LochGoin Report 2017
13 August 2017
I took a walk around the Goin to see if it was worth having a cast. The water levels up a bit more and the water clarity much better. I had gone down the bottom end to put up some new information signs. I was surprised to see a fish rising. I first thought it was a rock, but no it was a fish. It came up regularly making a tour of it's territory. It was taking small sedges and black buzzers. As I walked up the shore, the rocky areas felt safe. Even the peaty areas were firm to walk on, but there were areas were it was still soft and deep so great care is required. All the way up I saw fish rising. The fly life seems to have adapted to the lower water conditions, and so have the fish. They were right in at the side, easy casting distance. There have not been many people fishing but It would be wrong to write off the Goin. It has only been lightly fished this year so offers great potential. I saw no fish up the top end. I will let you know how I get on when I visit later in the week.
10 August 2017
The water levels are now rising after Scottish water closed off the drain tap.
06 July 2017
The water levels are right down and it looks like they will be allowed to drop another foot or so. There are still some good bank spots for fishing. Apart from the dam wall and round the side of the club hut, they do require a little walking. It is good to see the layout of the bottom for future reference. The catch return book was showing few people out. There were many blanks, with a few 1s and 2s. If felt very depressing as the Goin does not fish as well in low water. There was no fly life about. The only fish I saw moving was getting chased by a cormorant. The fish escaped. Yahooo. So I was very surprise when my first cast produced a fish. I had been drifting down the left hand bank. (Good spot from the bank). When I saw a fish jump right out the water. When I reached that same spot it jumped again, this time with my flies in it's mouth. Number 2 not bad. It was noticeable that the fish had lost weight. By the length they should have been a pound and a half, but they were a pound. As the evening progressed there was no evening hatch and I never saw any other fish moving.
11 June 2017
I went up to size up our timber requirements for this weekends work.
It was torrential rain and a very good generating day. Surprisingly there was another angler up. Who managed to get 2 in the most appalling conditions.
I was just going to go home but decided to give it a few casts. This is where the roll cast comes into its own. Sheltered behind the boat house, the cast was rolled out. I was just complimenting myself on the efficiency of the cast when I got my first swirl at the flies. Was that a fish. Surely not in these conditions. Covered it again and fish on. A cracking 1 1/2lb fully finned, red spotted, yellow bellied, brownie. Wow. I am sure it was the same fish the last angler told me about. Or may be there was 2. A few more casts and bang. Another cracking brownie. Ok it was 3 inches long but welcome none the less. Soaked to the skin I called it a day. 2 fish for 10 mins not bad.
31 May 2017
Well it was busy tonight. All the boats were out and there was 4 bank anglers.
Well everyone had fish some with 2's and 3 's being the order of the day. That is all except me. Rose one for the evening but it never took the fly. That was the only fish I saw all evening. I fished all the areas where I had seen tons of fish on the last trip. It looked like the fish were waiting in ambush for flies getting blown out the gorse. Kiss of death I had the movie camera this time.
The water is well down now and dropping fast. We will try to find out what is going on.
25 May 2017
I have been fishing the Corsehouse lately and it has been fishing well. I have now returned to my beloved Loch Goin, firstly to see if I could retrieve the broken key from the lock. However Ian Forbes our president had already beaten me to it and access had been restored. The combination padlock has also been changed due to rock damage.
Flat calm conditions, bright sunny conditions are never the best for fishing. But the big sedges were out so there is always hope. Some the size of bats. The fish were rising everywhere, the fly life, including the midge were out in force. It was warm, very warm. The best tactic was to creep up to rising fish cast a fly over them and strip it back at full speed. I mean 5 mph. The fly skating across the surface. Bang fish on. Damn, no video camera for the action shots and what action it was. Airborne fish 3 feet in the air, what a sight and what a fight. Followed by another 3. All around a pound. fantastic fun.
29 April 2017
It is still cold and I think i have lost my fish catching mojo.
Some other committee members were out fishing this evening and they caught. One had 4 and the other 2. I had none, again.
28 April 2017
There has not been many people out this week. One plus myself. The bitter cold has put the fish down and the fishermen off. 0 fish caught. The water is also well down. Probably 3 feet down since the start of the year. When I was up this evening, the usually hot spots were very shallow. One word of warning. Don't be tempted to wade. There are still some very good fishing spots. Some require a little walking but well worth it. At this time of year the fish do tend to be in the shallows so boat fishing tends to put you out too deep. I did manage to hook and loose one. Then lost my fly to a wire fence. I didn't have my fly box so only got half and hours fishing. There was plenty of fly life, but little surface fish activity.
