Storm Ashley made little impact around here, but I decided I was better off chasing pike than braving the coastline. Just a daytrip this one, but back at a quiet, remote loch that has produced for me before. I used the bike to nip along the forest tracks and cut down on the hiking. However,… Continue reading Chasing Pike
Category: Freshwater
Mountain Lochan
This tiny mountain lochan isn’t a ten mile hike but is a stiff climb over steep, squelchy ground and bracken blanketed slopes. Despite the cool breeze and dreich conditions, I was certainly sweating by the time I reached it. I was a little sceptical of rumours of perch and decent trout, but at least it… Continue reading Mountain Lochan
Bike for Pike
Finally!! A decent haul of pike proves I’m not a complete numpty when it comes to these fish. Easily my best day predator bashing for decades (possibly ever) 🙂 Just need to work on their size now 🙂 This November trip targetted a remote corner of a remote loch, one I’ve only fished once or… Continue reading Bike for Pike
Paddling Loch Ba
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… Continue reading Paddling Loch Ba
Bushwacked in the Galloway Forest
I’d love to say that all my trips work out as planned, but it just ain’t true… This little session in the Galloway forest is just one example of many that go awry! My plan was simple enough – hike and fish my way up one of the many burns, camp overnight at a hill… Continue reading Bushwacked in the Galloway Forest
Rannoch Trout
I first fished this loch just 2 years ago and fell in love with it. The fish aren’t large but it is a wonderful, maze-like mix of islands and shallow bays set firmly in the harshness of Rannoch Moor. Easily accessible from the main Glencoe road it is easy to lose both the traffic and… Continue reading Rannoch Trout
December Pike
As many of you have probably figured out, I’m keener on ambience than the hardcore aspects of fishing. Not so much what I catch as where I catch them… It’s hardly surprising then that I chose the Galloway forest to track down some pike in early December. This little loch is a well known but… Continue reading December Pike
Galloway Day Trip
Other things have got in the way a bit recently, so I was glad to hit the water for the first time in weeks. Just a wee day trip to a well known Galloway loch in search of my nemesis, the pike. To be honest pike are not really much of a nemesis, as I’ve… Continue reading Galloway Day Trip
Galloway Forest Trouting
I’ve been planning to explore some of the wilder lochs in the Galloway Forest for a good while now and last weekend I finally got around to it. Target for the weekend was a circuit of around 20 miles, taking in between 6 and 10 hill lochs. As a bonus there was a fair bit… Continue reading Galloway Forest Trouting
How (not) to Catch a Pike
I’ve toyed with doing a little pike fishing for a year or two now, mainly to get out during quiet times of the year or when the weather is too vile at the coast. I caught a few when I was a teenager but I’ve rarely fished for them since. My opportunity came at the… Continue reading How (not) to Catch a Pike