.) We think this is the largest fish ever recorded in a Bothwell and Blantyre competition and fell to a booby. Congratulations, Sam. Sam added another 3 fish to this monster to win conclusively the day's competition. Meanwhile John Gould was matching Sam's fish in numerical , but not weight, terms on a variety of flies including a Kate McLaren and a blae and black. Paul had a couple of fish and Sydney one when they were spied in mid afternoon and Paul added 1 more before the finish. In the end, our 14 rods landed a meagre 20 fish (excluding a number of small browns returned) for a total weight of 50lb 5oz. In the points were:
1st Sam 4 fish for 15lb 11oz
2nd Paul 3 fish for 8lb 1oz
3rd John 4 fish for 7lb 15 oz
4th David O 2 fish for 3lb 8oz
Butterstone - 10 July 2010
With both the President and the Hon Sec away on holidays, it was inevitable that there would be a lot of fish caught - and so it turned out! Butterstone gave up a couple of trophies, with new member Laurie catching a fish of 7lb 8oz and President of Vice Keith catching a trout of 6lb. Well done both. My correspondents tell me that fish were caught on traditionals (Kate and bibio) but even though I hav e no evidence I bet the YD caught, too! More detailed reporting when I have phoned a few people, but in the meantime, the good anglers were:
1st - Keith J - 6 fish for 19lb - 4 points
2nd - Laurie T - 6 fish for 16lb - 3 points
3rd - Paul W - 6 fish for 12lb - 2 points
4th - Billy S - 6 fish for 11lb 14 oz -1 point
Adam also caught 6 fish, but dipped out on weight, as Keith did at the Lake last month. Maybe that means you will win at Carron, Adam! A total of 68 fish weighing 147lbs were caught by 18 anglers for a rod average of 3.8 and an average weight of nearly 2lb 3oz. That's the average weight of fish, not angler.
1st - Keith J - 6 fish for 19lb - 4 points
2nd - Laurie T - 6 fish for 16lb - 3 points
3rd - Paul W - 6 fish for 12lb - 2 points
4th - Billy S - 6 fish for 11lb 14 oz -1 point
Adam also caught 6 fish, but dipped out on weight, as Keith did at the Lake last month. Maybe that means you will win at Carron, Adam! A total of 68 fish weighing 147lbs were caught by 18 anglers for a rod average of 3.8 and an average weight of nearly 2lb 3oz. That's the average weight of fish, not angler.
Lake of Menteith - 24 Jun 2010
Mair fish!
Fishing at the Lake this year had been a bit patchy, with the average weigh of the fish a bit smaller than in a number of previous years. Douglas was respendent in his Bothwell and Blantyre Angling Club Burgundy hat, weloming all and, like Quint, recommending the Malling Shore to anyone who asked for information. Most of the boats headed out west, then, into the obligatory shower of rain, which, thankfully, was the only precipitation we saw all day. With lots of B&B boats in the Malling shore/plantation area, there was a fair bit of 'watching what everone else was doing' going in. Keith was spied into an early fish or 2, Adam and Billy struggled a bit and David O took a decent fish after an hour or so. There was still evidence of fish almost all the way out to Dog Island, but they weren't exactly crawling up the rods for the first wee while. The boats gradually moved away, Willie E and Alastair among them. A quick chat with Paul and Gilbert suggested it was a bit slow, and this was confirmed by Ian G. Eric and David O were fishing varying drifts and eventually a drift close to the fence at the plantation resulted in a double hook up for David, with both fish safely netted (10lb leader helps!).
There was an increasing number of boats seen around the burn area and the NE corner of Gateside bay, with lots of boats doing short drifts. That meant that the west end of the Lake had virtually cleared of boats and David and Eric enjoyed a peaceful lunch, watching the fish rising around them! A couple of fish lost in play delayed a limit for David, but not for long. Eric then opened his account with nice fish on the trusty 2 tone blob, and was then broken, probably with a double hook up. Keith appeared to try his luck on the dry fly, having bagged up by around 12 noon and Eric continued to catch steadily, completing his limit by just after 3pm. Tom and Sam were spied stocking the Lake with dead fish and the concentration of boats in Gateside Bay grew and grew. Those in Hotel Bay and Reedy Bay were having a fine time, but only with pike, and there are reports of pike suppers being enjoyed in certain parts of Arbroath. Jimmy K and new member Scott were having difficulty in connecting with rainbows. It was good to see guest Duncan get a fish, but a shame that Bill couldn't match his son's expertise. In the end, 17 rods caught 46 fish on flies as diverse as the 2 tone blob, cormorant and size 16 buzzer. The rod average was 2.7 with the average weight of fish being 1lb 13oz. The top few were:
1st - Paul W - 5 fish for 10lb 6oz
2nd - David O - 5 fish for 9lb 13oz
3rd - Ian G - 5 fish for 8lb 14oz
4th= - Eric L - 5 fish for 8lb 12 oz
4th= - Tom B - 5 fish for 8lb 12 oz
Keith J also caught 5 fish but dipped out on weight (8lb 8oz) The word is that Sam also caught 5 fish, but only weighed in 4 for 8lb 1 oz, so had his fish bag been zipped up properly when motoring, he would have been in among the points. A good
day for many and the Lion and Unicorn provided excellent after fishing food.
There was an increasing number of boats seen around the burn area and the NE corner of Gateside bay, with lots of boats doing short drifts. That meant that the west end of the Lake had virtually cleared of boats and David and Eric enjoyed a peaceful lunch, watching the fish rising around them! A couple of fish lost in play delayed a limit for David, but not for long. Eric then opened his account with nice fish on the trusty 2 tone blob, and was then broken, probably with a double hook up. Keith appeared to try his luck on the dry fly, having bagged up by around 12 noon and Eric continued to catch steadily, completing his limit by just after 3pm. Tom and Sam were spied stocking the Lake with dead fish and the concentration of boats in Gateside Bay grew and grew. Those in Hotel Bay and Reedy Bay were having a fine time, but only with pike, and there are reports of pike suppers being enjoyed in certain parts of Arbroath. Jimmy K and new member Scott were having difficulty in connecting with rainbows. It was good to see guest Duncan get a fish, but a shame that Bill couldn't match his son's expertise. In the end, 17 rods caught 46 fish on flies as diverse as the 2 tone blob, cormorant and size 16 buzzer. The rod average was 2.7 with the average weight of fish being 1lb 13oz. The top few were:
1st - Paul W - 5 fish for 10lb 6oz
2nd - David O - 5 fish for 9lb 13oz
3rd - Ian G - 5 fish for 8lb 14oz
4th= - Eric L - 5 fish for 8lb 12 oz
4th= - Tom B - 5 fish for 8lb 12 oz
Keith J also caught 5 fish but dipped out on weight (8lb 8oz) The word is that Sam also caught 5 fish, but only weighed in 4 for 8lb 1 oz, so had his fish bag been zipped up properly when motoring, he would have been in among the points. A good
day for many and the Lion and Unicorn provided excellent after fishing food.