22 April 2017
I used a change of tactics this time. Gone was the 1 inch muddler, in came the Kate Mclaren and a silver invicta size 8 on the point. I just wanted to see if I could convert more takes into more caught fish using smaller flies. Well first fish came to the mclaren. It didnt take it but as it turned it spotted the Invicta and had that instead. A nice fish about the 1lb mark. As the evening progressed it was getting very, very cold. Snow in the hills cold. Couldn't feel your hands cold. I perceived and was rewarded with a nice 1 1/2 lb fish. Same thing. Up for the mclaren, turned and took the invicta. 2 offers 2 fish not bad. There was another angler out on the boat and he had managed to get 2 small wild fish. PS the minnows were starting to make an appearance in the shallows.
16 April 2017
It was an all action trip. Rounded up the escaped sheep and close the gate behind them. Bailed out the boats. According to the returns, there had been a few fish caught today 2s and 3s, with a few blanks earlier in the week. The first cast, you know the one, where you roll the cast into the water prior to stripping the line from the reel before you start fishing. Well, there was a bow wave straight to my flies, a huge swirl. I tightened into a nice 1lb stocky. I don't know who was most surprised. This was the first time I have been up for an extended period, well 4 hrs. I was rising fish wherever I went. Well round the loch I decided to practice my spey casting, as I couldn't back cast. Snake roll, switch cast, single and double spey and straight roll cast. It was not pretty. To my surprise a fish came up. But I missed it. I carefully covered it again. But no joy. I went back to trashing the water to a froth with my attempts at spey casting when up came one followed by another on the tail fly. Two fish on the same cast. Where there should have bee no fish at all. Happy days. I was a good workout wading back through the swampy ground.
12 April 2017
It was bitterly cold and really windy. But I still decided to give it a go. I met Robert Hutchison, who was just leaving. "Too cold too windy"said Robert. Well Robert, big mistake 3 nice fish about a pound each. Not as good as the big ones you had the last time you were up. But very hard fighting. They were very well spread out and the wind did drop as the evening went on.
6 April 2017
It was slightly better conditions today. Colder. I fished hard but never raised anything till the last minute, but missed it. So still a chance to catch.
5 April
A message from one of our members:
I was on goin loch Wednesday 5/4/17 for an evening session on a windy but dry evening , walked over dam wall to fish down the bank but after an hour decided it was too windy down that side . Decided to return up round but and fished the bank from there , good decision as i found the fish and after a few casts got my first fish about 3lb. Moved along bank and got my second fish about 1 1/2lb so moved on again and got my third fish , another cracker at 3lb and it wasn't for coming in putting up a cracking fight but i got it in. All returned , brilliant wee night it turned out . Some of the photos link
4 April 2017
It was blowing a gail and the monsoon rain. It did not make for pleasant fishing conditions. I didn't stay long, but still managed to raise 1 and hook and loose one.
30 March 2017
It was a little windier today but didn't feel too cold. I got a few good offers and managed to get a nice brownie around the 1 lb mark on a gold head damsel nymph. Huge tail and slightly thinner, suggesting it was one of last years stocking. There was 2 other anglers on the water. One angler was delighted with 2 big fish around the 2lb mark and the other had nothing. The fish appear to have moved much further afield as the fish caught were a considerable distance from where they went in.
28 March 2017
The weather was remarkably warm for the time of year, and there was considerable fly life about. The fish have spread out nicely and they could be seen rising over a wide area in the flat calm conditions. The fish were eager to have a go and I managed to get one in my 1 hr session. It was a very nice fish just over 2 lb. Nice to break my duck for this season.
25 March 2017
The first stocking of 500 9 to 11 inch was released last week.
Today the second stocking of 600 fish were released, both split between the Corsehouse and Loch Goin. Comments from the helpers included: we will need a bigger boat, crackers, lunkers, torpedoes. These are some of the best fish I have seen going into the water, not just big, but beautiful. There was quite a few angler thought they could catch some stockies, but the fish had other ideas. Out of the 8 anglers there was 13 fish caught, all by the same guy. It just shows that even when the fish are there you have to be fishing the correct depth, the correct speed, with the correct flies to have a chance. I am not going to tell you the winning fly but i will give you some hints Winslet is her second name. A formula one team.
The great thing is our normal stocking is still to come.
