TV Presenters

I’ve been avidly watching old fishing programmes and podcasts, mainly to get fly fishing tips and catch up on the latest gear and equipment, as it’s over thirty years since I last fished with a fly rod.

This is my personal opinion on the various presenters:

Paul Young: easy to listen to, comes across as a nice guy, enthusiastic and knowledgeable, I could share a pint and a boat with him, but not in a high wind, if the breeze caught those ears, we would be surfing.

John Wilson: knows his stuff, enthusiastic, though sometimes too enthusiastic and has a laugh that really gets on my t…, and he laughs a lot especially if he has a fish on. I could share a pint with him but I couldn’t share a boat, the priest would be bouncing off the back of his head when he hooked a fish.

Hywel Morgan: A really good set of programmes, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and obviously knows his stuff, nice Welsh accent too. Not bad at the casting either. He seems like the kind of man you would enjoy sharing a pint and a boat with.

Matt Hayes/Mick Brown: Easy to watch and listen to but they seem to be more coarse fishing enthusiasts. Matt is a better fly angler than his mate Mick, even I can cast better than him. A couple of really nice guys who would be good company in a pub or a boat.

Rex Hunt: A fat Aussie, rough and ready but loves his fishing. Good presenter, enthusiastic and someone you could share a pint or two with, but would probably have no memory of it the next day.

 

Memories

A view of the Glazert from the bridge near the Glazertbank Hotel

I went for a walk along the Glazert, from the bridge at the Torrance road all the way up to Campsie Glen. It’s about a two-mile walk along the local walkway and path, which roughly follows the course of the river. I walked passed many spots on the river that I remembered guddling for trout with my mates when I was just a young boy, progressing to fly fishing as I got older

Although it was a nice day I didn’t see one angler fishing, which I found sad, as it’s such a lovely little river with plenty of trout…… small trout but really hard fighters.

I approached a part of the river known as the Greystone (think the name has something to do with the Calico and Bleach works which were here many years ago) which is where I caught my biggest ever Glazert trout, a one and a quarter pound wild brown trout taken on a dry-fly when I was eighteen, to me at that age it was a monster and I proudly presented it to my mum to cook, “I’m not cooking or eating that”  she said.  It’s funny how a lot of people won’t eat fish caught by themselves or friends but will happily eat a fish supper or cook fish from a Fishmonger or Supermarket. The river and it’s banks at the Greystone has changed dramatically over the years, the old weir is almost all gone and fallen trees have changed the river’s course.

Photographed near  Balglass Farm

Walking over the stone bridge at the old Lennox Castle Hospital site,  brought back memories of when, as a young boy I used to watch one of my neighbours,  Jackie Gallagher casting to and catching little brown trout and then releasing them, Jackie was a lovely, gentle natured man who always gave me a wave when I was watching him fish, and when I was a bit older, he kindly gave me a few casting lessons and fishing tips. Jackie and his wife Nan are sadly long gone but not forgotten, lovely people.

Passing the old Lennox Castle Hospital site brought back a flood of memories of my thirty-year working life there, right up until it’s closure in 2002. I used to walk through it as a boy to get the bus to school, always stopping at the bridge to watch the trout lying below. I started my nursing career there and enjoyed every moment of my time there, meeting wonderful, warm, caring and hard-working friends and colleagues who are now scattered throughout central Scotland since the hospital’s closure.

The newly built bridge at the hospital site is where the Glazert  begins.  Just a few yards upstream of this bridge is where the Kirkton Burn and Fin Glen Burn converge to become the Glazert Water.

The new bridge at the old Lennox Castle site.

In the coming weeks I will start fishing the river once again and though I probably will never catch a trout over a pound in weight, I will enjoy spending time on the  river, even if I catch nowt, I will have had a day spent in lovely surroundings with only the sounds of running water, bird song and memories to keep me company.

 

Glasgow Angling Centre Open Day

I went to Glasgow Angling Centres Open Day with the OH on the 4th of March just to have a quick look around, knowing she would have me out of the store in minutes. Parking was a nightmare but I eventually got a space in front of the supermarket next to the Angling Centre.

