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
A Slow Day Chasing Oban Skate
Tiny tides and light winds meant this little Easter bunny finally dug his skate gear out. After pouring a couple of ingots worth of diesel into my Czech tow truck I met up with Ian at Lochearnhead before heading over to Oban. We’ve had some very good days chasing skate in recent years, so my… Continue reading A Slow Day Chasing Oban Skate
Kayak Camping on Etive
No fishing in the title, and little in reality, but I’d a superb weekend kayak camping on Etive earlier in March. Sunshine over snow capped mountains, sea ice on the lochs and perfect kayaking conditions. Fishing can happily take a back seat at times! I popped the yak in amongst the mini ice-floes surrounding Glen… Continue reading Kayak Camping on Etive
Overnighter on Etive
As any reader of my blog already knows, I’m partial to the odd overnighter on Etive. Even in February. At least there is more daylight now, even if the full drabness of winter has beaten all colour from the mountains. My hike was its usual soggy self, with a good bit of wind helping blow… Continue reading Overnighter on Etive
A Mixed Tale
Just catching up with a few mini-reports. January 2022 has been a mixed experience, with some decent fish on the west coast offsetting “nil points” on the east. Mackerel On the positive side, I picked up several mackerel on the third of January, which I think is my earliest ever. Ian and I had a… Continue reading A Mixed Tale
Four Years with my Orkney Longliner 2
I’ve owned an Orkney Longliner 2 boat for over 4 years now and this is my take on her. I don’t normally write reviews and I’m not getting a backhander from anyone for writing this. However, I struggled to find information on the Longliner before I bought her and there’s not much out there even… Continue reading Four Years with my Orkney Longliner 2
A Trek along Etive
My dad would describe the trek along Etive as character building. Very scenic but not easy at the best of times. Today, the mass of thick mud and boulders in front of me was even less appealing as I was laden down with more gear than usual. Up close, the damage was impressive. A huge… Continue reading A Trek along Etive
Fishless and Frozen at St. Andrews
An exaggeration on both counts, but it was a tough day afloat when I paid a visit to Ian last week… – and a short report! The numbers of fish around St. Andrews dwindle as winter sets in but their quality normally tends to improve. Therefore, when Ian suggested a cod hunting session in the… Continue reading Fishless and Frozen at St. Andrews
Peace and Quiet on Etive
I’m often across at Etive over the winter months, both on my boat and from the shore. Whilst the fishing is unspectacular, it is one of the most sheltered places to sea fish in a very windy country. If, like me, you enjoy scenery, solitude and the smoke of a campfire, then Etive is also… Continue reading Peace and Quiet on Etive
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