I REALLY cannot remember a winter that has been worse for fishing than this one. The autumn was virtually bone dry which had salmon anglers tearing their hair out as the much anticipated spates failed to materialise. Since then and as soon as the curtain came down on the salmon season it has rained, it has poured and it has been incessant. The ground is completely saturated so every drop that falls cannot be soaked up by the ground and it ends up in the rivers and lochs straight away. The effect has been quite devastating for those that like to fish the rivers for grayling during the winter.

The Gryffe for instance has spent more time in the fields this winter than anyone can remember. It is more than likely that the reds where the salmon spawn and lay their eggs will have been washed away. We will have to wait and see what effect this will have on salmon numbers and in a few years time when this winter's fish should return.

Our local trout fisheries have suffered too due entirely to the weather. I do not mind fishing in the wind and rain but there are limits when it can become dangerous to step outside the door. Some fisheries tried to drop their water levels to carry out routine maintenance but even with sluices wide open the levels failed to drop by one inch. The fish I am certain are also unsure as to what season they are in. Water temperatures remain unseasonably high for the time of year which is why suspender buzzers and CDC`s have been appearing in the catch reports as insect hatches have kept going. We need some settled weather to get the fish into a regular feeding pattern. One result of this has been anglers moving their flies rather than fishing the indicator method with a static fly. Roll on the Spring.

Please remember to email me your photographs of you and your fish catches to john.milne53@gmail.com

Fishery Tales – Lawfield Trout Fishery near Kilmacolm. Due to the horrendous weather with lashing rain and high winds the fishery was understandably quiet. Those that wrapped up and braved the elements were generally rewarded with some fish. A total of 37 fish were recorded for the week. Notable catches include Graeme McCallum from Johnstone 10, Alan Ferris from Houston 5, Jordon Queen from Elderslie 3, Ross Caldwell from Glasgow 3, Joe Currie from Paisley 3, G Gilmore 3, Bill Eadie from Lochwinnoch 2 and under tuition from John Milne Jim Telford from Paisley 1 and Eddie Gray from Paisley 1. The best flies were damsels, suspender buzzer, blobs, squirmy and CDC`s. Contact Billy on 01505 874182.

New Howwood near Paisley. A big thanks to everyone who turned up for last week bait competition despite the wind, rain and cold. In first place was Grant Finnigan, in second place was Andy Sinclair and in third place was Danny McDonald.

Contact Colin on 0777 1690 585

Pinewood near Bridge of Weir. A very quiet week due to the weather conditions but the Competition on Saturday the 6th was very well attended with 28 rods on the water. We had 4 no shows hence the need to ask for deposits. There were 40 fish taken for a total weight of around 98 lbs. Chris O’Conner caught the a tagged fish for the £2 sweep which was made up to £60,well done Chris, First place went to John Officer from Renfrew who had 4 fish for 10lbs 8oz and £150 prize, second place went to Geordie Greig from Renfrew who had 4 fish for 9lbs 5oz and third place went to John McFarlane also Renfrew who had 4 fish for 9lbs 2oz. Last time all the winners were from Glasgow so well done the Renfrew boys. No real biggies out this time and the weather was reasonably well behaved, thanks again to everyone who attended and made it a great day. Next Comp will probably be March the 5th a Saturday again as Sunday is Mothers day.

Contact Dougie on 01505 872222

Arran View near Waterside. Fishing has been steady over the last few days at Arran View with some good bags been taken. Catch and release anglers had some big catches with some big fish in amongst them. Please note that all double figured fish must be returned now and there has been a slight increase in permit costs due to the increased cost of stocking. Andrew McBride released a fish of 11lb and Davy McCallum released one around. Contact Tommy 07763170779