Autumn on Menteith...

[Cap'n Fishy]

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness...

Thursday was forecast to be cloudy, while Friday was forecast to be sunny. Jimmy and I picked Thursday. They got it totally the wrong way around. It was also forecast to be no more than 11C, but after a 4C start, the air temp got up to 17C by the afternoon. The water was 15C, so the early temperature differences created all sorts of interesting atmospherics, on top of what was a misty morning already.

It wasn't the fastest of days, sport-wise, but we chipped away at them through the day with various dries. It really was a shame it was so bright, because any time we got a bit of cloud - even just a minute's-worth - we were getting a fish from it.

Some photos of our day...

It looks from the photos that there was plenty of cloud. Well, it did build up as the day progressed, but it was all away to the east, and the west... and the north... and the south... just none over our heads!

We've both been doing well on Menteith with a 'paraloop-hackled ginger Shipman'...

Col

 

[3lbgrayling]

Great report Col.Brilliant atmospheric photos.Will be out next week.

Jim

 

[Uncas]

Excellent photography Cap'n fishy

 

[sightbob]

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness...

Thursday was forecast to be cloudy, while Friday was forecast to be sunny. Jimmy and I picked Thursday. They got it totally the wrong way around. It was also forecast to be no more than 11C, but after a 4C start, the air temp got up to 17C by the afternoon. The water was 15C, so the early temperature differences created all sorts of interesting atmospherics, on top of what was a misty morning already.

It wasn't the fastest of days, sport-wise, but we chipped away at them through the day with various dries. It really was a shame it was so bright, because any time we got a bit of cloud - even just a minute's-worth - we were getting a fish from it.

Some photos of our day...

It looks from the photos that there was plenty of cloud. Well, it did build up as the day progressed, but it was all away to the east, and the west... and the north... and the south... just none over our heads!

We've both been doing well on Menteith with a 'paraloop-hackled ginger Shipman'...

Col

Hi Col ,Was out yesterday as well, really funny day saw a couple fish moving
but not enough say to go to dries. pulled slow and fast and connected to some
really nice looking fit fish. Trying to control a drift at times a pain but had that before at
Menteith. lol

 

[sightbob]

Sorry thought it looked different day. lol

 

[sagecirca]

Nice work Col...

 

[Cap'n Fishy]

Hi Col ,Was out yesterday as well, really funny day saw a couple fish moving
but not enough say to go to dries. pulled slow and fast and connected to some
really nice looking fit fish. Trying to control a drift at times a pain but had that before at
Menteith. lol

Sorry thought it looked different day. lol

Aye, yesterday was a lot different - good cloud cover, though a lot breezier. We did have a breezy spell through the middle of the day and we took a long drift across open water from Kate's Brae to the south shore. We tend to persevere with dries, whether there are fish rising or not. When we were fishing open water, we switched from the small ones to bigger stuff, such as grunters and foam daddies. Jimmy had a couple of fish on a bigger black DHE. I had 2 rods set up - both with dries!

Col

 

[dgp]

Stunning photos as usual-don't they just capture why we fish !. Many thanks for sharing

 

[goldenolive]

Beautiful photography.

 

[Wee Jimmy]

Jimmy had a couple of fish on a big black DHE.

It was one of those days where you needed patterns which would pull them up when it was bright or breezier and nothing was showing.However, fish moving on top during the short spells of cloud cover,preferred smaller flies,shunning the big stuff.
The dhe I put on when the breeze got up ,was a bulky 12.Not massive but certainly more of a presence than the skinny wee 14 ginger which was more productive for us in the quieter water.

Easy to be caught out with the wrong patterns on in such changeable conditions.

 

[Rhithrogena]

Excellent pics - good work

 

[Cap'n Fishy]

It was one of those days where you needed patterns which would pull them up when it was bright or breezier and nothing was showing.However, fish moving on top during the short spells of cloud cover,preferred smaller flies,shunning the big stuff.
The dhe I put on when the breeze got up ,was a bulky 12.Not massive but certainly more of a presence than the skinny wee 14 ginger which was more productive for us in the quieter water.

Easy to be caught out with the wrong patterns on in such changeable conditions.

