Sea Trout Fly Fishing on the Big Loch (Page 3).

Best conditions.

The best conditions for fly fishing on the loch are a good blanket of cloud combined with a reasonable wind – preferably 10 to 20mph.
Wind direction is not too important although we always feel that it is preferable for the air to be warmer than the water. Broken cloud is not too much of a problem but if it is wall to wall sunshine then generally you can pull the boat ashore and enjoy the place for what it is.

Likewise flat calm puts an end to sport in my experience. There may be scope for experimenting with sunk lines or weighted flies but it just isn’t in my armoury. A dark oppressive sky doesn’t seem to provide the sport that higher cloud cover can offer but it is by no means hopeless and I will always fish with confidence then.

My best sea trout was caught in the first week of August on a wet and wild day with a dark oppressive sky and low cloud. A day when many people would have given up. I was sitting crouched up the bow of the boat with an extra oilskin, hat, hood up and just flicking the flies out and dibbling the claret bumble on the bob in front of me when one of those big dustbin lid rises developed in front of me no more that six feet from the boat. When I lifted to my surprise, instead of the usual result from those rises – fresh air – I lifted into a fine seven pound ten ounce sea trout which made me completely forget the weather and brought a smile to my face. I really felt I deserved that fish for persevering.

Incidentally, it beat by two ounces my previous best of seven and a half pounds caught the previous week on the dap in pretty much the same place.

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