Wet and windy have been the weather features that have dominated the last few weeks and as we write this today we are seeing waves across the loch and the forecast is for heavy rain to follow this afternoon. Perhaps not what we might expect for late August? Bizarrely though, these conditions are probably what have contributed most to continued good condition of the loch. Water temperatures have stayed relatively low and clarity is really good. Normal stocking continues.

As we almost enter September –  can you believe it, we are talking about September already – where has the year gone? Well back to what I was saying, as we enter September, one very noticeable feature is the amount of fry around the margins and taking refuge in amongst the water lilies. We are therefore seeing a lot more fish attacking the perch fry around the margins. No surprises therefore that using lures and casting in the shallower water is proving to be quite successful for some, whilst for others the continued use of dries has been equally rewarding. Looking at the forecast for the next few days it would seem that we are heading for warmer and more settled conditions and this could indeed tempt fish closer to the surface for the insect life that continues to emerge.

With the wind as strong as it has been it’s quite difficult to spot which insects are around at the moment, however in the more settled periods we are seeing lots of sedges and a very large number of daddies and whilst we don’t see them here, higher up in the hills there will no doubt be a number of heather flies hatching. All patterns worth trying if you are sticking to the dries.

For a spell last week, Swing-gate Bay was holding a great number of fish and when the wind was blowing from the east it was a tremendous time to fish from the bank down there. Good catches and lots of action were reported from the anglers that were here. One method in particular that seemed to work well was a four foot sink tip line fished with candy Fab or booby on the point with two cormorants 5 feet apart.

With the summer holidays having come to an end for the Scottish school children and coming to an end for the English, clubs are once again picking up their fishing outings and so here are the clubs days for the next two weeks here at the loch:

Saturday 31^st Aug – Pencaitland AC ( This will be Pencaitland’s second outing of the year having been here just a couple of weeks ago. On that occasion they had a great day, with some of their anglers bagging up as early as mid-morning. Let’s hope that they get a repeat performance next Saturday)

Saturday 7^th Sept – Ladhope FFC

Other news:

• We will start to take delivery of our new boats in September. These will be Coulam 152 boats which are coming from Esthwaite Water in The Lake District. Sadly Esthwaite will be closing for fishing at the end of September but we wish Jim Robertson and his family all the best for the future. Jim has been at the helm of the fishing at Esthwaite for a good number of years and has done a superb job there. We have bought a total of 7 boats and these will replace some of our current fleet. As a consequence we will have a number of boats for sale towards the end of this year and so if you or someone you know might be interested in purchasing from us, please give us a call – 01890 771960.
• Not long now until we hold our annual Charity day. The date for this is Sunday 29^th September and is open to all to enter. There are just a few places left for this event so please get in touch asap if you might be interested in entering. All details are available on our web site. We would also like to thank those people who have very generously donated raffle/ auction prizes and for those people who have purchased raffle tickets in advance. Raffle tickets are available now so please contact us if you wish to purchase any. Remember that all monies raised from the event will again be donated to St Abbs Independent Lifeboat – a very worthy cause that needs ongoing support to continue the sterling work that they do.
• Les Locky’s Fly to tie and try for September – This will be posted today and is well worth looking at.