Over the starting line for 2016

Gordon invited me aboard Tickety Boo for a trip to Loch Sunart last weekend. Having been resident on the sofa for the about two months a trip was indeed overdue. The wind had dropped to a level that would enable a more pleasant day afloat and we were on the slipway waiting for the 8.30am ferry after the long drive north.

With weeks of rain and a sharp drop in temperature overnight the boat was encased in ice.It was a case of quite literally chipping away at it before we got underway. Sunart’s not been good to me over the last couple of years but Gordon and a few others had been catching some big Spurdog well into double figures in the last few months. It would certainly be dry for the day which was a bonus, it’s usually a wet affair for me. My first visit here a good few years ago now provided great fishing, Common Skate, large Spurdog and the other boat I was with caught a Halibut. The rain however didn’t stop for two days solid.

The squid and mackerel baits soon hit the bottom and it wasn’t long before the resident dogfish made their inevitable presence felt.

We picked our way through the plague of dogfish and along the way caught the odd Spur.

                        Gordon had a nice little Thornback Ray / dogfish double shot

                           Another dogfish with a Spur joining it on the trip to the surface.

                 Gordon sang the odd Oasis song while firing up the stove for some hot noodles

 

It was soon time to hit the road before the daylight was gone. Loch Sunart again didn't  fire for me on this trip but I'll be back up at some point. It was good to catch up with Gordon though ,one of these days he'll guide me to glory and restore my faith in this place. Might be a while, but we'll get lucky one day, maybe :0)