Bullen Cup
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Top rod Norman Irvine |
PERFECT CONDITIONS FOR THE BULLEN CUP ON HARRAY
Last Sunday saw the OTFA fly fishermen on Harray for the first time in the new season. Conditions were near perfect, full cloud ceiling and a light westerly, buzzers hatching and fish rising, expectations were high! Water quality was generally improving each day during the week previously, with the settled weather helping, all positive.
As has become the norm, it was north of the Ess Holms which was favoured by most anglers as a starting point, with all the anglers seeking shallow water. Nistaben, Biggings, Merky Bay and Scarataing were popular, and these areas had boat pressure for much of the day. Anglers were repeating drifts, a sure sign that they were getting action, it was going to take a good basket of trout to win the day.
Top rod with a tremendous basket was Norman Irvine, taking 14 fish for 13lb 4ozs, second equal were Ian Hutcheon and Ken Kennedy with identical baskets of 12 fish for 12lb 9ozs, Stewy Leslie had 15 for 12lb 2ozs and Andrew Morgan had 12 for 10lb 2ozs, with Kenny Adam weighing in the heaviest fish of the day at 2lb 1oz. Messrs Craigie, Irvine and Miller, slick as usual, had the results in quick time. With it being the Bullen Cup, Kirkwall v Stromness, there were aggregates to work out, so, Kirkwall had 11 anglers whose aggregate individual weight was 6lb 4ozs, and Stromness had 12 anglers, their aggregate going 6lb 8 1/2ozs, so Norman won the cup. Ian Hutcheon put down a marker for the basket with fish all over 1lb, with 6 of his fish weighing 8lb 2ozs. All this highlights the quality of fish in the loch, the mild winter obviously suited them.
Top of the water was the way to go tactically, with floaters, intermediates and midge tip lines the way to go. Flies were typically buzzer/midge standard patterns, Pennels, Cormorants were mentioned in dispatches but location was key, with fish feeding in really shallow water, if you were fishing in more than 2 to 3 feet it could be a struggle.
The piscatorial delights that only the Stenness loch can bring is next on the calendar in a weeks time, some more conditions like we had on Harray would be fine, tight lines.
KK.
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