I would remind anglers that there is strict catch and release policy with barbless hooks following any stocking for 2 weeks
I took a walk around the Goin to see if it was worth having a cast. The water levels up a bit more and the water clarity much better. I had gone down the bottom end to put up some new information signs. I was surprised to see a fish rising. I first thought it was a rock, but no it was a fish. It came up regularly making a tour of it's territory. It was taking small sedges and black buzzers. As I walked up the shore, the rocky areas felt safe. Even the peaty areas were firm to walk on, but there were areas were it was still soft and deep so great care is required. All the way up I saw fish rising. The fly life seems to have adapted to the lower water conditions, and so have the fish. They were right in at the side, easy casting distance. There have not been many people fishing but It would be wrong to write off the Goin. It has only been lightly fished this year so offers great potential. I saw no fish up the top end. I will let you know how I get on when I visit later in the week.
10 August 2017
The water levels are now rising after Scottish water closed off the drain tap.
06 July 2017
The water levels are right down and it looks like they will be allowed to drop another foot or so. There are still some good bank spots for fishing. Apart from the dam wall and round the side of the club hut, they do require a little walking. It is good to see the layout of the bottom for future reference. The catch return book was showing few people out. There were many blanks, with a few 1s and 2s. If felt very depressing as the Goin does not fish as well in low water. There was no fly life about. The only fish I saw moving was getting chased by a cormorant. The fish escaped. Yahooo. So I was very surprise when my first cast produced a fish. I had been drifting down the left hand bank. (Good spot from the bank). When I saw a fish jump right out the water. When I reached that same spot it jumped again, this time with my flies in it's mouth. Number 2 not bad. It was noticeable that the fish had lost weight. By the length they should have been a pound and a half, but they were a pound. As the evening progressed there was no evening hatch and I never saw any other fish moving.
11 June 2017
I went up to size up our timber requirements for this weekends work.
It was torrential rain and a very good generating day. Surprisingly there was another angler up. Who managed to get 2 in the most appalling conditions.
I was just going to go home but decided to give it a few casts. This is where the roll cast comes into its own. Sheltered behind the boat house, the cast was rolled out. I was just complimenting myself on the efficiency of the cast when I got my first swirl at the flies. Was that a fish. Surely not in these conditions. Covered it again and fish on. A cracking 1 1/2lb fully finned, red spotted, yellow bellied, brownie. Wow. I am sure it was the same fish the last angler told me about. Or may be there was 2. A few more casts and bang. Another cracking brownie. Ok it was 3 inches long but welcome none the less. Soaked to the skin I called it a day. 2 fish for 10 mins not bad.
31 May 2017
Well it was busy tonight. All the boats were out and there was 4 bank anglers.
Well everyone had fish some with 2's and 3 's being the order of the day. That is all except me. Rose one for the evening but it never took the fly. That was the only fish I saw all evening. I fished all the areas where I had seen tons of fish on the last trip. It looked like the fish were waiting in ambush for flies getting blown out the gorse. Kiss of death I had the movie camera this time.
The water is well down now and dropping fast. We will try to find out what is going on.
25 May 2017
I have been fishing the Corsehouse lately and it has been fishing well. I have now returned to my beloved Loch Goin, firstly to see if I could retrieve the broken key from the lock. However Ian Forbes our president had already beaten me to it and access had been restored. The combination padlock has also been changed due to rock damage.
Flat calm conditions, bright sunny conditions are never the best for fishing. But the big sedges were out so there is always hope. Some the size of bats. The fish were rising everywhere, the fly life, including the midge were out in force. It was warm, very warm. The best tactic was to creep up to rising fish cast a fly over them and strip it back at full speed. I mean 5 mph. The fly skating across the surface. Bang fish on. Damn, no video camera for the action shots and what action it was. Airborne fish 3 feet in the air, what a sight and what a fight. Followed by another 3. All around a pound. fantastic fun.
29 April 2017
It is still cold and I think i have lost my fish catching mojo.
Some other committee members were out fishing this evening and they caught. One had 4 and the other 2. I had none, again.
28 April 2017
There has not been many people out this week. One plus myself. The bitter cold has put the fish down and the fishermen off. 0 fish caught. The water is also well down. Probably 3 feet down since the start of the year. When I was up this evening, the usually hot spots were very shallow. One word of warning. Don't be tempted to wade. There are still some very good fishing spots. Some require a little walking but well worth it. At this time of year the fish do tend to be in the shallows so boat fishing tends to put you out too deep. I did manage to hook and loose one. Then lost my fly to a wire fence. I didn't have my fly box so only got half and hours fishing. There was plenty of fly life, but little surface fish activity.
