salmo the leaper!

I haven't managed to get out fishing for a couple of weeks now what with one thing or another, not that i'm complaining, there's a long winter ahead to chase the grayling. Yesterday I was out with my pal Mike for a day trip with our camera's in Perthshire, by chance our first stop was the Buchanty spout on the river almond, where you can watch the salmon leap. We had a good laugh trying get some pics of them, most of the time the salmon were long gone by the time I had pressed the shutter release, I think Mike may have had more success but here's some of my mostly out of focus efforts anyway!

   

the river Almond upstream from the falls

after a much needed bridie from the butchers in Dunkeld we visited the birks of Aberfeldy, stunning at this time of year.

if the weather plays ball this week it might be Perthshire again at weekend for a bit of trotting  on the Tay.  

silver and gold

This morning didn't start very well, i was as usual totally unorganised for my fishing trip, first i couldn't find one of my rods, searching everywhere in the house before finding it hidden underneath some other rods in the same place that it usually is! and then there was my camera which i hadn't lost but the battery needed charged, eventually after a lot of grumpiness i got my  gear loaded into the car before heading north. I decided to fish a lovely stream that i hadn't fished for two or three years now and  picked up my permit before heading to my favourite stretch.

There's a parking spot near the river but on arrival i noticed another car was already parked there, damn! i fished one or two normaly good pools close by without a touch,not a good sign, there was no way i was going to waste my day fishing water that had possibly been fished already so i decided to cut my losses. I jumped back into the car and travelled to the river Col was fishing earlier on in the week.

The first pool i fished  has been kind to me on my visits this season and today was no different.

The klinkhammer dipped and i struck into a weighty fish which shot of downstream and cleared the water two or three times just to add to the excitment! i kept him in check and soon had a long lean fish of 2lb 10oz in the net, im not so sure it's a trout though, a wee salmon?

   i worked my way upstream taking a fish here and there, including this fighting fit pounder which had a very unusual lower jaw

 a usualy fairly dour pool produced a lovely golden pound and a halfer on the klink

followed by another nicely marked trout of similar size, again on the klink

shades of autumn 

 1lb 4oz on the klink again, there was a decent enough hatch today

 a fine day to be on the river

the last trout before walking back to the car at the back of six, a tiring but enjoyable day.

you cant always get what you want

It's been in my head this week to return to one of the rivers we fished earlier in the year on our "trailer trashing" weekend, it's probably the moodiest river i know but on it's day can fish superbly and show why it has a such a big reputation for quality trout. With the good days in mind Colin and i visited the river again today, hoping that some of it's bigger residents might put in an appearance if we were lucky.

  Col started of missing a fish of around a pound which was encouraging, but high hopes of a good day were short lived  as we fished through some inviting pools where we have encountered good trout on previous trips without so much as a sniff. We kept our chins up though and  col got the first fish, only a wee one mind but welome non the less on the klink.

we picked up another two or three modest trout before the river changed character above the falls, lots of pocket water to fish where a big stimulator comes into its own

 even then though  the pocket water wasn't fishing as good as we know it can and it didn't help missing most takes when they did happen! Col was really  unlucky with a long lean trout in the two to three pound bracket which came off at the death, surprisingly though it hadn't put up much of a fight, perhaps an old fish going back in condition, who knows.  I lost a  nice trout of around a pound when it cleared the water in a bid for freedom, and in the last run i fished a big fish took the stimulator, showing its flank on the take, i'm 99% sure it was a Salmon/grilse which had been in a wee while, there were quite a few showing here and there especialy above the falls, anyway after holding on for 30 seconds or so with the fish holding static in the current the hook sprung back,  if it had been a trout i would have been gutted! a long walk back to the car to end a tiring day with little reward but what a location to spend the day!  looking forward to another visit next season. It's a river where the conditions have to be just right for success but then thats what makes it so special when it does go to plan .

Back on the Local

It's been a long time since my last trip to my local. High water levels or poor clarity and piking are a few   reasons for lack of visits. Today i managed to fit a trip in. It was great plenty action on the duo, i went for a GH harelug with a peacock glister thorax , held up by a size 10 klink , but in some bits i had to sacle down to a  size 16 klink, whilst in others they were more confident in taking whatever was put in front of them. I must have had around 30-40 brownies up to a pound ,

a single seatrout ,

and a rarity a few salmon parr,

which reminds me , the next spate should follow a trip down with a few Allys shrimps cause you just never know....... !