Got up early today for the gates opening by Alistair at 8pm. Had my float tube today for a 4 hour go at Swans. Weather quite calm early on but bloody hell it picked up and was blowing a gale by 10am! Quite quiet on the fish front for a while, I had a few tugs and dropped a couple of fish. At one point I had a cracking take and a strong fish (probably at least a 10-15lbs ) plummeted for the depths and snapped my dropper off. In reality to be fair it was probably a blue of a few pounds. Gutted as it was a fly I had been given and it was the only one I had.

Did get one near the dam wall. Fish took my cats whisker as I was fishing the hang about to re-cast. Great to see the fish take 5 feet from my face. Took off like a train, my slack line ended up round my flippers, I was paddling against a gale at my back, I took cramp in my calf, cut my fingers on the trouts teeth as I retrieved my fly (forceps left in car!). But it was a lovely blue weighing in at 3 1/4 lbs so worth it.

Had the pleasure of meeting and chatting to Paul Young on my way back to the car who was filming a programme for STV teaching two young lads to cast. It was his Hooked on Scotland programme from Swanswater in the float tube that got me interested so it was good to meet him there

Off to Mentieth next saturday with my club so can't wait for that.