Angling reports: April 1

Apr 1 2011 by Mike WIlson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

AYR ANGLING CLUB: Loch Bradan started slowly but has been picking up with the top layers of water heating up. Best method small black fly with slow sinking line.

Shankston fishing well with several members taking the limit. Loch Snipe doing well also although the jetties are out of bounds because of the high water level. There were 57 rainbows caught this week with the average weight just under 3lbs.

River Ayr brown trout fishing has been good with a few caught on the bubble and worm. Gadgirth has been fished a lot more due to the paths and access points to the river. A big thanks to members who did this! Also being able to fish Crawfordston side once again.

DALVENNAN FISHERY: thanks go to all who turned up for the open day on Saturday.

Don Wallace 11 c/r, Sandra 10 c/r, Olaf three c/r, Jock Hardie two c/r, Stevie Grace one c/r, Cheryl Reid three c/r, Iain Reid three c/r, Jim Lawrie two c/r, John Hode two kept (6½lbs) returned 15, Ronnie Kennedy two kept (5¾lbs) returned four, Kevin Ewart three kept (7½lbs), Campbell Cowie two kept (5¼), Paul Campbell one kept (3lbs), Chris Gilbert three kept (7½).

Best flies on the day were orange fritz and yellow dancer.

COYLE WATER FISHERY (Coylton): fly pond: Alan Capper of Drongan released seven on a yellow dancer, Tam Jarvie of Drongan, four on a yellow dancer, Alan Munro of Paisley, on a one fish ticket, kept one for 2lb 9zs and released another seven, Kelsey McPherson, age eight, from Drongan, caught her first fish and kept it for 2lbs 6ozs on a secret fly.

Bait pond: Jay Black, from Cumnock, killed three with the heaviest fish 3lbs, total of 7½lbs. J. McRobert, of Dalmellington, caught two out of his three for a weight of 4½lbs.

BURNS TROUT FISHERY (Tarbolton): winner of the senior bait competition was Dennis Morgan with four fish for 8lb 14oz. Second was D. Butcher with four for 7lb 12oz while third was Darren McCall with fourth for 7lb 3oz.

The Park Bar from Clydebank visited and caught 94 fish while the CSO from Ayr and Girvan caught 21 fish between them.

Fly pond: Tam Boyle eight for 15lb 10oz, A Murphy two for 5lb, D McKie two for 6lb 10oz, T Kennedy four for 8lb, J Barr two for 4lb 8oz, Tam Izzett two for 5lb, Ian Skilling four for 8lb 2oz, Andy Duncan three for 5lb 8oz.

Bait pond: Rab Purdie nine for 15lb 8oz, Kim Dunnachie eight for 15lb 2oz, E McKinley four for 8lb; D Taylor two for 3lb 8oz; L Millar four for 7lb 10oz, T Halloway two for 4lb; G Alexander two for 3lb 14oz; A Todman four for 7lb 8oz; McPike clan four for 7lb 14; Rhys Brown (aged three) one for 2lb; B Muirhead one for 2lb.

SPRINGWATER FISHERY (Dalrymple): fly pond fishing well. Mr Agnew, who stayed in the log cabins, released 36 fish over four days. Best fly was a black buzzer. Good to see Ian Crossan back and releasing seven on a four hour ticket.

Bait pond fishing well. Best catch goes to the same man as last week fromKilmarnock with five fish for 12lbs.

Coarse pond fishing well now the warmer weather is starting to show. Ewan Weed from Ayr won the Springwater winter league match with 25lbs of silver fish caught up in the water with maggot.

RAITH RESERVOIR (Prestwick): the second week of the season, although less attended, was totally different.

Maybe it was the nicer weather but pensioners J. Lothian had seven on power bait, T. Wilson four on power bait, Curdy Hay four on the floating worm, Andy Faichney four on the running worm, Andy McKissock three for 6½lbs on a yellow dancer, seniors Robert Scott four on power bait and Tom Drummond four for 10lbs 14oz on power bait.

Other returns showed Lewis Kerr, John Gibson and M. Spence two each and others picking up the odd fish on a green fritz. As usual, the majority didn’t quite manage to record the weights and methods.

A well attended Saturday was to prove dead slow then stop, Neil McGinn had three rainbow on a Green Fritz and a blue on a Montana Nymph for 9lbs 2oz, Bob Younger two rainbows on an Orange Rapala for 4lbs 4oz. Robert Simpson one rainbow for 2lbs 3oz on an Orange Mepp, Jim Phillips an absolutely perfect 1 lbs brown trout on an Orange Mepp, 12-year-old Andrew Anderson a 2lbs rainbow on an Orange Mepp then the flat calm turned the reservoir into a sheet of glass.

It was youngsters who started taking the odd fish on power bait out in the deep water. Annie O’Hara (age nine), cousins Dylan, 10, and Liam Ross, 11, one each, dad Stevie ‘nil’ oops.

Andrew managed another two rainbows for 4lbs 6oz on power bait, 85-year-old Joe Smolcic two on power bait, Andy Faichney two on the running worm, W. Ure one blue on a floating worm. John Anderson, Robert Scott and Michael McLaughlin managed one each on power bait. The bright sun and flat calm hindered records being broken.

The club thank all the volunteers who helped with the stockings. As the fields were impassable, the fish had to be carried over the field and without their help there would have been no fishing.

Ticket outlets: Gamesport of Ayr, Newalls newsagents of Monkton, Pets Aquarium of Prestwick, Torbets of Kilmarnock and Wee Jimmy’s of Bank Street, Irvine.

BROOMHILL FISHERY (Patna to Rankinston B730): water temperature improving with anglers having good success using various flies. Favoured flies are: Cormorants Fritz, Orange/ Pink Blobs, Black/ Pink Nymphs and Crunchers.

Catches: Tom Carey 15 c/r (over two visits), Danny Szulc 22 c/r (over three visits), John Hagan nine c/r, Archie Thom 15 c/r (over three visits), Jack Graham three c/r and kept two, Geordie Kerr eight c/r, Rab Dunsmuir four c/r, Budgie four c/r, Ali Haggerty six c/r, Robbie Kerr seven c/r, John Kiltie three c/r, Kenny Barrie three c/r, Bill McGartland two c/r, Geordie Dorrans three c/r and Rab Galloway four c/r.