Trout Fishing

I set myself up in the car park and took a wander round the water to the South bank down in the corner where the wind was blowing towards. There is a wooden walkway round the perimeter of the water, much needed too as the underfoot conditions would be quite swampy otherwise. There are also a good number of wooden piers around the banks and slabbed platforms on the dam head, which keeps the anglers adequately spaced out and prevents overcrowding in any one area.

Rosslynlee Trout Fishery

I was trying a favourite area of mine, in the bottom corner, where I started off casting across the wind and letting the line drift round towards the dam head, retrieving my fly lure across the drift.

It was really tough going to begin with due to the biting wind and the fingers were getting a bit numb holding the wet line, although as usual at Rosslynlee there were plenty fish showing and even in the choppy waters you could see an odd rise here and there. After my first couple hours Id managed to tempt a couple of pulls on a slim line black and green bead head lure but nothing on buzzers, nymphs or small wets. The catch record showed that many fish were being caught throughout the week on dancer lures, buzzers, black fritz’s and other lures mainly, while the manager on duty had recommended the black and green fritz or damsels.

There weren’t very many other fish caught today so far, with a couple marked in the returns book and about 4 fish caught by anglers while id been fishing. It was a very wintry November though and the winds were cold and the water choppy making it a little difficult to spot the rising fish in time to cover them with a cast. I have always seen Rosslynlee as a great top of the water fishery, one of the best ive fished on for dry fly and top of the water sport, but today I was giving that a miss with these conditions. Most anglers I spoke to on the water were on intermediate lines with lures and a few on floating lines up the shallower end of the water. I was fishing along the dam head and the South bank in the deeper parts so changed off the floating onto the intermediate and persevered with the lures. I had a few small pulls here and there but wasn’t getting into full contact with anything yet and had the feeling I was on for a blank today.

Rosslynlee Trout Fishery

A blank wasn’t too much of a knock to bear though and I definitely wouldn’t go home grumpy about it. There was plenty moving fish to keep me occupied and a few pulls to keep me motivated so I would of course be back to try another day.

I made my way back to the car to pack up and sat watching as one angler hooked into a fish right in at the edge almost at the end of the pier. There was a big splash on the surface, a tight line, a bent rod and a leaping rainbow trout was making moves back out into the deeper water. Some were getting the better luck today by looks of it, and as he landed it in the net he shouted over Ace of Spades! I had a couple of those in my fly box and was tempted to throw a line back out for the last half hour before it got dark but after a few seconds I decided I was more tempted by a heated house and a big plate of Sunday dinner when I get home.

Rosslynlee Trout Fishery

To sum up the place it is a great wee fishery with very friendly staff & helpful when it comes to advice on which flies and tackle to use. It offers the discerning angler the opportunity to fish in clear waters for hard fighting and free rising trout. Numbers of rods are restricted to ensure that the anglers never feel crowded so booking is sometimes essential if there is a crowd of you going for the day. From past experiences on Rosslynlee and from the testimony of many friends the fish here are hard fighting without exception and I have had some good days on this fishery, sometimes with a bag of fish to take home & sometimes like today with none!

Visit the fishery online at http://www.rosslynleetroutfishery.co.uk