Thanks a lot, Murphy!

Well, it is our last full day here in Scotland and we have no plans for the day except trying to accomplish some more work, and packing up for our flight in the morning. And as luck would have it, it is gorgeous and sunny outside. It is probably the nicest day we've had all week!

I guess I can't complain. We had a really nice day yesterday and I managed to get in a full day of fishing on Loch Rusky. The trout were rising all over the place and while Bob and I both had many strikes each, we just couldn't seem to hook the buggers! I did end up with one small brown trout though, and I had a second one on Loch Lubnaig later in the day that got away before I got him to shore.



Sharon, Stella and the kids went to Ayr (not St. Andrews like I had originally posted!) and spent the day at the beach. They also had lots of sunshine and the kids had a blast. All-in-all, it was a very good day.

NOTE: Since someone anonymously commented about this (on the wrong post) I did *not* keep this fish. It was released immediately as keeping brown trout on Loch Rusky is forbidden.

Still Raining

We have been in Scotland almost two weeks now and it has rained every day except two. Bob and I decided to go out fishing on Loch Lubnaig on Monday, and planned to have a BBQ lunch with Stella and the rest of the family. It looked good when we left in the morning, but ended up raining pretty much all day, and poured rain while we were out on the Loch fishing in the late morning. We didn't see a fish much less catch one. We still had a small BBQ and I think everyone enjoyed themselves despite the rain.

Tuesday was the nicest day yet and we had a full day of sunshine as we visited Kelburn Castle. The scenery, gardens and countryside was amazing. There are miles of walking paths there and it would take much more than one day to see it all. It was the first nice day where I could get some more pictures and I have placed them all on the Picasa page. The gardens had some really amazing trees including a couple yews that are estimated to be over 1000 years old, and an absolutely huge tree called the Weeping Larch that covered 1/4 acre. Its branches grew into the ground and back out again in a tangled, twisted mass. They also had the outside of the castle painted up in what the call The Graffiti Project, which is quite cool to see (don't worry - it is temporary):



Today it rained pretty much all day again, but we decided to take the day off and Sharon and I both worked all day while the kids watched movies and played the Wii. I managed to get a full day's work in, most of which was spent writing Python scripts to automate a lot of grunt work that needs to be done before Friday's release which I hope to accomplish from here.

I'm hoping for a better day tomorrow as Bob and I are heading out for our last kick at the can fly fishing. It should be lots of fun if the weather holds. We are heading out on Loch Rusky, which is a private loch but we were invited out for the day by our ghillie from last week after a rather disappointing salmon outing. I'd better get some sleep!

Trout #2

Today I went fly fishing for a couple hours with John and his girlfriend Heather. We didn't head out until after 10:30 so the timing wasn't all that great, but it was nice to get out - especially on Father's Day! After a very unproductive but relaxing outing we were just heading in for the day when I hooked into a fish just as I was about to reel in my line and exit the river. After a wild fight, I pulled in this monster:



I was hoping my next fish would be bigger, not smaller! But it is better than nothing, I guess. And I caught it on the same caddis pattern as the last one. Here is a picture of the fly I caught it on, which I tied the night before:

Finally!

This weekend Sharon hosted a mother-daughter scrapbooking sleepover party. Naturally I spent Saturday night outside on the deck, and Sunday morning getting the heck out of Dodge.

I decided to head out early this morning and go fly fishing. I still had yet to catch a *real* trout in the Grand River since taking up the sport a couple years ago. I spent about an hour Saturday night tying a couple flies, neither of which turned out all that great but they were passable, and got up at 6am this morning and headed to Fergus. I managed to get onto the river shortly after 7am and after the first couple of hours I figured it was going to be a typical day of me casting in vain trying to locate a fish. And then it happened. I got a bite, and all of a sudden I found myself fighting a fish! After a few exciting minutes worrying that I would lose it and not be able to take a picture to prove that I actually hooked one, I landed this small (but HUGE in terms of building my confidence as a fly fisherman!) trout.



The best part was the fact that I caught it on one of the flies I tied the previous evening! Sweet.

I think I learned a lot today so hopefully the next time I hit the river I will have a better chance of catching another (hopefully bigger) fish. Oh, and I threw this guy back so he can grow a little for the next time Sharon's uncle comes over from Scotland! ;-)

Even More Fly Tying

I tied a couple more flys (flies?) over the weekend and tonight. The one I tied on the weekend didn't turn out again since I didn't have the proper materials. I figured I would fake it with some hair from the back of my dad's neck. ;) I call it "The Schweaty Redneck":



So tonight, fed up with never having elk hair or marabou - I went out and bought some and then took another crack at an F Fly. Admittedly it is the easiest one to tie, but it is definitely my best result to date. And my whip finishes are coming along nicely too!



I also went fly fishing on the weekend with my dad and brother. Unfortunately I didn't catch anything worth mentioning (again), but I think it is only a matter of time. I'm getting in lots of practice and I am quite proud of how quickly my casting is progressing (if I do say so myself)!

Fly Fishing and LOLcats

I am completely obsessed with fly fishing. I was introduced to the sport by my uncle in Scotland and I had only ever been fly fishing twice in the same pond in Scotland - where I *snagged* a fish. Well, last weekend I went fishing in the Grand River with a friend and I enjoyed it so much I went out and bought some more gear and can't wait until I go again. I never realized just how many good spots there are in the Grand River around Waterloo, Elora, and Fergus!

The same uncle that took me fly fishing for the first time gave me a fly tying kit, which I have been avoiding because I have always been afraid of the results.

My fears were justified.

Tonight, since there was no chance of me actually getting out and going fishing, I figured I would break open the kit and give it a whirl. It was all looking good at the start:



And then all hell broke loose. Anyway, here is the end result:



It reminds me of an LOLcat I saw the other day:



Let's hope the fish think otherwise...