You have to feel sorry for our river anglers at the moment.

From the start of the brown trout season on March 15 there has been a series of conditions making for difficult and often-impossible fishing.

The rivers have seldom been clear, with most days resembling something from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.

Low air temperatures and high winds have stopped fly hatches dead in their tracks but once we get a little increase in temperatures the early season hatches should be good.

This Pheasant Tail Spider is certainly worth a swim.

The hook is a Hanak 130BL

Dry Fly size-16 and the thread is Semperfli Nano Silk 18/0 in Black. The body is Cock Pheasant Tail Fibres, the rib is Fine Mirage Tinsel, while the thorax is Black Peacock Herl and the hackle is one turn of Black Hen.

■ On cloudy days at Blanefield’s Carbeth Fishery the fish have been on top feeding on Black Buzzers. Those fishing Suspender patterns, Spiders and Crippled Midge have enjoyed excellent sport.

Jim Mcgarry used a Yellow Dancer in bright conditions to net eight, David Wood had 14, including two tigers on a Lime Green Blob, Gavin Shipman used Buzzers to return six, Colin Clark also had six on a Black Snake, while Brian Wood had 8 on a Humungus and David Ross four on a Cheese Squirmy.

■ A range of flies have been working well at the Linlithgow’s Bowden Springs fishery, from Crunchers and Diawl Bachs through to White Squirmies and the Ally Mccoist.

Nicky Capavanni returned four, Ken Swindell had some great sport catching rainbows up to 4lb and J. Middlton used a White Snake to land three.

David Hutton returned four, Ross Mcclung also had four up to 3lb and Ross Mcizaac had two on a Beaded Buzzer.