April

02nd April

Today I made a visit to the river. I hadn't been down for over ten days. Nothing to report sadly, not even a report of kelts being caught and no sightings of springers. At the beginning of the week the water level was about twelve inches above the closing height but the rain yesterday added six inches to that level. On a brighter note the Bailiffs were cutting the banks in the area of the Double Pipes and they are planning more work. In the past anglers, including myself, have cut the banks at this time of the season but I don't know if the anglers will be so willing in the future to do so because it doesn't seem to be acknowledged by the Association Two seasons ago the Glebe stretch, where Brian McKinley done well, was shorn of the brambles by yours truly which meant that the path at the waterside was clear and easy to move through I like to think this was helpful in the catch rate! The water temperature is now forty one degrees Fahrenheit, normal for the time of the season. There is a cold snap forecast so next week should see good wadeable water levels and the prospects of springers being caught. I will continue to report catches when I hear about them and report fairly when there isn't anything happening. Not just the catches which sometimes can make it look as if the river is fishing well. Some good anglers don't catch fish on a regular basis and they deserve a mention along with the "usual suspects" that catch a good number of fish.

03rd April

This morning I walked from the Barrage down to the Bonhill bridge without encountering any anglers. What I did see was the Bailiffs cutting the banks with the new trimmer. I was impressed with the job they had done from the Haldane burn down to the Craft Stream, particularly the Double Pipes. This area is prone to brambles overhanging the river and they have been shorn down to their roots. A job well done so far. When the springers arrive then hooking one and getting it to the side won't be a stomach churning affair with regards to getting the line entangled in the crap on the banks. With regards to springers Paul Kelly lost a fish last week above the Linbrain hole which was described as a springer about 15lbs.

04th April

Good news At 17.00 hrs I received the news that Eric Donachie had caught a 11lbs springer today trolling on the Loch. Regarding the river the water height is probably too high for safe wading.

07th April

I paid a visit to the river today. Once again it was very quiet. Cold winds from the north didn't help. No reports or sightings of springers but it shouldn't be too long now because the water level is at a safe wadeable height. About thirteen inches above the closing level. One note of caution. The river obviously hasn't been at summer low this season yet, so changes to the river bed over the winter aren't apparent. At the bend opposite the Factory wall adjacent to the first set of steps I saw a large branch in the water. Anyone going down the steps to wade would see it but anyone wading down from the Chapel hole wouldn't. There is also a large branch in the Bonhill pool in the slack water. A lot of trolleys can be seen. There must be other hazards that can't easily be seen. The banks are now looking a lot better than previous seasons. A little work goes a long way!

09th April

This morning I had a look at McKinnon's for the first time this year. There has been big changes. The wall and the trees from above McKinnons round to the Howgate have been flattened. The trees provided shade for the river. Despite the nice spring weather there weren't any anglers to be seen. The subsidence in the path at the Managers is serious and should be reported to the Council. At the Glebe Eddie the Bailiff was busy cutting the banks and once again I must say that a good job is being done. There are eleven inches of water above the closing height. Springers should start to show in the river at this height if there are any going through. Hopefully the water level won't rise again and remain steady for a week or two.

11th April

There are nine inches of water above the closing height. Without more rain - unlikely - a week's high water. Weather for tomorrow is blustery so a good turnout isn't certain. The banks are looking a lot better so that shouldn't deter any angler from visiting the river. The expectation of the first springer should whet the appetite and it would be a feather in the proverbial cap for the first angler to catch it. Anglers who have been fishing the Forth and the Teith in preference to the Leven recently might be tempted!

14th April

On Saturday there was a report of a good sized fish lost on the fly in the Renton area. Apart from this I haven't heard of any reports of springers being seen or caught. Other rivers seem to have had a better start to the season with fish being seen on the Clyde and other tributaries. The water level is now five inches above the closing height and has warmed up to forty four degrees Fahrenheit. Good weather is forecast for the rest of the week which means that low water could be evident next week. A chance for the Association to organize a clean up of the river?

18th April

Just before 10.00hrs this morning I spoke to the water authority worker at the Barrage gates and he told me that it will be Monday that the gates are raised. The water level is just below the red mark on the marker at the Bonhill bridge so one could say that today and tomorrow are a bonus. It is likely that the level will drop down to summer low on Monday. This morning I saw two bicycles and a trolley in the river just below the Bonhill pool bridge. These should, along with others, come out of the river next week. I am confident that after making a start to trimming the banks the Chairman is making plans for a clean up next week ahead of the belated spring run? Other rivers have seen good runs of fish so far this season. I don't think it matters to the fish that run into a system if the anglers pay a lot of money or only a small amount as to whether they decide to run or not? It is a matter of whether they are at the mouth of the river or not? Conditions tomorrow will be good and the possibility of the first off should entice anglers out?

