Today I happened to be working close to a hill loch which happens to be a favorite of mine, so I packed my fly rod and after work headed up there for a few casts. It's actually the first time I've managed to get out fishing this year so the previous night I had been really looking forward to it in anticipation. Come morning there were clouds of midges everywhere. Needless to say work was pretty miserable. I wondered how bad it would be up at the loch.... many a hellish time I have spent stood by some lonely pool of water, rod in hand being tormented by swarms of the buggers. The thought of walking up a hill to be eaten alive and nothing to show for it is never very appealing.... just as well the lure of the wild always seems to overcome such pessimism. There had been a few showers throughout the day and as I trudged onwards and upwards another one came in forcing me to put on my rain jacket. Just as I reached the plateau the rain stopped and I was relieved to feel a little bit of a wind which would keep the midges at bay. The sky was still overcast and there was a good bit of ripple on the water. So far so good. I headed straight for the far bank and got straight to work setting up my rod.
I never bother using droppers as my casting skills are pretty poor and I always seem to end up with a tangled mess so I settled for single dark colored wet fly; the name of which I have no idea. Normally I find a black zulu does the damage on this particular lochan but I didn't have one handy since they had all been used so much they had fallen to bits. As I made my way down to the bank I couldn't help wondering whether or not it would be a fishless exploit. My first cast and my enthusiasm was re-invigorated when I saw a fish swirl near the surface; I struck and felt a reassuring jerk as I hooked it. The fish put up a decent fight as these wild brown trout usually do and I was pleased to land a fish of around 10 or so inches. Not big by any stretch of the imagination but in these hill lochs a good enough fish and bonnie looking too. I released it and watched as it disappeared into the safety of the dark water.
I covered the south bank with some difficulty as there is rising ground behind with heather threatening to snag the fly with every cast. Due to limited places to cast from the bank it didn't take long to work my way around to the western side of the loch. It was here that another fish took the fly with a hard thump. Unfortunately I was caught off guard and missed it. Ten minutes later I was in luck again, this time hooking a smaller fish of about 7 inches. Again this was safely released.
A few more casts and it was time for me to start heading home. I was glad I made the effort and can't wait to return for another go. Hopefully I'll have some bigger fish and maybe some wildlife sightings to talk about next time. Today was a hurried trip so couldn't linger too long
I never bother using droppers as my casting skills are pretty poor and I always seem to end up with a tangled mess so I settled for single dark colored wet fly; the name of which I have no idea. Normally I find a black zulu does the damage on this particular lochan but I didn't have one handy since they had all been used so much they had fallen to bits. As I made my way down to the bank I couldn't help wondering whether or not it would be a fishless exploit. My first cast and my enthusiasm was re-invigorated when I saw a fish swirl near the surface; I struck and felt a reassuring jerk as I hooked it. The fish put up a decent fight as these wild brown trout usually do and I was pleased to land a fish of around 10 or so inches. Not big by any stretch of the imagination but in these hill lochs a good enough fish and bonnie looking too. I released it and watched as it disappeared into the safety of the dark water.
I covered the south bank with some difficulty as there is rising ground behind with heather threatening to snag the fly with every cast. Due to limited places to cast from the bank it didn't take long to work my way around to the western side of the loch. It was here that another fish took the fly with a hard thump. Unfortunately I was caught off guard and missed it. Ten minutes later I was in luck again, this time hooking a smaller fish of about 7 inches. Again this was safely released.
A few more casts and it was time for me to start heading home. I was glad I made the effort and can't wait to return for another go. Hopefully I'll have some bigger fish and maybe some wildlife sightings to talk about next time. Today was a hurried trip so couldn't linger too long
Last edited:
