Hi all,

When will this weather change, for the past 6 or so weeks I’ve been checking every weather web site that’s available wishing it would tell me something different, other than bright spells with little or no wind. I mean how can I arrange for the wife to do the decorating whilst I’m away on a long weekend fishing break when I can’t get the weather.

The month is rolling along and it’ll soon be that we’re chasing our tails to get as much fly fishing as we can.

For the last 3 Saturday’s in September I ventured out with the fly rod in hand and made my way to Inchlonaig and spent the next 5 hours rearranging the pebbles on the shore waiting for the sun to disappear and a breeze to get up. It was the same each Saturday at about 4.30pm a light breeze did get up from the south west. So with lightening speed, alright call me a liar, I sauntered quickly and made my way to the Long Point on Inchmoan and set the boat up for a drift. One Saturday I was out with Willie Caldwell and drifted from the Long Point right into the Geggles without so much as a peep at the flies, which were, on the bob a Claret Bumble which I later changed later for a Golden Olive Bumble size 12, a size 12 Invicta in the middle and a size 12 Turkey and Gold on the tail.

We left the Long Point and made my way over to the Short Point where a cloud covered the glaring sun just before it retreated behind the Luss hills. As we drifted the point Willie Caldwell, was left speechless, which is a feat in itself, as a fish swirled at his bob fly. We continued the drift and we each rose a number of fish, hooking only a couple of them. Most were small nebs about the 1lb mark but there were a couple of larger ones in the 2lb - 4lb mark.

The notable thing was we never saw anything, or had any activity prior to the sun going behind the cloud and then the hills. Colin McCrory and boat partner for the day Dave McDowell sat out the flat calm that particular Saturday and then once the wind arrived caught 3 Sea Trout to 3.5lbs between them.

Later that night in the confines of the Oak Tree Inn I had a conversation with one of the regular Pike anglers, who told me that he had never seen as many Sea Trout jumping and leaping all over the Endrick Bank. Possibly they had sensed the weather change and the rain that followed the next day and were jockeying for position for a run up the Endrick.

Later that week I was on the phone to Colin McCrory, who was telling me he has managed to get out a couple of times during mid week and was getting fish to the fly in all the usual drifts, namely Inchmurrin, the Long and Short Points, Inchlonaig and the Luss Bank.

Another visit to the Loch on Monday the 1st of October saw Willie Caldwell and I drifting in almost perfect conditions, a nice steady breeze and overcast with intermittent breaks of light shining through, who could ask for better. The only other boat we saw that day was Colin McCrory who was out with Stan Headley of the Orkney fame. Stan certainly knows the days to pick for that one was perfect. I think they landed about 8 Sea Trout between them all to about 2lbs and rose about 16. Stan’s fly that was bring the fish up to the bob was one of his creations called a Leggy Claret Bumble, dressed as a normal bumble with legs with some blue from a peacock just behind the Jay. We had a similar day catching a couple of neb sized Sea Trout each, which we returned. We also rose and missed a good half dozen offers. This just proves that if the conditions are just right it’s dead easy this fly fishing on Loch Lomond.

I managed to get out on Saturday last with Bob Forshaw, and due to the wind coming from the North and it’s expectancy to turn to gale force later in the day we headed up to Rowchoish hoping to fish all the way back down to Balmaha. This off course would take about 3 days if you wanted to fish properly all the drifts from Rowchoish down. With the wind from the North it was quite noticeable that the temperature had dropped. Anyway we fished Rowchoish, the road shore, Firkin Point before we drummed up with Willie Caldwell and John Brice just north of Taylor’s Rock, which is just south of Rowerdennan. Not one of us had seen or risen anything to the fly or dap. After the drum up we fished Mill of Ross Bay and the mouth of the Kiellymore Burn, and then made our way to the Luss Bank where they’re were a couple of boats fishing. Willie and John were fishing the wet fly whilst that well known father and son team of experts, Angus and Gary McRitchie were dapping. Angus later told me that they had between them 5 Sea Trout to a couple of pounds but rose about another 20, all at the Luss Bank. Bob and I didn’t fair so well, in actual fact we rose nothing except a polite and sheepish smile when Angus told us of their day. One other angler I saw out on Saturday was Peter Lyons who had got off to a cracking start with a 2.5lb Sea Trout first thing in the morning off Inchlonaig. He also managed to rise a number of fish to the wet fly, but ended the day with just the one, which was one better than us.

I have now taken up my bible in the hope my luck changes and if any of you reading this and seeing me kneeling down in my boat and chanting some incoherent phrases you’ll understand that it’s me praying for to the fish god for an offer or two and a bit of action.

That’s all for now folks so lets hope the weather stays unbroken for the rest of the season with mildish winds from the west. Tight lines and screaming reels to you all.

In the picture below is Colin McCrory and Dave McDowell in a flat calm just off Inchlonaig.