Loch Leven

After fishing Loch Linnhe the night before with the big rods I decided to fish the old slate barge moorings behind Loch Leven hotel on the way home next morning with the LFR gear. In contrast with the night before there wasn't a breath of wind and the sky was mostly blue. Lovely you think well the little Scottish vampires were out in force and I look like I have measles this morning with all the bites, especially my wrists for some reason.

Still in for a penny and all that, I spent a few hours winkling out some micros. Lots of Poor Cod falling to isome.

And the best fish of this session a small codling falling to a pink HTO Knight Worm. Though I was going to lose it as it went like stink on the small rod.

I was hoping for some wrasse, pollock or trout but none showed themselves before I beat retreat due to the midgies.

Loch Linnhe

Headed straight up to Loch Linnie on Friday night after work to fish the tide two down and three up ove from Corran Ferry. I thought the traffic would be hellish due to the bank holiday but the roads were pretty good thankfully barely a caravan in sight. 

On arrival the wind was stronger than forecast and straight in my face, but after considering a move I decided to set up as the wind was consistent and not very gusty. Quickly set up and baits in the water wind was hampering casts but not hellishly. I was just using mackie and squid cocktails as I had thought I had bluey in the freezer but was wrong. First fish came first cast a wee thornie with nice patterning, quickly followed by a tiny doggie.


Unfortunately the second catch was the way things continued. Things went quiet after the first catches until the tide turned and then it was a doggie a cast. I only lost two traces all night, one to a crack off and one to a snag and I think I lost a reasonable thornie to the snag.

I could have fished on but was getting a bit sick of the constant doggies but it was still a good busy session even if I'd have rathered more thornies.

Solway Trip: a week with Malky

Well I'm just back from a week down staying with Malky Udderman. That is one man who likes to fish hard.  The plan was to fish a couple of marks per day and hopefully to get me a smooth hound.

Day 1

Now I am no slim jim and not the fittest person in the world so I was not looking forward to the marching to and from marks as I knew most of the paces Malky likes to fish are at the end of a bit of a yomp. Malky said a short flat walk to start the week, cut to me a sweaty mess after a 2-3 mile wander through the countryside. Still it was a nice looking mark (sorry but I don't really know where I was most of the time just following the chief) a big flat slab of rock into reasonably deep water. Smoothies and rays were what we hoped to get. But it was not to be and after a few hours and an ever increasing wind with only one bite between us (Malky landing his favoured doggie) we retreated to a nearby mark that was out of the worse of the wind. Bites came thick and fast here but as the tide was small it seemed that the fish were just playing with their food as dozens of bites only resulted in one doggie to me and a further two to Malky as well as a small  but fairly rare Solway codling. It was still a bit of a despondent trudge back to the car when we packed in.

Day 2 

Awoke to a howling gale and down pour. Neither of us had a lot of get up and go due to the previous days dissappointment. Malky suggested a local trip to dig lug and then off to Carsethorn for some flounders. Lug dug (by Malky:)) and another frustrating day with lots of obvious flounder bites but absolutely nothing hooking up left us both blankers after three hours in the rain.

 Day 3 

By day three I realised that the trips to the bait shop were as much about 'wee blondie' as they were to get bait, each to their own lol. Today's first mark was a 'wee flat walk'. Hmmm as it started gentle up hill and go slowly steeper I politely enquired if Malky knew the meaning of flat! Over a fence then through a fairly enclosed wood to the shore which was a really broken array of sharp rocks which were not so easy to cross to the fishing point. This turned into another blanker with not a bite. I think I got a bit of heat stroke which wasn't helped by trying to find a short cut back that didn't really work.

That evening we were to meet up with Callum and fish a mark that was a bit further walk, but Malky seeing the physical wreck I was decided we would change and fish another mark nearby. This really just turned into a banter session (always flying about when Malky and Callum are together) as there were few bites and all three of us retreated blankers.

Day 4

A bit of a trip out of Malky's immediate area to the Isle of Whithorn to fish the late evening high tide and ebb was the plan. A mark neither of us knew so after some clambering about we had decided on a stance of rocks to the East of the point beyond the white tower. It was obvious we would get stranded for about an hour over high but after checking the forecast and the surroundings we decided that it was a safe place to do that. Lots of bites and lots of doggies for both of us from the off as well as a feisty wee pollock for Malky. An odd current started to swing very strongly against the tide about two hours prior to high tide and was starting to get us all tangled up and dragging us into snags. We decided that we weren't going to be able fish that mark any longer and decided to move onto the point itself before we got stuck where we were. After some more scrambling around it was obvious that all the fishable stances were occupied and we had to call it a day. Probably the most frustrating day of the trip as the whole of that area looks really fishy and we would have loved to have fished well into the night as planned to see what was about. Hopefully next trip down.

Day 5

Pressure on last session of the trip. I got up early doors to have a nice long session and found Malky missing lol. He'd got up at milking time and had been away crabbing and arrived back with 50 odd fresh peelers to go with the ones he had frozen down. Good man that Malky. We were off back to the second mark we fished on the first day in Balcary Bay. Best day off the trip, not a cloud in the sky, just a light wind to cool you down and most of my casts going further than normal. We knew the tide would get up so set up a few rocks apart to avoid tangles.

Lots and lots of doggies again from the off and another wee codling, for me this time. No fish playing with bait this time they were feeding hard from the off. After about an hour I hear Malky hollering from his stance for some help as he's into a smoothie and needs help landing it. A hop skip and jump later and one smiling Malky with a smoothie of about 6lbs or so.

