Are we nearly there yet?

It’s been a long wait but we’re nearly there. I’ll be back on the  open coast next month chasing silver, looking for one of those gems that have maybe stayed at sea throughout the autumn, fin perfect and hungry.

Till then, there’s always the internet.

 

 

Scotiafishing.com

It takes a certain amount of bravery, drive and self-belief to set out on your own in business, when that business is fishing I’ll tip my hat to those that make the move.  It’s possibly a dream for most of us on a Monday morning stuck in traffic or in an office with deadlines and targets. So the thought of being on a loch, river or beach at 6am on a July morning with someone paying you to be there appeals to me and probably anyone reading this. However, the reality of capricious fish, poor weather, forums and the expectations of fellow anglers might see most of us crumble, being a fishing guide is not an easy life, you probably won’t be rich but it is a lifestyle choice.


So it was good to see my friend Callum Connor recently push out on his own with http://scotiafishing.com/  providing tailor made Pike, Trout, Grayling, Salmon, Saltwater fly & lure fishing experiences in Scotland.

I’ve fished with Callum socially and can vouch for his passion, enthusiasm and knowledge of the industry and wish him all the best in his new venture.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel the pressure to put him on to a fish when he drove from Stirling to meet me down at the Mull of Galloway last summer (and back the same night, committed or what?). The target fish was a Bass on fly or lure at night.

That mission was accomplished but I just hope his nerves are better than mine! I guess we shall see as he’s putting me through my paces with an integrated shooting head and salt fly rod soon. It’s been a while since I picked up a fly rod in anger so he might have his work cut out, good luck Cal!

Shore trip to Loch Etive

Scott and I met up for our first joint trip of 2014 heading up to Etive on Sunday. The targets were the usual suspects for this venue, Spurs, Thornbacks and LSD’s but as always there is the chance of a few other species as well. We had been unfortunate with the weather in December as the intention was to add to Scott’s 110 all-round species tally for 2013 but weeks of gales and rain put an end to that idea. Scott set himself the objective of catching the three main members of the shark family available so I picked a likely spot where you can hit about 200 feet of water pretty easily. The challenge at this mark is the last 50ft which can be tricky due to the fringe of weed and the vertical gradient.

About 1pm we sent the one hook pulley rigs and fish baits out into the loch and waited for the touchdown which does take a little while here.   I started to get bites straightaway and soon had a Codling on a rainbow trout section.

Scott was having a few odd issues with his braid but after losing a rig he settled in and got his first decent bite. This resulted in a nice Thornback on a sandeel sausage. After a bit of huffing and puffing it was up and over the ledge. The first and maybe the one species I felt might be hardest to tick off the target list hit the rocks.

 I had two Daiwa Amorphous AWB's with me so I huffed and puffed as well , they're too soft tipped for this mark.

There was plenty of interest in our baits and I picked up a small Spurdog and Scott made another step towards his target with an LSD.

One more to go!

My first Spur makes its way back.

I picked up another Spur shortly after my first but got caught up on someone’s old braid main line, looked about 100 pound braking strain, a real problem. As I made my way towards the fish I nearly broke my neck as the vibram soles on my boots were hopeless on the black shiny rocks which made going anywhere  near the water’s edge a  problem. Scott got his Spur and the three species hatrick was in the bag a lot quicker than I expected...good news!

As the tide dropped I suggested a move as I didn’t fancy dealing with the rocks in darkness. I felt that the shallower mark close by would start to fish when the tide turned. Shortly after we arrived Scott had the biggest Spur of the trip which might have went about 5 pounds.

We were both getting a few bites here and there and I picked up another Codling, then my first Thornback of the session.

We had a few more fish after this. Scott had another Thornie and we also had Codling and micro doggies.

It was a really nice night to be out, the sky was clear and it was surprisingly mild.  I went over to have a chat with Scott, he was plotting star constellations with his mobile app but the only thing I was trying to spot was an owl which sounded so close it felt like it was nearly on my shoulder. I eventually found it in the trees when it swivelled its head around and its eyes lit up in my headlight. Pretty soon the bites dried up, the owl went on its way and we hit the road for three hour journey home, nice little trip. It was good to catch up with Scott again, we usually find a few fish when we meet up so we’ve planned a few joint sorties for later in the year.

