I guess the title says it all. Just a brief but rewarding overnight foray messing around on the lonelier parts of Loch Etive. My forecast suggested strong winds to start with, easing by late afternoon. So it was late in the day before I launched from the head of the loch, armed with my old… Continue reading Messing about on Etive
Category: Inflatable boating
Fishing from SIBs (Soft Inflatable Boats)
Loch Caolisport
This little trip to Loch Caolisport was a first for me. I finally ditched the day job a couple of months ago, and one ambition is to try some new places. More time for the great outdoors in general and fishing in particular means I can afford to play a few wildcards. Loch Caolisport wasn’t… Continue reading Loch Caolisport
Loch Etive – Trout from a SIB
I’ve caught trout from Loch Etive before, but never really targetted them or tried from my SIB. Normally I fish Etive over winter, so closed season for trout, and I’m aiming for bottom feeders. It was mid-afternoon when I arrived, and Taynuilt was full of tents and folk wandering over the beach. However, I managed… Continue reading Loch Etive – Trout from a SIB
A Mariner on Leven
I’ve just bought a new toy, a little 3.5hp Mariner outboard. It’s a longshaft, intended to be an auxiliary for the Orkney, but is equally happy to sit on the back of my old Avon SIB. It needed running in and I haven’t really used the Avon for almost two years, so I decided take… Continue reading A Mariner on Leven
A Few Hours Chasing Thornbacks from my SIB
Just catching up a bit with some rather late reports… A couple of weeks ago I nipped across to Loch Leven to spend the morning chasing thornbacks. I actually drove across the night before to test out some adjustments to my sleeping arrangements in the Yeti, proving you can sleep me, an inflatable and an outboard and… Continue reading A Few Hours Chasing Thornbacks from my SIB
Early morning SIB session
The east coast has been slow to get going this year but I reckoned there had to be fish around by the end of May – besides I’d only a very short session available so it was Dunbar or nothing today. To be honest I do like an early morning SIB session, as the sea… Continue reading Early morning SIB session
A bit of Surf and Turf in Lochaber
Yesterday saw me launching the SIB at Ballachulish before six in the morning, after a few hours kip in the car the night before. I made haste, to try and avoid the midges which are well and truly out of hibernation now! I don’t normally bother with Leven at this time of year as the fishing… Continue reading A bit of Surf and Turf in Lochaber
Spring Strikes on Loch Leven
I’ve been across to Loch Leven three times since New Year and it’s been relentlessly cold so it was a full set of thermals for yesterday’s trip – only to spend most of the day in windless, warm weather with a good deal of spring sunshine to boot. This is Scotland though, so it did… Continue reading Spring Strikes on Loch Leven
Two men in a SIB
It must be a decade since I last fished two men in a SIB, as it’s usually cramped enough for one disorganised angler, let alone two. However Loch Leven ain’t the open Atlantic, and a few hours fishing in calm conditions made it an decent proposition. Apart from the outboard taking a bit of flogging… Continue reading Two men in a SIB
SIB’ing in the Snow
With a forecast of a few hours of light winds and a few snow showers later, I reckoned it was time to get the boat fishing gear into action so the SIB got packed into the back of the car and I headed towards one of my favourite west coast sea lochs. It was minus… Continue reading SIB’ing in the Snow