Loch Carron - 12 June 2010
Forecast was for a cloudy day with a 12-15mph wind from the NW. It was a bit breezy as we left the jetty and a few boats elected to stay and try the dam area for starters. David O and John G went all the way up the loch and fished the bays on the road shore, a couple of small browns being the only reward. Sam and Gilbert were spied during the morning, with nothing positive to report. We saw Paul and Alistair, too, with only one fish on board. It seemed that it was going to be a difficult day. However, what we didn't know was that David P and Jimmy K were slaying fish in the dam area! David was doing well with yellow Dancer, in a variety of sizes, no less, and Jimmy was giving an equally good account of himself while netting and killing David's fish! Paul and Alistair joined the party at the dam netting 4 and 3 fish respectively, and Billy G was to be disappoined that his 4 fish haul didn't net a point. Tom caught a very creditable 3 fish and the rest were also rans. Club members also returned a number of wild brown trout.
It is my duty to report a somewhat unsavoury incident in the President's boat. As the boat settled into a new drift, the driver decided to use the bailer. While attempting to sort himself out discreetly so as to avoid any offence to his boat partner and the walkers on the south shore, the driver's fishing rod nearly jumped out of the boat as a fit rainbow of around 2lbs ran off with the static black UV booby! A startled driver interupted his pee break to land the fish with the bailer covering his embarrasment! Naturally, given that I wasn't actually holding the fishing rod when the fish took I returned the fish. Aye, right!
At the end of the day 12 anglers weighed in a total of 28 trout for 55lb. A special mention goes to Alistair for his fine rainbow of 4lb. The other good anglers were:
1st David Penrice - 5 fish weighing 9lb 7oz for 4 points
2nd Jimmy Kirkland - 4 fish weighing 8lb 7oz for 3 points
3rd Paul Wilson - 4 fish weighing 7lb 13oz for 2 points
4th Alistair Struthers - 3 fish weighing 7lb 4oz for 1 point
Well done to all. The Macmillan element of the report is elsewhere.
It is my duty to report a somewhat unsavoury incident in the President's boat. As the boat settled into a new drift, the driver decided to use the bailer. While attempting to sort himself out discreetly so as to avoid any offence to his boat partner and the walkers on the south shore, the driver's fishing rod nearly jumped out of the boat as a fit rainbow of around 2lbs ran off with the static black UV booby! A startled driver interupted his pee break to land the fish with the bailer covering his embarrasment! Naturally, given that I wasn't actually holding the fishing rod when the fish took I returned the fish. Aye, right!
At the end of the day 12 anglers weighed in a total of 28 trout for 55lb. A special mention goes to Alistair for his fine rainbow of 4lb. The other good anglers were:
1st David Penrice - 5 fish weighing 9lb 7oz for 4 points
2nd Jimmy Kirkland - 4 fish weighing 8lb 7oz for 3 points
3rd Paul Wilson - 4 fish weighing 7lb 13oz for 2 points
4th Alistair Struthers - 3 fish weighing 7lb 4oz for 1 point
Well done to all. The Macmillan element of the report is elsewhere.
Frandy Reservoir Fishery - 29 May - by David
Frandy Fishery - 29 May 2010
A fairly chilly and slightly damp May day saw 17 Bothwell and Blantyre anglers and 1 guest chuck a variety of fluff at the well conditioned trout in the Frandy Reservoir. Unfortunately Sydney was a late call off with many members asking after him. Gilbert and Archie had agreed to fish the bank as the club had been unable to secure an extra boat to accommodate all those who wanted to fish this popular venue. A variety of setups were in evidence in the carpark, from the traditional DI7 and 2 boobies to the rather more avant garde dries!
Lots of boats went east of the boat dock, and very close to the shore. The Adam/John G and Alex G/John M partnerships were seen to be into early fish. The Davids (O and P) stuggled until David P got a fish on the orange blob/clear intermediate combination. After things had settled it was clear that the shore line between the lodge and the dam was the area to be in and rods continued to bend in the couse of the morning. Adam was first to get to 6 (by 12 noon - great effort, Adam) but John G couldn't get that final fish and ended on 5. A very heavy shower just after 12 was narrowly avoided by Archie, Gilbert and the Davids, who sheltered in the lodge and sampled, and were soon joined by Paul and Jimmy for further sampling!
The afternoon proved tougher, but Alex G was lording it up at the dam ('when one has one's 6 fish', no less!!) having taken his 6 fish by early afternoon at the latest. Paul took his 4th and 5th fish in the first drift after lunch having put on the yellow dancer. He finished soon after. It became apparent that the YD was the fly of the day (see link below) and so your correspondent tried his luck with one and promptly landed 3 fish just off the dam wall. Ian G was spied down towards the bay on the north shore catching his 6th fish around 3.30 (and a nice fish it looked, too) and that was just about it - oh no, not quite. Archie had had a frustrating day from the shore, but took a fish near the lodge in the nick of time to ensure that every angler fishing with the B&B caught on the day - yes, even our guest Jock! (5 fish, Well done mate!) The final tally say 18 rods catch 68 fish at 133lb 5oz, for a rod average of 3.77 and average weight of just over 1lb 15 oz. The good anglers were:
1st - Alex G - 6 fish for 12lb 8oz
2nd - Ian G - 6 fish for 11lb 10oz
3rd - Paul - 6 fish for 11lb 9oz
4th - Adam - 6 fish for 10lb 9 oz
Well done everyone on fine day's angling. The meal at Blackford was attended by 15 anglers and once again the hotel did us proud with a lovely meal. The Blackford Hotel website is here. The map might be useful for some! Here is some more info on the Yellow Dancer.
A fairly chilly and slightly damp May day saw 17 Bothwell and Blantyre anglers and 1 guest chuck a variety of fluff at the well conditioned trout in the Frandy Reservoir. Unfortunately Sydney was a late call off with many members asking after him. Gilbert and Archie had agreed to fish the bank as the club had been unable to secure an extra boat to accommodate all those who wanted to fish this popular venue. A variety of setups were in evidence in the carpark, from the traditional DI7 and 2 boobies to the rather more avant garde dries!
Lots of boats went east of the boat dock, and very close to the shore. The Adam/John G and Alex G/John M partnerships were seen to be into early fish. The Davids (O and P) stuggled until David P got a fish on the orange blob/clear intermediate combination. After things had settled it was clear that the shore line between the lodge and the dam was the area to be in and rods continued to bend in the couse of the morning. Adam was first to get to 6 (by 12 noon - great effort, Adam) but John G couldn't get that final fish and ended on 5. A very heavy shower just after 12 was narrowly avoided by Archie, Gilbert and the Davids, who sheltered in the lodge and sampled, and were soon joined by Paul and Jimmy for further sampling!
The afternoon proved tougher, but Alex G was lording it up at the dam ('when one has one's 6 fish', no less!!) having taken his 6 fish by early afternoon at the latest. Paul took his 4th and 5th fish in the first drift after lunch having put on the yellow dancer. He finished soon after. It became apparent that the YD was the fly of the day (see link below) and so your correspondent tried his luck with one and promptly landed 3 fish just off the dam wall. Ian G was spied down towards the bay on the north shore catching his 6th fish around 3.30 (and a nice fish it looked, too) and that was just about it - oh no, not quite. Archie had had a frustrating day from the shore, but took a fish near the lodge in the nick of time to ensure that every angler fishing with the B&B caught on the day - yes, even our guest Jock! (5 fish, Well done mate!) The final tally say 18 rods catch 68 fish at 133lb 5oz, for a rod average of 3.77 and average weight of just over 1lb 15 oz. The good anglers were:
1st - Alex G - 6 fish for 12lb 8oz
2nd - Ian G - 6 fish for 11lb 10oz
3rd - Paul - 6 fish for 11lb 9oz
4th - Adam - 6 fish for 10lb 9 oz
Well done everyone on fine day's angling. The meal at Blackford was attended by 15 anglers and once again the hotel did us proud with a lovely meal. The Blackford Hotel website is here. The map might be useful for some! Here is some more info on the Yellow Dancer.
Lake of Menteith - 11 May 2010 - By David
Tuesday 11 May 2010 was a pretty cold for day for mid May and as soon as the swirling wind turned round to blow from the east (which it did on a number of occasions during the day) the temperature dropped even further. 13 B&B anglers along with guest Jim L set off at the appointed time and promptly disappeared to a number of different areas around the Lake. Jimmy K and I headed for the Heronry (recent east wind may have blown the fish down there - my theory, anyway!) and my single 2-tone blob accounted for a couple fish in the first half hour or so. Bumped into Keith and Jim L mid morning, but they had only one fish to report, I guess from the Gateside Bay area. Jimmy and I worried the fish (but they weren't very worried!) on the Malling Shore until lunchtime. Saw Tom and Paul on the way across, with nothing to report from the South end of the loch. We saw lots of fish moving over lunch and in the early afternoon in the Shear Point - Hotel Bay area and Jimmy took one on a wee green nymph in the early afternoon. A pike followed, and and he had a few pulls, but nothing stuck - not surprising really - ask him yourself!
At the weigh-in it transpired that Ian had done well on a booby-cruncher-booby set up on a Di 3 - 6 fish on a day like that is a great result - well done. Tom had a good afternoon with 3 fish to his fully dressed orange nymph and Keith and I had two each. A number of others dirtied the scales with one fish, but it was a hard day all round. Total return for the day was 16 fish for 23lb 14oz, with one fish returned. The result was:
1st - Ian - 5 Fish for 7lb
2nd - Tom - 3 Fish for 4lb 11oz
3rd - Keith - 2 fish for 3lb 4oz
4th - David - 2 Fish for 2lb 14 oz
The wind was a constant source of amazement. When Jimmy K hooked the fish he landed, there had been a light (but steady) westerly for about 15 mins. In the few minutes he took to land and unhook the fish, the wind went round through north and east to south! What chance did we have! B&B Angling Club excuse number 386: A fidgety wind.
At the weigh-in it transpired that Ian had done well on a booby-cruncher-booby set up on a Di 3 - 6 fish on a day like that is a great result - well done. Tom had a good afternoon with 3 fish to his fully dressed orange nymph and Keith and I had two each. A number of others dirtied the scales with one fish, but it was a hard day all round. Total return for the day was 16 fish for 23lb 14oz, with one fish returned. The result was:
1st - Ian - 5 Fish for 7lb
2nd - Tom - 3 Fish for 4lb 11oz
3rd - Keith - 2 fish for 3lb 4oz
4th - David - 2 Fish for 2lb 14 oz
The wind was a constant source of amazement. When Jimmy K hooked the fish he landed, there had been a light (but steady) westerly for about 15 mins. In the few minutes he took to land and unhook the fish, the wind went round through north and east to south! What chance did we have! B&B Angling Club excuse number 386: A fidgety wind.
Butterstone - 1 May 10 by Paul
It was going to be a sad day for the Bothwell and Blantyre with the news of Donald passing away that morning.
After quiet discussions and reflections in the car park I went out thinking of the good memories of fishing with Donald over the years and with an attitude of let’s get a few for Donald.
The weather was better than forecast for a change but at times it was still very cold and the wind variable and from flat calm to start to SE to E to NE to a cold NW and finishing off back East.
17 anglers fished a day of mixed fortunes with some doing well in the morning and struggling in the afternoon while others couldn’t get a touch in the morning but did better in the afternoon.
Adam did well in the morning with 5 fish by 12:30 but couldn’t get a touch after that. Keith didn’t touch a fish until a red hot spell in the afternoon at the lilies when he got his limit in an hour on the DI-3, washing line and boobies. Paul managed 5 from the bones area after lunch with the fast glass viva, cormorant combination doing well.
At the weigh in there were lots of stories of fished hooked and lost, for no apparent reason, after being well on and played for various amounts of time.
On the scales 17 rods weighed in 39 fish for 83lb 15 oz with the results as follows:
1st Keith Jackson 6 fish 12lb 5oz 4 points
2nd Adam Park 5 fish 10lb 0oz 3 points
3rd Paul Wilson 5 fish 9lb 12oz 2 points
4th John Moulds 4 fish 9lb 7oz 1 point
After quiet discussions and reflections in the car park I went out thinking of the good memories of fishing with Donald over the years and with an attitude of let’s get a few for Donald.
The weather was better than forecast for a change but at times it was still very cold and the wind variable and from flat calm to start to SE to E to NE to a cold NW and finishing off back East.
17 anglers fished a day of mixed fortunes with some doing well in the morning and struggling in the afternoon while others couldn’t get a touch in the morning but did better in the afternoon.
Adam did well in the morning with 5 fish by 12:30 but couldn’t get a touch after that. Keith didn’t touch a fish until a red hot spell in the afternoon at the lilies when he got his limit in an hour on the DI-3, washing line and boobies. Paul managed 5 from the bones area after lunch with the fast glass viva, cormorant combination doing well.
