well folk their in the river that's for sure.
i was on the river this afternoon and as usual started at the Sea pool ,with my two boys which i soon wished was another day ,i know its terrible ,but when the fish are their i like to fish ,and i was getting the I'm cold treatment constantly and thus ended up taking down my rod and going home with a great big rotten pitbull bee stung face.
well anyway back to the fish i seen ,which were of a good size by the look of the tail patterns they were throwing off when turning on the top of the water and they also looked very fresh ,as if they were just in which could have been totally possible as the tide was just getting to its height and covering the lower fall of the sea pool and that's when you normally get the fish showing in the pool ,and if your really lucky you can get to see them from up on the bank entering in a pod of salmon which is quite a scene and something I've only ever seen 4 times on the Kelvin.
i am looking forward to the next few weeks on the river now as i know that fish are entering and that makes all the difference as you will know ,its give you that will power to stay another couple of hours or so and that's what makes the difference as you must put the time in for these fish as remember they don't feed in fresh water and your best chance of getting them is when they are just fresh in as they are still very switched on and takes can be thunderous to say the least ,so hang on if you are planing a visit to the river over the next few days .
i wish everyone the best of luck for the new season ahead!, and all you folk who have never had a salmon ,i hope you get your reward this time ,as the new guys deserve a fish more than others at times, as they are the ones on the river from morning to night .
i am going to do my best to keep people up to date on whats happening along the river this year ,as I'm going to be fishing much more water as a rule ,so as i can find some new places that hold fish ,,as their must be many along the river ,,after all its over 3o miles long .
Saturday, 11 April 2009
Friday, 10 April 2009
What does the year ahead hold
i have been thinking of what this year may hold for me and other determined anglers who fish the river most of the year ,just what will be in the river this year in the way of migratory fish(Sea trout / Salmon) i wonder will their be a twenty pound fish caught this year ,as each year the fish seem to get that little bit bigger and if the trend be set then it should be a fish over twenty if were lucky,well if I'm lucky ,,Ha Ha,,.
Also i have been hearing that their are to be trout of a bigger size stocked this year of a lb - 2 lb which will be very nice and will definitely keep me going until i can get my teeth into a salmon or sea trout.
A PICTURE OF A FRIEND FISHING FOR SALMON LAST YEAR
i used to consider myself a trout angler and still do ,but from the moment the first real sign of some good steady run of sea trout or salmon are in the river ,i must say i am switched onto them overnight and pursue them will every last breath in my body.
the salmon that enter the river are usually around the 6lb mark (Grilse) well this is i would say the average ,although their are plenty of fish in the double figure range and upwards as I've sen my fare share of fish in the twenty pound range making the falls at Yorkhill ,also know as the Sea pool ,
THE SEA POOL AT YORKHILL 2009
The Sea pool has caused some real concern among the anglers over the past couple of years with stories of loads and loads of fish being killed by inexperienced and experienced anglers alike, which i must say i do agree that their is scope for improvement (Big) improvement on this part and many other parts of the river as far as catch and release is concerned ,but i must say i have not seen the horrendous numbers of fish being killed every year ,and i fish their regularly ,and i know i may be biast ,,,but i do love fishing the run below the falls for salmon and sea trout ,,and would gladly ,if made a rule by the club, allow for this area to become a sanctuary for the salmon ,but until it is made a rule i will continue to fish it a t high tide,,.
As far as the trout fishing goes ,i am looking forward to the hatches of olives on the river ,which can be really good at times,, i just hope we get the right weather for good constant dry fly action this year ,,as their is just nothing to beat it ,is their guys, and girls of course ,i just love that turn of a trout at your fly and then the slurp and its gone ,then i count or sometimes not , one--two strike and its on ,,and your in your element ,their is also something else i just love on the river Kelvin ,,and that's when you get a few people stopping and staring you as if you are mad fishing that sewer pipe ,and then just as they go to turn away ,,a fish rises and your on ,and a couple of flips here and twirls their you bring the most stunning looking fish these people have ever seen to hand ,and they just stand their stunned ,and then say my god did you catch that in their ,to which you say in amazement "you did watch me catch it from here ",to which you often get the "so their is fish in their!!", i didn't know that",,, and its just fantastic as you return the fish and walk on looking into the water for another beautiful trout.
