Whilst relaxing by the fridge trying to cool down as the temperatures soared, I received a telephone call from Colin McCrory.

Colin had been out on Saturday last with his mate Gibby, fishing the fly in almost perfect conditions. They were fishing the shores of Inchlonaig, and the Long and Short Points of Inchmoan and along the shore of Inchcruin and into the Geggles.

Colin, who like most of us lifts his rod and dibbles the `bob fly` as soon as it touches the water, found that although he was rising a few fish, they were all coming short. It was only after Gibby had hooked and landed a cracking Sea Trout of 2.5lb and lost another one about 3lbs that Colin noticed the difference in their retrieves. Gibby`s technique was that after casting he would retrieve line giving it 2 or 3 pulls first before the rod began to lift up and it was while pulling in the line that the fish took the flies. With this observation, Colin changed his tactics and landed 3 fish between 2 and 3lbs. He also gave the Dap a go and found that the fish were coming short to that.

Colin also told me that he had been out on Thursday last and hooked a beauty of 2.5lbs at the Luss Bank as did Noel Spalding who got one of 4lbs on the Dap.

There was another report of a Balmaha boat doing well with the fly on Inchmurrin.

One last note, I managed to get up the loch on Monday and fished the Tap End staying over and coming down late on Tuesday night. Late being about 1.00am. After loading the car and happing the boat I discovered I had been locked in the yard. Due to the lateness of the hour I didn`t bother anyone, and stayed put. Sandy must be enforcing his `Gates locked at 10.00pm` rule.

To add insult to a sleepless night, John Brice called me at lunch time to tell me he had just caught a beauty of 11lbs up at the Loch Sloy power station, near to where he had lost one on the Tuesday night.

So from yours truly, bent rods and all that jazz.

The picture below shows the Islands south of the Ross Isles.