The Fly Shops Jim Crawford Takes A Mid Week Evening Boat Afloat

At this time of year when family things start to take over the weekends , so when you manage to get finished work early , a phone call to arrange a few hours on a local syndicate water to try out new flies was just what was needed .

So with Alec Bowler who is also on The Fly Shop team we headed down into the Galloway Forrest ..

Weather was a stunning bright blue sky with a wind that seemed to change direction every ten minutes .

A hill loch with the majority of food always in the top 3 ft it was dries for me and Alec on an indicator and some new flies to try  .

Another first for me was trying the new 4 piece 9’6″ – 5#  V2 designed by Gareth Jones for Dries on Corrib .

So kitted up with a Hatch finnatic 5plus a new Superflo 5# with Fulling mill comp Fluoro 7.12lb 

We loaded the engine and headed out …

The fish were further out to start with in the slightly cooler water and not on the drop off offs close to the edges as normal ..

I started off with a Gazza Special on the point , claret bits in the middle and a ginger hopper on the Bob .

Alec with his indicator and a leader of just over a metre of 7lb Fulling mill world class with some new patterns currently under trial.

We both picked up fish slowly to start with while the sun was so high but once it started to drop along with the temperature they were up and straight onto anything terrestrial on the water especially as we both noted the best hook ups were flies sitting in the film rather than on it …

When the fish came up Alec went onto two of the new Fly Shop daddies on a midge tip and we both started to empty the place with the bigger and better quality fish smashing the daddies …

We returned approx 20 fish in cracking condition .

Then just as it was starting to go mental we had a problem with the outboard and had to head in before it got too dark .

Please keep an eye out for the new dries and the new Stillwater patterns which will be available soon . 

Please feel free anytime to ask Alec or myself any questions you have .

We’d be more than happy to give help and advice

Tight Lines Jim Crawford