Hillend Dabbler

UV Straggle Fritz Wet Fly

2012-02-04T21:09:00.002Z

Just the other day when I arrived home from work I was shocked and horrified to find out that my wife had dismantled my tying desk and chest and all my assorted bits and pieces and packed them into a cupboard in what was formerly my tying room, all in the name of home improvements. My tying den was my pride and joy and I would go in there with a malt or a fine red and tie flies till my heart was content.
She also wanted me to pack all my books and magazines which I have collected for many years away also into the cupboard and wanted to do away with my bookcases all because she says they are an eye sore.
As you can imagine a bit of an argument ensued but I eventually calmed down and managed to come to an agreement of sorts.
In the end I got a new desk in the room all be it the one from my sons room as apparently he is getting a new one.
I have now reorganized my tying gear and threw away all the stuff that I was never going to use. I now have a scaled down tying kit which is still quite considerable to be honest as I have a hell of a lot of gear. Its all packed away into newly acquired storage boxes etc and although its not set up permanently as before I'm quite happy with it now.
Anyway, enough of my trouble and strife. I was watching Davie McPhails You tube channel today and was inspired by his latest tying vids which are tremendous and decided to tie up some flies using the technique he uses to incorporate straggle fritz into standard wets to give them a modern feel and added sparkle. The above fly is one of about half a dozen I tied today and I really like the look of them. I hope you do to. Please feel free to leave comments good bad or indifferent

Airdrie & Dist AC [Hillend Loch] AGM

2012-01-29T17:31:00.006Z

I attended the Airdrie and District angling Club's AGM this afternoon and I'm pleased to report that the Club is in a healthy state especially in these tough financial times and its all down to the hard work that the committee etc put in and which goes unnoticed. The only disappointing aspect of today's meeting was that there were only 52 members in attendance which was a 25 drop on last years meeting.The bulk of the committee were re elected with just a couple of members standing down.We heard reports on the stocking policy of the club and reports on the landscaping and path making etc and the continuing success of the club house facility which is without doubt the best in the region. The use of the boats was disappointing as not as many members as hoped utilised them. I put that down to the terrible weather we had during the course of the season as high winds tended to prevail during the summer.The Club are pleased to announce that the pricing of memberships and season tickets will remain the same as last year with the only increase being a day ticket going up by a pound. Over all the club is in a hale and hearty condition and I look forward to the coming season which is only 46 days away.

Hillend News Flash!

2012-01-24T20:01:00.006Z

Airdrie and District Angling Club's AGM will be held in the Alexander Primary School Airdrie [opposite Airdrie train station] on Sunday the 29th of January at 12.00 - 03.00pm. Full members only may attend. Permits must be shown for proof of membership before entering. The dates for the new permits to be renewed are still to be confirmed.
The Angling club would like to see as many members as possible to attend. So come along and hear how the club fared in the last year and also hear the plans for the coming year and perhaps put forward ideas of your own for consideration.
Do you have any Hillend Loch memorabilia or anything which relates to Airdrie and District Angling Club if so the club now have a new display case in the club house, We hope to collect as much as possible and preserve the history of the club.
Finally,Pike fishing will be available every weekend in February. Permits are available from the clubhouse and are priced as follows, 2 rods £7. 3 rods £10. Dead baits only and spinners or plugs over 6 inches.
Check out the Pike catches from last year in the gallery at
www.airdrie-angling.co.uk/zenphoto/Latest%20catches/

Another fly for Hillend

2012-01-22T22:25:00.003Z

Unfortunately I still haven't got round to wetting a line this year yet. Therefore I haven't had much to blog about other than the odd walk up at Hillend and such like as well as showing some of my latest tyings. I hope the latest patterns to fall from my vice will meet with your approval and in some way keep my readers interested in my blog until such time that I get myself out fishing again. I can't say exactly when that will be as it is dependant on the weather and work commitments but I hope to use those grayling floats soon that I acquired at the tail end of the year. Hope you like the pattern above which has an unusual colour combination but one I think will fool some Hillend trout.

Flies for Hillend brown trout

2012-01-17T15:58:00.003Z

Ive been tying more flies recently than I have done for some time. The new box is steadily building up . The above three are examples of the style I have been tying. I must say I do enjoy tying these style of flies more than any other. These last few days I have been tying size 10's so my next batch are gonna be in 12's.
These flies are especially tyed with brown trout in mind but I'm sure the Hillend rainbows might fancy them too. Its always ideal to have movement and light in a fly pattern and these fit the bill perfectly. The latest patterns won't win any tying competitions as they are essentially fishing flies which are a bit rough round the edges. I will post more examples in a couple of days. Hope you like them. Please feel free to leave a comment , good bad or indifferent.

More Hillend Scruffs

2012-01-15T19:10:00.003Z

Today I tied a trio of flies for use at Hillend in a similar style that I tied last year and I use the word style carefully that caught me a few trout last year. Its a good wet pattern to use in the May and june when the fish are in the upper layers of the loch. Not the best looking flies to look at but the fish appeared to show an interest in them last year.

Tied on a size 10 hook I used and orange uni thread for the tying thread,the tail is from a mallard the body is firey yellow slf with wraps of red holo tinsel the body hackle is brown grizzle with a green wire rib to secure it down and a scruffy partridge hackle at the front... A scruffy Hillend Palmer.

Hillend trees and flees!

2012-01-08T15:23:00.004Z

Went for a walk yesterday afternoon at Hillend and noticed that the jetty has been damaged by the storms we had last week and that part of it is lying in the narrows near the cottage half submerged. I walked round the back of the cottage and up the hill at the narrows and up along the dyke that runs along the hill to the the big tree, my favourite spot to sit and gaze across the loch. There were quite a number of old trees blown down by the recents winds which I often think is sad as these trees in some cases are over a 100 years old. I then decided to walk over to the old estate house which has lay derelict since 1937, the course over to the house proved more difficult than I first thought as I had to negotiate some serious bog to get there. It must have been a magnificent house in its day with a great view looking toward the loch.

I have often wondered why the boathouse bay at Hillend is so called as there is no sign of any boathouse what so ever I can only guess that there must have been one at some time in the past as the old estate house is only about 300 yards away in the woods.

I then continued on my walk up to the point of the woods and then round the back and cut through the woods back to the bay , down the narrows back to car and then off home. After a nice hot drink I sat down at the vice and tied a few flies the best of which was the one above.

Geocaching by the Lily Loch.

2012-01-03T17:22:00.003Z

After the excesses of Christmas, New Year and a victory for
the Diamonds over the Wee Rovers yesterday I decided that today would be an
appropriate time to begin my plan to get fit for the year ahead. Trouble was
when I awoke this morning there was an almighty storm blowing across the
country shutting down transport systems, major bridges and of course causing major structural damage and also the danger of falling trees etc.
Therefore I waited to about midday when it appeared that the
wind was subsiding before heading out.
I picked up Alex just after twelve and we decided that we
would have a walk up the hills nearby the Lily Loch. Alex had a new GPS he
wanted to use so we decided we would do a bit of what is termed Geocaching. Basically
it’s a Hi tech game of treasure hunt using a GPS to locate a concealed box or
something similar. Inside there is a log book which you sign and date and give
details of the weather conditions etc. Alex had all the details and route to
follow etc.
We parked in the Lily carpark headed up the footpath to the
lily we were soon out on the hills searching for the cache. The wind and
freezing sleet was a hindrance as we got up onto Drumfin. I tried to get some
pics of the lily loch looking west but the sleet was coming straight at me so
decided if any pics were to be taken then they would have to be looking east
with the wind at my back. The view over to Hillend were nice but would be much
better appreciated on a better weather day. After a while we found the desired
cache there was a second to be found but the weather was too wild and wet so
called it a day went back to the car and visited the Hillend Lodge for a
welcome cup of coffee.

Wire Spider

2012-01-01T22:15:00.002Z

Hello folks Happy New Year!

Ive not really been in the tying groove recently as my mind has been on other things and have been lacking inspiration so when I sat down at the vice today I didnt know what to tie or where to start. Then I was thinking of a dabbler pattern Davie McPhail tied and gave to me at the GAC a couple of years ago. Davie showed me the wonderful properties of the mirage tinsel it had on the body as it appears to change colour or completely disappear just showing the wire wrapped over it depending on which direction the light hits it. As we all know fish are attracted to movement in fly patterns so therefore as this fly is getting pulled it should work a treat. I tied a few of these tonight and look forward to tying other patterns too in the coming weeks.

I was hoping to go after the grayling over the festive period but as yet I havent managed but hope to remedy that soon.

Goodbye to 2011

2011-12-31T22:40:00.003Z

Thought it would appropriate to make one last post before the year is out. Hogmanay of course is a time when we like to reflect on the year just passed. We Scots tend to get all sentimental and many a tear is shed as the bells ring in the new year.

I like to make new year resolutions but I'm not going to share them as they are often broke after only a matter of weeks.

The highlight of my year fishing wise was of course catching my first ever salmon on my first ever salmon trip. That was something really special. There have been a few highs as well as lows on the angling front but I'm not going to dwell but remain upbeat as we go into the new year.

I would just like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a very prosperous New year and may all your fish be big uns!

Peter Ross

2011-12-27T15:38:00.000Z

Well that's all the festive giving and receiving over for another year. Therefore I've now got time to concentrate on my blog again. For over a month now I have had problems with my pc but all issues are resolved now because Santa/Val got me a new one.
Over the last week or so I have tied various style of flies so I thought I would share one of those patterns with you. Its a fly you either love or hate. The Peter Ross. Its amazing how many fishermen will tell you that they have never caught a single fish on this pattern but there will be just as many who will tell that they would never be without it. I like to use this fly on Highland lochans I have also had success with it at Hillend too.
There is an enjoyable and interesting account of the use of this pattern in a chapter titled 'Peter and I in the Corrie Halloch' in Robert McDonald Robertson's wonderful book called Wade the River Drift the Loch. You should really try and get a hold of this book it really is a delight.The Peter Ross was devised by a Killin store keeper of the same name as a variation of the Teal and red. I imagine it represents small fry. It also has a reputation for sea trout as well as browns. Go on give it a chuck in the new season and prove the doubters wrong.

Traditional River Floats!

2011-12-20T15:26:00.003Z

Today My Blog is two years old. It's a real delight to share my fishing related experiences and to watch my viewing numbers increase as they have done over these past two years. I am now on average receiving 1,250 views a month which is very encouraging. Its more than I could have ever have hoped for when I first started this venture. Anyway I digress. Today I thought I would share the news that I will be receiving these beautiful hand made traditional grayling river floats within the next couple of days. They are made by George Lockhart a Scot now living in Yorkshire I have a link to his blog on my side bar... Traditional Floats.
You may recall a blog post from last month about a successful day on the Clyde fishing for grayling with John, on that day John showed me a plethora of floats that he had acquired over the years but the ones that caught the eye were the very beautiful floats that he had, made by George. I thought they were real works of art and told John that I would be scared to use them in case I lost them, he just laughed.
After seeing these floats first hand I decided to contact George about the availability of making me a set, through the Clyde Fishing Forum where he is an active member and regularly post his fishing exploits on there. He was more than Happy to make me a set but told me there would be a four or five week wait as this is a busy time for him and only makes them in his spare time in the evenings.Well just last week George contacted me to say that my floats were almost ready and sent me a pic of the floats to see that I was happy with them. At the time of taking the pic George told me they still had a couple of layers of lacquer to be applied.I think you will agree that they look rather splendid and I cant wait to use them on the River over the festive period.

The Dabbler's Xmas Wish!

2011-12-13T23:18:00.003Z

Well its that time of year again when every fisherman has got to turn his thoughts to the very serious matter of what he wants for Christmas.Its not as easy as it first appears because the choice of game fishing accessories is quite bewildering these days. Difficult the choice may be, I’m sure that by way of this blog, Val, oops, sorry I mean Santa will take the hint and get me what I want for Christmas. Now then there are various things I could be doing with, for a start I could do with a new pair of waders, These brethables I have at the moment let in water like the lily burn rushing into the rizzer in full flow, Yes I really could be doing with a new pair of waders. A new floating fly line, I could always do with some top of the range fly lines oh! and some of those wonderful hand crafted grayling floats that George Lockhart makes . Living on a financial knife-edge means that I am always putting economy before efficiency, so what better time of year could you ask for some hi- tech gear. You see that is the beauty of Christmas you don’t have to pay. This being the case I think I will ask for a Sage four-piece travel rod with matching reel. I must say, that I have been a very good angler this year Santa so if you could kindly get me a season ticket for an exclusive beat on the Tweed or Naver I’m not bothered which river you choose, it would be really be appreciated, you see I already have a ticket for Hillend Loch so it would be beneficial to me if I could broaden my horizons and put my fishing skills to the test on some of the more challenging waters that there are to offer. Oh and as a little extra add-on could you guarantee me that I could catch at least one fish on each trip I make as it does really get embarrassing coming home empty handed time after time and having to make up excuses, such as, the water was too low or the water was too high or that the wind was that strong that I couldn’t get my line out far enough to reach the fish. Could you also make sure that when I’m fishing I’m always within sight of my friends so that they can see me when I connect with a fish. For a joy shared on a riverbank is a pleasure doubled I would also like it not to be raining every time I go on a fishing trip, you see this beautiful country of mine has a climate problem - its always bloody raining, In the last few years, my fly fishing travels have taken me to some truly awe inspiring locations bit it is always the same scenario, lovely all the way on the journey until I almost reach my destination, you guessed it down comes the mist down pours the rain or if its at the start of the season an easterly gale might come thundering in and just for good measure bring along the snow for company. Like I already said we have a very serious climatic problem and I can think of only one solution “ we need a roof “ I’m getting a bit flippant now I know that’s impossible, even for you Santa, I’d be happy if you could just stop it from raining every once in a while. This is Christmas the time for goodwill to all men and all that stuff. It’s not a lot to ask for, is it? Santa? I don’t suppose I’m the only applicant but I’ve been extremely good this year and after all it is Christmas.

Hillend Palmer!

2011-12-04T22:06:00.004Z

I've had a lazy weekend this week and never ventured out much as the weather has been pretty horrible with it snowing off and on all day today. As well as doing my usual reading etc I spent a few hours at the bench this afternoon tying some more flies. I got an unexpected compliment today from non other than Davie McPhail who I regard as one of the best tyers in Europe if not the world.He commented that he liked one of my patterns which has encouraged me greatly because to get a compliment from Davie really is high praise indeed.I therefore went on to tie more of the style of fly he liked. Lets call this the Hillend Palmer. Here is one of those patterns which I really do enjoy tying and also like to use at Hillend on a cast of three while drifting the Loch from a boat.
The pattern is as follows Hook size, 10 Kamazan. Thread, Brown Uni. Tail, Yellow floss. Body, Copper holographic tinsel. Body Hackle, Brown grizzle cock. Rib, Copper wire. Head hackle, Hen neck Dun.

French Partridge & Malt

2011-11-30T20:24:00.008Z

I've been tying a few flies this week mostly gold headed grayling bugs and leaded nymphs and the like. I find them very easy to tie and to be honest they can be a bit of a chore as there is no real skill involved in tying them.
Today I thought I would tie a few flies that I believe is my forte and the style that I get most enjoyment out of. What better way to make use of the tons of French Partridge that I have amassed than to tie a few of these flies which are loosely based on an Irish May fly pattern.This style of pattern is best used in the warm months of May and June, which seem an age away, and is best fished on the top dropper. My new fly box is steadily filling up but my fine bottle of malt is diminishing as I sit here at the tying desk on these dark dreich winter nights.

Frustrations of an Angler.

2011-11-29T21:11:00.008Z

This week has been rather frustrating for me thus far.I have been really busy with non fishing related stuff over the last week and also my pc is still playing up every now and again. I have tied a few flies but have no means of uploading as pc problems prevail but there is hope on the horizon as I have high hopes of a new lap top in the next few weeks.
Anyway I digress the next best thing to fishing is reading about it I therefore took delivery of a couple of angling books last week. A Singing Reel by Moray McLaren and Long Walks with Little People by Bruce Sandison. I haven't had much time to read them thoroughly yet. The Moray McLaren book was recommended to me by a fellow fisherman but after reading the first couple of chapters its pretty difficult reading as its quite an old book and written in a style of its time but I will persevere with it when I get time. The Bruce Sandison book appears to be very good though. It's fairly light reading about Bruce raising his young family and introducing them to angling and the outdoor life in general. It is very humorous reading, very enjoyable in fact.
I was hoping to have a visit to the River Clyde this week but the weather has put an end to any thoughts of trotting for grayling for the time being as there has been heavy flooding in these parts over the last few days.Today I'm sure I saw animals leave the Lanarkshire countryside two by two.
On the plus side I have a nice bottle of 12 year old Speyside Malt, Cardhu, which I fully intend to enjoy whilst tying flies, reading about fishing and waiting for the rain to stop.