So if you stay near the river Kelvin ,i would get along to the local tackle shop ,and pay your £20.00 or £10.00 pound if unemployed ,,as its the best fishing for the price in the Clyde system and is showing good signs of improvement each year ,so what you got to lose ,actually quite allot ,like a great days fishing for next to nothing ,trout that are just beautiful ,,and the good chance of some sea trout action, as well as salmon too .
if anyone is interested in finding out some things about the river,, and i can help then give me a line and i will meet up with you and do my best to show you a few good starting points on the river ,,and i can also help a little with fly casting ,and rod set up too ,so their no excuse guys ,get on the river you will be glad you did.
look here for the official site run by my friend Alistair.
http://fishkelvin.com/
Also i have been hearing that their are to be trout of a bigger size stocked this year of a lb - 2 lb which will be very nice and will definitely keep me going until i can get my teeth into a salmon or sea trout.
A PICTURE OF A FRIEND FISHING FOR SALMON LAST YEAR
i used to consider myself a trout angler and still do ,but from the moment the first real sign of some good steady run of sea trout or salmon are in the river ,i must say i am switched onto them overnight and pursue them will every last breath in my body.
the salmon that enter the river are usually around the 6lb mark (Grilse) well this is i would say the average ,although their are plenty of fish in the double figure range and upwards as I've sen my fare share of fish in the twenty pound range making the falls at Yorkhill ,also know as the Sea pool ,
THE SEA POOL AT YORKHILL 2009
The Sea pool has caused some real concern among the anglers over the past couple of years with stories of loads and loads of fish being killed by inexperienced and experienced anglers alike, which i must say i do agree that their is scope for improvement (Big) improvement on this part and many other parts of the river as far as catch and release is concerned ,but i must say i have not seen the horrendous numbers of fish being killed every year ,and i fish their regularly ,and i know i may be biast ,,,but i do love fishing the run below the falls for salmon and sea trout ,,and would gladly ,if made a rule by the club, allow for this area to become a sanctuary for the salmon ,but until it is made a rule i will continue to fish it a t high tide,,.
As far as the trout fishing goes ,i am looking forward to the hatches of olives on the river ,which can be really good at times,, i just hope we get the right weather for good constant dry fly action this year ,,as their is just nothing to beat it ,is their guys, and girls of course ,i just love that turn of a trout at your fly and then the slurp and its gone ,then i count or sometimes not , one--two strike and its on ,,and your in your element ,their is also something else i just love on the river Kelvin ,,and that's when you get a few people stopping and staring you as if you are mad fishing that sewer pipe ,and then just as they go to turn away ,,a fish rises and your on ,and a couple of flips here and twirls their you bring the most stunning looking fish these people have ever seen to hand ,and they just stand their stunned ,and then say my god did you catch that in their ,to which you say in amazement "you did watch me catch it from here ",to which you often get the "so their is fish in their!!", i didn't know that",,, and its just fantastic as you return the fish and walk on looking into the water for another beautiful trout.
So if you stay near the river Kelvin ,i would get along to the local tackle shop ,and pay your £20.00 or £10.00 pound if unemployed ,,as its the best fishing for the price in the Clyde system and is showing good signs of improvement each year ,so what you got to lose ,actually quite allot ,like a great days fishing for next to nothing ,trout that are just beautiful ,,and the good chance of some sea trout action, as well as salmon too .
if anyone is interested in finding out some things about the river,, and i can help then give me a line and i will meet up with you and do my best to show you a few good starting points on the river ,,and i can also help a little with fly casting ,and rod set up too ,so their no excuse guys ,get on the river you will be glad you did.
