Two men in a SIB

A baby thornback ray from Loch Leven

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

Blast Frozen on Leven

Looking across to Sgorr Dhearg

Now I know what an Ammo sandeel feels like… Out with Ian on the loch yesterday and the wind was blasting down from the east, straight off the snow fields of the Mamores and Rannoch Moor. Frigid! And pointless 🙁 Our total catch was 1 crab and a solitary clappy doo (although in my defence it… Continue reading Blast Frozen on Leven

Shorefishing on Loch Leven

Tail-less thornback from Loch Leven

Well, the original plan had been a session from Ian’s boat, chasing St. Andrews cod and Pollack, but the virtual closure of the Forth Bridge put the brakes on that. It’s been a good while since I was last shorefishing on Loch Leven so a hasty rethink saw the rods packed in the car and… Continue reading Shorefishing on Loch Leven

A Trickle of Thornbacks

Paps of Glencoe as the light fades

A lovely sunrise over Rannoch Moor had turned into a somewhat greyer and rawer day at Ballachulish, but it was still and calm as Ian and I launched and headed over to the fish farm and anchored up in search of thornbacks. First fish came a few minutes later when my little spinning rod bent over to the unmistakeable struggle of… Continue reading A Trickle of Thornbacks

Shore rays

I didn’t fancy the hassle of a boat today, so just chucked the shore rods in the car and headed west. The idea was to split the day, with a few hours fishing at Loch Leven and then spend the afternoon having a bash at Loch Creran, which I’ve never tried before. Leven was both… Continue reading Shore rays

More Leven Thornbacks

A nicely marked ray rests on the tubes of my inflatable

My last visit to Loch Leven was back in early March and the only thing I caught was an ambulance ride to hospital with a broken leg, so I was rather hoping to avoid a repeat performance when dropped the inflatable into the water at Ballachulish. The intended target was thornbacks, but I was conscious… Continue reading More Leven Thornbacks