19th April

News posted 19.00hrs. At tea time Eddie Lees hooked a fish outside the Angling club whilst trolling home from the Loch. After a good scrap the fish was landed . It was a 16.5lbs springer covered in long tailed sea lice. An orange & gold Rapala had done the damage. There will be a debate as to was it a Loch fish or a river fish? My tuppence worth is a river fish. A couple of seasons ago Sid Gath landed the first from the Monkey Island area and the general consensus was it was the first from the river. Well done to Eddie and thanks to Stewart Ingles for the information. There were few anglers on the river today possibly due to the strong down stream wind and I didn't hear of any other reports. The springer must have sneaked by whilst most anglers were gabbing?

20th April

I have been told that the angling club rules are that the person who's boat your are in gets the credit for the fish. In this case it is Robert Merr who is the boat owner and is holding the springer. It seems that another source was skeptical of the news possibly because they didn't hear of it first? Thanks again to Stewart for the image.

21st April 

This morning the gates were raised and the water level slowly fell to summer low, the lowest it can go. The water authority worker done his good deed for the day when he helped rescue a Dalmatian dog that had fallen in the river at the Haldane burn. The owner was holding on to it for grim death and the two of them got it back onto the bank. Talking of banks. Just below the Double pipes on the Bonhill side the bank is bulging and could fall into the river bringing trees after it. The low water revealed a lot of rubbish in the river. The Bonhill bridge being the biggest culprit. Three anglers wearing waders commenced on a clean up of the area. A rope was procured and the large branch that has been in the Bonhill pool was mostly removed by dragging it out with a range rover type vehicle. The rest of it was cut down to the roots. In all seven bikes or more, three trolleys, a scooter, metal fence, waste bin and other indescribables were removed. At the pipe at the bottom of the pool a golf trolley and several balls were removed. The rubbish that was removed was piled under the bridge and the Association will have to supply skips or the whole lot will end up back in the river. On a sad note one of the anglers joined "Sid's club" in the pool. If I receive £20 by the end of the week I won't show another image with a face on it! The anglers are now doing their best in regards to cleaning the river so the Association will have to do their bit. Angelo who owns Carman reservoir was on the river and he told me that the fishery was fishing well with good quality fish being caught by the visitors. It looks like Carman is a better bet for the fishing rather than the Leven?

25th April

The river level today is two or three inches above summer low and will last till next Friday without heavy rain. The reason being that there is a clean up of the river planned by the LLAIA for tomorrow and Sunday. The rubbish mentioned in the last post has been removed from the river by the council. They were reluctant to go down the bank and get it on health and safety grounds so the Bailiff 's had to bring it up to the path. No further reports of springers being seen or caught. I walked down from the top end this morning to the Bonhill bridge and only saw one angler. Most disheartening! This week two years ago there were good springers being caught at the Glebe and elsewhere on the river. There  was a feeling that fish could be caught almost every day and it was happening most days. Three years ago this week I witnessed Davy Robertson catching a 18lbs springer on the fly just above the Bonhill bridge. Pure silver with lice. Probably the nicest looking springer that I have ever seen. This season is similar to last season. An air of despondency shared by the few anglers that have been on the river especially because of reports from other rivers where there are springers being caught. Having said that there could be a run of fish being held up at the river mouth because of the low water that could change everything?

26th April

A forum member has posted news of a springer, estimated to be about 8lbs,  caught at the Managers on the flying C. The angler is a regular on the river but he didn't know his name. It looks as if springers are moving into the system despite the low water levels. This is obviously good news at last and hopefully more to follow. Thanks to "Whisker" for the news.

27th April

Yesterday evening Gordon Pollock caught the first springer of the season on the fly. He hooked it in the Bonhill pool at 18.45hrs and it weighed 9lbs. Well done to him. Apparently he caught it after doing a hard shift helping to clean up the river. Thanks to jack for the news and images. A couple of weeks ago there were reports from elsewhere that the springers in general were larger than normal. Three out of the four caught so far have been less than average size but good fish never the less. It has been said in the past that quality is better than quantity but if you can get both so much the better?

28th April

 Water level is just below that of the weekend height. It has been creeping up all weekend. The water authorities weren't at the Barrage this morning when I passed at 10.00hrs. At the top end the river was looking cleaner but to be honest it was further down the river that the clean up was more of a problem. The clean up was hailed a success by the Association. Angling wise there were half a dozen anglers out and about but no reports of springers I am afraid.