Jumping Jack Flash

The weathers been a shocker this week . Really windy and wet, but mild with the southerlies. Tuesday offered a  tiny window the dog sacrificed his walk for a stand as he would chaperone  me up to the canal  . First thing was first though i had to tie up a flash fly , as my stash was looking a bit weathered.

 That coupled with a few other flies and essentials i was ready , it was also a opportunity to try out my new telescopic  long-handled net which i bought for pollock fishing off the cliffs next summer but is equally useful for the canal withn its high banking and weedy fringes.

The flash fly worked it's magic first cast despite me thinking the canal might be on the dirty side.

 Five more fell for it's enticing charms and a few more lost before losing it up a  tree.

 Decided to try a chartreuse hair extension baitfish, and it took a further brace again nothing big ,  if i had more time  might have explored further try and locate a bigger fish  but the days are so short just now.The net worked great although it is pretty heavy, not really a problem though as what i bought it for may see it get some abuse.

 Tied up a couple more flash flies for a future opportunity .

Bass-ic Instinct

A Last minute decision , had us shying away from those fickle  grayling, and  as the tidetimes being suitable and weather being fair we  looked to the coast for our sport. Not flatties this week for a change we decided to look out the SWFF gear for shot at the Bass.

The Usual clouser minnows were our flies of choice.
 It was quiet for the first couple of hours , and eventually i found the need to explore other areas. Changing to a fast sinker and casting for perhaps a pollack? That lasted all but five minutes and i then decided to go and see how Brian was getting on . When i eventually got back to him , after changing back to my intermediate, he told me he had just had one. Result!

It was good to get off the mark , shortly after i got my first.

and then i had another an hour later.

It wasn't  exactly  lots happening. Thats  until i moved , finding a  wee unoccupied corner i managed to sneak in amongst the ranks of "combat anglers " fishing there controller float rubber eel set-ups, and the sport became hectic  much to the bemusement of some.  

Brian was getting sport too!

  A good days fishing , a nice change! Just a note to myself " although it was a largely calm sea  the swell coming over the reef was at times pretty big also, it was a spring tide" never can give the sea enough respect and you cant watch those waves enough as well as being aware if wading what is behind you as you dont want a wave to wash you in a pothole.

 Hopefully wont be too long before we get another bite of the cherry although it will be very  weather dependant.

easily side tracked

The last couple of nights I've tried to buckle down and start re stocking my boxes with some essential patterns

 the cdc and elk seems to be the fly of the moment and an easy one tie

some brown wire nymphs, not nearly enough though

  

the trouble is i get bored bulk tying these patterns and end tying up flies i don't really need!

orange Ke- He

royal coachman

parmachene belle

    

They might come in handy for loch Stenness one day, i'll get around to more wire nymphs another day!

A Touch of Frost

First thing i have to say is Happy birthday to the Auld yin (Brian).

We arrived at the burn just after mid-day . Still there was the odd patch of frost . The water though looked in great condition, and still the odd olive hatched  , and from the off, we caught fish, but these were out of season browns not grayling.

The grayling though almost on our cue put in a appearance , In "Brians pool" , there were the infuriating risers from last week. And once again unfortunately they had the upperhand  with two takers  escaping the clutches of Brians hook.

Drat!

Next pool , i hooked a fish only to lose it at the net , then landed a  grayling.

  Brians luck just wasnt in today, raising and  pricking  plenty to dry flies some of them quality fish too.

Lady luck was smiling down on me with a few more grayling to nymphs and dries .

 

As we headed back downstream we stopped off to fish a few selected pools , we fished a few hours earlier and i was fortunate, to hook up the best of the day at 1 1/4lb.

 Shortly afterwards darkness was upon us , and called an end to the day. Looking forward to next time just hope the weather plays ball.

F.A (Flattieholics Anonymous)

It had been nearly two weeks since  my last Flattie, so i needed to feed the habit. Bait was required and i drew a blank in the supermarket so i gambled with the fishmongers in the high street in Portobello where i was fishing , they had one mackerel and i made up the rest of my bait with a few sides of herring.

I was fishing about 30 minutes after low tide with a relatively calm sea, a set up in a nice looking crease that caught my eye and soon i took a wee flounder.

Off the mark i was thinking they were going to come thick and fast but i was wrong i moved closer to the burn and took another. But   it was slow going.

I have a hunch  my bait wasn't up to scratch today , the mackerel looked a bit dull or maybe the flatties  were having a off day one thing noticeable was despite it being calm it was a big tide.

Before i decided to call it a day i hooked into something different , i was hoping it was a bass , but no a sea trout that was festooned with sea lice. One of these days i will get a bass from these beaches!