AFYD Trout fishing trip to the Mainland

The Stronsay anglers made their annual pilgrimage to the Kirbister Loch on Wed. 4th, Thurs. 5th and Fri. 6th June.
Few fish were caught but they were nicely spread as all the 5 boys managed to hook a Kirbister brownie which tasted lovely on the barbecue on the last day...
Even though the trout were very reluctant to take either bait or fly, there were a few highlights during our trip:

On Day 1, Matthew, who was fishing a little bay on the east shore, hooked his first wild brownie, not only on the fly but with a Bibio which he tied himself during his AFYD lessons at school. No mean feat! In spite of the relentless rain on the Wednesday and the relative lack of activity , Matthew kept working his flies and by the Friday, his casting and retrieving technique had improved drastically!

Robbie, who was on a mission to catch a trout with his grandad's rod and flies, persevered the whole afternoon, through the rain and haar but couldn't quite tempt those finicky little trout! Robbie will definitely have to try again next year!

James also displayed a lot of determination and even though he was rewarded on the last day with a lovely trout (see video), his immaculate casting style deserved a lot more! Not sure what he enjoyed the most however... Was it catching his trout or eating it? ;-)

Thomas, Jack and Ieuan kept exploring the shore in search of feeding fish but those must have been in deeper water, possibly feeding on caenis larvae and not showing much interest for bait or wet flies presented in the shallows. However, the three young anglers managed to land a trout or two.
I would like to thank Jim Erskine for his time and expertise, Andy Rose for his enthusiasm and good humour and Derek Smith for keeping a watchful eye on the youngsters during a particularly wet afternoon! I'm also very grateful to Papdale Halls who kindly hosted our group over the three days and the Orkney Trout Fishing Association whose generous financial contribution helped a lot towards the minibus hire.
The last word of thanks, and not the least, is to our youngsters who have not only showed an exemplary behaviour on the trip, but also the right attitude to angling, persevering through the rain, trying different methods, learning from the coaches' experience, always friendly and yet respectful.
Mr P.
(For more photos and other "Troot in the Shed" posts, visit: http://trootintheshed.wordpress.com/)