Aye, I should have said bigger, rather than big. I think you have been on 14s a lot when I have been on 12s (albeit skinny 12s), and then you have been going up to bushy 12s when I have been going up to 10s.

I've been experimenting with a 'muscle-dries' set-up for pulling them up when there is nothing showing - and no flies on the water to imitate. It's a 3-fly rig on 0.19 mm fluoro. Grunter on the bob, foam-bodied fly on the middle (no floatant) and a 10 hopper or sedgehog on the tail. The fluoro is wiry enough to avoid spinning issues. The big hopper or sedgehog avoids being dragged under by the fluoro, as does the grunter, which acts as a sighter. The foam-bodied fly sits awash in the middle, floating, but with nothing above the surface. I can't see it, but any rise half-way between the other 2 has to be to it, so I will lift if I see a fish there.

I had a couple of outings where I had a standard-issue foam daddy in the middle position and it has been getting a load of fish swirling at it without taking it. Before anyone says they were trying to drown it... or strangle it, or perhaps poison it , I don't buy it. It's already drowned, lying where it is. There was no splashing, just nervy swirling. So, I tried going a bit less scary on Thursday, and tied up a size smaller - did it as a black terrestrial, sort of thing. I only had one take to it, but it took nicely and gave me my last fish of the day... last cast too... which was nice! I will put up a photo of it.

Col

 

[Rhithrogena]

×

Aye, I should have said bigger, rather than big. I think you have been on 14s a lot when I have been on 12s (albeit skinny 12s), and then you have been going up to bushy 12s when I have been going up to 10s.

I've been experimenting with a 'muscle-dries' set-up for pulling them up when there is nothing showing - and no flies on the water to imitate. It's a 3-fly rig on 0.19 mm fluoro. Grunter on the bob, foam-bodied fly on the middle (no floatant) and a 10 hopper or sedgehog on the tail. The fluoro is wiry enough to avoid spinning issues. The big hopper or sedgehog avoids being dragged under by the fluoro, as does the grunter, which acts as a sighter. The foam-bodied fly sits awash in the middle, floating, but with nothing above the surface. I can't see it, but any rise half-way between the other 2 has to be to it, so I will lift if I see a fish there.

I had a couple of outings where I had a standard-issue foam daddy in the middle position and it has been getting a load of fish swirling at it without taking it. Before anyone says they were trying to drown it... or strangle it, or perhaps poison it , I don't buy it. It's already drowned, lying where it is. There was no splashing, just nervy swirling. So, I tried going a bit less scary on Thursday, and tied up a size smaller - did it as a black terrestrial, sort of thing. I only had one take to it, but it took nicely and gave me my last fish of the day... last cast too... which was nice! I will put up a photo of it.

Col

IInteresting....
My go to stillwater dry choice for prospecting from the bank is a 'bulky' #12 DHS on a dropper with a much smaller #14 foam 'ant' or Shipman's or F-fly on the point.
Like you, any rises past the sedge are assumed to be to my point fly

 

[Cap'n Fishy]

×

IInteresting....
My go to stillwater dry choice for prospecting from the bank is a 'bulky' #12 DHS on a dropper with a much smaller #14 foam 'ant' or Shipman's or F-fly on the point.
Like you, any rises past the sedge are assumed to be to my point fly

Here's my middle fly from the 'muscle dries' set-up the other day...

'Big Terrestrial'...

Hook: Kamasan B160 size 10
Abdomen/Thorax/Head: 3.5 mm black booby foam
Legs: Six CPT fibres, each knotted twice
Wings: Cree cock hackle tips
Hackle: Black cock

Col

 

[Rhithrogena]

That has 'eat me' written all over it!

 

[3lbgrayling]

Col.that does not look like ''Close cell foam''

Jim

 

[Cap'n Fishy]

Col.that does not look like ''Close cell foam''

Jim

I usually use the 1/8" 'Foam Cylinders' for such things, but I ran out of black doing some bigger ones, so I used X-small 3.5 mm Veniard 'Booby Eyes' on those. They are closed cell, but the cells are definitely bigger than on the foam cylinders - which are very small-celled. Also, bear in mind you are looking at a magnified view of it, so the big cells look even bigger.

Col