I find it hard to believe that it’s September already……the season’s going in far too fast……..time somebody put glue inside Old Father Time’s hourglass and shaved off his beard!

August saw a change in fortune for some fishers….. enjoying a few fish… while others have just enjoyed a few………good days out! Walter Gilchrist e-mailed to say that he had caught another two grilse bringing his total for the month up to four...I suspect they were all caught on copper tobies. That man of leisure Donald McKellar lost three fish last week and had a 6lb grilse yesterday just north of Rowardennan. Again the copper toby was responsible….. must get a look at some of these ‘copper tobies’. I’ve found that the copper/black ‘popeye’ definitely does the trick but gold, gold/green and gold/zebra are probably my favourites. The zebra has snared a fish or two on the poker.

Other fishers were not so fortunate including myself. Even after a few expeditions to the top end it was a clean month. I think the Vale boys have got the fish up there well trained! Lost a fish on Wednesday though at the cliff just south of Rowchoish ….zebra on the poker funnily enough…. dark water but fish seem to hang about there regularly. I remember a couple of seasons ago seeing Robbie Brown circling the area with determination. As I passed he explained that a fish had just pulled his poker over the back and he was trying to recover it with or without the culprit….he never did. A lesson for us all there! Unfortunately Robbie’s had a fishless season so far. He also lost a fish on Wednesday at the front of Inchmoan….but he did come back into the Bay with all rods aboard! Robbie’s a regular attender and I hope his luck changes very soon.

There are still fresh fish entering the Loch but it appears so are unwelcome visitors……escaped farm fish. A good number have been caught in the Leven and it’s believed others have gone into the Loch. Their exact origins are unknown at present but the potential damage to wild fish is well documented. An escape from a farm in Loch Striven in 1998 resulted in hundreds caught in the Leven and a fair crop off the Loch. If my memory serves me right they appeared at the beginning of September and were still being taken on the last day of the season. I don’t know what the final tally was but boats were coming in daily with two and three fish on board. Many of these having been caught in the Mill o’Ross, Rowardennan and Ptarmigan areas. They are easily distinguishable by their split and ragged fins… plastic shrink wrapping…but taste fine! The more we can pull out the better. I would appreciate any updates of such catches.

Last Saturday at Inchgalbraith I had my biggest catch of the season…….a speedboat…. complete with gantry of skis and ski boards…..took my inside rod and went off with a faithful lure. A close shave?….aye within twenty yards! I sometimes wonder if these trolling balls mean anything to other loch users….why do fishermen have red balls? nice decorations perhaps?….I certainly know what I wanted to do with it…..cone shaped markers would be much more useful!! Something must change soon.

Euan McGrandle tells me Tom McBride was out accompanied by his eight year old grandson Aaron when they got into a fish at Auchentullich Bay. Thinking it just a small one Tom gave the lad his rod but when it took off he realised it was a salmon and had to give Aaron some assistance. When eventually netted it weighed in at 13lbs. A great thrill for the boy and another young Loch fisher in the making. Hopefully a photograph will follow. Euan reports losing a fish last Saturday at the Colquhoun shore which he reckons was in the high teens.

Well here’s to a good month. Attached is a photo of Vale fisher John Connolly whom I met at Ardlui last month just after he had netted a fine grilse.

Regards J.R.