At the weigh in there were lots of stories of fished hooked and lost, for no apparent reason, after being well on and played for various amounts of time.
On the scales 17 rods weighed in 39 fish for 83lb 15 oz with the results as follows:
1st Keith Jackson 6 fish 12lb 5oz 4 points
2nd Adam Park 5 fish 10lb 0oz 3 points
3rd Paul Wilson 5 fish 9lb 12oz 2 points
4th John Moulds 4 fish 9lb 7oz 1 point
Frandy - 17 Apr 2010 - by Paul
We arrived at Frandy to find temperatures in the low single figures, snow still on the hills and a blustery westerly wind. The advice was to go down for them with lures and fish fairly slow. So as we sat in the boats waiting for the 9am off most of the lines observed were dark in colour with various black/green and white/yellow creations with tuffs of marabou blowing in the wind. 8 two man boats left the harbour with 2 or 3 turning left, probably seeking shelter up the top end, with the remainder either heading for drifts onto the dam or just putting the drogue out to fish the south shore to the shelf/dam. Before long it became apparent that the conditions hadn’t put the fish off with rods in the regions of the south shore, shelf and dam bending at regular intervals. Early on Sam was seen to take a large fish in the area between the tower and shelf, Paul followed the same line a few drifts later and also landed a fish estimated at 4lb+. Bank anglers were also observed to be doing very well all the way down from the harbour to the dam wall with catches later reported to be up to 30 fish for the day. Willie and David fished drifts on to the dam both doing well bagging up by lunch time. Paul and Ian also had limits by lunch time. The boats that turned left in the morning hadn’t fared as well with lower numbers reported.
Successful tactics on the day were lines from fast glass to DI-7 and flies reported YD, black, black/green tadpoles and damsels.
At the weigh-in 16 rods weighed in 55 fish for 134lb 6 oz with the results as follows:
1st Paul - 6 fish for 16lb 0oz 4 points
2nd David P - 6 fish 14lb 8oz 3 points
3rd Ian - 6 fish 13lb 8oz 2 points
4th 3 anglers tied for 4th with 13lb 00z
Willie E with 6 fish
Sam with 5 fish and
Tom with 4 fish.
After some deliberation it was decided to award each 0.5 points each.
Notable fish: Tom had a fish of 7lb oz and Paul had one of 6lb in his bag
Successful tactics on the day were lines from fast glass to DI-7 and flies reported YD, black, black/green tadpoles and damsels.
At the weigh-in 16 rods weighed in 55 fish for 134lb 6 oz with the results as follows:
1st Paul - 6 fish for 16lb 0oz 4 points
2nd David P - 6 fish 14lb 8oz 3 points
3rd Ian - 6 fish 13lb 8oz 2 points
4th 3 anglers tied for 4th with 13lb 00z
Willie E with 6 fish
Sam with 5 fish and
Tom with 4 fish.
After some deliberation it was decided to award each 0.5 points each.
Notable fish: Tom had a fish of 7lb oz and Paul had one of 6lb in his bag
Lake of Menteith - 3 April 2010
Well, that was a funny day at the lake! Fish showing on the surface all day, the one that was spooned in our boat proving to be full of buzzers, flies coming off most of the day, yet the most successful anglers seemed to be catching fish with the Di 3 or similar! Well done to Paul who managed to catch 11 fish on the day and to Adam who recorded a limit of 5, returning another 4. There seemed to be lots of fish in International bay, right up to Lochend, and there were fish showing around the buoys near towards the island. No sign of much action in Gateside bay, but we didn't spend much time there. A variety of flies took fish, from cormorants to boobies and lures to small nymphs. Well done to those who succeeded on the day and it was great to see John, Billy G and Jimmy enjoying their first outing with the club and each of them getting fish.
A total of 38 fish were weighed in by 19 anglers giving a rod average of 2. A further 10 fish were returned. The total weight of fish was a respectable 71lb 1oz.
The result was:
1st Paul - 5 fish for 10lb 8oz
2nd Adam - 5 fish for 9lb 3oz
3rd Keith - 4 fish for 8lb 7oz
4th John - 4 fish for 7lb 0oz
A total of 38 fish were weighed in by 19 anglers giving a rod average of 2. A further 10 fish were returned. The total weight of fish was a respectable 71lb 1oz.
The result was:
1st Paul - 5 fish for 10lb 8oz
2nd Adam - 5 fish for 9lb 3oz
3rd Keith - 4 fish for 8lb 7oz
4th John - 4 fish for 7lb 0oz
2010 Competition Dates
The confirmed 2010 competition dates are as follows - with times, for those who are chronologically challenged....
Next up:
Sat 24 Jul 2010 - Loch Carron - 9am - 4 pm
Thu 19 Aug 2010 - Lake of Menteith - 9.30 am - 5pm
Sat 28 Aug 2010 - Loch Leven - 10am - 5pm
Reports are here:
Sat 3 Apr 2010 - Lake of Menteith - 9.30 am - 5pm
Well, that was a funny day at the lake! Fish showing on the surface all day, the one that was spooned in our boat proving to be full of buzzers, flies coming off most of the day, yet the most successful anglers seemed to be catching fish with the Di 3 or similar! Well done to Paul who managed to catch 11 fish on the day and to Adam who recorded a limit of 5, returning another 4. There seemed to be lots of fish in International bay, right up to Lochend, and there were fish showing around the buoys near towards the island. No sign of much action in Gateside bay, but we didn't spend much time there. A variety of flies took fish, from cormorants to boobies and lures to small nymphs. Well done to those who succeeded on the day and it was great to see John, Billy G and Jimmy enjoying their first outing with the club and each of them getting fish.
A total of 38 fish were weighed in by 19 anglers giving a rod average of 2. A further 10 fish were returned. The total weight of fish was a respectable 71lb 1oz.
The result was:
1st Paul - 5 fish for 10lb 8oz
2nd Adam - 5 fish for 9lb 3oz
3rd Keith - 4 fish for 8lb 7oz
4th John - 4 fish for 7lb 0oz
Sat 17 Apr 2010 - Loch Frandy - 9am - 4.30pm
We arrived at Frandy to find temperatures in the low single figures, snow still on the hills and a blustery westerly wind. The advice was to go down for them with lures and fish fairly slow. So as we sat in the boats waiting for the 9am off most of the lines observed were dark in colour with various black/green and white/yellow creations with tuffs of marabou blowing in the wind. 8 two man boats left the harbour with 2 or 3 turning left, probably seeking shelter up the top end, with the remainder either heading for drifts onto the dam or just putting the drogue out to fish the south shore to the shelf/dam. Before long it became apparent that the conditions hadn’t put the fish off with rods in the regions of the south shore, shelf and dam bending at regular intervals. Early on Sam was seen to take a large fish in the area between the tower and shelf, Paul followed the same line a few drifts later and also landed a fish estimated at 4lb+. Bank anglers were also observed to be doing very well all the way down from the harbour to the dam wall with catches later reported to be up to 30 fish for the day. Willie and David fished drifts on to the dam both doing well bagging up by lunch time. Paul and Ian also had limits by lunch time. The boats that turned left in the morning hadn’t fared as well with lower numbers reported.