OH stated that “there’s an awful lot of Chinese around here”, I pointed out that it was a Chinese Supermarket we were parked at. I had a quick look around, the only celebrity I spotted was Hywel Morgan – no Paul Young or Davie McPhail, who I especially wanted to watch tying flies as he makes it look so easy – the fecker.

I eventually had to go hunting for the OH who I found at the Cookshill Stand admiring the pheasant tails and various feathers.  I bought a packet of hooks and a spool of copper wire, the OH bought pheasant tails and wings and spent twice as much as me – though I know where the feathers are going.

 

Alloch Dam

I went for a walk with the dog the other day, down the walkway from Lennoxtown to Milton of Campsie and up and around the Alloch Dam at Mr Lapsley’s estate.

I have heard he has changed his name to Stirling, in keeping with the previous landowner Lady Stirling. It’s sad to see the dam in such poor condition with the boathouses ready to fall down, trees lying in the water and weed and reeds encroaching further and further into the dam each year.

I saw no signs of any fish and am not even sure that there are any, though years ago it was stocked and used to be poached regularly despite the presence of a gamekeeper.

Met a man out walking his Labrador who told me that the dam was due to be drained for repair work as it is leaking badly at the southern end, and the farm track below this wall is really sodden, even in very dry weather If you know anything about the drainage work please let me know as I would like to see what’s in the dam when and if  they do drain it.

Alloch Dam and old Boathouses

 

New Fly Rod & Reel

Well, after weeks of surfing sites looking at fly equipment, I have decided to buy a fly fishing outfit from Yorkshire Game Angling. This consists of a Sonik SK3 9ft 6in 6 – 7 rod and a Sonik SK3 Cassette reel with three spare spools loaded with Sonik floating, intermediate and sinking fly line complete with backing and fitted ready to fish. Hopefully a bargain at £149.99.

I have trolled sites reviewing these rods and all report good things. This outfit is not really suitable for small river fishing, especially the tree lined Glazert but there are so many stillwaters and lochs around my area that I will hopefully improve my casting on these before buying some small river equipment and losing my flies in the tree branches.

If anyone out there has or knows someone with a Sonik fly rod let me have your opinion on them.

 

Tying with Marabou

Had a go at tying some fly lures such as Cats Whiskers, Cormorants and others, using various coloured Marabou, Fritz and other materials. Tying these is a quicker but a messier process to other types.  It doesn’t seem to matter how careful I am, there are always marabou fibres floating around the room and they seem to get everywhere, much to the annoyance of the OH. I do enjoy tying this type of fly though, and have learned through online forums etc, to moisten the fibres before tying them in, which makes it a lot easier and to tear fibres off, not cut them with scissors to give a more natural look to the fly.

 

Buzzer Fly Box

My first efforts at fly tying, a box of buzzers. I can only get better. I find tying flies a very relaxing and satisfying hobby – that is, once you get past the breaking thread stage.

This box is the result of a few nights bent over the vice, wishing I had smaller hands and more of them. Someone told me Pheasant Tail Nymphs were a dawdle – the lying bustard – I would wind the tail fibres on and just as I was about to tie them off they would slip from my fingers and unwind like a bleeding spring.

After tying buzzers they get a  few coats of varnish – Sally Hansen’s “Hard As Nails” seems to be the choice of most fly tiers but I personally feel strange handing this over at the” Boots” till, you do get some strange looks.

 

Returning to Angling

Following my early retiral from the Health Service I decided to take up fly fishing again, something I have not done for over thirty-five years.

I remember as a youngster fly fishing the Glazert Water from the bridge at Lennox Castle Hospital down to the bridge over station road at Lennoxtown, catching small brown trout of no more than half-a-pound. They were great days and I wasn’t disappointed having a blank day as it was fun just being on the river fishing.

I am currently in the process of buying equipment and will add to my blogs as I progress. Having browsed the web I am amazed at how cheaply (or expensively) angling can be compared to other sports.

I am looking to buy two outfits – one for lochs and stillwaters – 9ft – 10ft rod and reel with 7/8 rated line and another for fishing small rivers and streams – 7ft – 8 ft and rated for 3/4 line.

Glazert Water at Station Road bridge looking upstream