When the ferry from Stronsay landed at the Kirkwall Pier, on this beautiful spring morning, hopes were high amongst the Stronsay School angling team… After boarding the minibus, the strategy was exposed: the light northerly winds and bright skies would almost guarantee a blank on Harray and it was decided at the last minute to switch to the old faithfull Kirbister Loch whose trout can always be that wee bit more obliging than anywhere else…

The party headed for the north end of the Kirbister Loch and in no time, fly lines were shooting through the rings and rods started to bend! From the shore, it was difficult to tell that only a year ago, 4 out of these 5 anglers had never handled a fly-rod before! Their casting technique, their fly retrieve, right down to their watercraft skills meant that they wouldn’t have been out of place amongst well seasoned fly-fishermen. You may wonder about the 5th angler though… When Cameron joined the trip, he had hardly fished before but managed to learn the skills of spinning with fly and bubble-float very quickly and had a trick up his sleeve for the next day… Wednesday 30th ended with a respectable total, considering the weather conditions, of 16 Kirbister trout including a beauty caught by Keith at just over a pound. Then, the minibus headed north for the Birsay Youth Hostel and later on, once the last strand of pasta had dissapeared from the huge pot of spaghetti bolognese, it was time to get a good night’s sleep and start dreaming about the big Harray trout, as the Harray Loch was to be the destination for the next morning.

Following Mr. Erskine’s expert advice, the chosen location was Kirkness in the north end of Harray, an area offering safe shallow wading conditions and plenty of fish. By the time, the anglers were in action, fish were showing in a few inches of water, but unfortunately they would simply ignore the flies presented to them. Keith and Craig were covering fish after fish very well but their size 14 Dunkelds didn’t receive the attention they deserved… I could barely stand the suspense, borrowed Keith’s rod and tried my best to cover the rising fish… with no more success! It was time for a change of tactics and I tied on a size 12 black & blue buzzer and two casts later, after a few small tweaks on the line, the first Harray trout of the morning was hooked! The traditional flies (Invictas, Dunkelds, Muddlers) were swopped for buzzers and Keith and Craig managed to hook a fish – no mean feat – as we’re talking about very “educated” trout here who see flies retrieved by the best fishermen in Europe on a daily basis! Also a special mention to Andy Rose who accompanied the yougsters all the way from Stronsay, who caught his first Harray trout as well!

That’s when Cameron pulled out his secret weapon, a ” Peach Muddler”, retrieved slowly behind a clear torpedo-shaped float… There was a sudden tension on the line and the light spinning rod double-bent but Cameron kept his cool and managed to lead his fish over the net like a pro. The beautiful trout tipped the scales just short 1lb 1/2, the best fish of the trip!

Around midday, the wind picked up from the north-east and the trout seemed to move into deeper water, out of casting distance, so decision was made to move back to the Kirbister Loch and enjoy a bit more practice for the next day OTFA/AFYD Junior Competition.

Sport on Kirbister was slightly slower than on the previous day and the trout seemed to take the flies a bit short, hence a lot of fish missed on the strike. Kevin and Daniel still managed to catch fish though, and this was a good confidence boost for the next day!

The whole group would like to thank Mr. Erskine for spending those two memorable days in our company, Andy Rose who was a very precious help and The Orkney Trout Fishing Association and the Merkister Hotel for their financial help towards our trip; without their generosity, this trip would almost certainly not have happened. And last but not least, I would like to thank the youngsters who were a model of good behaviour all through the trip and made it a success.

There is a full report of the OTFA / AFYD Junior Competition (1st June) which you can access by clicking on the following link:   http://www.orkneytroutfishing.co.uk/