Successful tactics on the day were lines from fast glass to DI-7 and flies reported YD, black, black/green tadpoles and damsels.
At the weigh-in 16 rods weighed in 55 fish for 134lb 6 oz with the results as follows:
1st Paul - 6 fish for 16lb 0oz 4 points
2nd David P - 6 fish 14lb 8oz 3 points
3rd Ian - 6 fish 13lb 8oz 2 points
4th 3 anglers tied for 4th with 13lb 00z
Willie E with 6 fish
Sam with 5 fish and
Tom with 4 fish.
After some deliberation it was decided to award each 0.5 points each.
Sat 1 May 2010 - Butterstone Loch - 9am - 5pm by Paul
It was going to be a sad day for the Bothwell and Blantyre with the news of Donald passing away that morning.
After quiet discussions and reflections in the car park I went out thinking of the good memories of fishing with Donald over the years and with an attitude of let’s get a few for Donald.
The weather was better than forecast for a change but at times it was still very cold and the wind variable and from flat calm to start to SE to E to NE to a cold NW and finishing off back East.
17 anglers fished a day of mixed fortunes with some doing well in the morning and struggling in the afternoon while others couldn’t get a touch in the morning but did better in the afternoon.
Adam did well in the morning with 5 fish by 12:30 but couldn’t get a touch after that. Keith didn’t touch a fish until a red hot spell in the afternoon at the lilies when he got his limit in an hour on the DI-3, washing line and boobies. Paul managed 5 from the bones area after lunch with the fast glass viva, cormorant combination doing well.
At the weigh in there were lots of stories of fished hooked and lost, for no apparent reason, after being well on and played for various amounts of time.
On the scales 17 rods weighed in 39 fish for 83lb 15 oz with the results as follows:
1st Keith Jackson 6 fish 12lb 5oz 4 points
2nd Adam Park 5 fish 10lb 0oz 3 points
3rd Paul Wilson 5 fish 9lb 12oz 2 points
4th John Moulds 4 fish 9lb 7oz 1 point
Tue 11 May 2010 - Lake of Menteith - 9.30 am - 5pm
Tuesday 11 May 2010 was a pretty cold for day for mid May and as soon as the swirling wind turned round to blow from the east (which it did on a number of occasions during the day) the temperature dropped even further. 13 B&B anglers along with guest Jim L set off at the appointed time and promptly disappeared to a number of different areas around the Lake. Jimmy K and I headed for the Heronry (recent east wind may have blown the fish down there - my theory, anyway!) and my single 2-tone blob accounted for a couple fish in the first half hour or so. Bumped into Keith and Jim L mid morning, but they had only one fish to report, I guess from the Gateside Bay area. Jimmy and I worried the fish (but they weren't very worried!) on the Malling Shore until lunchtime. Saw Tom and Paul on the way across, with nothing to report from the South end of the loch. We saw lots of fish moving over lunch and in the early afternoon in the Shear Point - Hotel Bay area and Jimmy took one on a wee green nymph in the early afternoon. A pike followed, and and he had a few pulls, but nothing stuck - not surprising really - ask him yourself!
At the weigh-in it transpired that Ian had done well on a booby-cruncher-booby set up on a Di 3 - 6 fish on a day like that is a great result - well done. Tom had a good afternoon with 3 fish to his fully dressed orange nymph and Keith and I had two each. A number of others dirtied the scales with one fish, but it was a hard day all round. Total return for the day was 16 fish for 23lb 14oz, with one fish returned. The result was:
1st - Ian - 5 Fish for 7lb
2nd - Tom - 3 Fish for 4lb 11oz
3rd - Keith - 2 fish for 3lb 4oz
4th - David - 2 Fish for 2lb 14 oz
The wind was a constant source of amazement. When Jimmy K hooked the fish he landed, there had been a light (but steady) westerly for about 15 mins. In the few minutes he took to land and unhook the fish, the wind went round through north and east to south! What chance did we have! B&B Angling Club excuse number 386: A fidgety wind.
Sat 29 May 2010 - Loch Frandy - 9am - 4.30pm
Frandy Fishery - 29 May 2010
A fairly chilly and slightly damp May day saw 17 Bothwell and Blantyre anglers and 1 guest chuck a variety of fluff at the well conditioned trout in the Frandy Reservoir. Unfortunately Sydney was a late call off with many members asking after him. Gilbert and Archie had agreed to fish the bank as the club had been unable to secure an extra boat to accommodate all those who wanted to fish this popular venue. A variety of setups were in evidence in the carpark, from the traditional DI7 and 2 boobies to the rather more avant garde dries!
Lots of boats went east of the boat dock, and very close to the shore. The Adam/John G and Alex G/John M partnerships were seen to be into early fish. The Davids (O and P) stuggled until David P got a fish on the orange blob/clear intermediate combination. After things had settled it was clear that the shore line between the lodge and the dam was the area to be in and rods continued to bend in the couse of the morning. Adam was first to get to 6 (by 12 noon - great effort, Adam) but John G couldn't get that final fish and ended on 5. A very heavy shower just after 12 was narrowly avoided by Archie, Gilbert and the Davids, who sheltered in the lodge and sampled, and were soon joined by Paul and Jimmy for further sampling!
The afternoon proved tougher, but Alex G was lording it up at the dam ('when one has one's 6 fish', no less!!) having taken his 6 fish by early afternoon at the latest. Paul took his 4th and 5th fish in the first drift after lunch having put on the yellow dancer. He finished soon after. It became apparent that the YD was the fly of the day (see link below) and so your correspondent tried his luck with one and promptly landed 3 fish just off the dam wall. Ian G was spied down towards the bay on the north shore catching his 6th fish around 3.30 (and a nice fish it looked, too) and that was just about it - oh no, not quite. Archie had had a frustrating day from the shore, but took a fish near the lodge in the nick of time to ensure that every angler fishing with the B&B caught on the day - yes, even our guest Jock! (5 fish, Well done mate!) The final tally say 18 rods catch 68 fish at 133lb 5oz, for a rod average of 3.77 and average weight of just over 1lb 15 oz. The good anglers were:
1st - Alex G - 6 fish for 12lb 8oz
2nd - Ian G - 6 fish for 11lb 10oz
3rd - Paul - 6 fish for 11lb 9oz
4th - Adam - 6 fish for 10lb 9 oz
Well done everyone on fine day's angling. The meal at Blackford was attended by 15 anglers and once again the hotel did us proud with a lovely meal. The Blackford Hotel website is here. The map might be useful for some! Here is some more info on the Yellow Dancer.
