Mossroddich Loch St John's Town of Dalry

View from parking area Mossriddoch loch

I wanted somewhere different for this months fishing outing. The wonders of internet searching brought up this little gem. To be fair I wasn't sure at first as I thought that it might just have been a bit on the small size but it ticked the new place to fish box and it was in scenic countryside so worth a shot.
We met the owner 1st thing, handed over the money and got an overview of the water. Don't fish light we were told, despite that two of us were. It is stalked with rainbow and brown trout, any browns caught to be released. The water is only about 5 foot at its deepest with good wading in parts.

The rest of the water

As we stood looking down at the water an osprey flew over, a great start but sadly I did not see it again. But red kites flew regularly overhead as did a pair of buzzards. There were some geese, greylag I think, with young that let out a cacophony of noise every time a raptor flew overhead.

Red Kite

Although small and relatively shallow there were two boats available for our use, one due for a makeover but he left it for us just in case. 

Geese move off

As we tackled up it was relatively calm, with fish rising all over the water. Brilliant an early start for the dry fly, on with a yellow owl and a small bloodworm buzzer on the dropper. I walked to the far side across some boggy ground and getting round the two fences in the water was a challenge as cows had trampled the ground, now boggy and deep.

Mossroddich from bottom end

As I made my first cast I could see fish breaking the surface. 3rd cast and a large rainbow surfaced taking my fly, a proper rod bender, but quickly came off, that's barbless hooks for you. The other two guys had not even started and watched with some jealousy. A few minutes later and rainbow number 2 arrived, same fly, landed and returned.
The weather had now changed and the wind was blowing through at strength. A large chop on the water and no more sign of fish on the surface and no takes for over 15 minutes so changed to my favoured Bibio, Kate McLaren wet fly combo. I saw one of the boats hook up, a good sign that the fish are still active. Rod bend another good fish but again slipped off as I readied my net. Not a problem, saved a netting, as this was a catch and release day for me. But slightly concerning as I do not normally lose fish this way. As it turned out all the guys said the same thing, for some reason all the fish caught in the day were very lightly hooked.

Wading beside boatshed

Another smash and I knew this was a good one. Rod was bent, it was wildly head shaking and moving fast underwater when the leader snapped, I had been broken. A wind knot or a big fish, I don't know but I upped my leader from 5 lb to 8 lb strength and concentrated on tying strong knots.
The weather was not fun and we were all backs to the wind and hoods up. At least the boats could get in behind the trees on the island and had some protection. During a hatch it would be a cracking spot as food would get regularly blown from the trees onto that patch of water. Still just before lunch I caught another small rainbow on the Kate. These were all good fighting fish despite their stature.

Boating and wading

After lunch I put a small beaded pheasant tail up top as the fish were clearly near the bottom. Almost immediately another rainbow was landed but on the dropper to Kate.
Thankfully the wind had eased and the odd fish could be seen on the surface. I put a self tyed pheasant tail with a forked orange tail. It has caught rainbows for me before so I know it works. I noted 2 of the guys landing fish when bang another very hard hit. I was struggling to hold the rod with this one and it tried to make run after run, a cracker. It took me 5 minutes to land and weighed about 4-5lb but fought like a much larger fish and it took my pheasant tail. A few casts later another one to the same fly.

I wandered round the water without any more success and back to the boat shed. The wind was a normal breeze but fish were still not showing. For the last half an hour I decided to use dries again and firstly gave the yellow owl another go. Not too long too wait and a rainbow came up, looked at the fly and then swirled but did not touch. Then the same again this time leaping over trying to drown it. Encouraging and 3rd time lucky another take and another small rainbow.

Brown trout habitat

Despite the weather in the morning it was a good day and we all said we would return. Everyone caught at least one fish including the youngster. I was delighted with my nine hooked and six landed. Interestingly none of us caught a brownie.
And it was all finished off with a pint of real ale in the wonderful Clachan Inn, two gems in one day, perfect.

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