Long term gear review

The days are getting a little longer and the weather over the last few days has been a little better but as we know, it probably won’t last and at some point we’re almost certainly going to hit a cold spell with some snow.  I should make it out for the first trip of 2014 next week which will most likely be a trip to Loch Etive with Scott.   I’m looking forward to spring and the start of my Sea Trout season and found myself in the garage today sorting out some gear and having a look at what I have and what might need replaced. Thankfully there’s not much money needing spent so I thought I would do a quick review of some of the items I’ve worn, used  and abused  as I’ve walked and fished the beaches of Scotland, Ireland and Wales over the last few years looking for those silver spikey things which at the moment  seem like a distant memory.

Costa sunglasses

I fished Tobago in 96 and after trying another anglers Costa’s I decided to get myself a pair when I got back to Scotland. Back then there were no distributors in the UK, changed days since then. In 97 I used this new thing called the internet to make my first ever web purchase and got the bottom pair sent from the states.  These were replaced in 2001 while in Florida on holiday by the Triple Tails( top pair) green 580 lenses, almost still perfect with the odd scratch the leg screws are still tight and the lenses have never popped out despite some abuse. They’ve provided great protection and enhanced my vision on almost every fishing trip since then. My eyes have certainly deteriorated over the last thirteen years but these are still spot on.

Scierra Riptide wading boots

2 ½ seasons with these, probably the most abused item I own. I went for the version with pre fitted studs. I’ve added a couple of additional studs here and there as these have worn down but other than that I’m surprised they’ve lasted.

Good grip, good support and good value at the price they were bought at. I believe they may be discontinued now and got another pair for £40 on sale. They are a combination of leather and mesh with plastic eyelets. I did rinse them in the shower after most trips which certainly helped keep the salt at bay. The leather goes a horrible white colour as it deteriorates but apart from that they’ve been a good buy.

As if I need to tell you the one on the right is new. I will wear the old one's till the soles fall off!

Patagonia gear

The R1 hoody is almost the only base/mid-layer I wear. Worn since 2009  it’s got a great hood, snug fitting and zips up to your nose if that’s what you need. It’s warm but you can also pull the chest zip down to cool off if required. The thumb holes make such a difference when I’m cold it’s hard to believe this doesn’t feature more on similar items. The material is comfortable, stretchy and dries super quick if it gets wet. It’s torn in various places from encounters with hooks and fences over the years and the cuffs are almost in tatters now. I’ve spent so many days in this it’s been like second skin, my number one item of clothing any time I go fishing.

Patagonia Retro X vest, had it a couple of years now, great core warmth, it’s laminated and wind proof with some handy zipped pockets. I like this as it keeps me warm but my arms free to move around. It’s been a great addition as part of my layering system. From Arctic Norway to a wet and windy Wales worn with the R1 hoody and a shell, unbeatable comfort and warmth.

Patagonia lightweight deep /short wading jacket now needs a zip and will be off on a trip to Patagonia in Italy for a replacement this month. I've used it since it 2008 I think.  It’s wind proof and provides reasonable waterproof protection from the rain and waves while wading. The pockets are OK and it packs down to about the size off my fist which is really handy as easily fits into the top slot on my Snowbee backpack or even in my trouser pocket.

Petzl  TacTikka

Not the brightest headlamp out there but the best I’ve used and does exactly what I need it do. For my night time Bass fishing it’s a got an easy flip over red filter which lets me move around with enough light to not fall over( too often) Using a white light really screws up your vision and in my opinion not very useful in assisting in catching Bass at close quarters at night. This thing runs so long on the rechargeable batteries before they need a boost it’s unreal. It’s water resistant and comes with a spare lens attached to the head strap. It has various power settings to suit your needs including a short power boost. I can really recommend this item, but don’t get the camo strap as it’s a pain in the arse to find at night if you take it off. This one was on sale with the camo strap. I keep meaning to wrap some white tape on it. I carry a spare Sylvia which I used for a few years before getting the Petzl, it is brighter but overall poor by comparison.

Daiwa Certate, Daiwa Caldia MK2, Century HPR 9FT




 

Much maligned in some quarters the HPR has been a great rod.  I’ve broken two tips, both my fault and never thought of replacing it. I’ve been using it for 2 ½ years now it’s as close to an all-round lure rod as I’ve used. Nice sensitive tip with plenty of power in the middle I’ve used it for Bass, Sea Trout, Wrasse, Pollack, Perch and Pike with SP’s, metals and hard lures.  You can really feel what the lure is doing and for working SP’s rod tip up it’s in its element.  The short screw down reel seat lets me keep my forefinger on the blank, great for SP work.

