Blooming flowers.

Three hours at Houlland and fish started feeding in last hour after 5pm. Two over the pound on top dropper Claret Bumble and one from Nursery on T&S Bibio. Killed one from level with broch. Female with size14/16 olive shrimp in stomach. Start of blue star flowers, orchids and ham and egg flowers. Sea pinks by lighthouse.

Lesson's Learned?

First competition at Tingwall. Sporadic rises lured me off the fast sink lines to early. Caight two sprats in the last hour on slow sinking camo line. Josh got 5 chasing daphnia feeders in the South Loch. You would think I had learned something in all the years fishing Tingwall. I have, but it is unprintable here.

First fish of the season

Early success

Houlland in April.

April 3, in nursery area, caught 14 oz fish on Soldier Palmer Muddler on top dropper. Coloured male had eaten a pebble cased caddis.
April 10, in nusery area, cayght 2lb 4oz, on filoplume hare's ear cormorant with mirage butt on point. Half the gill cover on one side was missing. Temp. 10 degrees, but weather getting cooler next week.

The Henry Ford attitude to colour

What flies to try at the begining of the season? Any as long as they are black. My box is full of a range of sizes and styles of Bibios, Bibio Muddlers, Watson's Fancys, Kate McLarens, Clan Chiefs, Black Magics and Black Cats. There is a row of Claret Bumbles and another of Hare's Ears which stand out in splendid isolation. What am I missing? I posed the question on the forum I recommended and it seems black is THE colour. The red in the Bibio and the green in the Cat seem only to serve to make the black stand out.  Perhaps a touch of colour acts as a trigger point.
I am now working on my Kate McLarens. I found an old tying in my box that I liked. It was slim and inspired confidence whenever I had it on a cast. I have tried to replecate the style. Body and tail were no problem; pheasant topping, seals fur with a silver wire rib, hook B170 *12. Perhaps the wire could be thinner. An old bronze grade natural black Metz cock cape supplied the best hackle for my purpose. My other cock capes are dyed and thicker in the fibre. The head hackle poses a problem, mainly to do with colour. I tried John Haddland's dyed golden olive cock cape and a natural Keoch hen cape but I am still not satisfied. I will try a cheap natural red game cock which seems to be the answer. All my collection of expensive capes and the cheap ones are more fit for purpose - wet flies. I will have to tie a lot of dry flies to justify the expense. At least they look bony.
I have started a treasure drawer of materials that suit my purpose. It is difficult to view materials living so far from fly tying retailers.
Photos of my experiments to follow when weather is better.

Deerhound development stage 1

I wanted a fly I could use at the start of the season. I will have to concentrate on the photography because the photo does not do this fly justice. The rib I saw Davy McPhail use in one of his flies.
Hook: Kamasan B175.
Body: Black seals fur.
Rib: Red holographic with pearly on top.
Wing: Black dear hair.
Head: Black claret hare and seal mix.
I am not sure of the purpose of the deer hair on these heavier hooks and I intend to use fur from the dogs to see how that works.