No Grayling Today!

2011-11-20T22:05:00.003Z

Today I returned to the scene of my first real success at the grayling which was two weeks ago now.
We arrived at Abbington Services in the dark about seven o clock, we had a coffee and a bite to eat and waited for the sun to rise. As daylight broke it revealed a very grey and overcast sky. We soon made our way over to the river.
This time I didn't have the expertize of John by my side to assist me. This time I took along my friend Scott who is also a novice at the trotting lark. I had told him all about my last time on the Clyde two weeks ago and how great it was so I was putting a lot of pressure on myself as I had made it sound as if we were bound to have success.I set up my trotting gear as before but with a little more length below the float as the water was higher than the last time but it wasn't really all that dirty. I had a maggot on the bottom and the pink bug about ten inches above that with the weighted shot in between.
After only fifteen minutes or so I was into a fish sadly it was not a grayling but a nice wee brown trout which was fooled by the maggot.After a quick pic it was released back into the river. I fished on and soon after Scott was into a fish this time it looked a more substantial sized fish that mine but once again it was a brown trout and this fish was duped by the pink bug. As I hurriedly made my way along the bank towards Scott to get a pic of his fish the trout managed to wriggle away from Scott as he held it in the water so unfortunately we didn't get a photo of it.
We fished on for an hour or so but no further fish were caught. Today the weather was quite different from my last trip and because it was so dark and grey I struggled to see my float at times which wasn't a problem the last time when it was bright and sunny. I was using an orange tipped float . I was wondering if someone could advise on which colour is best for dark overcast conditions? I was thinking black might be a good colour.
We next moved onto a couple of other locations on the river that were reccommended to me by John but alas I had no more success.Scott and I really enjoyed ourselves and once again it was a big learning curve for both of us. It was just great to be out there!

Spiders! lost in a web of problems.

2011-11-18T21:13:00.004Z

All week I have been having problems with my pc.Therefore I haven't been able to access my blog to load up pics or write some posts etc. It turns out my pc is completely goosed. Tonight is the first time I have managed to get online all week as I have a replacement now but it's not very good it's rather old and slow a bit like how I feel these days. I'm ready for throwing it in a skip as it won't accept my camera, my phone or even load up my photoshop programme.Therefore my ability to load new pics from my camera are zero. Not being in cyberspace this week has had its advantages though as I have been reading Mike Harding's book on North Country Spiders and spending more time at the tying desk tying those style of flies.Here is one I tied a while back to give you an idea of the flies I have been tying this week. This is a woodcock and ginger.
I'm not good with computers, as long its working I'm fine but when things go wrong I am hopeless at trying to remedy the faults.I have dropped enough hints to the wife about geting a lap top for my Christmas but I dont know if I could wait that long or if she even will get me one, I live in hope. Not sure when I will be making another blog post as it all depends on my pc plight. Bye for now folks!

A day to remember and forget!

2011-11-06T22:00:00.001Z

Yesterday was the worst day of my life. To let you understand I was in the town of Coatbridge at the disgraceful hovel that is Cliftonhill to watch my dearly beloved Airdrie FC play Albion Rovers. If you don’t already know we suffered the most horrendous defeat in our history. Embarrassed and humiliated I was in much need of being cheered up; therefore a day on the River Clyde in the pursuit of grayling was the perfect tonic.
John and I arrived at the River in a cold and frosty Sunday morning but the frost soon disappeared as the warmth of the sun moved from the east to enliven this glorious day.
Not having much experience at trotting the river, John helped set me up and gave me all the advice I needed to get started. He let me have the first few runs through the river and then when John was setting up he lowered his float into the river and a trout immediately grabbed the maggot. Next cast John landed the first grayling of the day, which took John’s unorthodox bug. Then he caught another and another. I too was soon into some grayling and a couple of trout. All this lasted for most of the morning. We lost count of the grayling that came to the net in various sizes. We then had a coffee break and a bite to eat. Refreshed, we started trotting again and fished for another hour but for some reason all the fish seemed to have disappeared.
We then decided to move down river and switch tactics by giving the fly rods a try. Sadly the nymphs and bugs we used with our fly rods didn’t tempt any more fish. We then reverted back to trotting. One more trout and the biggest grayling of the day were landed. That big grayling that John landed was an absolute beauty and made the whole trip worthwhile. We were not entirely sure of its definite weight but it was well over 2lb. If it had been me who caught this wonderful specimen it would have been a personal best but remarkably John has had plenty grayling in the past which have been larger. We fished on a little longer until the light faded and the air turned cold.
We soon packed up, walked back down river and across the fields back to the car and reflected on a very successful and satisfying day on the Clyde.
As I was packing my gear into the car I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten all about. Ach well I can always ease the pain by having more fishing trips to the Clyde over the winter in order to forget.

The Red Tag

2011-11-03T19:43:00.004Z

For my first blog post of the month I have tied a fly which has taken me back to basics, The Red Tag, which was one of the first flies I ever tied when I first started out flytying. It is a very simple but effective pattern that has the distinction of being the most popular grayling fly in Great Britain. It originates from the mid eighteen hundreds in Worcestershire where it was first known as the Worcestershire Gem. Many years ago a work colleague who is sadly no longer with us took me on my first ever grayling trip to Kinkell Bridge on the River Earn. Being a novice at the time John provided me with everything I would need and the fly that was on my first ever cast for grayling was the Red Tag. That day the river was running high and was getting dirtier by the minute but although I didn’t catch a grayling that day I did manage a small sea trout thus proving that the Red Tag is not only a fly for Grayling it’s also a good all round pattern too. Have a go at tying one they really are simple to tie and is good fly to have in your box.

Beneath the Black Water

2011-10-25T21:20:00.003+01:00

I’ve just been on a fantastic fishing trip but I didn’t leave the house. I was taken on this journey by Jon Berry’s wonderful book called “Beneath the Black Water”
The content of the book is basically all about Jon’s obsession with Ferox trout but it is actually much more than that. It’s actually a glimpse into the last thirteen years of Jon’s life.
Although I certainly do not have a passion for ferox trout nor do I ever intend to hunt for these mysterious creatures I really did find this book compulsive reading. His whole obsession and compulsion really struck a chord with me. I defy any passionate fisherman who reads this book not to deny that they see a bit of themselves within these pages. Jon captures the essence of fishing and in some part explains the theory that there really is more to fishing than catching fish. It’s about the journey, the landscapes, the planning, the anticipation, the people you fish with, the unknown and sheer escapism.
My only criticism of this book is that it wasn’t long enough; I never wanted the journey to end. To be honest I think Jon’s journey hasn’t really ended he has only paused to collect his thoughts.
As you may have guessed I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

The Clyde Sand Fly

2011-10-22T19:48:00.003+01:00

There is a fly that may be encountered from the end of April to the end of May on the Clyde when the conditions are suitable
The fly in question is known on the Clyde as the Sand Fly, but referred to elsewhere as the gravel bed, since it appears on the surface of gravel or sand, before swarming onto the water.
It is a rather drab little creature, but according to Clyde fishers the response of trout to its appearance can be very spectacular.
The hatches take place in the slightly moist sand and gravel near the river edge during sunny days in May.
For some Clyde anglers the Sand Fly season is the absolute pinnacle of the trout season. The recommended areas on the Clyde for sand fly fishing are in the Lammington area and also the Bower Pool area another suggested stretch is the half moon flat between Thankerton and Carstairs. There are many other suitable stretches such as the Elvanfoot area but the hatches maybe later in this location due to it being higher and often more cooler.
There are several artificial flies which some tiers claim to be the must have sand fly patterns but in my opinion and that of many others the definitive Clyde Sand fly pattern has got to be the one included in the Bert Sharps wonderfully rare book, “ Lets Fish the Clyde” The dressing is tied with size 14 or 16 hooks, black thread, a body of very sparsely dubbed mole fur and a wing made from a small brown speckled partridge feather and then a black cock hackle is tied in front of the wing.

Hillend Ant!

2011-10-17T18:35:00.002+01:00

I now have a swarm of ants lying on my tying desk. My tying of these has improved with each one I have tied. Like I said, a bit fiddly to start with but with each ant that falls from the vice they appear to be improving. I'll tie a few more then move onto more conventional patterns. Here is the latest to come from my vice.

The Dabbler's Ant

2011-10-16T18:42:00.002+01:00

No, my latest blog post is not about one of my rarely seen relatives that I only ever meet at weddings and funerals it's my latest creation from the vice at Dabbler HQ. I have been talking to some folk who use these style of flies on Scottish Lochs and rivers would you believe? I think you will agree that it is a most unusual pattern and not the sort of fly you would use on Scottish Lochs which are normally the preserve of the Traditional Scottish wets but I have been reliably informed that wild brown trout of the Highlands cannot resist them.I can exclusively reveal that a double figure Scottish wild brown trout which is the anglers personal best was fooled by one these beasties.I must confess I have never used this style of fly before but I'm willing to give them a try next season based on the success stories that I have been hearing. I found them to be a wee bit fiddly to tie at first but soon got used to tying them. They are good fun to tie and with a bit of imagination I'm sure I could come up with many variations but the one above is the basic style. I think its the movement of the rubber rubber legs that is the trigger point for the trout. Go on give them a try they are fun to tie and I'm sure even better fun to fish with.

Hillend Zonker

2011-10-09T14:58:00.002+01:00

With the trout season over I decided to have lazy weekend. Last night I had a few beers whilst watching the Scotland match on tv and this morning I gave my blog a long overdue freshen up by changing the header and footer and also changing some of the pics on my side bar. Let me know what you think of the changes. This afternoon rather than go for a bike ride up to Hillend as was my intention, I decided stay indoors because of the weather and decided to do a bit of reading and also spend some time at the vice. I had been reading recently on a forum I frequent about the use of big flies for big trout, personally I don't think the size of fly matters much its just down to luck whether you catch a whumper or not. This notion though gave me an idea to use up the zonker strips that have been lying in by tying chest for a number of years now. Therefore for a bit of fun I tied up a few of these Hillend Zonkers. To be honest I can actually see these being of great use at Hillend at the start of the season next year.

Trout season ends.... Flytying Nights Begin!

2011-10-06T20:02:00.005+01:00

Well that's another trout fishing season over.I went upto the loch today for the last time but I didn't even leave my car as it was blowing a gale today with heavy rain. I decided that it wouldn't be worth the effort even though it was the last couple of hours of the season I just sat in the warmth of the car with the rain battering the windows and read a book. It was a season of mixed fortunes for me. I didn't do too well at Hillend this year but that could be down to a number of reasons. maybe I didn't fish Hillend as often as I have done in the past , A lot of my visits were just for an hour or so, I spent quite a bit of time just walking around taking photos etc. I was mostly fishing on my own at Hillend this year too which is fine but I do prefer to have company when fishing. Of course it could be that I 'm just a crap angler. I had better days and more enjoyment away from Hillend this year but once again I didn't get as many away days in as I would have liked to.Highlight of my fishing season was of course catching my first, losing my second and catching my third salmon wow! what a memory. There were so many lochs that I intended to visit but didn't find time to fit them in ach! well there's always next year.Only 160 days until the start of the season.

Back at the Vice!

2011-10-01T21:15:00.008+01:00

You may have noticed in these pages over the last couple of months that I haven't been flytying much but that is all about to change with the end of the fishing season imminent and the dark nights really starting to kick in. I've recently lost by enthusiasm for watching the football so this afternoon instead of dragging myself along to New Broomfield to watch the Diamonds I switched on my radio to listen to Radio Scotland's football coverage, Open all Mics, and pulled up a chair at my tying desk and stuck some fur and feather onto some hooks. The fly on display here is a variation of Watson's Bumble , a great Loch style pattern, which will undoubtedly be the first of many that I will tye over the dark winter nights. Oh aye! My team had an emphatic victory today, which is just typical whenever I'm not in attendance.

Head of the Glen

2011-09-30T21:17:00.001+01:00

I know that you will be visiting this these pages because it is a fly-fishing and flytying blog but when I first set up my blog my intention was to also include my other outdoor interest which is hillwalking.
I used to be a regular climbing munros and the like but dodgy knees have somewhat curtailed that for sometime and fly-fishing gradually became my number one pursuit. Now and again I still get away for a walk but nothing too strenuous these days because of the old knees. Anyway I digress here is a short report of a walk I enjoyed yesterday with two friends.
Yesterday morning It seemed strange not to include my fishing rod whilst loading my rucksack and boots etc into the back of my friend Alex’s car. We were soon on our travels picking up Willie from East Kilbride and then heading for Galloway that sometimes forgotten southwest corner of Scotland.
We parked in a lay-by at the Galloway Forest Park a few miles outside the village of New Galloway and decided to walk a five-mile route through bog, burns, hill, forestry, by lochs and waterfalls, strange eerie sculptures and monuments.
It was good to be out on the hill even though it was wet and misty and for a along section of the walk we were shin deep in bog. High lights of the walk were standing above the waterfalls, and the big cylindrical sculpture by the black loch but best of all was when we emerged down from the forest and came across numerous heads carved into the drystane dyke. They looked very eerie in the low-lying mist. We were thoroughly soaked and tired when we finished our circular walk and after a quick change of clothes we headed for the village of St Johns town of Dalry for a few pints and a bite to eat before making the journey back to Lanarkshire.

Wild Fishing on Rannoch Moor

2011-09-25T22:25:00.004+01:00

For what would be my last fishing trip of the season to the Scottish Highlands I decided I wanted to go somewhere wild, desolate but beautiful, I chose to fish a wee lochan on the edge of Rannoch Moor with an overnight camp by the banks of the infant River Etive.
Scott and I arrived at the Kingshouse in complete darkness early on Saturday morning. While waiting for the sun to rise we had some coffee and a bit to eat in preparation for the four-mile hike into our desired lochan.
This was my second visit to this loch which lies in a col between two hills at a height of 1,276 feet but the last time I was there I didn’t own a mobile phone, a pc, a GPS, oh and I didn’t carry so much weight back then either, it was actually about twenty years ago.
My memories of this lochan were that I had caught numerous small very dark trout but peculiarly I also caught a good wee half pounder that was bright and golden in colour, very different from all the rest of the trout I caught that day. I remember being puzzled at the time, as it was not the sort of trout you normally find in peaty moorland lochans. I suspected that the local estate perhaps stocked this lochan occasionally for guests, as there was a wee boatshed with a boat moored at the south shore.
Therefore I was curious and excited to find out if this wee lochan was just how I remembered it.
The walk in took us about an hour and a half with numerous stops to take photos of the surrounding mountain and moorland landscape. On arrival at the lochan we noticed that there was indeed just as I had remembered a wee boat shed complete with boat. It appeared to be quite new though with no signs of weathering or rust.
We sat by the loch for a while taking in the wild landscape then decided to get our rods stringed and have a wander round the loch in search of trout. The weather was ideal as it was cloudy with a light breeze and the odd wee drizzle of rain now and again.
It didn’t take long to make contact with the inhabitants of the loch as they were soon splashing on the surface, chasing my flies and getting captured on both my point fly and dropper. I have to admit that these fish were quite small but the takes were quite aggressive and they were fun to catch. We encountered fish all round the loch and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, taking a break every now and again to take in the vastness of the area and also take many photos. Curiously though we never came across any bright golden trout like the one I caught all those years ago. We came to the conclusion that there must be decent sized trout in this loch somewhere, as someone wouldn’t go to all the trouble of putting a boat on this loch for the purpose of catching dark bandy trout.
After five or six very enjoyable hours of bandy catching we called it a day and walked out from the loch. As we hiked back to the Kingshouse we were wondering where we would camp for the night as the area around the Kingy was a bit grubby and busy.
It had been a long day and we were feeling a bit weary as we trudged along the track. Then unbelievably we had a wonderful stroke of luck that would solve the mystery of the golden trout and also a solution to out camp for the night.
We met a man from the estate who was repairing the track. We stopped and chatted for a while. He asked us if we had caught much and where we had been. I told him about the fish I had caught from the loch all those years ago. He was very pleasant and told us that we actually should have arranged to fish the loch through the estate. We apologised but he told us not to worry. He then explained that the estate stocked the loch in the past but not reently and that the boat belonged to them. He was a really friendly chap and also told us he was a member of the Glencoe Mountain Rescue team and was also a keen fisherman He told us all about the deer stalking etc. It was all very interesting. He then very kindly told us that if we were looking for a place to camp that we could bring the car into the estate road and pitch our tents next to the river. We thanked him and he told us that the next time we fancied fishing in the area that we should call him and he would give us some pointers on where to go.
It started to rain so we said our goodbyes and were soon off again. By the time we reached the car we were soaked so headed into the Kingy Climber’s bar to dry off and down a few welcome pints of Black Gold Ale. With the permission of the Keeper we then drove back up the track we had just walked down and set up camp at the river with the Buachaille dominating the downstream view. We ended our day with a meal of Noodles, Soup, Whisky and Beer. It was late when we decided to bed down for the night. As I lay in my tent, I reflected on a very satisfying and interesting day and felt safe in the knowledge that the Big Etive Shepherd was watching over me as I slipped off into the land of nod.

