Yesterday we set off for the long drive to Moffat with the knowledge that the fishery had suffered with an over abundance of weed and that the site had received the sort of investment that meant it probably wasn't in keeping with the sort of places we like to fish! Before the keyboards start rattling to tell us we told you so let me say that this trip was as much about nostalgia as it was a days fishing! Myself and a group of very close friends made this trip around 10 years ago and that day has remained etched on our memories! Beautiful trout cruising up and down in that crystal clear water the ability to choose which of the lovely blues to cast to or 'Hey check that Goldie!' along with the great sport we had made that day special!

We arrived at Moffat (Hammermills Centre) just as the rain appeared to be easing and here's where we made our biggest mistake rather than taking a walk and having a look around we being overly keen paid our ticket and setup. First we were met with signposts 'Weed cutting in progress please be patient!' it became apparant that less than 50% of the water was availible to fish and of these spots most were overgrown with bullrush and made for a rather infuriating experience! Water clarity wasn't so good though this may just have been on the day though of the fish that were visible stocking levels appeared down and also the overall size of fish seemed to have dropped infact i don't think we seen or caught a fish over the 2lb mark I'm sure someone will come along to dispute this!

In summary this fishery appears to have it's fair share of troubles and I really couldn't recommend it to anyone I had the good fortune to experience it when it really was a premier water so it must have potential but a bit like myself these past 10 years have brought about a few ailments! I relise the weed issue has been the scurge of many a good fishery though for this reason I think they have to ensure that the banks around the available spots are kept in better shape!

i think you need to sit down and think about why you go fishing, and look for another hobby!

I'm not sure what your getting at but will say this my greatest pleasure is when fishing wild water for brown trout sometimes catching fish not much more than 6 inches at times in sometimes remote harsh conditions with just myself and nature for company. I can lose myself in that almost surreal isolation and I find the experience quite grounding!

As far as the Moffat experince well it is what it is a day out with the boys sorry i've upset a purest or two with my comments and I don't have a problem catchin 2lb fish or not catching at all for that matter!

Would that be the same Big Jim that regularly fished Harperigg reservoir but refused to ever pay for a ticket?

i think you must be thinking of another jim!

Hoopstroops...

Sounds exactly like the day i had there 3 years ago...i have never been back! the place is exclusively fished by a small dedicated group of stockie bashers who know what days its stocked.

Are you sure your'e not Big Jim that regularly fished Harperigg reservoir but refused to ever pay for a ticket...

On a more serious note, whilst I am not a purist like big Jim, it would have been nice to fish flies at the level you want to fish them at Moffat without catching weed every minute. Such a shame about the place.....

I had a discussion about this today with a boy who was quite adamant that cutting the weed is infact counterproductive as the weed a bit like when you cut your own lawn will infact grow back with more abundance than before meaning the situation will continue to get worse! I have heard of people dragging a chain which I guess may remove more root though other than that its hard to see what could be done as I believe it is now an offence to add chemical solutions though I may be wrong!