Change team trip to Loch Insch.

Change team trip to Loch Insch.

It is always a struggle getting out together as a team so when the boys suggested a trip up to Aberdeen’s super fishery, Loch Insch we were all buzzing.

A 5am pick up from Derek Hessett and up to Killie for Andy Dunn and then onto the fishery where we met Wullie Leach and Jock Kettles.

It takes approximately 3 and a bit hours from AYR and the construction of the new Aberdeen ring road is excellent.

Our morning started off with temperatures of 6 degrees and on arriving it had creeped up to 9.

With buzzers hatching and fish already feeding the day ahead looked very promising.

As we were walking down to sort out our day tickets there was a couple of young Polish guys already kitted up and hitting the water. While having a cuppa with David in the lodge/shop we watched the young guy take 7/8 fish rapid. We could tell by his turnover and casting he wasn’t using weighted flies.

We kitted up and Andy and Wullie dashed beside him. Something I’ve always found at Insch is the regular lads are exceptionally helpful. It transpired he was on a straight floater using size 10/12 black diawl Bach’s and a canary yellow fab on the point .

He was easily the top rod on Insch that day catching everywhere I saw him, on each of the ponds .

We all set up with two rods, one with a floater and bung, or straight lining and a fast glass or 12ft tip with a lure and sparse cormorants.

It is easy to see why diawls and corms work so well at Insch, with the buzzers hatching and the fry that continually get smashed in the margins of all three ponds.

We fished our way round all three ponds catching on all four of the methods and as usual with our mob, make a mistake and drop a fish you get roasted!

Weather on the day showed all of us that the fish switched on when the wind dropped and as it picked up again, the fish dropped at least a couple of feet and the surface activity stopped virtually instantly.

Casting into the wind and basically keeping up with your line was by far the best method with the diawls and corms on the top and middle being the most consistent.

We had some new-small water bung patterns from Alec Bowler for testing, again proving his imagination is still bang on point. These new patterns will be available very soon.

We didn’t have any of the huge rainbows or browns that patrol the margins of the ponds although 

local top comp angler Stevie Corsair accompanied by his son caught a huge tailed and perfect bow beside me which was released and put back with great care ( great to see an angler take as much care with the fish)

Another fantastic day spent on one of Scotland’s premier Trout fisheries. Listening to David’s enthusiasm and plans you can’t help but to be excited as to what he and his family will bring to the fishery.

We were all well into the 20’s on catch and release tickets and had an amazing day fishing in the crystal-clear waters of Loch Insch. I have put a link for the flies that proved very successful for us on the day.

Tight Lines Jim Crawford.

https://theflyshop.co.uk/stillwater-flies/cormorants/shortie-orange-quill-cormorant

https://theflyshop.co.uk/squintys-traffic-cormorant

https://theflyshop.co.uk/still-water-barbless-trout-flies/Barbless-diawl-bach-trout-flies/barbless-black-skinny-jungle-cock-flashback-diawl-bach-db

https://theflyshop.co.uk/still-water-barbless-trout-flies/Barbless-diawl-bach-trout-flies/barbless-green-sleeve-diawl-bach-db

https://theflyshop.co.uk/stillwater-flies/fabs/biscuit-fab

https://theflyshop.co.uk/stillwater-flies/fabs/candy-split

https://theflyshop.co.uk/small-still-waters/wotsit

https://theflyshop.co.uk/small-still-waters/small-water-lures/hot-head-techno-cat

https://theflyshop.co.uk/small-still-waters/small-water-lures/orange-hot-head-catbug
https://theflyshop.co.uk/stillwater-flies/cormorants/shortie-green-quill-cormorant