GAC Open weekend 2011

2011-09-19T22:32:00.003+01:00

I would just like to say that I have no connection with Glasgow Angling Centre or anyone employed by them. The reason I am mentioning their Open weekend is quite simply that it is a fantastic event with angling and flytying celebrities in attendance.
I have been to a few in the past which I mentioned way back when I first started this almost two years ago. It's worth a visit to see the wonderfully talented Davie McPhail tying flys and also have a look around the Cookshill Flytying stall.Last time I attended one of these events I sat in the flytying area all afternoon watching Davie tying while others wandered around getting their photos taken with Paul Young, Hywel Morgan and Matt Hayes and the like. Apparently they have good deals on tackle etc over the weekend but that side of the weekend doesn't appeal to me I was only really interested in the flytying side of things. like I say its a great event which is free.I have been to a couple of fly tying fairs and this event at GAC is every bit as good if not better than them and has the advantage for me of being local too. There is one drawback this year,unfortunately I am going to miss out on this weekend this year and I 'm really disappointed but I shouldn't be as I'm off this weekend on a camping and fishing trip to the Highlands, details of which will appear on this blog next week.So if you are not fishing this weekend and are in the area get along to this event, I'm sure you would enjoy it.

Scottish Grayling.

2011-09-12T19:33:00.002+01:00

With the trout season fast coming to an end my thoughts have been turning to the Lady of the Stream; The Grayling. My success at Grayling fishing has been limited to say the least. My best grayling was taken from the River Clyde at the Mauldslie Estate a few years ago, it was all of half a pound. This year I intend to try and better that. A few years ago I was given the following information from a friend. I have no idea where he aquired this but it gives a great insight into the introduction of Grayling in Scotland...
Some would argue that the Grayling is not truly Scottish, as its only 156 years since it was imported from the Midlands of England. Indeed many fishermen, from south of the border have complained bitterly about the introduction of the Lady of the Stream in Scotland.
Be that as it may, the grayling gives excellent autumn and winter sport in a number of rivers north of the border.
The full story of the spread of the grayling in Scottish rivers has not been recorded in recent years at least. Despite the fact that parts of the story are not known in detail, the information that is available is worth telling, partly because of it’s historical value and partly because it tells of a degree of success that is surprising considering the then current knowledge of fish culture.
The first of the immigrant grayling received special treatment and an impressive welcome. On the 5th of December 1855 the mail train made an arranged stop to allow the fish to be unloaded in the Lanarkshire village of Abington on the banks of the River Clyde. The welcoming committee included prominent Glasgow businessmen, one of whom, George Anderson, was later to become MP for Glasgow.
Victorian Glasgow was a hive of entrepreneurial activity which spilled over into the affairs of associations such as the West of Scotland Angling Club of which George Anderson was a member. In fact as member in charge of the “Grayling Experiment” he arranged for three dozen healthy 1 ½ year old grayling to be transported from Rowsley, near Derby to Abington on Clyde. Only three of the fish did not survive the journey and the others were introduced to the River Clyde.
The fate of these fish and the success of that part of the experiment are not known. There were reports of a few grayling being caught in the next few years, including one story which claimed that a grayling of 3 ½ lb had been captured, but we shall probably never know whether the introduced fish spawned successfully since any effect that they had was probably swamped by the second phase of the experiment.
A second delivery of Grayling were transported to Abington and despite the set back of a number of fish escaping from the zinc screen tanks into the river this phase of the experiment was considered a success as some of the 160 fish were retained in a pond as brooding stock. A few of the grayling were forwarded to the vicinity of one of the upper Tay tributaries with the intention of stocking a whole system of streams including the noble Tay. The remaining fish were released into the Daer, the main tributary in the upper area of the Clyde. Concerns were expressed about the survival of grayling when introduced with the large indigenous trout in this area.
Despite such misgivings the venture did succeed and the grayling did indeed spread throughout much of the Clyde system. It was ironic that very few grayling seem to have been caught by those responsible for their introduction. The West of Scotland Angling association showed commendable restraint and did not hold their first grayling competition until 1863. On that occasion the total catch was two grayling weighing 9oz and 13oz. Subsequent competitions did not appear to have a higher catch rate, despite the fact that good catches were being made elsewhere by others not involved in competitions.
Anglers in other areas were impressed by the success of the Clyde grayling experiment and as a result stock were sent elsewhere. In a letter to the field in 1861 George Anderson offered to supply grayling to other areas and requests came as far a field as County Cork in Ireland. History might have been different if that request had been followed through; as to this day there are no grayling to be found in Ireland. Unfortunately the remainder of the story was not so well documented and firm evidence has proved hard to find.

The Wee Red Book

2011-09-08T16:59:00.003+01:00

A thread was posted on a fishing forum, views were exchanged, Pm's were passed,phone calls were made and received, texts were sent and received and eventually,today, a Scottish Water Van and an NLC van rendezvoused on the A73 in Lanarkshire, Hands were shook, sterling changed hands and I was now the proud owner of something I have longed to have for many years.It is red and has gold colored lettering. It measures 8 3/4'' x 5 1/2'' and is a 1/2" thick. It has 80 pages, was first published in 1973 and cost £1.50p back then.
The author's name was music to my ears........ C Sharp
Yes! I had at long last after years of searching for it, a copy of "Lets Fish the Clyde". Bert's book is wonderfully rare and is much sought after. I could not believe my luck when I was contacted about the availability of this scarce book.
Many years ago I visited the Mitchell Library in Glasgow to view and read this book for the first time. I photocopied every page and still have these copies in a folder which I recently decided to read again. But it's not the same as actually owning an original copy of the book. It's a wealth of information which is still relevent today. Personally this classic completes a trio of Clydestyle fishing and tying books that I now own, which I intend to study and enjoy over the coming months. Then when March comes along I intend to get onto the Clyde and learn to fish the river.

Lets Fish the Clyde

2011-09-03T23:18:00.001+01:00

Today I arranged a day out on the River Clyde with Paul, a long serving Hillender. Paul is a regular on the Clyde too and is a member of the Lamington and District club and knows the river very well indeed. Which was just as well, although I have had a few outings on the Clyde in the past, I am by no means confident or competent with all aspect of river craft. Whenever I have fished the Clyde in the past it has always been with wet flies or weighted nymphs, fishing down and across, the lazy man’s way.
Paul fishes the Clyde with his 3-weight rod and the dry fly, a method that I have never used and a method, which from Paul’s experience, is more successful and also fools the bigger fish.
We set off at midday and forty minutes later I was in the Tinto Hotel to collect my fishing permit and soon after was on the banks of the river. Paul very kindly set me up with a tapered leader and tiny CDC dry fly, which I could barely thread with my nylon. Paul was using the same set up too. We made our way along the river, which was very pleasant with Tinto Hill dominating the scene and all the time looking for rising fish. We soon found them. I let Paul show me how to approach them, as I knew I would most probably spook them with my untidy casting. Paul had a few casts at them but the down wind put the fish down.
Paul then went up river while I had a go in an area which had a few rising fish. I found it quite difficult because the nice calm water was showing all the faults in my casting etc. I did indeed spook the fish so I sat down and had a coffee and sure enough while I was resting the water they soon started rising again frustratingly just a few feet away from me. This area appeared to be holding quite a few fish as they were rising the whole breadth of the river. I‘m, certain if Paul or any other experienced dry fly fisher was in among them they would have surely netted a few. After unsuccessfully casting at the rising fish I soon put them down and decided it would be better to leave them in peace and head off to catch up with Paul.
Paul had raised a couple of fish but unfortunately didn’t manage to hook them. We then walked back down the river seeking out some fish, we each had a few cast at some trout but after no success we decided to have a break and a bite to eat back at the car. Once refreshed we found out that we were not the only folk having a frustrating day, as 50, 000 Scotsmen were feeling the same as us at Hampden.
Paul then led us down to another favourite area of his. This time the wind had died down and the river was perfect for the dry fly but for a novice like me it was proving to be really difficult. I now know and appreciate how skilful these dry fly fishers are as it takes stealth and knowledge to fool these Clyde trout. I decided to have a last few casts at some rising fish but without success. We then decided that we were flogging a dead horse and called it a day.
In summary this was a very interesting and enjoyable day on a very beautiful area of the Clyde in the very good company of a man who knows the river well and who was a wealth of information of this particular stretch of river. Thanks Paul! I would like to go back soon before the season ends and put what I’ve learned from today into practice but I’m not sure if I will be able to fit a visit in soon though. Of course, I could get down there a few times over the winter and try for the Grayling.

Clydestyle Fishing

2011-08-23T22:36:00.003+01:00

For a month or two now I have been trying to track down a new book called “The Anglers Book of the Clyde” I had tried in vain to get a hold of it from all the usual outlets but every now and again I would hear through various forums etc that it was actually available at certain fisheries but when ever I made contact to make a purchase everywhere had sold out.
So when I heard yesterday that the book was available from Clydestyle Fishing at Crossford in the Clyde Valley I made a quick phone call to confirm that they were still in stock and went straight down there after work this afternoon to collect my copy.
This was the first time I had visited this angling outlet which is set in an idyllic location yards from the banks of the Clyde. I had a chat with Scott the angling shop owner about the Clyde etc. I wasn’t aware of this shop until recently and found this outlet to be exactly the sort of shop that an enthusiastic Clyde angler could ever wish for. Scott stocks Clyde Style flies and tying materials for tying Clyde style patterns which makes the shop unique because as far as I’m aware there is nowhere else offering such supplies. It’s just perfect a shop offering everything for the regional angler and flytyer set on the banks of the Clyde. Everything you could ever need for the Clyde, exactly where you need it!
Next time the wife wants to go down the Clydeside to visit the many nurseries that abound down there I will happily go for a drive as I will be visiting this unique shop for a chat with Scott while Val can look at as many flowers, plants, arts and crafts as she wishes.
I was very pleased to get my hands on this book as I thought I would never get a copy. I believe this book may end up as scarce as the many other regional fly tying books that are much sought after by fly tyers. Having just acquired this publication its obviously too early to write a proper review but my first impressions are that this is a modern Clydestyle Book for the new millennium it is the next evolving step on from Bert Sharps wonderful “Lets Fish the Clyde” which after all was written in the early seventies. Times have changed and so have anglers. This new book written by James Milne has a fully illustrated guide of over 400 traditional and modern fly dressings developed and adopted over many years by the Clyde Anglers, also a guide to the materials best suited for Clydestyle flies with additional sections on entomology, dying materials, weather conditions, flies to use month by month and also personal stories from the Clyde Anglers themselves. A real must have addition to a flyfishers bookshelf.

Glengavel Reservoir

2011-08-19T21:21:00.003+01:00

I had wanted to visit Glengavel reservoir for a few weeks now ever since I came across the Upper Avon Angling Association web site and got in contact with their Club Secretary, Alby.
As my holiday from work was rapidly running out I decided to have a visit there today. After a quick breakfast I was on my way through the Lanarkshire roads in the mist. By the time I reached the Garrion Brig the mist had lifted and the sun was shining. I was soon in Stonehouse where I arranged to pick up my permit etc from Jim a committee member. After a wee chat with Jim about Glengavel and fishing in general etc I was on my way to my destination. On arrival noticed I was the only angler at the reservoir but as I setting up my rod another angler arrived, his name was Alan too, we got chatting, we then went to the fishing hut and signed in the book as per club rules. I decided to start fishing just to the right of the fishing hut and boat moorings as advised. Very soon I raised a fish to the Kate McLaren which I had on the top dropper but it didn’t stick. Alan then told me he raised a couple of fish too. He then asked me if I fancied going out on the boat for an hour or two. I happily agreed. Off we went away down to the far side of the reservoir to try and find an area that was less windy as the breeze had whipped up a bit. We eventually found a decent drift but the wind meant we had to adjust the boat regularly. Alan was first into a fish a nice fish of 3/4 of a pound, which he caught on a Klinkhammer fly. We fished on I was still using my wets which were a Magpie and silver on the point and my ever dependable and faithful Kate, on top [oo err missus]
Every now and again I was getting takes but I kept on missing them, then eventually there was a splash at my Kate and this time it was on. After a feisty fight I landed a trout of ¾ of a pound. After a quick pic I released him back to his natural habitat. Time was getting on and Alan had to leave to collect his kids from school so after rowing back down to the fishing hut. We said our goodbyes and I thanked him for taking me out on the boat.
I decided to take a break and have lunch. Then after having a wander around taking photos I decided to try for some trout again. I opted to fish down into the wee bay from the fishing hut and waded out up to about my waist. I wasn’t fishing very long when I got a very ferocious take, this felt good. A great struggle ensued as I tried to gain some semblance of control. As I was starting to get the upper hand with this fish another Glengavel angler arrived and watched me bring this fantastic fish to the shore.
He remarked that this was a beauty and estimated it to be around the 5lb mark at least. He assisted me with his net and I brought the fish ashore and found that this big broonie had been fooled by my ever-faithful companion, Katey once again. After a quick photo shoot with me and the fish I released the bigyin back to whence he came. The Glengavel Regular [I never caught his name] shook my hand and congratulated me and was soon off looking for trout.
I decided to stop fishing and just sit back and enjoy the moment and satisfaction that every angler experiences after such a fish. I could have packed up there and then, I was that contented. After a quarter of an hour or so I headed for the Sandy Bay but casting was difficult in the ever-increasing wind. No further action occurred so I made my way back to the hut to sign out, but before doing so I had a few final casts near the hut. As I packed up I reflected on a very satisfying day out at Glengavel. The fishing was great but what pleased me more than anything was the genuine friendliness and hospitality of everyone I met today… Jim, Alan and The unknown angler. I would also like to thank Alby who I have only met and spoke to “virtually” on the net, who arranged everything for me. Thank you very much, I had a fantastic day.

A Hillend Broonie

2011-08-17T19:48:00.003+01:00

Went up to the Loch this afternoon hoping to catch one of the Hillend Broonies which have been making an appearance in the catch reports lately.Funnily enough this time last year Scott, Tam and I caught were catching the Hillend naturals.Anyway off I went trying the narrows first then after no success there I tried the Boathouse Bay. The decided to cross through the woods and give the Lowes Bay a try. I was encouraged by a rise to my Kate McLaren which was on my top dropper. After no further interest I decided to take a break, have a coffee and read a few pages of Iain Banks travelogue,Raw Spirit.Rejuviated I was soon casting my three fly cast of a Conamarra Black,Bibio and a Kate McLaren into Lowes Bay. Soon after I got a tremendous take to my Kate McLaren and after a brief struggle I landed a nice Hillend Broonie. I normally put fish like this back but I decided to take this one home today as I quite fancied some trout on toast tonight for my supper. Happy to have caught a fish I soon made my way back to the east end of the Loch to my car and went home satisfied.

Durness Slideshow

2011-08-16T00:43:00.003+01:00

Here it is the Imagine Durness Slide Show. As always its the best way to show as many of my pics as I can. To be honest though you do lose a bit of the quality on the photos using the programme I have but I hope the display gives you a feel for the place. As I said in the previous post John Lennon has a connection with the area all be it a tenuous one therefore I thought it would be a good idea to include one of his songs to accompany the pics.Hope you like them. Please feel free to leave a comment.....Good , Bad or indifferent.

