Loch Bhac...a super day

Finally I got the opportunity to visit this loch and it was no disappointment.
It was a last minute decision to book the night before on the PAC website and then hang around for a bit in the morning as you have to pick up the forestry/boat key from Scotlands Hotel in Pitlochry after 8am.

Carn Liath in background

To get to the loch you have to go alongside Loch Tummel to enter the forest via one of 2 forest roads. Luckily I spotted a previous posting informing anglers that only the 2nd entrance, Grenich, was in use. Having found the entrance the barrier was not actually locked so could have saved the wait at the hotel. But, you know what would have happened had I ignored the key collecting. The track goes onwards and upwards winding through a large forest with no-one else about. The track is heavily rutted so drive slowly. From this entrance it is almost 3 miles to reach the loch. I pass a small ground sign 'Loch Bhac 3rd left'. Sounds clear but it is a long way through trees. I turn a bend and a red deer hind stands in the track, staring at me, doing a stand off with my car. Thankfully in effortlessly and elegantly moves off into the woods.

Finally found it

Finally I see a sign I have arrived. The parking area is 300 metres away from the water, a bit of a slog if you are carrying an engine for the boat.
All tackled up I walked down a muddy track to the loch. The view that opens up is certainly not one to disappoint, it was everything I hoped for. Partially surrounded by trees with a superb open mountain vista, I can clearly see the scar of the path up Carn Liath and the Glen Tilt mountains to the left. This is what you live for. Reeds growing in parts of the loch, good hiding for the fish.
A local was setting up a boat and kindly gave me information about where I could safely wade. As it turns out there is really good wading around most of the loch and I'm sure locals will wade out a lot further than I did but going too far was not necessary today.

Looking from the hut

The weather was to be pleasant in the morning with wind increasing lunchtime on but too soon to be affected by the oncoming storm. As it turned out it was a blustery wind, regularly changing direction throughout the session. The loch is around 300 metres above sea level so wind is always expected.
No sign of fish rising so I started with my normal wet flies for a new loch, bibio up top and Kate McLaren on the dropper. A quick check of the log in the hut and bibio had scored a couple of fish, good choice.

This wee broonie was camera shy

A walk round to the sheltered side to get the best casting and 10 minutes later fish number 1, a 6 inch broonie to Kate. About 15 minutes later another solid tug, this time much stronger and after a good fight a decent rainbow was netted, again to the Kate on the dropper. A lovely golden colour to its back.
Having caught a couple my day was good even if I caught no more, so I walked the loch fishing as I went. Up to the point I never saw or touched a fish. On the far bank a buzzard flew low over the ground up into a fir tree watching me for a good 20 minutes. The wind was very strong into my face and I was thinking the sheltered southern/eastern ends were the best to enjoy the day. The terrain was very muddy but I have walked round a lot worse,

Good rainbow with a golden back

Time for an early sandwich at the hut before wandering back to the other side. Unusually for me I had not changed any fly. Half an hour nothing happening except a few small broonies surfacing.
To get a little deeper off with bibio and a gold headed brassie to get down to where the fish might be feeding.
A few casts later hit number 3 and the best of the day. It headed straight out towards the middle but when landed it was full and rounded. Fin perfect this looked like a well conditioned over wintered fish. Strong as it was it didn't need any help when released, it went off like a torpedo, Kate on dropper again!
Not long after that a massive hit on the rod almost tore it out of my hands, bang, hit, gone? The fish had broken the leader, a long time since that has happened to me. Big splash, a fish leapt 3 times out in the middle, presumably my fish trying to remove the flies and line. That part of fishing saddens me, I can do more for it. Examining what was left of my tackle my first thought was that it was a poorly tied fly knot but no it had broken me at the dropper knot, another hit for the Kate, amazing.

Fishermen's tracks

For a change I tied up a 3 cast dry fly team, a small black spider up top, a midge F fly on the middle (there were lots of midge around) and a small dry Kate. Tried for 30 minutes but could not bring up a rainbow but did bring up a small brownie on you guessed, Kate again.
The wind was now creating a bigger chop on the water so back under. A 2 fish cast only as I wanted to avoid tangles, a sparse orange dunkeld up top and of course a Kate on dropper. A good tug but straight off, heartening. A bit later another good tug on and off. A quick check but no bent hooks so try again. Third time lucky a good hit, fish on and a good rainbow. Surprise, surprise, not Kate this time, the Dunkeld did the trick. Half an hour later another hit and another good rainbow to the Dunkeld. 

Perfect loch scene

The weather took a turn for the worse. The chop was now more a wave that the windsurfers would enjoy and the rain started.
Enough for me but just as I was walking back the osprey appeared. For 10 minutes I enjoyed watching it circle and scope the loch, talons visible, rising and dropping, but as for me no fish were near the surface so off it went hungry and disappointed to look elsewhere for food.
But I was far from disappointed, a great day out in spectacular surroundings, one of those days your glad to be alive to appreciate it.

Loch Bhac