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

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

Wild Camp on Etive – with a few Spurs thrown in

Fish on!

I do like this time of year – the nights are long but it’s not too cold, and the worst of the bugs are back in hibernation. The autumn colours are still around and the summer crowds have largely gone. And last weekend the weather and the tides lined up nicely too, so I sorted… Continue reading Wild Camp on Etive – with a few Spurs thrown in

Squelching Across Skye – and a Stray Bass

A shore caught bass from Skye

Just back from a few days wandering around Skye with a fishing rod. More wandering than fishing it has to be said, but a few items of interest from the angling point of view. Video here, and the full report below… The highlight of the trip was actually before I even got there, as I… Continue reading Squelching Across Skye – and a Stray Bass

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

(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