Imagine Durness

2011-08-15T10:01:00.003+01:00

Last Tuesday morning I awoke to the sound of my radio alarm broadcasting “Londons Burning” there was “Panic on the streets of Birmingham” in general we had “Anarchy in the UK” This wasn’t some old punk radio show this was the News. It was ironic that I had the Smiths, The Clash and the Pistols on my compilation disc that I was playing in the car as Val and I departed the Central Belt for a few days away. As it happens we were travelling as far away as humanly possible from the English Riots. Durness was Calling, and I was hoping to get a wee bit of fishing slipped in among the sightseeing and walking stuff etc.
We arrived at Sango Sands campsite in the late afternoon and set up camp for what we thought would be four nights of looking over one of the best sea views in Scotland. It really was a wonderful spot. The rest of the day was spent walking along the dunes and beaches and we enjoyed watching huge waves crashing into the shore.
I awoke the next day to the sound of rain rattling on the tent. It was still raining after we had our breakfast but we couldn’t sit around all day in a tent. I was actually hoping to get onto one of the nearby limestone lochs with my rod and reel but it wasn’t to be as the weather was horrible so we decided to have a drive around the area looking at some of the remarkable coves and bays that were so beautiful even in the stormy skies. We then visited, would you believe a John Lennon Memorial Garden, which was situated next to the Durness village hall. “Imagine” how tacky and insincere that was. Apparently the ex Beatle spent a few summer holidays in Durness staying with one of his cousins who was a local. Talk about cashing in?
The rain was still pouring down when we visited the craft village of Balnakeil. It’s a very unusual place. I described it to Val as a New Age highland retail park. All the buildings were once owned and used by the MoD during the Cold War. The village is now home to all manner of quirky crafts, artists studios and galleries, pottery workshops, boat builders, chocolatiers even a woodwind instrument workshop but best of all was the bookshop which was a welcome retreat from the inclement weather. We spent a good few hours in there, reading and drinking superb coffee. They specialize in Scottish titles and it was a real joy to browse the shelves. Only criticism was that they had no angling books. I just had to purchase a book, I couldn’t resist. So I opted for an Ian Bank’s title. It wasn’t his usual kind of stuff. Raw Spirit was the title. A travelogue about drinking whisky all over Scotland.
I still hadn’t given up hope of fishing later in the evening but when we arrived back at the campsite my hopes of casting a wee Kate McLaren on Loch Croispol were dashed. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought that the English Riots had spread to remote Sutherland as tents were flattened, upturned tables and chairs were all over the place along with all manner of camping equipment scattered all over the place. The wind and rain had wrecked havoc but more seriously my tent had collapsed, was ripped beyond repair and my tent poles were broken.
The fishing was “well oot the windae”. My wife wasn’t keen on this camping lark in the first place; she was close to tears as we searched in vain for a B&B with vacancies. Just as I was thinking of trying the Lazy Crofter Bunkhouse which I knew wouldn’t go down well with Val, I remembered a post made by Alan from the Wild Fishing Forum last week advising me to go to the Glengolly Guest house regarding permission to fish the local lochs. Off we went with renewed hope of a vacancy to the said house. Our hearts sank as the NV sign greeted us. I decided to chap the door anyway and ask if they were aware of anywhere or anyone who might help us out. To our surprise and relief Mrs Mackay informed us of a cottage they have on the shore of the Kyle of Durness.
Quite literally those grey clouds that hung over us all day had a silver lining as the cottage we stayed in for the next three nights was absolutely wonderful. We had the Kyle of Durness at out doorstep and Loch Borralie was a five-minute walk up the back of the hill from the cottage.
The next day and for the remainder of our break the weather was beautiful all be it not exactly great for fishing but it was perfect for Val.
With my other half happy relaxing and enjoying the sun it was now time to mention to her the F word. That’s right, Fishing! She was more than happy for me to go off fishing. I decided that I would just have a walk up to Borralie though and have a look around etc; it was boiling hot and sunny and not weather to be fishing the very clear waters of this famous loch. After giving Borralie a visit I knew it would be difficult. It was a spectacular looking loch. The colours in the water had to be seen to be believed. It had every shade of blue you can think of. I have never seen a loch before with such clarity.
Next we headed back up to Durness and visited Smoo Cave. What a wonderful creation of nature that is. When we got back to the cottage Val decided to cook dinner so I decided to go out across the road to the Kyle which had a brilliant channel running along it close to the cottage and was clearly visible and accessible at low tide. Mr Mackay advised me to start fishing it at low tide and fish it hard as the tide started to come in. He said I would have a good chance of Sea Bass. I was hoping for seat trout or salmon too. I was fishing for only twenty minutes or so when I got the first fish of the day. A lovely sea bass. A short time later I caught another completing a fine brace of Sea Bass.Soon Val was calling to me from the cottage " Dinner is Ready" I had a a lovely meal and a drink and spent the rest of the night sitting in the garden relaxing, reading, drinking and taking in the scenery until the sun slipped off quitely behind the hill across the Kyle leaving behind a lovely orange glow.
Next morning the weather was just a lovely. I went up to Durness for some morning rolls and the paper and also went to see Martin for a permit to fish Borralie. Val decided we would just laze around the cottage and have a walk along to the Cape Wrath ferry and have a walk up the hills next to Loch Borralie. Then in the afternoon I at long last was going fly fishing on Loch Borralie. I made the short walk from the cottage up to Borralie passed what used to be the Cape Wrath Hotel but it's now call the CW Lodge. When I arived at the shore of this turqouise loch you would have been forgiven for thinking it was the sea such were the colours. I was surprised to meet a couple of old chaps preparing to go out on one of the boats that are moored at the south shore. I had a chat with them. One of them was local and the other was his friend. He told me it would be difficult and advised me where to fish. He said the loch was best fished in the evening just as darkness descends and to fish along the drop offs on the loch which were clearly visible about ten feet out. He wished me luck and they drifted off down the loch. I fished the east shore up to the Island casting my flies into the dropoff areas but I never rose a single fish. I next went along the south shore and up a short distance of the west but to no avail. Although I didn't contact any fish I really enjoyed myself in a beautiful location. As i was breaking off my leader and splitting my rod down etc I noticed a familiar figure coming over the hill towards me. It couldn't be couldn't it but it was. It was Val , my wife with a wee flask of coffee for me. We just sat on the shore of the loch for a while and I told her of my lack of success and how it was too windy too bright , too clear and how it would have been better to fish it with dark clouds and rain etc, you get the drift all the usual excuses.She just laughed as we made our way over the hill and back down to the cottage.
Next day we reluctantly went home.
Check back soon as I have loads of pics I want to share therefore I intend to put up a wee slide show with more pics from my trip.

Durness is Calling

2011-08-09T00:17:00.003+01:00

There will be no further blog reports until Sunday at the earliest as I'm off up North again first thing in the morning. My destination is Durness. This time the missus will be coming alone, so fishing time will be limited to a couple of hours in the morning and the evening if all goes to plan. I am hoping to cast some flies on the famous limestone Lochs in the area. My accomodation for the next four or five days will be a tent so I hope the weather holds out. Looking forward to plenty fresh air, sunrises and sunsets. " The Man you are will know the Boy you were"

Pike, Perch and Nae Troot.

2011-08-07T21:50:00.006+01:00

Last night I visited a very grey, dreich and wet Hillend Loch. The Club was hosting the inter-club boat pairs competition between our club and the Clarkston Angling Club. It was a horrible night for the boat as the rain persisted all night and actually got worse as the night went on. I wasn't competing in the comp as I wasn't invited so I chose to fish from the bank on my own. I fished along the south shore all the way to the wee moss. Close to Bracco burn area I saw a couple of heavy splashes well within casing range so I cast my two flies over the increasing rippling rings. I got a half hearted attempt at my top dropper which was a Kate McLaren.I then had another cast, next there was another huge splash and I saw the glistening olive sheen from a big pike just below the surface then I had a fish on but the fish that grabbed my Kate was a little perch which I probably saved from the jaws of the pike as the big predator was obviously ambushing small perch. After a quick pic I released the perch . After a couple of casts I was into another fish this time a very small pike which grabbed my point fly which was a mini lure which I had only tied up before I went up to the Loch tonight. Five minutes later the mini lure was grabbed again, but this time the take was subsantial and my line got smashed. I brought my line in to inspect it and just as I thought it was a clean break which I believe was broken by the big pike I had seen minutes earlier. After tying on another fly I continued to fish on in the ever increasing heavy rain. I fished all along to the wee moss where I watched some of the guys out on the boats . They looked miserable. As I fished on I was thinking to myself that it would be nice to catch a trout to complete a treble of the Hillend species. That trout proved to be illusive and I gave up when the fishing stopped being fun because of the bloody rain.

New Hillend Angling Pavilion

2011-08-05T22:50:00.004+01:00

I had a visit to Hillend tonight but not on fishing duty, I may do that tomorrow. I just went up to the Loch tonight to take some pics have a blether and see how the clubhouse was shaping up as there has been a bit of landscaping and tidying up been done recently. I was happy to see that the new timber Lodge has been erected It still has some work to be done to it but its looking in great shape. I think that the idea of the Timber Lodge or the Competition Pavilion as it may be called is fantastic as it will be used as a changing and drying facility for the anglers as well as a place for anglers to weigh their catches. This will be especially useful on competition days/nights etc. The facilities we now have at Hillend is exceptional and once again the Angling Club has to be congratulated on all the hard work that has been put in to take us to the level we are now at. Airdrie and District Angling Club has come along way since the days when we operated from a container at the Eastercroft Bay. As I was leaving tonight I felt a little guilty as some of the members were busy working, roughcasting walls and were about to start treating and painting the new pavilion etc. It's maybe time I started doing something for the club. The least I could do is perhaps assist in keeping the area around the Clubhouse etc free of litter etc. Aye, I think I will volunteer to do this.

Flies for future use.

2011-07-31T09:17:00.002+01:00

I haven't been fishing since Tuesday but have been up at the Loch a couple times to have a look around. I noticed that the new retaining wall at the club house carpark has been finished and has been leveled off. Still a bit of tidying up to be done and I believe that some sort of fence will be erected around the car park too. Anyway, I was up last night having a nosey and took with me a wee six piece travel rod that I have. I have not used this rod in a while and had a few casts in the carpark with a line I forgot I had which I found in a box that I have in my loft with all sorts of discarded angling gear. The rod and line compliment one another beautifully. It is an ideal setup for small lochans and hill lochs. Over the last couple of days I have using up the salmon hooks I have, tying a few flies that I intend to use in the near future. I'm keen to have another go at the salmon fishing and after having a look around the web for ideas, I quite fancy the Annan as its not too far away. Would be nice to have a day there sometime soon. Anyone out there like to advise what beat etc would be worth having a visit to. In the meantime here are a couple of pics of the flies that I have been tying.

Reality check on the Tweed.

2011-07-27T19:20:00.003+01:00

After the excitement and extraordinary luck I had on my recent trip to the far north it was back to my bread and butter and usual luck at Hillend on Monday. I decided to have a few hours out on the boat at Hillend on Monday. I'm not using the conditions as an excuse for the lack of success but it was a factor as it was more like sunbathing weather than weather for trout fishing. I should have known better than take a boat out on the still water with the sun splitting the skies. I did manage a couple of perch which took my little jack frost lure which I was fishing on my sink tip line. As Tuesday was my last day before I returned to work I was anxious to have one last outing before returning to hell. By chance my brother was up from Englanshire with his kids visiting my Mother this week so I arranged for the both of us to have a trip down the Tweed. We set off for Peebles in time for the tourist information office opening and duly purchased our permits. We then made the short journey down to Traquair Bridge where we parked, wadered up and went down to the river in search of troot. We walked up river a bit and entered the river and fished back down to the bridge. We encountered many many Salmon Parr and only a couple of trout. Most of the fish were caught on a wee size 14 gold beaded hare lug nymph and a few on the partridge and yellow I had on the dropper. We decided to have a break and sit on the handily placed bench on the river bank then just as we were deciding to fish down and under the bridge a couple of blokes arrived with an inflatable dinghy and Kayak. They explained they were going to navigate to Kelso and camp somewhere down there. They explained they had did it before and didn't expect any problems. We watched them load their gear onto their crafts , quite a lot of beer was on board along with what one of the guys described as a wee cheeky spinning rod for later. Off they went, the bloke in the dinghy slammed into the wall of the bridge as he tried to maneuver his craft. Oh! how I laughed, then they were gone. We decided to walk up river passed what appeared to be a fishing hut. It looked like a right good pool for the salmon right in front of the hut. The rest of out day was spent fishing and resting all the way back down to the bridge. A great number of Parr were once again caught, they were fun for a wee while but soon got fed up catching one every second cast. We then had a walk down the river to where the Leithen enters the Tweed. It looked a very good place to have a cast or two but a couple of locals were fishing there so we just decided to take some pics and call it a day. As I walked back along the river I reflected on a very enjoyable day out on the Tweed and looked forward to my fish supper in Peebles before driving home.

A Sutherland River and Caithness Lochs.

2011-07-23T18:10:00.003+01:00

I thought it would be a better idea to show a slide show of my recent trip to Sutherland and Caithness rather than individual photos. Hope you like it. Please leave some comments good , bad or indifferent. Thanks for taking the time to look.

