Love Leven and it's such an enigma of a water that it's always a challenge.
It's always been a buzzer water and the trout have always locked onto them to the distraction of everything else, that said drifting with wets can still work but you really need to get down deep to the fish.
However all is not lost for the more 'traditional' angler on "The Loch" as the fish become more widely spread and surface orientated as the season progresses although evenings and early mornings are best.
I try and grab a dawn session on Leven every year if i can as, weather permitting, the loch can become the one that we hoped it would with surface feeding fish and big drifts.
Snatchers, borne in the white hot heat of Leven competition days, as still the go-to pattern for me here when it's like this although wee sparkle Dunkelds etc also work well.
However it's the surface stuff i look for and i've been very fortunate to have had some cracking sessions on dries here, although you need to be able to revert to pulling flies if this isn't working. Watch out for the draw of the caenis feeders around Castle Isle, you can get them but they are frustrating and eat up a lot of time you could be exploring elsewhere.
Not so long ago i was out on Leven in a dawn session with my two labs Mac and Roni when Mac was still with us. Stunning morning and we actually had the loch all to ourselves. The dogs needed a leg stretch so we landed on the Vane shore and had a wee wander as the sun cam up. It was beautiful and a sight that lives long in the memory, made even better as the water went flat calm and i could see fish starting to pop all over. So sightseeing over, back in the boat and a successful troot chase was had.
So guys, consider the dawn sessions if you want a chance to see Leven at its best, yes it isn't always like this, but i've had more better sessions than not when out at the crack of dawn on "The Loch".