22 April 2017
I used a change of tactics this time. Gone was the 1 inch muddler, in came the Kate Mclaren and a silver invicta size 8 on the point. I just wanted to see if I could convert more takes into more caught fish using smaller flies. Well first fish came to the mclaren. It didnt take it but as it turned it spotted the Invicta and had that instead. A nice fish about the 1lb mark. As the evening progressed it was getting very, very cold. Snow in the hills cold. Couldn't feel your hands cold. I perceived and was rewarded with a nice 1 1/2 lb fish. Same thing. Up for the mclaren, turned and took the invicta. 2 offers 2 fish not bad. There was another angler out on the boat and he had managed to get 2 small wild fish. PS the minnows were starting to make an appearance in the shallows.
16 April 2017
It was an all action trip. Rounded up the escaped sheep and close the gate behind them. Bailed out the boats. According to the returns, there had been a few fish caught today 2s and 3s, with a few blanks earlier in the week. The first cast, you know the one, where you roll the cast into the water prior to stripping the line from the reel before you start fishing. Well, there was a bow wave straight to my flies, a huge swirl. I tightened into a nice 1lb stocky. I don't know who was most surprised. This was the first time I have been up for an extended period, well 4 hrs. I was rising fish wherever I went. Well round the loch I decided to practice my spey casting, as I couldn't back cast. Snake roll, switch cast, single and double spey and straight roll cast. It was not pretty. To my surprise a fish came up. But I missed it. I carefully covered it again. But no joy. I went back to trashing the water to a froth with my attempts at spey casting when up came one followed by another on the tail fly. Two fish on the same cast. Where there should have bee no fish at all. Happy days. I was a good workout wading back through the swampy ground.
12 April 2017
It was bitterly cold and really windy. But I still decided to give it a go. I met Robert Hutchison, who was just leaving. "Too cold too windy"said Robert. Well Robert, big mistake 3 nice fish about a pound each. Not as good as the big ones you had the last time you were up. But very hard fighting. They were very well spread out and the wind did drop as the evening went on.
6 April 2017
It was slightly better conditions today. Colder. I fished hard but never raised anything till the last minute, but missed it. So still a chance to catch.
5 April
A message from one of our members:
I was on goin loch Wednesday 5/4/17 for an evening session on a windy but dry evening , walked over dam wall to fish down the bank but after an hour decided it was too windy down that side . Decided to return up round but and fished the bank from there , good decision as i found the fish and after a few casts got my first fish about 3lb. Moved along bank and got my second fish about 1 1/2lb so moved on again and got my third fish , another cracker at 3lb and it wasn't for coming in putting up a cracking fight but i got it in. All returned , brilliant wee night it turned out . Some of the photos link
4 April 2017
It was blowing a gail and the monsoon rain. It did not make for pleasant fishing conditions. I didn't stay long, but still managed to raise 1 and hook and loose one.
30 March 2017
It was a little windier today but didn't feel too cold. I got a few good offers and managed to get a nice brownie around the 1 lb mark on a gold head damsel nymph. Huge tail and slightly thinner, suggesting it was one of last years stocking. There was 2 other anglers on the water. One angler was delighted with 2 big fish around the 2lb mark and the other had nothing. The fish appear to have moved much further afield as the fish caught were a considerable distance from where they went in.
28 March 2017
The weather was remarkably warm for the time of year, and there was considerable fly life about. The fish have spread out nicely and they could be seen rising over a wide area in the flat calm conditions. The fish were eager to have a go and I managed to get one in my 1 hr session. It was a very nice fish just over 2 lb. Nice to break my duck for this season.
25 March 2017
The first stocking of 500 9 to 11 inch was released last week.
Today the second stocking of 600 fish were released, both split between the Corsehouse and Loch Goin. Comments from the helpers included: we will need a bigger boat, crackers, lunkers, torpedoes. These are some of the best fish I have seen going into the water, not just big, but beautiful. There was quite a few angler thought they could catch some stockies, but the fish had other ideas. Out of the 8 anglers there was 13 fish caught, all by the same guy. It just shows that even when the fish are there you have to be fishing the correct depth, the correct speed, with the correct flies to have a chance. I am not going to tell you the winning fly but i will give you some hints Winslet is her second name. A formula one team.
The great thing is our normal stocking is still to come.
I would remind anglers that there is strict catch and release policy with barbless hooks following any stocking for 2 weeks