Watching Match of the Day on TV you can’t help but notice how perfect are the pitches, not a blade of grass out of place, more like a bowling green than a football field. Gone are the mud baths of yesteryear, goalmouths as bald as an egg and a centre circle you could plant tatties in. Just as well, of course, as the players skip around in their brightly coloured, ultra lightweight football jimmies. No leather studs, leather toecaps and heavy leather balls that would take the skin off your napper when you headed it.
It is the same with angling. Rods are feather light as are reels. Tippet material is thin to the point of being near invisible in water and oilskins have been superseded by fold away, goretex lined breathable jackets, which allegedly will keep out rain even if driven by a hurricane etc, etc.
At Lochter Fishery Oldmeldrum during the past week fancy jackets have not been necessary as the weather has been unseasonably mild. It did make for excellent fishing conditions and many anglers took full advantage of that.
W. Deeming had twelve and R. Deeming ten, both using cats whiskers. Colin McDonald had one at 10lbs 6oz in his bag of seventeen all on lures. F. Thrall returned fifteen on a yellow dancer, J. Smith eighteen on a white WSW and J. West nineteen all on white lures.
Albert Trail swept into action grassing thirteen on a mop fly. D. Geddes attracted eighteen with his fritz flies and J. Rhind had a brilliant day with twenty-six on a variety of lures. Just to prove that there was a place for the small flies, Pedro Verde a.k.a. Pete Green had fourteen on buzzers and bloodworms before returning a couple of days later to net twenty on buzzers and a smoker.
There were plenty more success stories and with a big drop in temperature forecast anglers will have plenty of good sport, although they may have to don their windproof fancy jackets.
Finally a timely reminder of the Winter Pairs Competition on 18th November. Contact the fishery on 01651 872787.
H.H 22/10.
