Category: Boat fishing

Anything to do with fishing from a boat

Getting Wrecked on Mull – a Visit to the Meldon

First Pollack of 2018

I needed to get shot of my cabin fever after last week’s snow, and conditions looked good for Oban last Sunday. Unfortunately Ian was lurgied with man-flu and didn’t seem to keen to spend a day on the boat passing on his germs. A solo-skate session was one possibility, but I decided to explore a… Continue reading Getting Wrecked on Mull – a Visit to the Meldon

Spurring on Loch Etive

First decent fish of the day - a near double to Ian

After a couple of weeks of cold, windy and snowy weather I really welcomed the prospect of a calm, sunny day on Friday. Ian was up for the challenge of an early morning start, so high water saw us slipping the dinghy into the cold waters of Loch Etive around half-eight. I followed my usual… Continue reading Spurring on Loch Etive

Kicking off 2018 in Style – Targeting Skate and Conger off Oban

Ian bends into the first skate of the day

Lochearnhead was a freezing -5 degrees when Ian and I met up on Sunday in the pre-dawn darkness. We didn’t hang about, quickly shovelling the rods and gear into my car before heading across to Oban with the boat in tow. Gallanach managed a balmy -2C as we launched and headed out to Kerrera, very grateful for the shelter… Continue reading Kicking off 2018 in Style – Targeting Skate and Conger off Oban

Dodging Icebergs on Loch Etive

Carving through an Etive ice sheet

It’s not often that icebergs stop play when it comes to sea fishing in the UK, but it came close yesterday. I was out on the boat near Kinglass on Loch Etive and the fish were (almost!) being protected by large shields of ice drifting down from the Glen Etive end. A very dramatic winter… Continue reading Dodging Icebergs on Loch Etive

East Coast Round-up

A ridiculously mis-matched fish and lure

I’ve been very remiss in reporting this year’s events on the Scottish east coast boat fishing scene. Maybe there’s not been much to write about, but I have fallen way behind. A mid-November trip out of St Andrews may be my last trip afloat on the east coast this year (hopefully not!) so kind of… Continue reading East Coast Round-up

Corryvreckan and Jura

Sea otter in the Sound of Islay, off Jura

A couple of years ago I sketched out a plan to take a boat around the Isle of Jura, more just to explore this remote place than to do any serious fishing. Of course, doing so involves traversing the Gulf of Corryvreckan which, depending on who you believe, is either the second or third largest whirlpool in the world…… Continue reading Corryvreckan and Jura

A Wee Playabout off Dunbar

Pollack take no prisoners when they engulf a bait

Sunday looked to be a nice day so the target was to be Dunbar pollack, codling and ling again. Boat and gear were sorted and I set the alarm to give me a fighting chance of hitting the slip before boats started to stack up. As a result a rather bleary-eyed angler edged his boat… Continue reading A Wee Playabout off Dunbar

(In)action at Loch Leven with Summer Thornbacks

A typical Leven thornback ray in the 4-5lb bracket

The east coast looked a bit breezy so Ian and I decided to try a sheltered west coast sea loch, namely Leven, for some summer thornbacks. In the event we met up at Lochearnhead at a fairly civilised 7.30 in the morning and trundled across with the early morning traffic. After a short skirmish with an… Continue reading (In)action at Loch Leven with Summer Thornbacks