Fishing news

Published on Saturday 19 December 2009 10:55

MARKLE, East Lothian: Once the wet weather disappeared and the cold snap kicked in the big, big fish at Markle really did get in the mood. The biggest fish of the week was a colossal 19lb rainbow taken on a Damsel by Gordon Dagg from Pathhead. Tommy Dickson from Dunbar wasn't far behind with a great 18lb brown that also fell to a Damsel. J Butler from Pathhead had a fine 17lb 8oz rainbow on a Damsel, Tranent's William Gilhooley took one at 11lb 8oz and D Corbett, Edinburgh had three for

SWANSWATER, Stirling: The fishery remains open despite the cold as there are aerators in all the ponds to keep them ice-free. The fishing was good all week with boats doing particularly well on certain days. The fish are now lying a bit further down in the water and the advice is to fish deeper and retrieve more slowly. Those who are getting fish nearer the top are retrieving fast, which means there are still some fish wanting to chase flies. The best results came from fishing small lures with Dancer, Hot-head Damsel, Cat's Whisker, Nomad and Fritz being the favourites. A wide range of colours was catching including black and green, white, orange, and, on the coldest days, pink. The biggest fish last week was an 8lb 7oz Rainbow landed by Alan Armstrong of Tillicoultry. Other good bags included John Relf of Falkirk with two for 10lb 4oz, one of which was an 8lb Rainbow. John Cook of Menstrie had a 7lb 14oz Rainbow, Nan Morrison from Stirling a 7lb 7oz Rainbow and Harry Seton of Clydebank took three for 12lb 8oz, including a 6lb 8oz Blue. Jim Connor from Alexandria landed five for 17lb 6oz, including a 6lb 4oz Rainbow and a Blue while Geoff Hainsworth of Alloa had three for 11lb 8oz, including a 5lb 8oz Blue.

FORBES OF KINGENNIE, Broughty Ferry: The Specimen Pond is still fairly coloured but fish are being caught despite the difficult conditions. Flies that have worked well have had one thing in common and that is plenty of marabou. So the likes of Humungus, Bunny Leech, Zonkers and, of course, the Miller Skunk did well. Most of the fish caught on the Specimen Pond were taken on intermediate lines with a slow retrieve. Notable catches included J Mclean with two for 23lb on a homemade lure and Bob Weir, who had two for 19lb on a Cat's Whisker. Mr Broomfield landed two for 2lb. The Bankside Pond has again seen the best of the action and Ian Gordon took catches of 10, 12, 16 and 18 fish in four-hour catch-and-release sessions. Most of Ian's fish were taken in the bays on a Yellow Cone Head and floating line. Gilbert Cheetham also had a bumper day when he kept six fish for 12lb and then went on to catch and release a further 14. Best method on the Bankside last week was to cast lures along the reeds to where fish are hitting small roach and perch fry. Mr Nettles had six for 13lb on a White Nomad, Mr Gilbert six for 12lb and Mr Fraser five for 11lb on a Yellow Dancer. On the Woodside Pond, which is any method, the clarity of the water is much better. Fly tactics worked well but anglers had to use intermediate or sinking lines to get down to the feeding depth of the fish. The best flies have been the same as on the other ponds.

ORCHILL LOCH, Braco: Fishery owner Elizabeth Jackson would like to stress that no fish were lost from Orchill as a result of the recent flood – despite false rumours. A field at the back of the loch was flooded but there is a grid on the outlet and, in any exceptionally high-water situation, the fish all go to the bottom and stay there. Any fishery or fish farm owner takes every precaution not to lose fish as they are too expensive and cannot be insured. Luckily most of the regulars know this and have not believed the wild rumours. With the recent frosty weather, fish have been caught at various depths but many fish have also been lost with anglers striking too quickly at slow takes. Black and Green Fritz, Yellow Dancer, Damsel and Cat have been most successful.