And with the weather, the catches improve - last week Mr Black from Skinflats, at his usual spot on the east bank caught a very good 2lb brown trout however his grandson who is 6 years old, but has fished for 2 years, caught a fantastic bag of 6.5lbs, 4 brown trout.

 Martin Tucker from Livingstone on 21 July caught a 2lb brown trout from the north bank, Martin removed an old hook and line from the fish and released the fish unharmed.

 However the trout catch of the month is a 3.5lb specimen caught by Shannon Stokes at the week-end.  Shannon photographed the fish and returned the fish to the water unharmed.

Pike fishing has been very good over this last week as the water level rises.

Ross Waterson from Alloa - 16.5lbs

Mr Rochan from Edinburgh 14lbs

Mr Steel from Carluke - 11.5lbs

Steven Dawson from Alloa - 12lbs

Daryl Strang from Alloa - 7.5lbs - this was young Daryls first pike, so he was thrilled with this.

 However with all this good news there is one piece of misfortune, Mark Warrington from Larbert landed an 18lb pike, the pike put up little resistance and Mark found that the fish had a full wire trace wrapped around and through its jaw and gill.  The fish also had a protruding stomach and other damage.  Mark did his best to sort the fish out but after an hour of trying to get it to swim he eventually had to kill the fish.  Mark was, as most pike anglers will know, devestated to kill such a specimin