That’s it for this year, I hope you all had a good season, and by all accounts everyone seemed to have.

Just a couple of days before the end of the season I had a red letter day myself, with 5 Sea Trout. Three of them were around the 1 lb to 1.5 lb mark and the other two were about 3lbs and 3.5lbs, all of them fairly fresh looking and certainly not coloured. All were taken on a Claret Bumble and a Silver Invicta at Inch Lonaig and the Long Point on Inch Moan. That same day saw John Brice get a smashing looking 2.5lb Sea Trout off Inch Cruin just past the Ladies rock, and Davie Campbell with another 1.5lb fish caught in the same area. During our drum up John was telling me that he had risen a number of fish in that area. The loch that day was magnificent in it’s Autumn colours with the sun occasionally highlighting the trees and grasses on the islands, you just can’t put a price on that beauty, what a day it was and fish to boot.

The last day saw the usual Balmaha regulars all busy getting engines on the back of boats and rods getting set up and flies getting picked. The day itself was a cracker, dry, sunny with some light cloud, however there was one thing lacking that put paid to the fly fishing. There was no wind, just a puff now and a gain , coming from the north.

The Geggles was selected by some idiot who thought that would probably be the best place to have a drum up due to the fact that the recent winds were all from that direction. Sorry about that chaps, decision making wasn’t my best subject at school. In my travels that day searching for the strongest puff of wind I bumped into Noel Spalding on the south east shore of Inch Lonaig. Noel was having a brew with a couple of his mates, and all were praising the system for its fish. It was suggested that due to the amount of rain we had this year and the fact that the barrage gates were open from about July onwards had a lot to do with it. Thinking about it now, the fish must have been there in the first place to make the choice to run the system. Alright they may have under a normal rainfall season decided to wait till there was enough water for them to make their journey, but they eventually have to come into the system at some point, and usually you’ll connect with them during September and October when the rains come. No, I am of the opinion that the stocking policy is beginning to show it’s success, and thinking back only a few years, when most people you met were complaining about the lack of fish, it’s a great to hear the stories of lost fish, pulls and got this one here and this one there. A good job done by those all involved in the Stock Improvement Working Group, and lets hope that the tide has turned and the numbers of fish keep on improving and we get the loch back to it’s former glory days, which was still not an easy place to get results.

About the Stock Improvement Working Group, if anybody is interested in helping out, whether it be catching up, or assisting at the hatchery, or for that matter just wanting to see what the lads do contact Angus MacRitchie, and I’m sure there’ll be a wee job for an extra pair of hands. I was told that Matt Stewart was undergoing an operation on the last day of the season, I bet the doctor didn’t expect to do two operations on Matt that day, one to remove his fishing rod and the other a medical one. I wish you a speedy recovery Matt as do the rest of the lads at Balmaha, if it’s any consolation I messed up with the drum up and it didn’t really happen so there’s next year to look forward to.

Back to my tour of the loch looking for a puff of wind. After parting with Noel I headed round to the north side of Inch Lonaig and flicked the flies out, all for about 5 minutes, till the loch went flat calm again. I was joined by Denis McLaughlin who signalled to me suggesting we head for the Geggles for the drum up. As I turned round the west end of Lonaig Ernie East and his party were all pulled up on that shore, I couldn’t sail past without wishing them all the best, and sharing a beer with them. There was Old Geordie Malloch and his young assistant Jimmy McNiven who retired from the Police a few years back, that tells you how old Geordie is. There was Denis Hall, Ernie off course and Geordie’s brother in law, Davie. Jimmy’s granddaughter Alice had come up from Englandshire and wanted to go out with her grand dad. Jimmy did his best to keep Alice away from catching any of the millions of bad habits that Ernie and the rest of them have developed over the years. I happened to ask her if she liked Loch Lomond, to which she replied in a lovely polite soft English accent, “Oh yes it’s beautiful, and I it’s funny to see Mr McGhee fall down all the time”. She was off course referring to John McGhee. Trying to stick up for Mr McGhee, who was not there thankfully, although I never checked the floor boards of Ernie’s boat, I said had a medical problem that affected his balance. Anyway by this time Denis McLaughlin had been long gone and it was the turn of Colin McCrory and his mate Dave Mc Dowell who pulled in. After half an hour we said our goodbyes and set off for the Geggles once more. Well, we made the Geggles without any other distraction, however it wasn’t the Balmaha boys we were joining it was Davie King and young Davie, Harry Seaton, Jock Brown, Steely and young Ian Steel, and Steely’s grandson Daniel Steel. I hadn’t even got both feet on the sandy shore when there was a glass of whiskey placed in my hands. Well, by this time I’m absolutely starving and not having enough to go around everyone, I remained hungry. The talk as before got around to the fishing and the numbers of fish caught. It was Harry who was saying that almost everyone he knows down at the Vale of Leven and District Angling Club in Balloch has reported having caught at least one fish. This is great news for the whole system.

I waited till Colin and Dave finished their diner and left looking for the Balmaha boys, it was now 4.30pm, and most of them would be returning to Balmaha, so with the conditions being gloriously flat calm I headed back to Balmaha and put my boat back out to it’s mooring for a winter sleep.

Gradually the boys returned and it was that silent but deadly chap, (Diary entry 27th Oct 2004) Denis McLaughlin that had success with a Sea Trout of 2.5lbs caught and returned in the morning in a wisp of wind on the Luss Bank. I got pelters for not making the drum up in the Geggles that day so that’s why you’re all being subjected to this long story of my circumstances that glorious day.

It was at this point I had a strong magnetic pull towards the Oak Tree Hotel, for something to eat and off course a small drop of the big boys ginger. I had arranged to meet up with four Irish mates who I fish with at May time on Lough Corrib in the Oak Tree. They had been shooting in Peterhead and came down to Balmaha to join in the fun of the day. Suitable impressed with the Loch they’re planning a trip for next October to coincide with their shooting. I might just be recovered by then, as it was 3.00am when I free wheeled up the driveway, hoping not to disturb ‘er indoors. All in all the last day for me was terrific and I wish you all the very best over the winter.

If there is anything of interest regarding the loch, Balmaha, fishers etc, please drop me line, and I’ll be only too glad to scribble a few lines in the diary.

In the picture below is one of the Sea Trout I caught on my red letter day.