My first Salmon & some Caithness Trout

2011-07-21T23:48:00.013+01:00

My long awaited trip to Sutherland and Caithness started alarmingly on Saturday with a heavy handed thump on my front door, you guessed it I slept in. Well , it was half two in the morning though. About five and a half hours later we were knocking on the door of Scott's pal's house in a Sutherland coastal village. We drank numerous cups of coffee while we waited on the village store opening so that we could purchase our permits to fish the river on the Monday. After collecting out tickets we headed for Watten and arrived about midday. An hour or so later we were stringing rods, making up casts and strapped them on to the rod holders on the car. It was a two minute drive down to the boat at the loch. We made for the east end of the loch I had a huge smile on my face as this was what I was so looking forward to. The three of us rose loads of fish to our bushy flies on the top dropper as we drifted down the loch in the ever increasing wind. Eventually I landed a fish , the first on the boat. It was a nice bright trout of just under a 1lb. It was fooled by my Loch Ordie. Tam and Scott soon followed suit and landed a nice wee fish each. Since no more fish were being caught it was decided that we would go back to the caravan for a bite to eat and try the Loch later but once we got back the weather took a turn for the worse as it absolutely poured down along with a very strong wind. We agreed not to bother going out again as the rain was absolutely torrential. We made a wise choice as it stayed on for the night. I sat and tied flies and read a few chapters of Bruce Sandison's very entertaining book, The Sporting gentleman's , gentleman which I picked up from a second hand book store in Thurso on the way from Sutherland to Watten. Sunday arrived and as there is No Fishing on Watten on the sabbath It was decided that we would all fish Scarmclate. On arrival at the loch the water appeared to be be very dirty,this was due to the loch being shallow and the strong winds the day before. We worked our way around the shore of the loch. We all caught nice wee trout despite the colouration of the Loch but they were no bigger than half a pound but were fun all the same. Back at the caravan Scott cooked dinner while Tam watched the tv, I tied up some more flies one of which was to play a major role on the river the next day.Monday morning arrived with a familiar thump on the bedroom door of the caravan,it was scott telling me to get up as breakfast was ready. I looked at my watch it was bloody half three in the morning. I stumbled through the caravan to the dining table and looked down on a plate of scrambled eggs and toast. I struggled with my breakfast but didn't say much as I was still half a sleep."C'mon biy man get yersel the gither" said Scott insistently " We're leaving at the back o' four" By the time we travelled over to Sutherland I was wide awake. We sat in a nice spot above the estuary to see if there was any sign of fish coming into the system as we were not allowed onto the Angling Club's beat until six o'clock. We sat for an hour and were encouraged to see several fish coming in from the sea. We then drove down to the river parked up the car and walked to the top end of the beat as instructed by Scott's friend. I wasn't really expecting much as this was my first time salmon fishing and had to rely on hints and tips form Scott and his friend. The three of us entered the river, Scott went first I was in the middle and Tam followed me as we worked our way down river. As we waded down the excitement was building as salmon were leaping sporadically right in front of us as we fished down the river. After an hour or so I noticed that Scott who was ahead of me leaving the river and sitting on the bank I kept on fishing down until I was directly opposite him. He started talking to me when it happened , I felt the most gentle of takes. Now, as I had no experience of hooking and playing salmon I guess that it was instinct that took over as I struggled to keep control of the angry, leaping salmon. The heart stopping fight that ensued was nerve wracking but eventually I had the salmon under control and with assistance of Tam he netted the fish.It was a modest fish, a fresh grilse of about 2 3/4 lb with sea lice attached. I whooped with delight and took many photos of my first ever salmon which I fooled with a salmon fly that I had tied the night before at the caravan. Tam and Scott congratulated me then we were soon back in the river fishing our way down. After another hour or so it was suggested we leave the river and walk further down. Tam and Scott opted for a pool recommended to them by Scott's mate while I went off on my own further down to another area that has a reputation for holding fish. Then again much to my amazement I hooked into another salmon . This time the take was more violent and it went like a train almost immediately. Wow ! this was something else. I yelled back at my mates but they didn't hear me. The salmon nearly broke my knuckles as the handle of my reel revolved at some speed as I tried to adjust the drag. By now I was shaking like a leaf as the salmon leaped from the water to try and throw the hook. Eventually I started walking backwards to a shingle strip that splits the river. By now I was struggling to keep the fish under control. My only experience of playing and landing salmon was from watching Paul Young and the like on dvd. Now I could appreciate how it felt. I must admit I was not exactly enjoying the fight as my only concern was to not lose the fish as it was a good deal bigger than my first salmon. I then thought I had it under control as it came to the surface at the shingle . I got a good look at it. It looked very fresh perhaps around the 8lb mark. Then as I got it to the edge it took of ferociously and broke my leader down at the fly. The same fly which I had tied the night before and the same fly that had caught my first ever salmon. I must admit the Good Lord's name was taken in vain as I recoiled and tried to take in what had just happened. I must have had that fish on for a good fifteen to twenty minutes. Words cannot describe what that fight felt and how it felt to lose it. My mates must have seen the commotion down stream from them s they came down to see what was going on. The adrenalin was still pumping as I gave them a blow by blow account of what had actually happened. I sat on the shingle for a while until I eventually calmed down. Eventually the three of us started fish again but no other fish were touched. We all decided that it was time to take a break and headed back to the village to a lovely wee restaurant where we all had fish pie, which was just very apt. It was some feeling just sitting back relaxing with numerous cups of coffee and thinking of the experience of landing and losing those two salmon. I couldn't get it out of my head. Dare I say that this was better than sex?Yes it was, after all I'm an Angler not a lover. After dinner we went back up to the place we sat at in the morning. I gazed out over to the sea watching the white surf rolling into the shore and just stared in wonderment at where those silver beauties had come from. Soon we were back at the river this time fishing another pool that was recommended to us. We fished from the far bank and fished it in the same order as we had done in the morning. soon the unimaginable occurred. I hooked into my third salmon of the day. This time it was another feisty take. The salmon took off like a rocket losing control as it leaped all over the place. I burned my fingers on the fly line such was the power of this salmon.Once again I was a quivering wreck as i tried to hold on for dear life to this fish. The worst feeling was when it jag, jag jagged and bored down. I thought it was going to break me but I eventually I manged to play the salmon out. Tam was by my side I netted the fish for me. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the size and beauty of this fish in the net. Scott estimated that this fish was about 7lb
The image of this beautiful creature will live with me forever. The picture I managed to get doesn't do the salmon any justice as this was the most beautiful fish I had ever seen, there again I maybe a little biased. I just sat on the bank for a while shaking like a leaf and repeating myself over and over again I just couldn't believe this was happening to me, this was something special.We then decided to have another go up at the area where I lost my second salmon. I had no further luck. In the last hour Tam actually hooked into a grilse and after playing it briefly it broke him as he tried to land it. Not long after that Tam got another take but his leader just slipped from his fly line immediately. To say Tam was sick is a bit of an understatement. Reluctantly our day had to end but wow! what a day I had. Monday the 18th of July 2011, the day I caught my first two salmon and sadly lost another will be remembered in the same way as I remember births , deaths and marriages in my family. Yes ! it is no exaggeration to compare these events and explain that it was that special. It was late when we arrived back at watten. I found it difficult to sleep but I eventually did as Tuesday morning eventually arrived. It was decided that we would have a lazy day and get out on Watten in the late afternoon. I hung around tying flies and reading Bruce's book. The wind was coming from the north west as we went afloat on Watten for the final time. Tam was first into the fish as he caught thee wee yins quite rapid. Then I had a tiddler too. Scott wasn't having much luck but was rising as many fish as Tam and I were. Then disaster struck. Tam snapped his rod as he pulled on his leader to adjust his flies. We had to go ashore and Scott went off to get a spare from the caravan. We were soon off again but Tam was notably pissed off and understandably so. The fishing proved to be difficult and although we all rose a few fish it wasn't until late on when I switched to a sink tip line and Scott to an intermediate that we eventually landed a few more fish. We stopped fishing fishing about half ten when it was very dull and getting dark. So that was that Watten had been a disappointment for us really as I had imagined it would have just been like last year, mind you I was warned by some friends that I had been extremely luck last year as Watten can be very difficult at times.Anyway it didn't matter one jot to me as I had my best ever fishing experience on that Sutherland River. Fishing for trout is never going to be the same for me as the thought of those salmon will live for me forever. I will post some more pics later.

The Dabbler is Caithness Bound!

2011-07-14T23:49:00.003+01:00

At Last my annual fishing holiday is imminent. Just like last year, once again I am Caithness bound in the pursuit of wild trout and for the first time ever Salmon too. All flies have been tied, Rods, reels and lines are gleaming, my bags are packed and I'm ready. Half the fun of trips like this is the preparation. All those months , weeks, days and hours spent at the bench tying flies and reading up on as much info on the area as I can has been fun and adds to the excitement and anticipation of the trip to the far North. My fishing season so far has been spent at Hillend and has been a personal disappointment so I am looking forward to giving my season a kick start in Caithness. If last year is anything to go by then it should be a memorable trip. Another aspect which makes these holidays great is the company as for the bulk of the season so far I have been on my own. It's a great way to unwind and forget all about the trouble and strife of work etc and also puts everything in life into perspective. So this will be my last blog post for the best part of a week as I haven't quite got round to getting a laptop or and I pad to report live on location etc. I hope to do this in the future there again trips like these should most probably be gadget free it's all about geting away from it all. Anyway thats all for now I will report back later next week.

A Hillend Trout

2011-07-10T00:29:00.003+01:00

Tonight I arranged to meet Ian a fellow Hillender up at the Hillend Lodge tonight and do a bit of fishing on the South shore. Ian like myself prefers to use traditional wet flies rather than modern lures etc. Off we went and decided to fish the point near the the Braco Burn. This area is a favourite of Ian's and has had great success here in the past especially as darkness descends over Hillend on a summer evening. Ian was telling me tonight that he has been having a disappointing season as I have and has had many frustrating nights when the trout just don't come out to play. Just as the sun was setting over Caldercruix at 9.45pm Ian hooked into a trout with an Invicta on the point and succesfully landed it, then after I made a quick photo call it was released to fight another day. Just shortly after that I made contact with a trout but it didn't stick. Later Ian covered another rising fish which made an unsuccessful attempt to take his fly. We packed up just before midnight. It was great to have company for a change at Hillend as it can sometimes be a lonely experience fishing into the dark at Hillend.

A Big Thanks to Tam from The Clyde Fishing Forum

2011-07-08T23:51:00.004+01:00

What a wonderful thing this internet thingy is. Like many of you I frequent a few good fishing forums and visit many good angling web sites etc. It's amazing how much info one can get from the click of a mouse. From hints and tips to contact numbers for permission to fish etc, but best of all when you get to chat online with like minded persons. The reason I mention this tonight is that I was contacted by a member of the River Clyde Fishing Forum who read that I was going salmon fishing next week and offered me some flies he even offered me a loan of his salmon rod. So we arranged to meet at the Hillend Fishing Lodge tonight and in return for the salmon flies I gave Tam C some trout flies. I thanked him for the offer of the rod but explained that I would just use my fly rod as I have been advised that my trout rod would suffice. The flies I received were superb and would like to take this opportunity to thank Tam C once again. If you are reading this Tam I will tie some Kates for you over the next day or too. After having a look at those patterns for inspiration I tied up another couple with my newly purchased hooks which I got along with some new materials from the GAC last night. The above fly was tied less than twenty minutes ago.

Salmon Groove Thang!

2011-07-05T16:39:00.006+01:00

Brothers , Sisters.... I'm still on this Salmon Groove Thang! With apologies to heaven 17. I have been getting some advice etc on the tying of Salmon patterns so have been continuing to tie some over the last couple of days. Here are another couple I tied and what I believe is my best so far I hope the Silver tourists agree and reward me fittingly. I think I will be travelling into the GAC on Thursday night for some more salmon Irons and materials etc. Like I already said I am thoroughly enjoying tying these, they are good fun and surprisingly easy to tie.

Allan's Shrimp

2011-07-03T20:30:00.002+01:00

All being well, in two weeks time when I head to the far North of Scotland, I might get the opportunity to have my first ever chance of fishing for Salmon. I have never had any real incline to go after the King of Fish in the past but if I get the chance in two weeks I'm sure as damn not going to turn the chance down. I know absolutely nothing about Salmon fishing , some would say I know nothing about troot fishing either but that's another story so therefore I don't have a clue about how to go about it . It will be just a case of cast and hope for the best. I have been seeking advice on what flies etc to use. One of the patterns suggested to me was an Ally Shrimp. So I decided to have a go at tying this Salmon pattern all be it as ever a variation of the original the reason for this is that I don't have any black floss so just went ahead with a yellow floss. I'm fairly pleased with the result of my first ever attempt at a salmon pattern and to be honest I find them relatively easy to tie, probably because the hooks I used were so big . I reckon I need to get some smaller irons as they will be more suited to the River I will be fishing. If any of my readers would like to suggest some salmon patterns to use, go ahead I'm all ears.

Hooked it, Lost it!

2011-07-03T00:11:00.004+01:00

Tam and I opted for an outing on the Lily Loch boat on Saturday evening. Conditions didn't look too promising as there wasn't much of a ripple on the Loch but motored up to the West end of the Loch to catch what was left of the decreasing wind. We started our first drift on the Loch and after about four or five casts I hooked into a fish with my silver Invicta but unfortunately that moment of pleasure was all too brief as the trout soon won its freedom. That one drift was the best all night as a complete flat calm descended on the Loch for most of the night. Later the wind picked up for one last drift which lasted all of fifteen minutes and we soon packed up as the stillness of a summer night engulfed the Lily Loch once again. Although our fishing was somewhat curtailed due to the lack of wind and once again I was pisctorially challenged it was a very pleasant evening to be out on the Lily on a boat as it sure beats sitting in the house in front of the tv or pc.

Regional Fly Tying.

2011-06-28T15:45:00.004+01:00

I've been busy at the tying bench over last couple of nights tying up some patterns that have been recommended to me and which for some reason I don't appear to have in my numerous fly boxes, Hard to believe , I know but its true. One of those patterns is Hugo's Olive which is an apparent must have for a couple of the Caithness Lochs and a fly I imagine from the name was devised by Hugo Ross the Caithness angler and angling retailer. You could say I have been travelling all over the country in a fly tying sense , moving from as far north as Caithness all the way down to Lanarkshire as you can see with my Magpie and Silver which is a Clyde Fly of great repute. As well as these two regions I also tied flies that are synonymous with Ayrshire and patterns from the North West Highlands, Orkney and Ireland. You could say I tied a fair cosmopolitan collection of flies.

A Trio from the Lily Loch

2011-06-25T23:59:00.003+01:00

I decided to give Hillend Loch a miss tonight and decided to walk over the hill with Tam to the Lily Loch instead. We went right up to the west side of the Loch and had our first casts of the evening there. No contact was made with fish so we decided to try our luck along the South shore of the Loch. After a while Tam said he was having a break as he had Bailiff duties to attend to so off he went walking all the way round the Loch and back. He was only away ten minutes when I was into my first fish of the evening, a rainbow trout of about 1 3/4lb. After a quick photo call I was out on the water again and about three casts later I was into my second fish of the night a nice wee natural Lily Loch Broonie which after a quick pic was safely returned to the water. After half an hour or so Tam returned and was surprised to find out that I had caught a couple. He enquired what I had caught them on and told him it was my elk hair sedge pattern. I then opened my fly box and gave him one. About ten minutes later I hooked into my third and final trout of the evening another wee broonie which was returned to the Loch but without the photo call the previous fish had. All in all tonight was rather pleasing and satisfying but a bit frustrating for Tam as he had a busy night fulfilling his Bailiff duties.

Fly Boxes

2011-06-21T18:46:00.003+01:00

At the last count I had about a dozen fox boxes all filled with flies not to mention another four or five small boxes. I know that I have more flies than I could ever use in a lifetime. I reckon having so many boxes and flies can cause more problems than finding a solution to catching trout. The plain fact is I have far too many flies to choose from and when it comes to preparing for a fishing outing it's a real headache wondering which boxes to leave behind. Some folk have advised me to just go fishing with about half a dozen patterns the mere thought of that makes me shudder. Don't get me wrong I no longer carry all my boxes with me anymore I have it down to three, sometimes four boxes in my bag these days. I have decided that for my trip to Caithness next month I will be taking just the four boxes the three above plus one other with Hoppers , Daddies, cdc's , sedges and some nymphs. Tam told me has cut down too, he's just taking the one box which I found surprising then I discovered that his one box was one of those huge wooden boxes with four different sides to it. I prefer the fox boxes which I find indispensable. They suit my needs perfectly and are an ideal size to fit into a jacket pocket if required. I recently won a a fly box in a fly tying comp. It was one of those clearwater boxes with the see through lids which at first appeared quite useful but the method of holding the flies was on the foam and I found that the flies were often dislodged and whenever I opened the box they would sometimes fall out which was frustrating especially if standing out on the water on a windy day. I decided to ditch it and put all my flies back into the fox box. The above boxes are three of the four I will be taking to tackle Loch Watten next month.

A Couple of Trout

2011-06-20T18:47:00.004+01:00

I visited Hillend on Sunday evening hoping to see rising fish at the sedge. I was in the bay next to the Wee Moss then along by the Big Stane where I covered the only fish I saw all evening then I tried round at the point near the Braco Burn all to no avail. Today though Tosh and I went back into the area near the Braco this morning. After getting the disposable BBQ alight we waited on the first batch of sausages and burgers for breakfast. Soon after we were fishing in the Bay that Tosh fondly calls 4lb bay as he caught a fish of that weight here a few years back. We next tried all along those places I tried the night before, then back to the point next to the Braco. Our perseverence paid off as Tosh caught a trout with his favourite spinner the Black and Gold Toby in....... you guessed it, 4lb Bay. Although this time his trout was of a more modest weight. After rising a couple of fish to my flies east of the Big Stane the unexpected happened I caught a trout on a Kate McLaren. A very welcome fish indeed. We called it quits about 2pm in the blazing sunshine. As I type this this evening I'm considering going back up to the Loch tonight. I better not push my luck though and might just wait until wednesday night.

Still Piscatorally Challenged.

2011-06-19T10:45:00.004+01:00

Well a week has gone since I last put finger tips to keyboard on here and still I'm piscatorally challenged. I visited Hillend on Tuesday all booted and wadered up and opted for the woodside trying various bays and points. Then on Friday night I gave the narrows ago just down from the club house. It was a terrible night weather wise so I had the place to myself...well for an hour or so before an old codger with a west Lothian accent came along and sat beside me on a bench while I was taking a break. He then plodded into the Loch where I had been fishing which meant I was ousted from my prefered spot. I was furious and decided to move over to the right a bit then the next thing I know he was casting over my bloody line when I was casting at rising fish. He must have been so desperate. I just walked away in disgust and packed up. I think I need a break from Hillend for a while and perhaps try another Loch. I'm not giving up.......just yet, as I am thinking of having another try tonight at the Loch and might find a place on my leader for one or two of the above wee scruffs.

Why does it always rain on Me?

2011-06-12T23:39:00.003+01:00

Tonight Scott and I were afloat at Hillend to participate in the annual Hillend Flyfishing Boat pairs competition. The comp runs for a month and is fished at the weekends. It's just your luck what the weather throws at you but normally June can guarantee good weather with plenty of fly life and fish activity on the Loch. Tonight a strong east wind with rain persisted for the whole evening. I prepared well for tonight I had tied up various flies which I thought would be required etc etc especially a Connamara Black which I thought would be just the trick. To cut a long story short Scott caught a cracker of a natural Hillend Broonie and also lost one at the net which was a comedy of errors. I was in charge of the net as Scott played the fish and as he eased it towards the net one of his dropper flies caught on my hat I must have jolted up and the next thing we knew the fish was off. Once again I caught the complete total of hee haw! I really am getting fed up going up to Hillend and coming home without as much as a bite. This situation is really getting to me. I feel like packing this fishing lark in. Its actually getting embarassing the amount of blank days I'm currently experiencing. Every night I go up there I am full of hope and anticipation and every night I come home with the same feeling of dejection. As I maneuvered the boat into the jetty tonight after another fishless and soaked to the bone night I contemplated taking a break from fishing for a few weeks but hell I'm not going to give in I'll be up there again on Monday or Tuesday night trying as hard as ever. Whoever said that there was more to fishing than catching fish was bloody lying.