Sat 12 Jun 2010 - Loch Carron - 9am - 4 pm
Forecast was for a cloudy day with a 12-15mph wind from the NW. It was a bit breezy as we left the jetty and a few boats elected to stay and try the dam area for starters. David O and John G went all the way up the loch and fished the bays on the road shore, a couple of small browns being the only reward. Sam and Gilbert were spied during the morning, with nothing positive to report. We saw Paul and Alistair, too, with only one fish on board. It seemed that it was going to be a difficult day. However, what we didn't know was that David P and Jimmy K were slaying fish in the dam area! David was doing well with yellow Dancer, in a variety of sizes, no less, and Jimmy was giving an equally good account of himself while netting and killing David's fish! Paul and Alistair joined the party at the dam netting 4 and 3 fish respectively, and Billy G was to be disappoined that his 4 fish haul didn't net a point. Tom caught a very creditable 3 fish and the rest were also rans. Club members also returned a number of wild brown trout.
It is my duty to report a somewhat unsavoury incident in the President's boat. As the boat settled into a new drift, the driver decided to use the bailer. While attempting to sort himself out discreetly so as to avoid any offence to his boat partner and the walkers on the south shore, the driver's fishing rod nearly jumped out of the boat as a fit rainbow of around 2lbs ran off with the static black UV booby! A startled driver interupted his pee break to land the fish with the bailer covering his embarrasment! Naturally, given that I wasn't actually holding the fishing rod when the fish took I returned the fish. Aye, right!
At the end of the day 12 anglers weighed in a total of 28 trout for 55lb. A special mention goes to Alistair for his fine rainbow of 4lb. The other good anglers were:
1st David Penrice - 5 fish weighing 9lb 7oz for 4 points
2nd Jimmy Kirkland - 4 fish weighing 8lb 7oz for 3 points
3rd Paul Wilson - 4 fish weighing 7lb 13oz for 2 points
4th Alistair Struthers - 3 fish weighing 7lb 4oz for 1 point
Well done to all.
Thu 24 Jun 2010 - Lake of Menteith - 9.30 am - 5pm
Fishing at the Lake this year had been a bit patchy, with the average weigh of the fish a bit smaller than in a number of previous years. Douglas was respendent in his Bothwell and Blantyre Angling Club Burgundy hat, weloming all and, like Quint, recommending the Malling Shore to anyone who asked for information. Most of the boats headed out west, then, into the obligatory shower of rain, which, thankfully, was the only precipitation we saw all day. With lots of B&B boats in the Malling shore/plantation area, there was a fair bit of 'watching what everone else was doing' going in. Keith was spied into an early fish or 2, Adam and Billy struggled a bit and David O took a decent fish after an hour or so. There was still evidence of fish almost all the way out to Dog Island, but they weren't exactly crawling up the rods for the first wee while. The boats gradually moved away, Willie E and Alastair among them. A quick chat with Paul and Gilbert suggested it was a bit slow, and this was confirmed by Ian G. Eric and David O were fishing varying drifts and eventually a drift close to the fence at the plantation resulted in a double hook up for David, with both fish safely netted (10lb leader helps!).
There was an increasing number of boats seen around the burn area and the NE corner of Gateside bay, with lots of boats doing short drifts. That meant that the west end of the Lake had virtually cleared of boats and David and Eric enjoyed a peaceful lunch, watching the fish rising around them! A couple of fish lost in play delayed a limit for David, but not for long. Eric then opened his account with nice fish on the trusty 2 tone blob, and was then broken, probably with a double hook up. Keith appeared to try his luck on the dry fly, having bagged up by around 12 noon and Eric continued to catch steadily, completing his limit by just after 3pm. Tom and Sam were spied stocking the Lake with dead fish and the concentration of boats in Gateside Bay grew and grew. Those in Hotel Bay and Reedy Bay were having a fine time, but only with pike, and there are reports of pike suppers being enjoyed in certain parts of Arbroath. Jimmy K and new member Scott were having difficulty in connecting with rainbows. It was good to see guest Duncan get a fish, but a shame that Bill couldn't match his son's expertise. In the end, 17 rods caught 46 fish on flies as diverse as the 2 tone blob, cormorant and size 16 buzzer. The rod average was 2.7 with the average weight of fish being 1lb 13oz. The top few were:
1st - Paul W - 5 fish for 10lb 6oz
2nd - David O - 5 fish for 9lb 13oz
3rd - Ian G - 5 fish for 8lb 14oz
4th= - Eric L - 5 fish for 8lb 12 oz
4th= - Tom B - 5 fish for 8lb 12 oz
Keith J also caught 5 fish but dipped out on weight (8lb 8oz) The word is that Sam also caught 5 fish, but only weighed in 4 for 8lb 1 oz, so had his fish bag been zipped up properly when motoring, he would have been in among the points. A good
day for many and the Lion and Unicorn provided excellent after fishing food.
Sat 10 July 2010 - Butterstone Loch - 9am - 5pm
Sat 24 Jul 2010 - Loch Carron - 9am - 4 pm
Thu 19 Aug 2010 - Lake of Menteith - 9.30 am - 5pm
Sat 28 Aug 2010 - Loch Leven - 10am - 5pm
Next up:
Sat 24 Jul 2010 - Loch Carron - 9am - 4 pm
Thu 19 Aug 2010 - Lake of Menteith - 9.30 am - 5pm
Sat 28 Aug 2010 - Loch Leven - 10am - 5pm
Reports are here:
Sat 3 Apr 2010 - Lake of Menteith - 9.30 am - 5pm
Well, that was a funny day at the lake! Fish showing on the surface all day, the one that was spooned in our boat proving to be full of buzzers, flies coming off most of the day, yet the most successful anglers seemed to be catching fish with the Di 3 or similar! Well done to Paul who managed to catch 11 fish on the day and to Adam who recorded a limit of 5, returning another 4. There seemed to be lots of fish in International bay, right up to Lochend, and there were fish showing around the buoys near towards the island. No sign of much action in Gateside bay, but we didn't spend much time there. A variety of flies took fish, from cormorants to boobies and lures to small nymphs. Well done to those who succeeded on the day and it was great to see John, Billy G and Jimmy enjoying their first outing with the club and each of them getting fish.
