THE LAKE OF MENTEITH FISHERIES WEBSITE
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Weekly Report 1st June 2010
Clarity 2.5m Water Temperature at 6ft 16.0C.
Food Van times at the Fishery this week; Every Morning (except Sunday) and also Wednesday, Friday and Saturday Nights. 
1st June means I’ve been working at the fishery for 12 years. Mayfly (right – thanks Sandy F.) have been evident in the last week as well as a fair number of large olives and a significant amount of daphnia. The best areas of recent days have been Gateside, Rookery, Shear Point and International Bay. Ian Stuart (below left) got this 7lb 6oz resident in Gateside Bay on a dry during the SANA Open, but the predominant tactic of anglers has been midge tip or variant with buzzers/diawl bachs/ cormorants and a blob or variant on the tail. On overcast days the lake has been fishing extremely well.
Whilst pondering how to best keep the cormorants off the fish pens during the winter I read a recent scientific report describing how cormorants are benthic feeders (cruise on the bottom) and able to successfully hunt in extremely low light intensities. The authors of the paper made the thought provoking suggestion that the cormorant may have other sensory organs which help it to locate fish.
Catches/Comp Results
In the 4th heat of the 2010 Scottish Club Championships Sponsored by the Daily Record, Angling Centre Stirling and Famous Grouse Whisky (29th May) 48 anglers landed 97 trout weighing 172lbs. Winning teams were: 1. Kinross AC, 11 fish for 22lb 8oz. 2. Penicuik AC 10 fish for 17lb 2oz. 3. Kahts Whisker 7 fish for 15lbs 10oz. These three clubs go forward to the semi final on September 17. Daily Record Champion of Champions: 1st Allan Smith 5 fish for 13lbs 2oz. 2nd Paul Wilson 5 fish 3rd Ian Forrest 5 fish 4th Frank Robertson 5 fish. There were two non qualifying limit bags – including last year’s champ Gregor Fleming. Allan and Paul were both fishing the Rookery with buzzers and cormorants and stingers on the tail. Ian Forrest had all his five in International Bay on a Mirror flash booby.
In the 3rd heat of the Menteith Boat League (sponsored by the Angling Centre Stirling): 26 anglers weighed in 79 fish for 141lbs. Top rod George Whyte got his fish on buzzers in international bay on a midge tip line doing a fast figure of eight. Gordon Hayward tops the bunch with a 5, 7 and a 3 so far.
In the SANACC Fly Fishing National Championship Prelim on the 25th May 35 anglers netted 226 fish for 402lbs (includes returned fish estimated at 2lbs). Top rod was Ken Kennedy (on right) of Merkister with 13 fish and 2nd was Sandy Boag (on left) of Moncrieffe also with 13 fish. The cut off for qualification was 11lbs 3oz. (see www.sanacc.org.uk).
In the first heat of the SANA Open 13 boats landed 69 fish for 132lbs. Top Pair on the night were Ian Stuart and James Fairlie with a 10 fish limit for 29lbs 11oz.
Club Returns: Longannet 3 boats 15 fish 24lbs, Crown Fly Fishers 9 boats 84 fish for 175lbs plus 69 returned, Ladies Catch Totals?, NBAC 4 boats 20 fish 51lbs, Bridge of Allan 76 6 boats 50 fish 104lbs plus 5 rtd, Pitlochry 6? Boats 14 fish 28lbs.