Penwhapple first group outing of the season

Penwhapple & turbines

The first Saturday in April means the first outing of the year for our wee fishing group. Our destination today is the excellent Penwhapple. This is a Scottish water reservoir who restrict the membership which means that wherever you fish in the reservoir you will find spots well away from anyone else. Recent developments of the construction of a wind turbine farm has detracted from the view in parts but you do tend to forget about them and concentrate on the fishing.
There had been a storm more or less entrenched all of yesterday and it was forecast to return early this afternoon so we opted to get our fishing in early. One of the group could not attend so we were 6 plus Ally's young son.

Colin's bum and boats

The weather was perfect on arrival at the car park but experience has shown that the weather up at the reservoir can be vastly different from the sheltered car park. After we had carried the boat engine and battery up the many steps we were pleasantly surprised to see calm water in parts and the ripples of rising fish sipping gently. Just what the doctor ordered.
First task was baling yesterdays water out of the boats and there was plenty of water.

Penwhapple fishing hut

Colin and I were in a boat whilst the other guys opted to fish from the bank. We set off and soon drifted amid the rising fish but they would not taking a liking to anything we were offering and after about 15 minutes they had gone deeper, no surface feeding showing at all, we had missed the hatch of whatever. I started on my Kate McLaren & Bibio combination with a very small red bloodworm buzzer on the tail dropper.

The bottom of the water has turbines as well

We moved to a new location and saw fish being caught by the anglers who had arrived before us. Then Shaun was the first of our party to connect and the day was on. A pheasant tail nymph for him.
After an hour we still had no takes then the morning exploded into action. Colin was in with a rainbow first and quickly followed with a second one, both to a sunset damsel.

Me and a Penwhapple brown trout

I took off the Kate and put on a pheasant tail gold head to get down a bit. A couple of minutes later I was in, a cracking brownie, taking the small bloodworm buzzer. Colin was in again a brownie this time.
A really powerful hit and I was on again, a hard fighting rainbow taking the goldhead. Colin got another 2 fish, one rainbow plus a cracking fish of about 4lbs, took an age net going very deep trawling back and forth under the boat. As you can see from the snap, for comparison a rainbow, it looks very much like a sea trout but how could that be in this hill loch? It is not far from the sea and the River Girvan but it could not get up the incline to the dam. After the photo shot it was returned and with a few flicks of the broad tail it disappeared into the black depths.

Brown or Seatrout?

Another connection and another good brownie to the buzzer.
All went quiet and I changed up top to a red tailed Zulu but no luck so after 30 minutes time for lunch. Still a super morning 5-3 to Colin. At lunch all bar one of the guys had caught fish including the youngster who was well chuffed with his one.

Looking back towards the fishing hut

After filling my face I decided to bank fish, mainly to stretch my legs, a half day session in a boat is enough for me. Also Colin would give the youngster an outing in the boat which would be fun for him. Anyway the bank was fishing well in the morning with the fish staying fairly close in. I went well round the water and found a bay all to myself. I decided to stay with the Zulu for a few casts and was rewarded with a good rainbow straight away. A few casts later another hit near the surface but it did not stay on. I fished the bay for another hour before the rain arrived but I had caught 3 more fish, 2 brown and 1 rainbow. The rainbow took the buzzer hard and deep and fought really hard. The outcome was a badly bleeding fish which I had to kill. Normally all my fish are returned but this one will be dinner. 
The surface of the water was now covered in minute black flies, clearly this was the hatch the fish were on but no way could you imitate these teeny flies. The rain was now pounding down but too my surprise the line tightened again another brownie to the Zulu. It had mangled my leader, having cut off all 3 flies I was not starting again in this weather so my day was over.

Afternoon brownie

A superb afternoon session, five fish, four taking the Zulu which is one of the amazing things about fly fishing, why it tempted nothing before lunch and deadly in the afternoon?
Over the day 8 fish, four of each, I was happy with that. The group total was 32 which was our highest single day total for some time and the youngster, helped by Colin, got his best tally of 4, I think he beat his dad!!
Now beer time.

Another nice brown trout