The Clarkston Tangler and I

2011-06-06T15:32:00.004+01:00

Last night Tam and I went afloat at Hillend. We set off from the boat moorings with a strong east wind blowing up the Loch. We had a a drift down the south shore for a short distance but continually got blew into the edge of the no fishing zone at the South shore. Whilst in this area we actually saw a few fish which we presumed to be rising to the Green Drakes. We then decided it would be better to get out the throat of the wind so went round to the back of the woods where it wasn't just so windy. As it happened we ended up staying in this area the rest of the evening trying various drifts. There were quite a few Green Drakes about which a few fish were interested in. The east wind was a constant hindrance to us and eventually down came the rain which soaked us to the bone. We persevered though as quite a few fish were showing especially near the shore under the overhanging trees. I would just like to say at this juncture that Tam has a new name after being frustrated with his casting in the troublesome wind. From now on he will be known as the Clarkston Tangler! I'm certain that he will get me back for that as once again he outdone me on the landing of fish... Tam caught the only trout of the evening on a claret bumble just west of the Lowes Bay. We fished on until about 9.30pm and decided a retreat to the Fishing Lodge was in order where we both enjoyed a hot Bovril with loads of pepper to warm us up.

A Fish at last!

2011-06-03T20:05:00.002+01:00

As the title says but not quite. I arrived at Hillend about 10 30 am. Pulled the waders on then my new wading boots and off I went . My first stop was at Boathouse bay. Had a few cast here then walked through the woods to Lowes Bay. I spent quite a bit of time here and also watched many green drakes hatching and fluttering around most were taken by the gulls but surprisingly I only saw one fish rise for them. I next tried the Mound but soon was on the move again. This time I made my way round to the three trees and fished all the way down the bay at the back of the woods. About half way down I felt the jag jag jag of a trout at last. I played him out and eased him over to my my net and just as I was about to put the net under him..... Ping! He was off! The Lord's name was taken in vane and was probably heard right round the woods. Never mind I'm counting it as I probably would have put him back anyway . My only regret was that I never got a photo of the fish which I reckoned looked about 2lb. I fished on but no further fish were hooked landed or lost. I was fishing today with a three fly cast which consisted of a Connemara Black on the point a Doobry on the middle and a Loch Ordie on the bob. My lost fish was caught on the Connemara Black.

The Doobry

2011-06-01T18:07:00.003+01:00

I received an email last night from one of my Blog followers who is also a regular visitor to the local tackle shop... the Airdrie Angling Centre. Jim had been up at Loch Watten last week and was telling me how he got on. He didn't get out on the Loch on Monday or Tuesday because of the Gales but had three fantastic days at Watten from the Wednesday to the Friday. Anyway he let me know what his most successful patterns were. One of those patterns he mentioned was the Doobry which for some reason I don't have in any of my boxes. As Scott, Tam and I are heading up there in July I decided to knock up a couple these patterns this afternoon. The fly has a great reputation for wild brown trout and was originally devised for the Lochs of Orkney by the well known angler, author and fly tyer Stan Headley. I don't know what he would make of my attempt as the body isn't true to the original as I used a golden olive holographic tinsel as for some reason I didn't have any plain gold tinsel in my box. Need to get some this weekend. I better start on those Loch Ordies which I have promised for Tam as he is fond of fishing those at watten too.

Hillend Blue Zulu

2011-05-30T23:57:00.002+01:00

I thought I would make my final post of the month tonight after yet another Hillend blank today. This has been a very disappointing month for me at Hillend. I'm blaming the weather as the wind has been a constant source of ire to me or maybe that's just a poor excuse. I believe the real reason for my lack of success this month is down to being a crap angler and also not putting in the effort as every time I have been at the Loch my sessions have been short as I have been getting peeved off with the wind. To be honest the conditions at Hillend these last few weeks have been more like February than May we have even had at Hailstones over the last couple of days and we are just about to enter June. By way of consoling myself I decided to tidy up my tying bench and get a few flies tyed this afternoon. After have having a browse at a certain Ayrshire flytyers latest fly on his website I was suitably inspired to tye something similar. I tied a few of these on a size 12 with my July trip to Loch Watten in mind..

The lily Loch

2011-05-29T10:48:00.004+01:00

Last night Tam and I walked over the hill from Hillend to The Lily Loch. Once over the hill and down to the dam another bloody gale greeted us which was blowing straight down the Loch from the West. Every time I have been out fishing this month these strong winds have been a constant hindrance. Defiantly Tam and I walked by the dam and round to the club hut despite the heavy rain and wind. The rain soon passed and a rainbow appeared...In the sky not the bank, that would happen later when Tam eventually landed one around the 2lb mark. I set up with an olive damsel on the point and a Kate McLaren on the dropper. Tam suggested I try the area known as the burn as it was slightly sheltered and the wind was at my back. Off I went overthe footbridge and down into the burn. I worked my way along the soft banking and about halfway down the shore I was soon into my one and only fish of the evening which was fooled by the damsel. That fish was one of the lily's natural wild fish, a small pike. I then decided to have a break out of the wind at the hut where after a cup of coffee and a bite to eat I got out onto the main loch where I flogged the water to no avail. During that time I watched Tam land a good size fish which he was rather pleased with. At around half nine another heavy shower moved so we packed up and walked back over the hill to Hillend. I was happy with my wild yin while Tam was pleased with one of the Lily's newest residents.

CDC Sedge

2011-05-27T23:10:00.002+01:00

Last night I was informed that a Great Red Sedge was spotted at the woodside at Hillend which heralds the annual appearance of these remarkable creatures at Hillend. This news surprised me somewhat as the weather this month has been windy and cold which I thought would delay the appearance of the Big Sedge. It's usually from June onwards that you start to see these sedges in great abundance as they scurry across the water trying to make it to dry land. They will be at their peak by the middle of June and if you are lucky enough to be fishing Hillend at the right night when the fish are turned onto the Big Sedge you could have a really memorable night of fishing. Most Hillenders have their favourite patterns for the sedge. Muddlers, G&H sedge, sedge hogs etc are all popular. Over the last few years I have had success with cdc patterns but last year I switched to a balloon caddis which caught a few fish both at Hillend and the Lily. This year I'm gonna go back to the cdc sedge. I like to use these in the most gentle of ripples. I really enjoy the visual aspect of the take when the fish come up for these. I tie my cdc sedges in several variations. The one above is a pattern I tied last night. Very simple to tie and one I intend using tomorrow night, conditions permitting of course.

Hillend Storm!

2011-05-23T21:40:00.011+01:00

Today Scotland has been getting battered with severe gales. Winds of 80 and 100 mph have been recorded in some parts so its no surprise that the weather disrupted road , rail and ferry networks. Here in Airdrie there has been structural damage to buildings, fallen trees and power cables are down and even the trains haven't been running. While at work today our van was getting blown all over the place. Anyway I reckon the winds reached their peak in the late afternoon as it has calmed down to just a normal gale now. I couldn't resist a wee run up to Hillend tonight to see how it's looking. The Loch has beeen really churned up and looks quite dirty. Hillend was deserted tonight not one single person was to be seen, which is no surprise as you would need to be "aff yer heed" to go fishing in that.. The weather forecasters are predicting that the winds are to calm down overnight. I hope the above pic and vid gives you an idea how wild it has been up here today at Hillend.

Wild is the Hillend Wind!

2011-05-22T22:39:00.004+01:00

For the last couple of weeks my flyfishing has been somewhat curtailed because of the strong winds we have been experiencing. I have went up to the loch a few times this last fortnight but on arriving at the Club house decided against fishing because it has been wild on every occasion. Instead I just hung around the Clubhouse and had a blether.Last night I arranged with Tam to go up the Lily Loch but as it was blowing a gale and tipping it down we decided not to bother venturing over the hill to the Lily as it would have been even worse up there. Instead we went to the Hillend Lodge for a gab and a coffee. We then decided that no matter what the weather was doing on Sunday we were definitely going fishing at Hillend.

Today we went to the Big Moss at the west end of the Loch and once again that wind was was causing havoc. Fly rod and fly boxes were taken along as well as a spinning rod and a box of tobys etc but the fly rod never came out the rod tube. Many years ago before I took up flyfishing I used to do a lot of spinning at Hillend and beyond which I enjoyed very much. On arrival at the moss I set up with a zebra toby and within a quarter of an hour I landed the first fish of the day a rainbow of about 2 3/4lb. A little later Tam was into his fish too then to round things off a couple of hours later I landed another to complete my brace of Hillend trout. We were up there for a right good few hours today but if I had been on my own I wouldn't have lasted an hour. That wind was still blowing when we called it a day and the forecast for tomorrow is for even stronger winds.

Pheasant from the M8

2011-05-21T11:30:00.005+01:00

This is just a quick blog post to share some luck I had this morning. One persons misfortune is an others gain, as the old saying goes. This wee chap had the misfortune of hitting a passing vehicle on the M8 near Calderbank this morning and fortunately I was working this morning on the said road and happened to come across this big bundle of flytying materials lying on the grass verge near the the big new co-op warehouse. As you maybe aware there are quite a few flies that incorporate pheasant feather. I now have a lifetime supply of pheasant feathers as this is not the first pheasant I have came across. Once I have plucked this bird and bagged all the goodies I will post some pics of some patterns I intend tying with the feathers I acquired today.

River Tweed Stravaig

2011-05-14T11:52:00.004+01:00

I didn't realize that when I arranged to go to the River Tweed to meet up with some members of the Wild Fishing Forum on their latest Stravaig to Innerleithen that it was Friday the 13th. I set off about 8.30 am and soon Airdrie, Newmains, Carluke, etc were behind me but the road ahead to Peebles was closed just beyond Carnwath I though a divesrsion route would have been sign posted but wasn't so after making a detour I made my way to Biggar then picked up the new road again to Peebles and Innerleithen. I arrived at the Campsite at Innetheithen later than planned and I was purchasing my permit to fish the Tweed at reception, Bob a fellow Hillender and WFF member was checking in with his caravan.

After having a chat and a coffee, Bob took me to the River which was just yards from the site and pointed out some spots on the River to try. I was soon wadered up etc and casting my spiders across the tweed in the hope of trout. I had a few wee takes which I imagined to be parr for an hour or so when I spotted two anglers coming towards me it was Fred the founder of the WFF and his friend Joe a fellow forumite. After a wee chat they headed further up river. I continued on fishing down towards the bridge and eventually caught a couple of tiddlers which turned out to be smlot and salmon parr I also hooked into a fish which might have been a brown as it put more of a bend in the rod than the previous smolt and parr. I then took a break and met another couple of formites John and Alex back at Bob's caravan. The weather took a turn for the worse but we decided to get out and onto the river regardless. Alex very kindly gave me some instruction on River fishing which I have took on board and will be putting into practice on future river fishing outings. We all went our separate ways on the river and met up later back at the Caravan where I learned that Alex had caught a nice couple of 1/2 pound trout and lost a couple of larger ones . Fred had a couple of trout and Joe had a 3/4 brown trout too. Bob very kindly fed us and I then had to say my goodbyes as I had work in the morning . I wished I could have stayed and got to know the lads better as they seem a good bunch. As they were staying there until Sunday and fishing various waters in the area there are bound to be more fish and stories told. In the end Friday the 13th wasn't too bad apart from the road to Peebles being closed. I hope to meet up again with the lads for a proper Stravaig when I will be able to stay overnight.

Hillend Then & Now!

2011-05-10T17:26:00.009+01:00

I haven't had much to write in the blog recently regarding catching trout at Hillend as over the last week I have experienced another unsuccessful day out on the boat and another blank from the bank.It's all been a tad disappointing as we are now into the time which I regard to be usually the best two months of the season at Hillend, May and June.

Enough of my sob story. I was cleaning out a cupboard the other day which is full of books and old fishing magazines when I came a cross a fifteen year old copy of the Trout Fisherman Magazine which carried a feature about Hillend Loch. I had forgotten all about this feature and as I read the article it was interesting to look back in time to 1996 and note the changes that have taken place over the last fifteen years at Hillend as well as the Angling Club. There have been a lot of positive improvements since then most notably, that back then the Club used to operate out of one those heavy Duty Iron storage container which was located at the Eastercroft Bay. Now, due to the forward thinking members of the Angling Club we are now located in an excellent Fishing Lodge which has facilities to suit every anglers needs. Of course the new railway line has changed the environment on the South shore. The one change that I have a tinge of sadness about is the stocking policy of the Club as Hillend Loch used to be a Brown Trout Only Water and as mentioned in the TF article had a great reputation for being one of the best Brown Trout Venues in the country and was famous for it's free rising trout which came to the artificial traditional wet flies fished with a floating line. I would love to see the Loch go back to being a Brown Trout Loch again as there is a plethora of rainbow waters all over the country. Reading the article was a nostalgic look back at Hillend Loch which will never be the same again.

Hillend is still a fantastic Loch to fish, it may look different from fifteen years ago and the anglers may have adopted different styles of fly fishing since then but it's still a place that is virtually on my doorstep and that I enjoy very much regardless of whether I catch fish or not.

Trout & Burgers!

2011-05-03T15:44:00.005+01:00

There have been quite a few bank holidays from work of late so I was managed to be persuaded by Tosh to take the opportunity of going up for a wee day at Hillend yesterday. The trouble with bank holidays at Hillend is that it can be overly busy that's why I normally prefer evening sessions at the Loch but yesterday in order to beat the crowds we went up to the North shore at 7 am. We weren't first on the Loch though as couple of elderly chaps were making their way along the north shore. The morning proved to be a scorcher but an east wind persisted for the entire time we were there to keep the temperature at a reasonable heat. As we were getting prepared to start fishing Tosh switched on his radio which was relaying the news that was breaking all over the world. Yep! the Americans got their man. The one troubling aspect of their timing in all of this is that Americans chose to carry out this operation on the ninth anniversary of the Death of my Football Club, Airdrieonians FC. That's some date to share eh? Anyway enough of politics and football. Tosh was on the spinner for a while but nothing was doing I soon landed a 2lb rainbow caught on my Hillend green. As I was landing my fish Tosh was preparing the disposable BBQ that he had brought along. Soon the burgers, sausages , black pudding and bacon were sizzling away then placed on the rolls which were rather tasty. Why is it that sausages etc always taste and smell better when prepared outdoors. The rest of our morning was uneventful as we listened to the world's reaction to the events that had unfolded in the East. As we packed up in the sunshine at about 1 o'clock our conclusion was that the fishing had been mediocre but the breakfast was phenomenal.

William and Kate!

2011-04-29T19:57:00.008+01:00

I have to say, I was very dissapointed that I didn't recieve my invitation to the Royal Wedding at Westminster Abbey today, I didn't even get an invite to the evening reception.. As you may be aware it was Prince Phillip who introduced me to fly fishing so I had been expecting an invite for weeks but it sadly never arrived. Putting my personal dissapointment to one side I thought it would be appropriate to mark the occassion of the Royal Couple's big day in my own personal way by tying a couple of flies that I think you will agree are very fitting for such a momentous occassion as our future king's marriage. The patterns A "Williams Favourite" and of course that would have to be a " Kate" I hope you agree that they are a good combination.They are a couple I will have in mind when I next get out on the boat at Hillend, perhaps sometime this weekend. So tonight raise yer glass in appreciation of a great couple that I hope will bring me many many trout in the months ahead. William and Kate.......Hip! Hip! Hurrah!

Tying Again!

2011-04-26T17:43:00.004+01:00

I know , I know I should be out fishing rather than sitting at the tying desk tying up flies. I might well go up to the Loch later. You see that's the beauty of having a permanent desk set up I can just draw up the chair and start tying without having to look out materials and get everything set up. Anyway I just watched a tying demo by a certain Ayrshire flytyer of good repute and was suitably inspired at having a go at something similar. The above pattern is what I came up with. Its not the exact same dressing as Davie's fly but it's tyed in the same style the only difference being the thread colour and the feathers . I used a greenwells hackle instead of the starling. This fly might not be in the same league as McPhails but I think it has all the properties to fool the trout. If only I could get a good fisherman to try it out as I haven't been very successful as I would like to be at the fishing lately. Nothing has changed there I can hear a certain ginger haired fellow cry. Maybe this fly will change my fortunes?

