A take on tempertature

I had a few hours to kill tonight so I took a run down the coast as it was a nice night. While I didn’t go as far as I would have liked I was in an area where  Bass are caught but normally later in the year. Out of curiosity I bought a £3 thermometer today in B &Q to check the water temperature. It was 7pm and 15 degrees and being a calm night there was not much wave movement.  I guess because of this it was above what I expected. I managed a small Sea Trout on a surface lure a Xorus Frosty, this was a first for me and the only fish I came across and at 8 inches nothing to write home about. I made a number of moves as there was a lot of salad in the water. I made a point of checking the water temp at waist depth on each occasion the lowest being 14 degrees. It’s just about time for a west coast Bass on a lure as I can’t seem to get away from Sea Trout even when I try!

Nice fish for Jamie

No fishing for me this weekend but Jamie did manage a nice fish this afternoon. This is his first Bass of 2012. A good start in anyone's book.

Cost ? Value ? Reliability? Luck?

Not good....to be continued

Good day for a blank and a tramps tan

Thats the first blank of the year in the SW out of the way. Jamie and I had a chance each at a fish but that was it. The water was warmer than I thought it might be and there was plenty of of Tern, Gannet and Seal activity so its all getting  to work nicley down there at the moment.

I stuck with the Bombarda for a while with these 4 inch softies which are recessed top and bottom which makes it easy to fish weedless. I also threw around some Wave Worms for the last 30 minutes but the excitment was over.

We picked up a stray Marine on our travels pictured in the foreground, normally doesnt get his feet wet unless he's launching a boat.....

Hand made

I picked some bits and pieces up this week which I ordered last month but which never arrived in time for my Kyle trip( no fault of the retailer) Long story short I got talking to a member of the team when I placed the order and we spoke about in- line Sea Trout lures from Kinetic and he knew how these worked and how they were produced from what was cottage industry till it was bought out. As it happens he also makes them by hand and you might recognise these from some patterns you have seen in the past but there are a few differences.Its basically a Launce imitation designed to be fished on or near the surface in a tail down sort of presentation. At 22g and 12cm it will cover a country mile.When you see it working underwater with an explanation of why accompanied with the footage of Launce in action scooping off the surface in the videos mentioned previously on my blog it seems a reasonable option. It should be a handy addition to the toolkit.

Thank you James.

A bleak night with a little sparkle

I Stayed in Dundee again last night and while the tides were not great the times were sociable enough to encourage me out for a session. The whole scene had a rather dour look to it with the light S'ly winds which were in the forecast at one point managing to turn themselves around to gusts of 15-20 mph NE's with some rain in the mix....

The water colour was not what I wanted it to be but the fact I could see three sizes and colours of lures at 7-10 yards meant the fish should see what was offered as well. I covered a lot of water before this fish hit on a long line cast up tide, no doubt I was glad to see it. It took the lure really positively and went airborne straight away. I  felt a hard vibration on the braid instantly and when it went vertical again the fish  was also across and down tide having covered a surprising distance.It was the same sort of feeling a fly line has cutting through the water at speed.10/10 as it was punching above its weight.

These nothing to something moments on a wet skankie night is as good a reason as any to pick up a rod.

Not bad for a cold and wet night . 2 from 2 with another small fish and no other sign of life to be seen.

Kyle of Tongue & Durness

I spent a couple of days in the NW of Scotland this week. Its a rugged and remote place which has good Sea Trout and some Bass fishing.

There are some pristine beaches that will throw up Turbot and Flounders.

As expected I was too early for the Bass so focused on the Sea Trout. I met one other local angler on my visit who took this picture of my first fish of the trip.

The weather was mixed with strong Northerly winds which took out the beach options I had. I fished the Kyle and Naver estuary as well as a trip over to Durness. The estuary fishing  unsurprisingly is focused on short tidal windows 2/3 hour sessions.

When the weather allowed it I had some sessions on the beaches on the more sheltered bays I could find. This is where I hooked played and lost a beast of a fish on my first night. The water quality is great and I lost count of the amount of fish I saw following my  lures when the light and waves allowed me to see into the water.

Tactics due to the weather were long casting lures to cover the water some of which I have painted one side white to dampen the flash and provide a more natural look.I also added some mother of pearl glitz and with the action of the lure moving this it got a lot of attention. They dont look much but apart from the pencil bait second from the left they are proven ST catchers with a Danish background and have a great action, compact profile and cast for mile on my 8 strand braid.

Sea Trout can be difficult at times and I switched lure profiles, colours and  added a teaser on the dropper when the weed allowed me to.You need to be sensible especially at the Kyle on an incoming tide and its not advisable without intimate knowledge of the tides/heights

To target Sea Trout you need permission. This  can be obtained from the Ben Loyal Hotel in Tongue for the Kyle, the Store in Bettyhill for the Naver and Martin Mackay in Durness for the Kyle of Durness. The tickets cost buttons. I took one fish for my supper which was superb so if you visit make sure you keep yourself on the right side of the law.

The bottom Kyle is heavly corrugated with some deep ruts, this little chap got out there eventually.Peter the angler pictured above explained that the fish sit in these ruts as the tide drops. Some of them are pretty deep in points but overall its a shallow area.

I'm not great with a camera but if thats your thing and apart from the landscape you have a lot of opportunity

If you thinks it's right it probably is

It's harsh environment sometimes. One of my favourite films and this scene is one reason to stick to your guns if you think what you're doing is right. But its always healthy to ask a few questions....

The things people ask you about

Like anyone that has more than a passing interest and can get focused on their fishing they will get asked from time to time from non anglers, friends and family what do you do when you go fishing? What do you think about?

It’s an easy answer which is nothing really (Travel, Tide, weather, wind direction, time, disengage, engage, watch, repetition, colour, size, movement, light, moon, change, watch, keep moving, more repetition, take the beatings, enjoy the highs, look what you could have won, things break, things don’t work, that was a surprise, did anyone else see that? appreciation, satisfaction) Yeah not much really….