A total of 38 fish were weighed in by 19 anglers giving a rod average of 2. A further 10 fish were returned. The total weight of fish was a respectable 71lb 1oz.
The result was:
1st Paul - 5 fish for 10lb 8oz
2nd Adam - 5 fish for 9lb 3oz
3rd Keith - 4 fish for 8lb 7oz
4th John - 4 fish for 7lb 0oz
Sat 17 Apr 2010 - Loch Frandy - 9am - 4.30pm
We arrived at Frandy to find temperatures in the low single figures, snow still on the hills and a blustery westerly wind. The advice was to go down for them with lures and fish fairly slow. So as we sat in the boats waiting for the 9am off most of the lines observed were dark in colour with various black/green and white/yellow creations with tuffs of marabou blowing in the wind. 8 two man boats left the harbour with 2 or 3 turning left, probably seeking shelter up the top end, with the remainder either heading for drifts onto the dam or just putting the drogue out to fish the south shore to the shelf/dam. Before long it became apparent that the conditions hadn’t put the fish off with rods in the regions of the south shore, shelf and dam bending at regular intervals. Early on Sam was seen to take a large fish in the area between the tower and shelf, Paul followed the same line a few drifts later and also landed a fish estimated at 4lb+. Bank anglers were also observed to be doing very well all the way down from the harbour to the dam wall with catches later reported to be up to 30 fish for the day. Willie and David fished drifts on to the dam both doing well bagging up by lunch time. Paul and Ian also had limits by lunch time. The boats that turned left in the morning hadn’t fared as well with lower numbers reported.
Successful tactics on the day were lines from fast glass to DI-7 and flies reported YD, black, black/green tadpoles and damsels.
At the weigh-in 16 rods weighed in 55 fish for 134lb 6 oz with the results as follows:
1st Paul - 6 fish for 16lb 0oz 4 points
2nd David P - 6 fish 14lb 8oz 3 points
3rd Ian - 6 fish 13lb 8oz 2 points
4th 3 anglers tied for 4th with 13lb 00z
Willie E with 6 fish
Sam with 5 fish and
Tom with 4 fish.
After some deliberation it was decided to award each 0.5 points each.
Sat 1 May 2010 - Butterstone Loch - 9am - 5pm by Paul
It was going to be a sad day for the Bothwell and Blantyre with the news of Donald passing away that morning.
After quiet discussions and reflections in the car park I went out thinking of the good memories of fishing with Donald over the years and with an attitude of let’s get a few for Donald.
The weather was better than forecast for a change but at times it was still very cold and the wind variable and from flat calm to start to SE to E to NE to a cold NW and finishing off back East.
17 anglers fished a day of mixed fortunes with some doing well in the morning and struggling in the afternoon while others couldn’t get a touch in the morning but did better in the afternoon.
Adam did well in the morning with 5 fish by 12:30 but couldn’t get a touch after that. Keith didn’t touch a fish until a red hot spell in the afternoon at the lilies when he got his limit in an hour on the DI-3, washing line and boobies. Paul managed 5 from the bones area after lunch with the fast glass viva, cormorant combination doing well.
At the weigh in there were lots of stories of fished hooked and lost, for no apparent reason, after being well on and played for various amounts of time.
On the scales 17 rods weighed in 39 fish for 83lb 15 oz with the results as follows:
1st Keith Jackson 6 fish 12lb 5oz 4 points
2nd Adam Park 5 fish 10lb 0oz 3 points
3rd Paul Wilson 5 fish 9lb 12oz 2 points
4th John Moulds 4 fish 9lb 7oz 1 point
Tue 11 May 2010 - Lake of Menteith - 9.30 am - 5pm
Tuesday 11 May 2010 was a pretty cold for day for mid May and as soon as the swirling wind turned round to blow from the east (which it did on a number of occasions during the day) the temperature dropped even further. 13 B&B anglers along with guest Jim L set off at the appointed time and promptly disappeared to a number of different areas around the Lake. Jimmy K and I headed for the Heronry (recent east wind may have blown the fish down there - my theory, anyway!) and my single 2-tone blob accounted for a couple fish in the first half hour or so. Bumped into Keith and Jim L mid morning, but they had only one fish to report, I guess from the Gateside Bay area. Jimmy and I worried the fish (but they weren't very worried!) on the Malling Shore until lunchtime. Saw Tom and Paul on the way across, with nothing to report from the South end of the loch. We saw lots of fish moving over lunch and in the early afternoon in the Shear Point - Hotel Bay area and Jimmy took one on a wee green nymph in the early afternoon. A pike followed, and and he had a few pulls, but nothing stuck - not surprising really - ask him yourself!
At the weigh-in it transpired that Ian had done well on a booby-cruncher-booby set up on a Di 3 - 6 fish on a day like that is a great result - well done. Tom had a good afternoon with 3 fish to his fully dressed orange nymph and Keith and I had two each. A number of others dirtied the scales with one fish, but it was a hard day all round. Total return for the day was 16 fish for 23lb 14oz, with one fish returned. The result was:
1st - Ian - 5 Fish for 7lb
2nd - Tom - 3 Fish for 4lb 11oz
3rd - Keith - 2 fish for 3lb 4oz
4th - David - 2 Fish for 2lb 14 oz
The wind was a constant source of amazement. When Jimmy K hooked the fish he landed, there had been a light (but steady) westerly for about 15 mins. In the few minutes he took to land and unhook the fish, the wind went round through north and east to south! What chance did we have! B&B Angling Club excuse number 386: A fidgety wind.
Sat 29 May 2010 - Loch Frandy - 9am - 4.30pm
Frandy Fishery - 29 May 2010
A fairly chilly and slightly damp May day saw 17 Bothwell and Blantyre anglers and 1 guest chuck a variety of fluff at the well conditioned trout in the Frandy Reservoir. Unfortunately Sydney was a late call off with many members asking after him. Gilbert and Archie had agreed to fish the bank as the club had been unable to secure an extra boat to accommodate all those who wanted to fish this popular venue. A variety of setups were in evidence in the carpark, from the traditional DI7 and 2 boobies to the rather more avant garde dries!
Lots of boats went east of the boat dock, and very close to the shore. The Adam/John G and Alex G/John M partnerships were seen to be into early fish. The Davids (O and P) stuggled until David P got a fish on the orange blob/clear intermediate combination. After things had settled it was clear that the shore line between the lodge and the dam was the area to be in and rods continued to bend in the couse of the morning. Adam was first to get to 6 (by 12 noon - great effort, Adam) but John G couldn't get that final fish and ended on 5. A very heavy shower just after 12 was narrowly avoided by Archie, Gilbert and the Davids, who sheltered in the lodge and sampled, and were soon joined by Paul and Jimmy for further sampling!