Well they were about and thankfully I didn't have long to wait for one of my own. It led me a merry dance and tangled Malky and my line but after a bit of jiggery pokery it was landed and I had a smile like the proverbial cheshire cat and my main target for the week landed.

We then had another three in reasonable quick succession 2 to Malky and another one to me but Malky's was a belter around the 10lb mark though the picture doesn't do it justice.

When the hounds stopped biting Malky annouced, 'Ah aff crabbin mun' thinking about his further trips over his fortnight off and disappeared to scour the shore over lowtide.

And with that all the bites stopped and my trip down came to an end. I bumped into Jonner on Friday night as he was taking my place at Malky's for a few day, hopefully successfully.

A huge thanks to Malky for putting me up (putting up with me) for a few days and all the great banter. I've already booked to go back next year lol.

Oban Skate Trip 2013 - Day One

Day One

Well the weekend past was one I had been waiting for eagerly for weeks and also with some trepidation due to the adverse weather forecast more recently. On Saturday morning I met with Jason (Sultzer) and we traveled down to Oban fairly uneventfully but constantly the chat kept going back to the weather. When we arrived at Oban there was a fresh southerly blowing.

We quickly geared up and made our way to the slip to speak to Colin, the skipper of the M.V. Creagallan, to find out his thoughts on the wind which was forecast to pick up. His mind was to sail out beyond the point for a look, then either go to the skate marks or Etive if it didn't look favourable. We set off once the rest of the anglers had appeared, one of Jay's colleagues Pete and his son Callum and the three Morecambe boys (Dave, Paul and Terry), Dave had one the Skate trip as a raffle prize held for last years Sick Kids Comp. The wind and swell were not bad enough to send us steaming into Etive but it was going to turn into a bouncy trip from time to time. After anchoring in the lee of a headland in about 130m of water we got the first baits (usual selection of mackies, squid, bluey and rainbow trout to start) down and waited. A couple of rods with small hooks also were put down to see what else might be about.

By and large there was just a roll on board but the odd period of larger swell did spill round the corner to make it a bit uncomfortable from time to time. It was a slow morning, but as often when the fishing is slow the banter is quick and there was a good atmosphere on board with everyone getting on and having a great laugh. One of the small rods went (first bite on anything of the day shortly before lunch and Jay handed the rod to Callum the young lad on board. He was delighted when he landed a spur of about 3-4 lbs, not a massive one but his first 'shark' :) I think a new sea fishing addiction has been started.

Just after this I decided to bring in my light rod as the tide run had really picked up and it was hard to hold bottom. A small extra weight on the line when I reeled in but I just thought that was just the tide so was delighted when I saw a blackmouth dogfish come over the side. The only species I particularly wanted to catch that weekend bar the skate. A really cool wee thing of about 3/4 lb.

With the wind a swell starting to build about 13:30 the skipper called for one last re bait before we would have to move to beat the tide turning and do a bit of general fishing somewhere more sheltered. One of the whiting I had caught onboard in Feb came to hand and down it went, first time we had used that bait that day. Jason and I had gone into the wheelhouse to speak to Colin and have a sarnie when about 15 mins later  a long strong run on a ratchet. Ooooh some action finally. Out of the wheelhouse to find that it was my rod that had gone (lovely wee whiting). Another couple of small runs, tightening up the line to set the hook and skate on, yeehaa.

Now there were five skate virgins out of seven anglers aboard so as this was likely the only hook up we were going to get all weekend (due to worsening weather) I decided to do the generous thing offer the rod to the first to step forward. This led to silence and five worried looks around at each other (they all still claim they immediately lept to their collective feet :)). I was up for this, one more ask before the I shut the door and took the fight myself. Second time round Terry, one of the Morecambe boys, stepped up to the plate and took up the strain. Lots of pissing taking ensued as he felt the weight and strength of the fish on the line. It was a feisty bugger but he dealt with it well. Dave took the strain a couple of times to give Terry a wee rest but even so it was off the bottom and over the gunnel in a little over 30 mins. A nice 112lb male, which had obviously been caught recently as there was a clean gaff mark visible as it came to the side.

Quickly measured, a few photos and safely back in the water to swim strongly off. Great sight as ever with the skate coming aboard then flicking its tail back to the depths. As was the grins round the boat as not only were there five skate virgins but this was the first encounter any of them had with a common skate. Pics and videos are great but not a patch on the real thing. I have to say I was a tad nervous I'd given a PB away but seeing Terry and is pals so happy with the skate  I was so glad I hadn't been selfish.

We then moved into a shallower and more sheltered bay on the way back but with no luck for the hour or so we spent there. Still we were all ready to get back for a beer and a slap up roast dinner kindly cooked by Pete (it was unexpected and excellent, roast pork and all the trimmings), then a few more beers and fishy chat in the pub. Slow fishing but a really great fun day, what would day two bring.

My targets for 2013

Well so far from me the fishing has been non existant in 2013, so while I'm waiting to get off the mark I thought I'd put my targets down in writing to I can more easily review how successful my year has been.

Now fishing wise there are too many different things I want to achieve, some realistic and some a bit more of a push so I have decided to only note five specifics (in no particular order) for this year and mix them up difficulty wise. Some will require a bit of luck and some just need me to put the hours in. More than anything good old Mother Nature needs to play ball with some proper defined seasons and an especailly warm and calm summer would be a real treat!

• Any species over 10 lb from the shore.
• A wrasse (should be easy but a total bug bear for me!).
• A species tally of 20 from the shore (including 5 species I have never caught before).
• Explore more and don't get too comfortable going to the same places to regularly.
• Get to grips with my new light rock fishing gear and the different tatics for using it.