If I was regularly catching big fish in strong tide run over heavy ground I might be looking for more of a rod but I get great feedback from this rod with 99% of the fish I catch. That said I would still be confident if I found myself in the position to have to deal with the afore mentioned situation, it’s not my first rodeo as the yanks might say.  Not the lightest of the 9ft rods out there and I fish with the three counter balance weights on, this works fine for me. I’ve had this rod in my hands for almost 9 hours straight at a time. When I start to worry about a few grams here and there, as some do, I think I’ll be ready to wrap it and take up knitting. When I put this rod together with the Certate and the YGK  G-Soul it’s a super combination, should be at the price mind. If I need to it can cast miles and cover ground with right end tackle. At the same time it provides a super smooth and sensitive combo that I can fish with for hours with full confidence and almost zero wind knots.  When I broke the tip I bought a spare rod for £80 as Century took three weeks to make a new tip second time round( 6 days FOC the first time I broke it) I didn’t like it, zero feel. I also went back to one of old rods, felt hopeless. Fish don’t know the price tag but honestly, this rod with that 8 strand braid and how I fish at the moment enhances my fishing and is worth every penny. My Certate 10 3000 is a nice reel, super smooth, nice drag, good line lay, spare spool price is ridiculous, lost a handle, replacement price, also ridiculous. I did get a W handle on sale but I’ve never had a reel where the handle can simply unwind itself and fall off! I’ve had no problems with the reel other than that. It was briefly at the bottom of Cork Harbour back in 2012 but I had it serviced FOC at Daiwa when I got back, despite what some might say I’ve had great service from Daiwa over the years and was one of the reasons I bought the new Certate. The Caldia pictured here is about 6 years old now and while I don’t use it much these days it was and still is smooth and reliable as it was before the new reel came along. If you don’t want to look after your gear buy cheap and throw away or go for something waterproof, at a big price of course, Daiwa for me though, jobs in Scotland are a good thing.

Wave Worms/stick worms

 

I used these in Ireland for the first time in 2009. Jim put me on to them, the Wexford worm as he called it. I’ve used them on an off since but I’ve only really switched on to using them since I got the HPR , the outfit I now fish with  lends itself to this style of fishing. They’re cheap, versatile, cast great weightless and they catch fish. I really like just rolling them around in the waves with a few twitches fished weightless and weedless they can be cast into anything. The Bamboo Sticks (the top 4) weigh about 15 grams, and cast almost as far as a 20g hard lure.  My PB Scottish Bass in my current blog header took a white one of these. Then there is the Tiki Stick which is lighter with a thinner profile which is more like the olive laminated Senko pictured here also. The plastic at the bottom is 7 inch Senko, doesn’t cast as well but I had a couple of greedy fish on it last year. I’ve been using them with mainly Nogales Monster  4/0 and 5/0 with a hitch hiker, totally reliable and strong hook but I want something with a lighter gauge of wire for this year so the lures falls more horizontally. I’ve had some fish on them at night  but it’s not my go to night lure at the moment but it is for some.

Anyway, thanks for reading and have a great 2014!

 

 

Grinding out a few on the cut

I made my final trip of 2013 down south to the midlands for a couple of days on the cut. The weather forecast was a mixed bag but it looked like I might miss the torrential rain and storms that were heading in the direction of Scotland.

I picked up where I pretty much finished off on my last trip but the snaggy  swim that produced the goods before was lifeless, after it claimed a couple of rigs  I had a walk and few cast towards a nearby road bridge. It was pretty bright by now so I flicked the lure along the shadow of the bridge and had a nice Perch take the lure pretty much where I expected the fish to be hanging out. After unhooking the fish I sat it in the net and let it rest in the canal while I got my camera. The fish however was camera shy and took the opportunity to find a new hole which appeared from somewhere and it was on its way back to its mates.

I picked this one up after making an on the bank temporary repair to my landing net, it’s about 15 years old so probably about time to replace it. I lost a small Zander shortly after that but after about 3 hours and a lot of walking I got the impression that fish weren’t around in numbers so made a move about 5 miles away.

The Perch were really tight to the wall between two boats and I managed three fish in quick succession before targeting a swim where I suspected there might still be some Zander stuck in a short stretch between two locks.

My hunch was right.

Both Zander really wanted the lure and long nose foreceps were required for both.

The next day I was on the canal for dawn after scraping the car windscreen following a severe overnight frost. With the canal being 30ft wide and no more than 4 feet deep anywhere I suspected that this might have an impact on the fishing. I didn’t however expect to be fishless 7 hours later but that’s how it went, brutal. I was glad to be off the water and heading back to Stef’s for some paella (also fishless as it happens) and a few beers.