look here for the official site run by my friend Alistair.
http://fishkelvin.com/
Monday, 6 April 2009
Lost property PHEEEWWWW
Today i was on my way home with my two sons who i get to see each weekend and cherish the little time i get with them to the full .
the day started of with the usual getting everyone breakfast ,,and then arranging with their mum when they will be coming home ,,which is always a slightly sad moment!! ,although i must say the prospect of fishing was playing on my mind, and i was looking forward to it ,so the gear was gathered and the boys dressed ,and so it was to the bus stop!, and on my way home with the boys.
i usually get a certain bus ,as it takes them very nearly to their front door ,but waiting at the bus stop the boys had got somewhat restless and i decided that another bus which would involve two buses in the end would be a good idea, and so all the way home the boys were fighting ,,and slagging each other off ,which really gets me worked up ,as i try to tell them the importance of brothers sticking together ,but the whole time i am thinking of me and my older brother fighting at that age.
i usually keep my bag on my back, as I've forgot it before when getting off the bus and was very lucky to get it back, and so the fighting continued ,,and as we approached our stop i was that eager to get off ,i just got up and marched the two boys to the front of the bus saying "I'm not impressed with you both" and now we are all of the bus and standing waiting for the second part of the journey to start when my eldest son says "dad do you have my jacket " and i reply" yes its in my fishinggggggg baaaggggg,"" awwww fur fruck sake ,I've left it on the bus" and then it goes through your head ,whats in the bag? and so i start to go through the list ,of which i don't really want to list here ,,as i would be told that i was a silly boy for carrying all that gear when i didn't need it really, but after some time i considered the value and it would be an easy £700 and counting ,so needless to say i was gutted, and began the process of trying to recover it which was the most sickening 45 minutes I've ever spent over my gear.
i will cut this story a little shorter and let you guys know ,i did eventually get my gear back by waiting on the bus returning to the stop on the other side of the road and the driver had it in beside him ,,and yet again i had been extremely lucky!! to have it back in my hands.
I did have an hour or so on the river after that ,,and no i didn't catch anything ,but i was just happy i had the opportunity to go fishing at all ,and today is another day i have felt the real appreciation for the gear i have ,so be careful out their always make sure you know were your gear is,, and try to remember to lift it to take home at the end of the day no matter how heavy it may be.
oh and a big sorry to my boys for shouting at then and blaming them for what was only a very short time as i shouldn't have done that at all.
good to have my gear and I'm happy i can go fishing tomorrow .
the day started of with the usual getting everyone breakfast ,,and then arranging with their mum when they will be coming home ,,which is always a slightly sad moment!! ,although i must say the prospect of fishing was playing on my mind, and i was looking forward to it ,so the gear was gathered and the boys dressed ,and so it was to the bus stop!, and on my way home with the boys.
i usually get a certain bus ,as it takes them very nearly to their front door ,but waiting at the bus stop the boys had got somewhat restless and i decided that another bus which would involve two buses in the end would be a good idea, and so all the way home the boys were fighting ,,and slagging each other off ,which really gets me worked up ,as i try to tell them the importance of brothers sticking together ,but the whole time i am thinking of me and my older brother fighting at that age.
i usually keep my bag on my back, as I've forgot it before when getting off the bus and was very lucky to get it back, and so the fighting continued ,,and as we approached our stop i was that eager to get off ,i just got up and marched the two boys to the front of the bus saying "I'm not impressed with you both" and now we are all of the bus and standing waiting for the second part of the journey to start when my eldest son says "dad do you have my jacket " and i reply" yes its in my fishinggggggg baaaggggg,"" awwww fur fruck sake ,I've left it on the bus" and then it goes through your head ,whats in the bag? and so i start to go through the list ,of which i don't really want to list here ,,as i would be told that i was a silly boy for carrying all that gear when i didn't need it really, but after some time i considered the value and it would be an easy £700 and counting ,so needless to say i was gutted, and began the process of trying to recover it which was the most sickening 45 minutes I've ever spent over my gear.
i will cut this story a little shorter and let you guys know ,i did eventually get my gear back by waiting on the bus returning to the stop on the other side of the road and the driver had it in beside him ,,and yet again i had been extremely lucky!! to have it back in my hands.
