Loch Ba is a stunning little loch for paddling, even if it doesn’t hold sizeable fish. I love exploring the many little islets and bouncing off it’s many hidden rocks. It’s also been ages since I first paddled my Ally canoe, so high time to get afloat again before winter sets in.
I launched onto a mirror, with early morning mist just starting to burn off as the sun rose. Gliding along, I didn’t bother to wet a line and just enjoyed the silence and smooth rthym of my paddle blade. I think I was on my second coffee break before I made a cast!
I’d taken along both spinning and fly gear, but it was a wee Abu Droppen that got put to work first. In such flat conditions I didn’t fancy my chances with a fly, especially given my dodgy technique!
By the time coffee number three came along I had the princely total of one little brown trout. The odd fish was picking insects off the surface but most seemed completely uninterested in such clear, calm conditions.
I couldn’t resist taking more photos than fish as Loch Ba is genuinely stunning in such stillness.
By lunchtime things were changing as a light breeze sprang up, growing steadily into a more moderate breeze. This encouraged the trout a little, although not enough to make much difference to my catch rate!
By early afternoon the tree branches were well and truly swaying and I really struggling to make headway. I was only out for the day and the Ally was very lightly loaded which really didn’t help – perhaps a lesson for the future! In any event it took almost an hour to cover the last kilometre and my aching arms were testament to the effort required!
Looks great Doug, I think you made the most of a brief spell of decent weather & you didn’t blank either. A cast iron frying pan makes for very useful ballast. Bring on the frost & clear skies !
Hi Ash,
That was kind of a last fling at trouting just before the season closed and I spent a good part of the morning just savouring my surroundings as I paddled along. I definitely need to work on my technique though as it was very hard to make progress when the wind got going – and I don’t think I’ll be loading the Ally up with a hundredweight of dead trout as ballast!
Hi Doug, I know you didn’t use it for this post, but was just wondering what drone you usually use? Thanks
Arthur
Hi Arthur – it’s a DJI Mini 2 which has clung to life for over 2 years now despite my best efforts to kill it. Weight is quite important for me, mainly because camera, fishing and camping gear really adds up in a rucksack – the drone itself is light but the controller and spare batteries do add quite a bit. Apart from pilot incompetence, the two issues I’ve had with it are:
– arriving somewhere remote and finding it demands to login to my DJI account. Flying is very restricted if you can’t log in and it’s happened to me a couple of times. The solution is to make sure you power up the drone and login before you leave home. That seems to keep it happy for a month or so.
– in damp conditions my phone complains sometimes complains about moisture in the USB port. It won’t then connect to the DJI controller and it’s game over. It’s a phone issue rather than a DJI problem, but it is an argument for using the newer DJI controller with its own screen.
I’m not up to speed with the latest DJI kit, so can’t say what will replace the Mini 2 when I finally smash it into a cliff. Hopefully it lasts a little longer!
Cheers,
Doug