Hillend by Boat!

2011-04-25T22:08:00.006+01:00

Scott and I had our first day afloat on Hillend today. We collected the engine , battery and life jackets from the Hillend Lodge and made our way down to the boat moorings. It was a great feeling as we manouvered the boat up past the narrows passing the boathouse bay and the point of the woods. We were full of expectation as we headed out into the middle of the loch passing Spiers Island as we made for the North West Corner of the Loch. We made our first drift of the season from the north west Corner to the Eastercroft Bay as the wind was coming from a north westerly direction. I set up with a Sunburst Kate on the point, a ginger palmer on the middle and a black claret bobs bits on the top. I never touched a thing . Scott had a take as we drifted past the Big Moss. We then had our next drift from the north shore to the back of the woods. Then tried variuos other drifts from other locations before finally calling it a day in the boathouse bay. We never saw a fish rise all night which was surprising as there was insect activity on the water from time to time. I really enjoyed drifting on the Loch today but it could have been better had the fish came out to play. As usual I got plenty pics from around the loch. Next time we are out I hope to have one or two fish to show in them.

Good Friday at Hillend

2011-04-22T22:30:00.002+01:00

As this is the start of the Easter Holiday weekend I decided to go up the Loch this afternoon. I should have known better not go up there today as it was very very busy with anglers. It was far too busy for my liking so I decided to return home to tie some flies and then go back up later in the evening. So this afternoon I tied up some flies based loosely on the Bobs Bits pattern. I called them the Dabblersbitsandbobs. I used a size 10 hook, black claret seals fur for the body silver tinsel for the rib and mirage tinsel on one of them and a natural hen feather for the head hackle. I went back up to the Loch at about half past seven tonight to the Big Moss. A cold Easterly wind was blowing down the Loch which restricted my fishing from the moss. I set up with a two fly cast of dabblersbitsandbobs. I persevered for a while then reckoned I should move right down to the corner of the dam near the yachting club. It was a good choice as I hooked into a trout right away which leaped right out of the water as it fought for its life which it eventually won as it through the fly after several leaps and runs. A few casts later I was into another fish this time though I knew right away that this was no trout as the pike really do fight differently from a trout. After an exciting struggle with the Jack pike it wasn't until I got the Jack in the net that I could establish which fly it had taken. It was fooled by the point fly which was the bits fly with the mirage tinsel rib. After removing the fly I returned the pike back to whence it came. All in all this has indeed been a Good Friday

Buzzing at Hillend!

2011-04-20T20:35:00.006+01:00

I arranged for a half day holiday from work today in order to get an afternoon of fishing at Hillend. I opted for the North Shore today. I arrived at the Loch about 1 o'clock in the blistering heat and a very calm surface. Conditions were really awful for fly fishing so I just lay back and lapped up the sun and took in my surroundings for a while then I noticed a fish or it could have been others too rising to the surface every now and then and obviously feeding on hatching insects. It was quite exciting watching the fish show their backs and tail on the surface as they feasted on what I reckoned was hatching buzzers. Later I was to be proved correct as I could not resist having a few casts at them every time they showed. I tied on a small size 14 black spider and eventually a rainbow trout fell for my imitation. After netting the fish I dispatched it and while removing the fly I noticed that its mouth was full of what appeared to be black buzzers there was absolutely dozens of them. I have to admit that this trout was not in the best of condition although I did get a photograph of it I am not putting it on here as its not of the usual quality we come to expect from Hillend Rainbows. Instead here is a pic of fisherman who caught the trout today and come to think of it I'm not in good condition either, this pic is just as bad as that trout but the location I was fishing was much more photogenic

Roughrigg today Hillend tonight!

2011-04-17T22:04:00.006+01:00

Had a bit of a busy day today. First of all I was out on the bike this morning and decided to have a cycle up to Roughrigg Reservoir. It was a lovely sunny morning and I sat around a while up there in the brilliant morning sunshine. Roughrigg is known locally as the Waterworks. The reservoir was constructed between 1846 and 1849 as a joint venture between the Forth and Clyde Canal owners and the Airdrie and Coatbridge Water Company. Water was drawn from the reservoir for the Canal and also to supply the water needs of the population of Airdrie and Coatbridge. The agreement lasted until 1874 as the A and C water company bought out the F and C Owners. The Airdrie and Coatbridge Water Company eventually became West of Scotland Water who subsequently became Scottish Water but they no longer operate it as a functioning water works and it is now leased to Roughrigg Angling Club. I have never fished Roughrigg , It's a nice enough Reservoir but I prefer Hillend Loch to satisfy my angling needs.

After lazing around up at Roughrigg I decided to head back home it was a great ride back down as it was nearly downhill all the way back to Dabbler HQ. On my return I was instructed to take err indoors down the Clyde Valley as she was wanting to visit the gardening Nurseries that are a plenty down there as she was wanting some plants etc. The River Clyde looked busy with anglers as I passed the Mauldslie Estate. After doing my domestic duty I got back home for a bite to eat then I went up to Hillend to fish from the Big Moss. It was such a perfect night with a light warm breeze coming from the West but let's just say..... The highlight of the evening at Hillend was watching a big full moon rise above the East End of the Loch. I haven't got a clue where the fish have been hiding this week.

Mixed Fortunes at Hillend

2011-04-10T22:40:00.003+01:00

Tonight I arranged with Scott to go up to the Loch tonight. This was Scott's first visit to Hillend this season. I checked this afternoon to see if the boats on Hillend were available but although the boats have been put back on the Loch again they will not available until next weekend as the boats, engines and batteries and the like have still to checked over to see if everything is in order before they can be made available to the members. Scott and I were keen to get out on the boat this weekend but we will have to wait another week so we decided to give the Big Moss at the South West end of the Loch a try tonight. To cut a long story short I failed to touch a fish with my flies but Scott had better luck he managed to net a nice brace of Hillend rainbow trout. Scott sportingly returned his trout to fight another day. The first fish was caught on a Kate Mclaren on the top dropper the second on a bibio on the middle dropper. A light warm breeze was coming from the west tonight and although we witnessed a good few hatches of buzzers we only managed to see about three or four fish rising on the surface. We packed up tonight as darkness fell. Scott was very happy with his first visit of the season I was a little frustrated at the lack of fish in my bag but all being well I'll be back up on Wednesday to try again.

Fooled by a Hillend Scruff

2011-04-08T22:18:00.004+01:00

The title of this post might have you thinking that a fish was fooled by one of my fishing buddies but alas this was not the case, Let me explain. I Had a visit to Hillend tonight on my own for a few casts. It was a perfect night for fishing a nice warm breeze was blowing from the west. Tonight was the first time I have felt the warmth in the air. This is a good sign as the Loch will now begin to heat up and we should experience more fish activity in the top layers in the coming days and nights.

I was once again fishing from one of the jetties on the South shore. I set up with a sunburst kate on the point and a Hillend Scruff on the dropper. I fished for a while without seeing or touching any fish then out of the blue a fish made a splashy rise well within casting distance. I cast my line right into the area where I had seen the fish and my reel screamed instantly with a leaping and splashing rainbow on the end of my line. Its a great feeling when you cast to a rising fish and get a reaction. The trout was fooled by my Black and claret Hillend Scruff. I will now have to tie up more of these flies as when Tam gets to hear about this he will be wanting some for his box lol!

Wild Hillend Pike

2011-04-04T18:55:00.003+01:00

Yesterday I mentioned in my blog that I would be going up later to the Loch. I went up around 5 30pm when most of the day ticket folk had made they're way home resulting in the Loch being less crowded, the way I prefer it. I walked along the South Shore to the Bracco Burn area I fished for a wee while without success and eventually just sat back and watched the local Bird Life on the Loch. I was nearly falling asleep enjoying the rest and the view but decided to have another few casts. I persevered without success then decided to change my location and moved along to one of the old jetties further along the Loch. I tied on one of my Sunburst Kates which had been successful on Saturday night, well it came up trumps again as I hooked into one of Hillend's truely wild fish... A nice Jack Pike around the 3lb mark. I thought right away that it was a pike as they're really is a difference between thenm and the trout with regards to the struggle they put up. The pike tend to stay deep while the trout leap all over the place. After a great wee fight I landed The pike, photographed him then carefully removed the fly with my long forceps then returned him to fight another day.

Hillend From the Train

2011-04-03T16:13:00.003+01:00

Today my Bike and I boarded a train at Airdrie the destination was Armadale in West Lothian. The purpose of my journey was to have a bike ride from Armadale and down the new routed cycle path back home to Airdrie all in the good cause of weight loss and fitness and as well as that I had been looking forward for some time now to seeing Hillend Loch from the train. As you can see from above I captured it on video. I got it all wrong today though as I should have pedalled up to Armdale and caught the train home as was the case yesterday a fierce westerly wind was prevailing and blowing straight into me as I cycled west. To say it was hard going is an undrsatement. I stopped off at the Hillend Lodge for a well earned rest and a drink and got talking to some anglers then I was off again but soon stopped once again at the Bracco Burn for a blether with some well known Hillenders. They told me that my friend Tam caught the biggest fish of the day in the Inter Club Competition yesterday between The Lily Boys(Clarkston Angling Club) and my Club The Hillenders( Airdrie & District Anglers). Tam fishes for the enemy lol! The Lily Boys won by the smallest of margins I believe. I'll be making sure he doesn't get any of my flies for the next fly fishing round of the Inter Club Competition lol! After stopping and chatting I had lost the momentim I had bult up and it was a real struggle to get going going again but I persevered and made it home all be it shattered. I'm going up to Hillend later for a few casts along the South Shore but this time I will be arriving by car.

A Sharpes Gordon for Me!

2011-04-02T21:49:00.005+01:00

Late this afternoon after I finished my Saturday shift at work I skipped dinner and decided to go up to Hillend for a few hours. I decided to take Gordon with me for the first time this year. Gordon ? I hear my friends asking, who's Gordon?. Let me explain. I should have said.... Sharpes Gordon..... my 6 weight fly rod. Up until today I had been using my trusty Daiwa Lochmore 7 weight at the Loch. The sharpes Gordon is a teriffic rod but is very light and is more suited to small lochans and streams. The reason I like to use it at Hillend from time to time is because when I play a fish on it it really feels different from the heavier Daiwa and you can really feel every jerk,dive and pull of the fish which makes it more fun to be honest as you are never sure that you have the fish under full control until you have the trout in the net.

When I arrived at the Loch this afternoon I opted to fish the North Shore of the Narrows which yielded a trout soon after on one of those Sunburst Kates I tyed up last week. After trying for another I moved round to the BHB. A very strong westerly wind was raging up the loch so I went round to the west side of the bay to get the wind at my back. No more trout were caught so decided to pack up at about eight o'clock but before departing I had a few more cast in the narrowws then went back down the road to get my dinner and a couple of glasses of fine red wine.

Hillend Blank!

2011-03-27T21:09:00.002+01:00

Well I suppose it was inevitable that I would sooner or later have my first Hillend Blank. I suppose I shouldn't be too down hearted as I normally have my first blank at Hillend on the opening day. With the prospect of fishing to about eight o'clock now that the clocks have been put forward I decided to get up the loch this afternoon after watching on TV the pointless exercise of Scotland being defeated by Brazil at football, in of all places London.That was a shock eh? The SFA should hang their heads in shame for organizing such a jolly for players and officials when the Leagues have such a backlog of games to catch up on. Anyway that's enough of the fitba this is an angling blog after all.

I went over to the North shore this afternoon and fished either side of the promontory that heads out to the Spiers Island. I set up with my Sunburst kates and my little brown Hillend scruff. Needless to say I never touched a fish all day. There was plenty action all day over on the Island though as I sat and watched various fights and listened to wild screaching noises all day as Canadian Geese and various species of birds flew in and around the Island all day. I gave up at 7. 30 and made my way dejectedly to the car but took solace in the fact that after speaking to another couple of anglers that they had as many fish today as I had. Worse was to happen on the way home though. as I was just approaching my street and put my foot on the break it went straight to the floor. It now looks like it will be the end of the week before I get the car repaired and get up the loch again unless of course I get the bike out the shed and cycle up to Hillend.

Sunburst Kate McLaren

2011-03-24T20:15:00.003Z

Last Friday when I called into my local angling shop, my mate Scott was in helping out as usual. Once I got my coffee from him he went on to tell me that he would like me to tie up some Sunburst Kates as someone had been in the shop earlier that afternoon and was telling him that he had great success with this pattern last year at Hillend and even on some Wild Highland Lochs too. I have used this pattern before at Hillend and to be honest I never found it to be better than any other pattern. Even though the fishing season has begun it doesn't mean that I stop tying but on the contary as I am always open to suggestions of flies to tie and try so therefore taking on board what Scott had informed me of this fly I tied a few of these over the the last week....Some for him and some for me and of course not forgetting Tam I have a few for him too. Time and weather permitting I'm hoping to get out on the Loch over the weekend to try these variations which would have William Robertson, the creator of the original Kate McLaren turning in his grave as in essence this variation is really just a wooly bugger.

One Each at Hillend

2011-03-20T19:12:00.007Z

I made a couple of phone calls last night to Tam and Scott to arrange for the three of us to have an afternoon fishing at Hillend this Sunday afternoon. Tam was just as keen as me to get out today but Scott decided that his first outing to the Loch would be put on hold as his attentions were drawn to a big sporting event that was being held South of the River Clyde in Glasgow. Hampden to be precise.

So Tam and I went up the Loch together and decided that we would try our luck from the North Shore. We got there by way of the new road which was constructed at the tail end of last season. We parked up, placed my Hillend parking permit on the windscreen and made our way round the back of the Spiers Island. A cold south westerly wind was blowing right into us, we carried on regardless. Tam as usual was first into a fish and soon had it in the net. Tams first of the season was around the 2lb mark. Then about an hour or so later I eventually made contact with a trout with my Hillend Green then played and landed a fish of about 1 1/2lb.

We both agreed that we had an enjoyable and satisfying afternoon even if it was a bit cold and drizzly at times and I am led to believe that Scott had a rather enjoyable afternoon too.

My First Trout of the Season

2011-03-16T20:37:00.005Z

Yesterday, unforeseen circumstances at work prevented me from taking a holiday and getting out on the Loch on the opening day of the season which, in retrospect turned out to be a blessing as the weather here at Dabbler's HQ was horrendous. Once again we were hit with an icy blast of wind, ice and snow. My Hillend correspondent tells me that it was a winter wonderland up there yesterday.

Therefore I arranged for a half-day holiday today and decided to get up to the Loch at midday. When I arrived the Loch was bathed in sunshine. As I wondered round the shore I heard various reports from credible and not so credible sources of good numbers of trout being caught from various locations all over the Loch. Ted's Tree looked as good a place as any to make my first cast of the season. I set up with a Hillend Brute on the point and a Hillend Green on the dropper. I persevered for about fifteen minutes or so before heading over to the Island in front of the Whitehill woods. It wasn't long before I made contact with one of the new Hillend residents but he managed to get off in the fight which ensued. I had to wait for another twenty minutes or so before getting the chance to land my first trout of the season. This time I safely had the trout in the net after a few heart stopping leaps and runs. This trout was despatched as I promised a friend that my first trout of the season would be for him. Satisfied that I had broke my duck for the season I stopped fishing for a wee while and just sat back on the shore and enjoyed the scenery but it soon turned cold when the cloud rolled in so I made my way back via the the BHB and back to Teds Tree for a few final casts of the day . I then decided it was time to head home but before doing so I went into the Hillend Lodge for a blether and a welcome hot cup of soup.

First Hillend Stocking of the year!

2011-03-11T15:29:00.006Z

As I was passing by Hillend Loch today I noticed what appeared to be a strange looking boat out on the Loch near the Spiers Island. I was puzzled at first but soon realized that it was the stocking convener out on the wheelie boat doing what stocking conveners do......stock the Loch with fish. I continued on up to the fishing Lodge and then saw the truck on the jetty with the tanks of fish on board so I headed down to wait on the boat coming in and see for myself, some of fish that I hope to connect with next week. I arrived at the jetty just in time to see the last load of fish being put into the tanks and then out onto the Loch. The exact location of where the fish were placed will remain a secret with me.lol! nah! only kidding they were stocked in various locations all over the Loch. I'm not sure how many fish were put into the Loch but I think it was four tankfuls which I can assure you is a lot of fish. The estimated average size of the fish I witnessed being stocked were around the 2lb mark but there was quite a few double that size at least too. Only four days to go now until I can get to fool them. I just hope that the forecast of snow over the next few days doesn't come to fruition.

