First fish for 2015!

Today I made my first outing for 2015 and as I wanted guaranteed results I visited Loch Fyne again and expected to have a similar session like last time..
The conditions were almost identical  although the waters were very high and slightly stained after the rains.
I was going to begin with small inchiku jigs (14g) working them on the bottom after filling their muppet with scent. This worked very quickly and I got the first codling of 2015 up. So far everything seemed similar to last time and I had high hopes for the outcome of the session...

The weather has been unreal!

Filling the muppet with scent...

First fish of 2015!

Alas, for the next couple hours I was getting very few tentative bites and only a couple tiny pollock and poor cod to show for my efforts... Moreover due to the strong current and the high water taking my line through rocks and kelp deep down. I lost numerous lures (all my inchikus) and practically emptied my reel of braid!
Disappointed, I walked to the car and picked up my UL dropshot gear with 6lbs fluoro mainline. This setup doesn't cast far really but I hoped that the abrasion resistance of fluorocarbon would help and plus I had no other choice!
I tied a new long dropshot rig with a #8 slim offset hook and a 8g metal pilker for weight. I used various lures, from worms and prawns to paddletails with the latter being more successful at the better fish..
The fish finally started to show towards late afternoon and a couple codling entertained me on the ul gear. Because of the lack in casting distance I wasn't able to target the deeper areas and thus decided to call it a day before 4 o'clock. I new more fish were hanging deep as a fellow angler with much heavier gear and metal jigs, managed some coalies and pollock although he struggled as well..

Even poor cod were few and far between...

Nano pollock..

Better codling showed in late afternoon.

On the prawn..

Good fun on the Ul gear..

This was by far the worst session I ever had in this mark and I believe the most serious reasons for this are the possible emptying of the adjacent fish farm cages (no fish-no feeding-no leftovers) and the stained/high waters due to the heavy rains.. Still it was another spectacular sunny day and getting those few first fish for the year a good start to my 2015 fishing. Moreover its another example of how differently fish can behave in otherwise similar days, with the exception of a couple small factors. Learning every day as they say...

Tight lines and best wishes for a good fishing year in 2015!

Gear used.
Rod:  MC KG Evolution, KGS-832ST 2.53m, 3-15g. Awa Shima Qlite spin, 1-5g, 2.40m
Reel: Shimano Stradic ci4 2500f, Tica Libra 2500SA
Mainline: Sunline Tenya PE 0.7, Sunline FC guide special fluorocarbon, 6lbs
leader: P-line Halo fluorocarbon, 10lbs
lures: 14g inchikus, various worms, prawns, padletails on dropshot.