Fraser on Fishing: I've had Butter days.. and weather didn't help

ONE of the loveliest fisheries around just now has to be Butterstone Loch near Dunkeld.

My visit to the all-boat venue produced mixed results as it was bright, warm, and sunny, which is not good for boat fishing and, to add insult to injury, it was flat calm for much of the day.

Still, the banter was good despite the difficult conditions and I went out armed with a midge tip, two Cormorants on the droppers and an Olive Damsel on the point.

Boats worked the banks and bays in search of fish but with little success. However, some anglers did manage to find pods of fish and tempted them to the surface on Buzzers and Dries. The best fish was a double-figure rainbow which fell to a Black Buzzer fished static in Otter Bay.

I was fortunate to get two trout and a number of pike before the fishing went completely off.

You can tell when water is not fishing well when you hear the sound of engines roaring up and down the water searching for the fish but the biggest tell-tale sign was when the locals came off two hours before the end of the session.

The fish that I did catch were pure quality. Not big but fin and tail perfect and they fought like crazy.

It is a fair trek to Dunkeld but, if you get the right day, it can be a truly magical place.