The afternoon proved tougher, but Alex G was lording it up at the dam ('when one has one's 6 fish', no less!!) having taken his 6 fish by early afternoon at the latest. Paul took his 4th and 5th fish in the first drift after lunch having put on the yellow dancer. He finished soon after. It became apparent that the YD was the fly of the day (see link below) and so your correspondent tried his luck with one and promptly landed 3 fish just off the dam wall. Ian G was spied down towards the bay on the north shore catching his 6th fish around 3.30 (and a nice fish it looked, too) and that was just about it - oh no, not quite. Archie had had a frustrating day from the shore, but took a fish near the lodge in the nick of time to ensure that every angler fishing with the B&B caught on the day - yes, even our guest Jock! (5 fish, Well done mate!) The final tally say 18 rods catch 68 fish at 133lb 5oz, for a rod average of 3.77 and average weight of just over 1lb 15 oz. The good anglers were:
1st - Alex G - 6 fish for 12lb 8oz
2nd - Ian G - 6 fish for 11lb 10oz
3rd - Paul - 6 fish for 11lb 9oz
4th - Adam - 6 fish for 10lb 9 oz
Well done everyone on fine day's angling. The meal at Blackford was attended by 15 anglers and once again the hotel did us proud with a lovely meal. The Blackford Hotel website is here. The map might be useful for some! Here is some more info on the Yellow Dancer.
Sat 12 Jun 2010 - Loch Carron - 9am - 4 pm
Forecast was for a cloudy day with a 12-15mph wind from the NW. It was a bit breezy as we left the jetty and a few boats elected to stay and try the dam area for starters. David O and John G went all the way up the loch and fished the bays on the road shore, a couple of small browns being the only reward. Sam and Gilbert were spied during the morning, with nothing positive to report. We saw Paul and Alistair, too, with only one fish on board. It seemed that it was going to be a difficult day. However, what we didn't know was that David P and Jimmy K were slaying fish in the dam area! David was doing well with yellow Dancer, in a variety of sizes, no less, and Jimmy was giving an equally good account of himself while netting and killing David's fish! Paul and Alistair joined the party at the dam netting 4 and 3 fish respectively, and Billy G was to be disappoined that his 4 fish haul didn't net a point. Tom caught a very creditable 3 fish and the rest were also rans. Club members also returned a number of wild brown trout.
It is my duty to report a somewhat unsavoury incident in the President's boat. As the boat settled into a new drift, the driver decided to use the bailer. While attempting to sort himself out discreetly so as to avoid any offence to his boat partner and the walkers on the south shore, the driver's fishing rod nearly jumped out of the boat as a fit rainbow of around 2lbs ran off with the static black UV booby! A startled driver interupted his pee break to land the fish with the bailer covering his embarrasment! Naturally, given that I wasn't actually holding the fishing rod when the fish took I returned the fish. Aye, right!
At the end of the day 12 anglers weighed in a total of 28 trout for 55lb. A special mention goes to Alistair for his fine rainbow of 4lb. The other good anglers were:
1st David Penrice - 5 fish weighing 9lb 7oz for 4 points
2nd Jimmy Kirkland - 4 fish weighing 8lb 7oz for 3 points
3rd Paul Wilson - 4 fish weighing 7lb 13oz for 2 points
4th Alistair Struthers - 3 fish weighing 7lb 4oz for 1 point
Well done to all.
Thu 24 Jun 2010 - Lake of Menteith - 9.30 am - 5pm
Fishing at the Lake this year had been a bit patchy, with the average weigh of the fish a bit smaller than in a number of previous years. Douglas was respendent in his Bothwell and Blantyre Angling Club Burgundy hat, weloming all and, like Quint, recommending the Malling Shore to anyone who asked for information. Most of the boats headed out west, then, into the obligatory shower of rain, which, thankfully, was the only precipitation we saw all day. With lots of B&B boats in the Malling shore/plantation area, there was a fair bit of 'watching what everone else was doing' going in. Keith was spied into an early fish or 2, Adam and Billy struggled a bit and David O took a decent fish after an hour or so. There was still evidence of fish almost all the way out to Dog Island, but they weren't exactly crawling up the rods for the first wee while. The boats gradually moved away, Willie E and Alastair among them. A quick chat with Paul and Gilbert suggested it was a bit slow, and this was confirmed by Ian G. Eric and David O were fishing varying drifts and eventually a drift close to the fence at the plantation resulted in a double hook up for David, with both fish safely netted (10lb leader helps!).
There was an increasing number of boats seen around the burn area and the NE corner of Gateside bay, with lots of boats doing short drifts. That meant that the west end of the Lake had virtually cleared of boats and David and Eric enjoyed a peaceful lunch, watching the fish rising around them! A couple of fish lost in play delayed a limit for David, but not for long. Eric then opened his account with nice fish on the trusty 2 tone blob, and was then broken, probably with a double hook up. Keith appeared to try his luck on the dry fly, having bagged up by around 12 noon and Eric continued to catch steadily, completing his limit by just after 3pm. Tom and Sam were spied stocking the Lake with dead fish and the concentration of boats in Gateside Bay grew and grew. Those in Hotel Bay and Reedy Bay were having a fine time, but only with pike, and there are reports of pike suppers being enjoyed in certain parts of Arbroath. Jimmy K and new member Scott were having difficulty in connecting with rainbows. It was good to see guest Duncan get a fish, but a shame that Bill couldn't match his son's expertise. In the end, 17 rods caught 46 fish on flies as diverse as the 2 tone blob, cormorant and size 16 buzzer. The rod average was 2.7 with the average weight of fish being 1lb 13oz. The top few were:
1st - Paul W - 5 fish for 10lb 6oz
2nd - David O - 5 fish for 9lb 13oz
3rd - Ian G - 5 fish for 8lb 14oz
4th= - Eric L - 5 fish for 8lb 12 oz
4th= - Tom B - 5 fish for 8lb 12 oz
Keith J also caught 5 fish but dipped out on weight (8lb 8oz) The word is that Sam also caught 5 fish, but only weighed in 4 for 8lb 1 oz, so had his fish bag been zipped up properly when motoring, he would have been in among the points. A good
day for many and the Lion and Unicorn provided excellent after fishing food.
Sat 10 July 2010 - Butterstone Loch - 9am - 5pm
Sat 24 Jul 2010 - Loch Carron - 9am - 4 pm
Thu 19 Aug 2010 - Lake of Menteith - 9.30 am - 5pm
Sat 28 Aug 2010 - Loch Leven - 10am - 5pm