SOME superb browns have been taken in late spring and early
summer at Loch Leven, and with a variety of methods. I’d like to say that my
own name featured on that roll of honour but my club’s trip to the “big puddle’
in mid- May was a personal failure, mainly due to my tunnel vision in
persevering with sinking lines and sparkly lures, the technique I’d been
advised was best to hit the brownies.
Charlie Kelly, indeed, had fished
off Old Leven Mouth with those tactics and was rewarded with a magnificent fish
into double-figures, the heaviest of the season at the time of writing.
In fact, Charlie and his partner Hugh Shaw boated three
trout for 171b-a superb catch of wild browns, and all returned safely.
On my trip, buzzers were hatching
in some profusion for awhile along the Hole of Inch, but I failed to get the
message. One of our club members who did switched to a slow- sinking line and
Buzzers, taking three lovely fish, more like sea trout, in the 2lb class.
The wind died and the sun shone;
conditions which are the worst for catching on Loch Leven. However, it did give
us a chance to visit various parts of the great water, looking for a puff of
wind. I was on the engine, and insects hammered into my face, and when we came
to the back of Castle Island, the number of empty buzzer shucks on the water
beggared belief.
It’s no surprise then that Buzzers
have been doing well for some anglers, with Rod McLennan and Rab Walls taking
12 fish. Others have found the sinking lines and lures doing well, though, and
Lewis Kerr and Connor Campbell drifted from the East Buoy to the Elbow Buoy
using Snatchers and small lures and a best rimfire scope on Di-3, Di-5 and Di-7 to catch and release 17 trout.
Later in the month, Tony Black and Stevie O’Neill also fished the East Buoy and
caught 22 browns on Di-7 lines and mini lures, all fish save one returned.
On the same day, Brendan McWilliam
had another beautiful trout of 71b 120Z, this one fell for an Orkney pattern,
the Merkister Maid, in the Hole of Inch area.
But it’s not only been on Leven
that Buzzers have been catching. Most reports from Lake of Menteith have headlined
their dominance, and Linlithgow Loch has had the most amazing season for these
insects right from the word go, on March 15.
Some competitions have already
taken place, especially on the Lake itself, Scotland’s top tournament water.
Thirty anglers competed for the National Championships For Anglers With A
Disability, fishing a two-fish limit then catch and release. Over 135 fish were
caught, 81 of which were returned and those ubiquitous Buzzers played a major
part. Champion was Jim Crawford of Ayr, with 12.
The top seven anglers and one
reserve are invited to represent Scotland in the Home International, held at
the Lake. Qualifiers are Jim Crawford, John Hood, Dave Stewart, Ossie Smith,
Glen McHattie, George Bell, David Malcolm and Stuart Fraser.
In the Scottish Police Recreation
Association National, the winning team, comprised Ronnie Turnbull, Bob McLean,
Keith Anderson and Jimmy McBride, the latter was top individual with 15 fish.
These anglers represent Scotland in the 2016 National at Chew Valley. Top
tactics were, believe it or not, straight-lined buzzers...