Hillend by Bike!

2011-03-06T14:31:00.005Z

I have recently been trying to cut down on my food etc and getting some exercise under my belt as I have been spending far too much time at my computer desk all winter . I really do need to lose some weight if I want to get out in the wilds of the Highlands this season. Last week I decided to get my bike out the shed and go for a ride. To be honest It was a complete shock to the system as I thought I had nothing better to do than saddle up and get my legs moving. The trip I went on was cut short as I was out of condition but vowed to persevere so this morning rather than attend the GAC open day I decided to go up to the Hillend Lodge on the bike to get this years membership ticket. It was the first time I had been on the the new cycle track since it reopened after the construction of the new Airdrie to Edinburgh railway line. It is a bit disappointing that the new track doesn't start until until you have cycled by the not so beautiful village of Plains. The track follows the North Calder Water and runs along side the the new railway then cuts through the not so pretty village of Caldercruix then begins once again below the Hillend Dam. A short section behind the dam and the back of the Sailing club is still to be resurfaced. The tarmac begins once again when you reach the Eastercroft Bay all the way to the East end of the Loch. I arrived at the Lodge sweaty and breathless picked up my membership and a bottle of water and cycled back down the Loch to the area known as the cliffs where I sat for a wee while admiring the view and observed the water for rising fish. The ripple on the surface looked absolutely perfect for fishing. I was a stiff as a board when I saddled up and made my way back down to Airdrie. During the week I intend to do a bit of swimming not at Hillend you understand, The John Smith Pool in town will be a whole lot warmer and safer I think.

Spring is in the air!

2011-03-01T16:05:00.003Z

Spring is in the air and here is the reason why.I can always tell, as my wife was in full spring cleaning mode the other day cleaning out cupboards and shifting furniture alll over the place so I decided I had better vacate the house and let her get on with it. I decided to go for a wee walk up at Hillend. You could tell that we are well on the road to nature's new dawn as The Lily Loch car park was full of anglers cars which means that the Clarkston Anglers fishing season is under way at the Lily. The Buds were budding, the birds were singing and the the fish were rising, honestly they were, in the Braco Burn area. Oh and another sure sign is that the season tickets and memberships for the Airdrie and District Angling Club are on sale at the Hillend Fishing Lodge. I'll pick up mine this weekend. Anyway after returning home I was horrified to see that my other half had decided to relocate my Flytying chest and desk to the other side of the room and moved all my books and magazines. I wasn't best pleased to say the least she said the room looked better and was cleaner now and ticked me off about feather fibres etc all over the room. I tried to explain that I liked everything as it was and that I had everything arranged to hand and was really comfortable and settled where I did my tying. She wouldn't listen.I just had to accept it and adjust to my relocated desk. It might seem trivial to you dear reader but the new chair and position of the light source and vice etc is going to get a bit of getting used to. The above fly is a pattern I think will fool the wild brown trout of Hillend and is the first I have tied from my new tying position and to be honest I have a more spacious work area and actually think its a better set up now but don't tell the wife.

Hillend Gosling

2011-02-24T22:53:00.002Z

Those who know me will know that I am a fan of Davie McPhail's fly tying. I am an ardent follower of his wonderful online fly tying, You Tube Channel. I believe he is one of the best tyers in the world. A few weeks ago I contacted him to ask him if it would be possible to post a tying demo of the Gosling pattern. He said he would take it on board and put one on his channel soon . Sure enough he did. His latest demo which he posted today on his channel is of his version of the Gosling. I have spoken to Davie on a few occasion about various fly tying topics , he has always been most helpful and on one occasion asked me to call him about a cape I was looking for. I have also met him at the GAC when he has been doing his demos there. A nicer man you couldn't meet. Anyway I digress. After watching his latest vid tonight I was suitably inspired and tied something similar. The above pic is my effort at tying the Gosling.

A Gathering of Hillend Chiefs

2011-02-20T15:48:00.003Z

No! my latest ramblings are not about a committee meeting of my local angling club Chiefs although I am reliably informed that there was meeting at our new refurbished Fishing Lodge yesterday afternoon between our Club and the Clarkston Anglers. They were arranging dates for the Inter Club competitions to be held over the course of the coming season.

I hadn't made a blog post for over a week now so today I thought I better rectify that by showing some of my latest flies which I have been tying over the last few days. These are one of my favourite wet style patterns. A few weeks ago I spoke about the debate over the collective noun for a collection of flies. I think you will agree that a collection of these traditional Loch style patterns can be called nothing other than a Gathering of Clan Chiefs. I have had success with Chiefs all over the country as well as at Hillend. I look forward to using them from a drifting boat at Hillend in the coming months. Before I sign off for the benefit of any Hillend Anglers who read my blog here is a list of the times and dates for membership renewal.

Feb 2011.

Fri 25th 7pm to 9pm

Sat 26th 10am to 2 pm

Sun 27th 10am to 2pm

March 2011.

Fri 4th 7pm to 9pm

Sat 5th 10am to 2pm

Sun 6th 10am to 2pm

Day Dreaming at Hillend

2011-02-13T23:08:00.003Z

Only 29 days to go until I can begin the pursuit of fishing for trout. So off I went this afternoon to have a look around my local Loch, Hillend. For the first time this year it felt like a spring day. A gentle westerly wind was blowing gently up the Loch. The conditions were absolutely perfect for casting a fly from the shore. The water is high at the moment with all the rain we have had lately and as I walked along the shore I made a mental note of some nooks and crannies that looked very fishy. At the club house today I met a Hillender who was telling me that while he was out walking yesterday in the area known locally as the cliffs that he saw trout rising not far from the shore. There was no sign of them today though as I walked along that particular area but there were a few geese on the Loch today. I decided to sit at the Big Stane and take in the view and watch the geese play in the water and let my imagination get carried away with the thought of casting flies and catching trout. A muddler on the top dropper would have have worked a treat today I reckoned as the ripple on the water was just perfect. I came away from the Loch today full of hope and excitement for the coming season and decided to tie a couple of those scruffy Hillend muddlers that I imagined casting and retrieving along the shore near the Big Stane.

Hillend Brute!

2011-02-08T22:29:00.003Z

OK I have to admit it, I'm no purist and I confess I have been known on the odd occasion to dabble in the Dark Art of Lures! There are times at Hillend when the use of a lure is the only way of attracting the trout's attention. The Yellow Dancer is a favourite among the Hillend regulars as is the Black Fritz. I don't use lures very often , honest! but when I do I tend to use either a black or olive wooly bugger type pattern. I found over the last couple of seasons that a gold bead is not necessary on my lures as I tie them on heavy hooks and they drop through the water at a nice slow pace. A gold or silver bead on the head sometimes hinders my casting too especially on a windy day. Let me tell you a big lure with a metal bead tied at the head can be a real pain too when it skelps you on the back of the head. This pattern is a real brute of a fly compared to the traditional style wets that I like to tie. One day I was discussing flies at the loch and was commenting that these lures were big ugly brutes but the bloke I was talking to said not at all its just a bumble with a marabou tail and do you know what? He is most probably correct.

Hillend Lodge.

2011-02-05T21:16:00.009Z

No,this latest post is not what you were thinking it has nothing to do with chipping stones etc, Its actually about Airdrie and District Angling Club's refurbished Clubhouse/Lodge. First of all I would just like to say that the Angling Club really has to be commended on the new look club house. The Upgrade has been long overdue and I sincerely hope the members appreciate what a wonderful facility our angling club has created. I visited the Lodge this afternoon as Airdrie V Peterhead didn't appeal to me even though I'm a season ticket holder. My team's performances of late have been despicable. I couldn't even give my ticket away as no one was interested and who can blame them.

I was really impressed with the makeover and thought that it looked like an upmarket cafe. I can just imagine ordering a Cafe Latte and sitting out on the porch in the summer sun after a successful morning on the Loch. The reality is a plastic cup of steaming hot bovril after a freezing cold morning in Boat House Bay at the start of the season which to be honest is just as satisfying.

Oh! and before I sign off I thought it was a nice gesture by the club to put a framed photo of one of my flies on the freshly painted walls, nice touch! lol!

A Hillend Trio

2011-02-04T21:42:00.002Z

As the Four Tops used to say "I Cant Help Myself" as I'm always on the lookout for inspiration and ideas on the flytying front and I suppose that's why I spend too much time in front of a PC trolling fly tying forums from all over the world. but I didn't need to go all round the world in a virtual sense to get the ideas for my latest Hillend Trio. These three flies came about after having a look on a UK based flytying forum which I frequent. Over the last few days there have been a number of fantastic patterns posted on there. I do admire the flies on there especially the patterns incorporating deer hair. So tonight I have been at the vice for the last few hours trying my upmost to tie something to the same standard. I might not have got to the standard I would like but I am pleased with these three flies which have been the best of the bunch.

I referred to these as the best of my bunch which has me thinking just what is the collective noun for a group artificial flies? Heres a few for starters.... A web of spiders. A dibble of Dabblers. A Muddle of Muddlers. A Tribe of Zulus or perhaps I'm thinking too hard perhaps a Box of Flies would suffice.

Hillend Scruffs!

2011-01-30T15:23:00.002Z

I hope you realized that when you read the title of this post that I wasn't referring to the resplendently attired members of the Airdrie and District Angling Club who assembled in a local school today for the Club's Annual General Meeting.
The above title was actually the name I gave to a bunch of flies I tied last night for use at Hillend and the Highlands of Scotland. They came about after reading a post on a fishing forum about brushing out the dubbed bodies of artificial flies. Since I began flytying I was taught to pick out the bodies of the flies as they really do add to the translucency of a fly especially if seals fur has been incorporated in the pattern. I also recall reading an article in a well know angling magazine a few years ago about the effectiveness of scruffy flies and their use on Highland Lochans. These six flies are good examples of such flies and are good all round patterns to use anywhere in the country. They are quick and easy to tie and although they may not be pretty I'm sure they will be pretty effective. Some people use a velcro brush or a dubbing needle to brush out the flies but I find that an old toothbrush is great and unlike some tyers who pick out the body before winding on the hackles I rough up the fly once the tying process is complete. It would be interesting to hear other folks views on the scruffy look.

Hillend Green!

2011-01-24T15:53:00.003Z

I was busy at the vice all weekend after visiting the Glasgow Angling Centre for a nice Hi Green cape and receiving a parcel through the post from Cookshill Fytying Materials with my new seals Fur dubbing. Seals Fur has been a material I have tended no to use up until recently . I think I was put off this material in my early days as a fly tyer as I found it difficult to work with. However that is not the case now as I think it is a wonderful material to work with especially in wet flies. Anyway I was discussing flies on a Fishing Forum recently and was talking to a Hillend regular who told me to tie a pattern he has had great success with especially at the start of the season at Hillend. That pattern was the above fly which I named the Hillend Green , could it be called anything else? I must say the combination of colours not only looks good and even if I do say so myself, has all the right ingredients to fool the fish. The pattern for this fly is as follows.

Hook. Size 10 Kamazan B175

Thread. Black Uni 8/0

Body. Green Highlander Seals Fur

Rib. Silver Tinsel

Tail. Hot green Uni Floss

Body Hackle. High Green Rooster Neck Hackle

Head Hackle. Black Hen hackle

Hillend Fire!

2011-01-22T19:40:00.003Z

I hope the title of this post didn't have you thinking that we had a forest fire up here at Hillend Loch. It's far too cold for that to happen anyway. Hillend Fire is the name I have given my latest fly. I set out to tie some more muddlers but I wasn't happy with the results so instead of throwing the fly away in my rubbish bucket I decided to trim away the deer hair head altogether and tied in a black hen hackle at the front instead. I was actually quite pleased with the look. The blend of colours reminded me of fire! I think you will agree that it looks like striking if you will pardon the pun. I suppose this was an accidental fly . Thats what I like about fly tying, as sometimes I sit down at the vice and the flies I produce are not what I first intended to tie. I will just have to wait to see if the colour combination will be successful. I have posted two pics of the fly from different angles to show the tying from underneath and the side.

The Muddler & The Bumble

2011-01-19T19:29:00.003Z

I have spent a bit of time tonight at the bench tying up more flies for my latest fly box and it is filling up very nicely. I'm right on schedule to have it full in time for the fishing season starting in March. The above two flies would be a nice combination on a cast from a drifting boat at Hillend. A brightly coloured muddler on the top dropper and the bumble on the middle with possibly a Peter Ross on the point. All would be dependant on the conditions as we all know how fickle the trout can be at times. I won't pretend to know what fly is best for a certain situation I usually just a have a hunch as to what to tie on or take advice from friends etc. I find tying flies just as much fun as fishing and if I'm honest I might just prefer the tying to the fishing, Is that wrong?

Bitter Cold Hillend

2011-01-16T19:11:00.006Z

I went up to Hillend Loch today for a wee walk to see how the area was looking after all the severe weather we had for the last month and a half. As the Hillend Lodge appeared to be open I decided to pop in for a coffee. As I opened the door the smell of fresh paint greeted my senses. I was surprised to see that the whole interior of the club house was getting a much needed make over. Although there was quite a bit of stuff lying around the clubhouse the actual room looked quited spacious its amazing what a bit of paint and reorganizing can do. I have to say the place was looking really nice and I'm sure will be complete by the time March the 15th comes round. After a chat with the members I decided to go out for a walk along the Loch shore. The ice hasn't completely gone from Hillend as there was still big sheets spread over the expanse of the loch. It was quite sureal to see areas on the Loch which appeared to be running water as it was blown by the strong westerly wind banked on each side with stationary ice. I tried to get some photos of this but the results were poor and didn't do the scene any justice.

I went as far as the Braco Burn stopping here and there taking numerous photos. As I was going about the Loch today about three trains passed but I was too slow with the camera to capture them, hopefuly get them next time. It was bitter cold up there today and difficult to imagine that the fishing season is only 58 days away. Enjoy the photos.

A Loch Fly

2011-01-14T19:18:00.005Z

I have been tying Loch Flies or if you are from Ireland Lough Flies all week, The above pic is the best of the bunch. That particular fly is in the style of a bumble, my favourite fly to tye and use. These style of flies were made famous in that classic angling book. "A man may fish" by T C Kingsmill moor.

Kingsmill Moor understood more than most the effect of light and water on fly patterns and developed a range of bumbles to suit various degrees of light brought on by the ever changing moods in the weather. The pattern above is not a copy of any of his patterns but based on the same style in which he developed his flies. I tyed this with the idea that the varied blends and shades of colour would add translucency to this pattern. I believe that Moor's favourite pattern was a golden Olive Bumble which he reckoned should be the first fly on a cast when in the pursuit of wild brown trout. I have yet to gain enough experience to confidently recommend a pattern which would be an absolute success in Loch Fishing and I guess I probably never will but if I ever do I would imagine that a fly pattern tied in the style of a bumble would be that fly.

Under the Influence

2011-01-08T22:42:00.003Z

My wife is always telling me that I spend far too much time on my computer. She is probably correct but I find it far more informative, educational and entertaining than sitting watching a big flat screen television boring me to death as it flickers away in the corner of the sitting room.

More often than not my spare time in the evenings is spent at the keyboard and monitor and also the tying desk and vice. It's a great combination tying flies photographing them and then uploading them to the pc. I also have a list of favourite flytying sites and blogs which I visit regularly. One such site is Davie McPhail's you tube channel. Its a wonderful resource of flytying videos and instruction. For a while now I have been heavily influinced by Davie's tying and I firmly believe that my flytying has improved immensely by watching Davie McPhail's videos. Today as I clicked onto his site as I do most days to see if he has any new patterns uploaded I was pleased to see that new pattern was uploaded named the Spectrum Dabbler. I really liked the combination of colours and materials that were incorporated in the tying and decided that I would sit at the vice and try to come up with something similar. I started off trying to do something in the same vain but as I progressed and added the materials the fly began to go off on another tangent altogether and I ended up producing an entirely different pattern from which I originally set out to tye. That's the beauty of tying your own flies, you maybe influenced by something then go onto produce a a pattern of your own making. It's the same with artists, musicians and songwriters and the like, Any piece of work they produce has bound to have a little of what they were influenced by , it's only natural. Anyway here is a couple of flies I tied today after watching the Ayrshire flytyers website.