Wee quick report from my recent foray across the Pentland Firth....
(Photies on my other computer so i promise a few later)
Headed over in the mist of last weekend and made straight for the holiday house, wee self contained flat connected to and part of Skaill House so not far to go to one of the island's top tourist spots then!
Fishing was excellent and Harray fished it's ballocks off. First visit was in the blistering sun and flat calm, troots were cruisin about in wee shoals and it was a job to get the boat in front of them. Picking off caenis in the daytime, however a well placed Bibio Emerger produced the desired results. Scanning across the loch searching out the surface feeding shoals could be described as Scottish Bone Fishing (of a kind) and it was certainly interesting. had this quite a few times before especially on waters where the fish have a tendance to shoal (Harray, Leven, Watten) a trait of daphnia or caenis nymph fedding lochs? Anyway it dosen't happen every day so made the most of it before the breeze picked up and a couple of sedges were required to work all the likely spots.
Kirbister was next and crackin sport on the tube again to surface dry feeding trout, mostly on the Corriekiller which was perfect as a wee dark sedge imitation.
Swanney into the darkess that evening which was again interesting, again surface sedge feeders and yup Corriekiller worked once more. Best fish so far 2lb 2oz.
Clumly didn't work this trip (water way too low) and big fish didn't show, did catch a few smaller ones though.
Back to Harray agin and again in the boat in blistering sun and an ever increasing wind. Water was crystal clear so you could see every skerry and feature and again fish were keen to hit the dries, this time a wee olive Hog and Cow Dung Hopper (see FFFT last month) Watching the fish come to your flies from over two and a half feet is something else, especially as they all seemed to be better quality ones and in a wee two and half hour session i nailed a good 15 all on the dries and all from pound upwards to again 2lb 2oz. Fantastic.
Managed a last couple of hours back in the tube that night and again back on Harray. Same flies and similar results although the low sun and low sitting position meant i couldn't see the fish come, so i simply concentrated on working the features. Again great fishing although the fish seemed to be smaller at first, before the best one of the trip (3lb 2 1/2oz
) nailed the Cow Dung Hopper. My second trophy off harray in two years, both on the same fly, the amazing thing is not the fact the pattern's worked again (plenty Cow Dungs around these parts and the trout don't miss them) but the fact i'd nailed two trophies out a water i've been fishing for over twenty years with never a hint of one before.
Anyway all over far too soon and big sad face as we headed to the ferry home.
Happy days though i'm back across the Firth in a fortnight enroute to the Shetland Adventure.
Cheers
Allan L
