Glamping on Etive

Home for the night

Boat glamping? Wild glamping? I’m not really sure the best way to describe our recent session on Loch Etive, but we certainly weren’t roughing it! The boat was fully loaded with a chunky Robens bell tent, complete with carpet and wood stove (with plenty wood) for the cold evening we expected. I’d got the tent earlier in… Continue reading Glamping on Etive

Early Autumn Shorefishing in Argyll

Launching a mackerel bait

I’ve not really been shore fishing around Argyll for months, ever since the midges started to appear, so I was happy to head westwards for a daytrip at the weekend. It was 50:50 whether to trail the boat, but I plumped for the aerobic option and packed the shore gear and hiking boots instead. Plump… Continue reading Early Autumn Shorefishing in Argyll

Wildcamp at Sandwood Bay

Lobbing a bait into the surf

A couple of weeks ago I managed to escape back towards Cape Wrath for a little wildcamp at Sandwood Bay. Surf, scenery and solitude reset a jaded mind very effectively! A few fish would be nice, and September is generally a good month to find them, but my real aim was just to have a little chill… Continue reading Wildcamp at Sandwood Bay

Cruising around Mull

Wow. A great way to spend an evening

With the lazy, hazy days of summer appearing endless, I thought I’d better take advantage of the best weather I’m ever likely to see in Scotland. Thinking cap on and after running through a fair list of possibilities, I elected to have another run around the Isle of Mull. There’s better fishing to be had elsewhere, but… Continue reading Cruising around Mull

Sutherland Bass

Solitary splendour at Sandwood

I live a long way from the wilds of Sutherland, so it was a 5 hour drive through Friday afternoon traffic before I finally got parked up. And then the hard work started as I marched on for a further couple of hours to reach my destination. I pitched my little Vango tent in the early dark, on the grassy machair… Continue reading Sutherland Bass

A Little Round-Up

Morning coffee

Ah well, I’ve not been completely inert over the past few weeks, although there has been little real drama to report. A few upgrades to the boat, adding a bait board and a cabin top rack mount for spare rods and cameras, etc. Railblaza is nice kit, but eye-wateringly pricey! I’d an overnight trip to… Continue reading A Little Round-Up

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

Final Fling for 2017 – a Hike in the Sunshine

Another small spurdog about to be landed

Days of Christmas force feeding meant I really needed to get some fresh air,  so I reckoned a hike in the sunshine along the banks of Loch Etive would fit the bill nicely. Fishing wasn’t the main aim but it looked possible to get 3 or 4 hours to wet a line before darkness fell.… Continue reading Final Fling for 2017 – a Hike in the Sunshine