The fish seem to have got their appetites back with some fine pike and  brown trout being caught in the last few weeks using a variety of techniques from dead-baiting, lures and also on the fly. The conditions at Venachar are still quite changeable (when are they not!) due to the “Spanish Plume” weather system which is throwing up a bit of everything after a mini-heatwave two weeks ago. The water-level has also dropped by a few feet due to the opening of the dam, but this is not necessarily a bad thing as it opens up previously unfishable areas especially on the Invertrossachs side. There have also been some impressive boat catches with good trout numbers being caught at Portnellan (Professor, Green Peter and Gartmore Palmer flies seem to be doing the trick) a solid 15lb 8oz pike caught with a home-made perch fly by Alan Miller from Livingston and a powerful 18lb 9oz pike caught lure fishing by Ross Watterson from Alloa. Paul Ferris from Cumbernauld also had an excellent day’s sport catching four pike, including a 16lb 8oz and a 15lb 10oz (the fish were returned unharmed after a small ransom was paid).

 Some recent reported catches :- David Stevenson (Dunfermline) 17lb - herring, Gary Batchelor (Edinburgh) 21lb 7oz, 18lb 8oz - brown trout, Ross Winwick (Edinburgh) 16lb 10oz - roach, Ross Watterson (Alloa) 18lb 9oz - lure, Darren Inglis (Stenhousemuir) 3 x 1.5lb brown trout - maggot, Steven & Kelsie Candlish (Dunfermline) 2.25lb brown trout - worms, Declan Graham (Paisley) 9lb 3oz - mackerel, Derren Reynolds (Inverkeithing) 19lb 10oz - lamprey, Ross Lamont 12lb - mackerel, Craig Sharpe (Falkirk) 2 x 1.2lb brown trout - maggot, David Mulholland (Falkirk) 2 x 1.4lb brown trout, Gary Attridge (Falkirk) 9lb 3oz - mackerel, Paul Ferris (Cumbernauld) 16lb 8oz, 15lb 10oz, 10lb 2oz, 9lb - mackerel & sardine, David Anderson (Paisley) 18lb 1oz - smelt, A. Morgan (Glenrothes) 2 x 1.5lb brown trout - fly, Alan Miller (Livingston) 15lb 8oz - perch fly, William Murphy (Paisley) 7lb 10oz - mackerel, Sami Burden (Falkirk) 10lb 9oz - perch, Lee Allen (Falkirk) 8lb - mackerel, Alex White (Livingston) 15lb 8oz - roach, Preston Walker (Glasgow) 14lb 9oz - mackerel, Deborah Lambie (Armadale) 2 x 1.3lb brown trout - maggot, Alan Wighton (Grangemouth) 14lb - snake launce and congratulations to Mark Williamson (Glasgow) and Stuart Landsburgh (Edinburgh) for setting new PB’s by catching a 15lb 8oz and a 14lb respectively on their first visit to Loch Venachar. That’s what it’s all about.