I did have an hour or so on the river after that ,,and no i didn't catch anything ,but i was just happy i had the opportunity to go fishing at all ,and today is another day i have felt the real appreciation for the gear i have ,so be careful out their always make sure you know were your gear is,, and try to remember to lift it to take home at the end of the day no matter how heavy it may be.
oh and a big sorry to my boys for shouting at then and blaming them for what was only a very short time as i shouldn't have done that at all.
good to have my gear and I'm happy i can go fishing tomorrow .
Friday, 3 April 2009
Freindly faces
The same old faces are their year in year out ,,and new friends i have made each year.
I feel sometimes i go to the river just for the familiar faces ,and the banter ,,which is often some of the funniest stuff I've ever heard ,but us fisherman are like this ,we spend allot of time on our own at the river ,and when we meet up with friend we have accumulated over the years fishing the river we have a common ground, and are good are ribbing each other with stories of the past ,and woo betide the person that has lost a fish in front of anyone as they can become the focus point of the banter.
i must say that the people i have met on the river are some of the nicest people i have ever come across ,generous ,caring , and always welcoming to a new face on the river, so if you are thinking of fishing the river Kelvin then remember this statement and don't be scared to approach anyone on the river bank as you will often find you make a new friend and also pick up some priceless tips to help you on your way to fishing the river successfully.
I arrived at the river to a familiar face ! "Ozzy"
if any of you know him you will say the same as me i think, a nice guy who is always approachable and a source of information on the happenings of the river were he has fished for many years now i think.
anyway after a quick chat discussing the lay of the land,, and the fact that their are new changes on the table for the river ,which in some instances are causing real problems.
I really do feel it for the people who fish the bridge at the sea pool ,as they have fished it for years ,,and the fact that it is a derelict bridge that they are fishing from ,,and not one that has a public footpath on it , i thought may have been in their favour ,but no it seems rules are rules and no one has to fish the bridge.
the reason i feel for these people are mainly because two of my best friends on the river fish that bridge , ,and they keep themselves to themselves,, and fish their every day morning to night ,no matter the weather , i just hope you guys find a new place ,of which their are many on the river in which to fish to your hearts content ,,and i wish you all the best for the new season ahead ,but one thing i will ask is don't go getting yourselves into bother be it a night in a cell or god forbid something worse over this matter ,as its just not worth it my friends, is it.!!!
I will now get on to the fishing ,i fished a floating line with a 2lb tippet on my Diawa whisker fly 4/5 weight 8 half ft ,,which is a great wee rod coupled with my bfr reel 4/5 which works great for dry fly work as well as light nymph work and spiders .
I started of with a black Klinkhammer which i was casting to a couple of sporadic rising fish ,,of which i had a couple of refusals,, and so changed over to a size 16 pheasant tail nymph, which managed to bring me 3 fish ,all of around the quarter pound mark , with one of them being a salmon Parr.
so another good little day with the good signs that you want to see from your river ! in the form of juvenile fish ,thus showing that spawning of wild fish is occurring and by the numbers occurring in a big way as i seen plenty of these small fish.
I feel sometimes i go to the river just for the familiar faces ,and the banter ,,which is often some of the funniest stuff I've ever heard ,but us fisherman are like this ,we spend allot of time on our own at the river ,and when we meet up with friend we have accumulated over the years fishing the river we have a common ground, and are good are ribbing each other with stories of the past ,and woo betide the person that has lost a fish in front of anyone as they can become the focus point of the banter.
i must say that the people i have met on the river are some of the nicest people i have ever come across ,generous ,caring , and always welcoming to a new face on the river, so if you are thinking of fishing the river Kelvin then remember this statement and don't be scared to approach anyone on the river bank as you will often find you make a new friend and also pick up some priceless tips to help you on your way to fishing the river successfully.
