Fraser on fishing: Drumbowie was rocking

I WAS fortunate to get a session on Drumbowie Dam, a venue near Bonnybridge, writes STUART FRASER.

To me, it is the perfect venue for fishing from a boat – long and narrow and had an average depth of around nine feet.

Despite being extremely cold some fish were close to the bank in around 2ft of water. So, with a wind taking the full length of the reservoir, I could concentrate on a really long drift.

I was fishing a predator line which is a floater with sinking 6ft tip.

As the name suggests, I could probe the depths with my black and green Tadpole variant. After half an hour, I got my first interest but did not lock on until I sped up the retrieve. Surprisingly the fish were active and did chase.

My boat partner told me they were chasing the stickleback population – a bit surprising for January, I thought.

I picked up three in quick succession around 3lb before a quiet spell, then another two before the end of the drift. I changed to a Yellow Dancer and drifted the far bank this time and, although it was getting offers, it was not as good as the black and green.

I noticed big black clouds heading our way so we decided to call it a day before they arrived. But I was impressed with the water and maybe I will get a return visit.