It is amazing but perhaps not surprising how angling equipment has developed over the years.
Gone are the sweaty oilskin jackets, replaced by lightweight waterproof but breathable tops.
Gone are the heavy brass reels replaced by lightweight aluminium versions, rods are lighted but stronger, cat gut has been replaced by near invisible fluorocarbon and generally drab old flies of yesteryear have been replaced by all manner of exotic concoctions laced with ultra violet straggle fritz or some other fancy sounding, fish enticing, holographic material.
The latest offering to hit the scene is the squiggly worm made of soft rubbery material. Whether or not it can be classed as a fly is doubtful but certainly is effective.
At Lochter Fishery in Oldmeldrum, Bill Gibb proved this by recording catch and release bags of twenty six and twenty nine on consecutive visits all on squiggles.
Other effective flies have been the okey dokey used by George Pirie to grass thirteen, the bungee buzzer which brought eight to the net for Bob Weir and the bloodworm which scored seven a piece for Craig McLean and James McLean.
The mixed weather conditions forecast should keep things interesting, with a good breeze to prevent any ice forming.
We received a fantastic video from Paul Pritchard via our Facebook page last week. He took the time to film his trip out to Lochter Fishery with his GoPro, have a watch here :
www.facebook.com/lochterfishery (sorry I tried to add a link but this failed many times)
