Cold start to spring hits sport at Lake of Menteith

The cold wind has hampered sport at LAKE OF MENTEITH but some anglers are still consistently catching well, writes our angling correspondent.

The cold north-east wind still dominates talk in the car park but anglers who brave the conditions are being rewarded with good sport and good fish, with a good percentage of over-wintered fish being caught.

Areas doing well include the gravel pit, Lochend up to Bogle Knowe and Tod’s Hole, Sandy Bay and in between the islands.

Midge tips down to a Di 5 are the lines to use.

Flies to use include dandy orcat boobies, damsel nymphs, yellow dancer, cormorants, diawl bachs or buzzers under the bung.

The biggest was 5lb 11oz and the average weight was just under 3lb.

Sport is slowly starting to pick up at MONIKIE but anglers are having to work hard to get the fish to respond.

Dundee Angling Club with 14 rods kept 23 fish for 45lb 9oz, Birkhill Angling Club with five boats kept five for 12lb 8oz, Perth CS Club with 12 rods kept 13 for 28lb 8oz and Dundee West End Angling Club with 16 rods kept 18 for 34lb 10lb.

Successful lines and patterns include Di 3 with hothead damsel, midge tip with black pennel and the famous fast glass with yellow dancer.

FORBES OF KINGENNIE. The weather again ranged from diabolical through to cold but fairly acceptable.

On the bad days, especially with an easterly wind, Kingennie suffered some severe predation by cormorants.

However, despite all the downsides the fishery still produced some fine results and it was noticeable that although numbers of fish were on the low side the percentage of big fish was quite high.

Frank Sherriff enjoyed an excellent session on the Burnside Pool, returning five fish with the best two rainbows estimated at 10lb and 8lb.

NEWTON FARM FISHERY. Another busy week at Newton saw some huge fish landed.

Pete Burnett, Dunfermline, had eight, including a rainbow at 12lb. He had a pink apps under the bung.

Davie Simpson, Forfar, landed 35 fish, including one at 7lb, one at 8lb and a double figure fish as well. A peach egg fly was doing the damage.

LEDYATT LOCH produced more huge trout with Tomasz Wodzinski landing a 15lb 10oz rainbow on a more “balanced” fly.

The water temperature is steadily rising and the fish are responding. More and more are being seen on or near the top.

Dry fly action has just started and will only get better at Ledyatt, which has been awarded four stars by the Scottish Tourist Board.

ORCHILL LOCH. The Falcon Club caught 49 fish weighing 129lb 12oz last Saturday, with Jim Craig taking the heaviest basket with four for 13lb 8oz on a damsel.

Hector Wilson had three for 10lb on a hot head damsel, Bill Dawson, Dollar, two for 6lb 8oz on a cat and Paul Shepherd three for 9lb 8oz on an okey dokey