I arrived at the river to a familiar face ! "Ozzy"
if any of you know him you will say the same as me i think, a nice guy who is always approachable and a source of information on the happenings of the river were he has fished for many years now i think.
anyway after a quick chat discussing the lay of the land,, and the fact that their are new changes on the table for the river ,which in some instances are causing real problems.
I really do feel it for the people who fish the bridge at the sea pool ,as they have fished it for years ,,and the fact that it is a derelict bridge that they are fishing from ,,and not one that has a public footpath on it , i thought may have been in their favour ,but no it seems rules are rules and no one has to fish the bridge.
the reason i feel for these people are mainly because two of my best friends on the river fish that bridge , ,and they keep themselves to themselves,, and fish their every day morning to night ,no matter the weather , i just hope you guys find a new place ,of which their are many on the river in which to fish to your hearts content ,,and i wish you all the best for the new season ahead ,but one thing i will ask is don't go getting yourselves into bother be it a night in a cell or god forbid something worse over this matter ,as its just not worth it my friends, is it.!!!
I will now get on to the fishing ,i fished a floating line with a 2lb tippet on my Diawa whisker fly 4/5 weight 8 half ft ,,which is a great wee rod coupled with my bfr reel 4/5 which works great for dry fly work as well as light nymph work and spiders .
I started of with a black Klinkhammer which i was casting to a couple of sporadic rising fish ,,of which i had a couple of refusals,, and so changed over to a size 16 pheasant tail nymph, which managed to bring me 3 fish ,all of around the quarter pound mark , with one of them being a salmon Parr.
so another good little day with the good signs that you want to see from your river ! in the form of juvenile fish ,thus showing that spawning of wild fish is occurring and by the numbers occurring in a big way as i seen plenty of these small fish.
contemplating a change
After speaking to my friend and fellow angler Alistair ,who runs the official River Kelvin site (http://fishkelvin.com/) And his own outstanding personal blog ( http://urbanflyfisher.com/ ) which is so full of top quality material , and deserves the large following it has.
A Picture of the Vet school run yesterday..
I spoke to Alistair regarding my own blog ,,and also my new forum for 2009 ,which covers all types of fishing on the river ,and all types of methods in which to fish,but after some discussion and which sounded good advice from Alistair, about where my blog and forum were going,, and what would help to improve them , Alistair came up with the following idea's .
Macro Photography
First of all Alistair already has over a hundred ,it may in fact be allot more than that for his forum ,which is concerning the river and fishing it, but what he pointed out was really very plain that i should have thought about it myself before now ,as Alistair says he is a devoted trout fisherman, and has no lust or passion to go fishing for what he called belligerent salmon!! who don't even feed while in the river ,and that i have caught and know so much more about their habits and positions in the river while they ascend it to spawn , thus bringing to the discussion the idea that as Alistair is already established on the net as the number one river Kelvin site ..,which as he says in mainly dedicated to trout fishing .
A Lovely April Daffodil taken using Macro Photography
this is where we discussed the possibility of changing my new forum over to a forum dedicated to migratory fish in the river Kelvin which all made sense as he could send people looking for tips or advice on salmon and sea trout on the river over to my forum and anyone asking about trout fishing on the river i will pass on to him .,thus giving me a better chance of succeeding with my forum and also a dedicated place for members of the river to use as a source of information
I love this pic it screams April to me ,, with the robin who i never seem to see after the beginning of April and the opening tree buds to celebrate the coming of summer
I would be very grateful to here peoples views on this matter ,to weather they think this would be a good or bad decision for me my blog and the forum no matter how much it is struggling to attain members at the moment ,as i do believe it will pick up in the months ahead as people like diversity in their discussion and having 2 forums will give that even more than one.
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