The highlight of Sunday was this Kingfisher which I managed to get a poor quality shot using the zoom function. I dont spend a lot of time on inland waterways so it was nice to see one. The last time I came across this bird was near Saumur in France on the bank of the Loire the same day that Tyson bit Holyfields ear off, a long time ago in other words.

I wasn’t intending to fish the next day but I woke up early and noticed there was a lot of cloud cover and some rain so the temperature hadn’t fallen below zero overnight. I hit the canal for two hours before heading home.

One for the road and the double blank was off. This was the only offer on my short session.




 

 

 

Canal red letter day -Zeds, Perch and the mysterious monster

I had another trip down to the midlands at the weekend to meet up with friends, deliver Christmas presents and of course wet a line in the local canal. Having arrived on Friday evening it was an early start for me Saturday morning. The plan was to be on the water at dawn to catch the Zeds and Perch having their breakfast. After a quick coffee and a wrestle with my mates Doberman pup Otto I was on the water for about 7.45am.

Kerry supllied this picture, think he's going to be a handful

I didn’t have the best of starts as I got snagged first cast and as it happened this set the tone for the day on that front. Being a little superstitious I was thinking to myself, yeah here we go. I needn’t have worried as not long after that I was netting the first Perch of the trip which took a SG Fourplay fished on a drop shot rig. I didn’t realise it at this point but it was was going to be one of those days when the camera would be out attached to the gorrilapod all day.

The next 45 minutes were hectic. I pretty much must have found every snag in that stretch of the canal, between tying new rigs I managed three Perch and two Zeds and lost a couple of fish.

Typical red fin

A better Zed

You can see why they can be hard to hook sometimes

A nice Perch from the shadows under the bridge

This one's well fed

I took a break for ten minutes then got back on it with a slightly better Zander and a few more Perch. I guess it must have been about 10.30am and breakfast time seemed to be over for the fish. I had a quick check on Google found a tackle shop and set off in search of drop shot weights and another coffee.

 

The forecast was accurate and with the bright conditions I had checked Google maps ahead of my trip and wanted to check out a section that provided some shade. I arrived at the next spot and lost a rig on my second cast so it was back in to my bag yet again. As I was gearing up a boat passed and I pretty much pitched my lure at its wake and straight away hooked a decent Perch which came off, next cast a nice Zed, again it came off.

I'm not the only one cracking a smile today

There was definitely some structure they were hanging on. As I worked my way around the area there seemed to be three definite snags causing me a few problems, the good news however was that  there was no shortage of action along with losing some gear. I lost a few fish  including a Zed which I guess would have gone five or six pounds but I was optimistic the way things were going something else would come along. I was actually right for once.

The best of the Zander I caught, check the paddle

The occasional dog walker came in handy

I moved slightly left of where I was catching most of the fish and pitched the lure about 15 yards along the canal when I felt the lure stop slightly and lifted in to it. What happened next was pretty strange as before I knew it ten yards of line slipped from the drag and I found myself chasing whatever it was down the canal with my net stuck between my legs. The Zander and Perch I had been catching typically shake and run around a little but whatever this fish was it was in a different league. For the first couple of minutes I’m thinking I’ve hooked the biggest Zed in the UK. I’m then thinking it’s possibly a really big Pike. It was tearing around the swim stirring up the silt on the bottom and with the water clarity I had no chance of getting an eye on it as it stayed deep. As the fight wore on I came to the conclusion it was still very big but was possibly foul hooked as I could not do much with it. I took my time as I really wanted to find out what it was. I was desperate not to bust it off. After a long time it was eventually below the rod tip, still no visual I was sweating when I gripped the spool and applied as much pressure as I could to lift its head up. I couldn’t believe my eyes when this popped up!

The mystery fish makes an appearance! I was about as surprised as I've ever been while fishing

I could barely get it in the net. I was pretty shocked to see a massive common Carp. A small crowd had been watching from the nearby bridge and a local who was also an angler came down to take the picture, he was pissing himself laughing. He was surprised to see a fish of this size in this canal and laughed at how lucky I’d been keeping hold of the fish which was hooked about two inches from tail. He took a couple of pictures and helped me release the fish before heading off with his family, still laughing. My luck was in. 

 
Stef brought the kids down when he found out I wasn’t far from where he was heading. He told me I had ten minutes to catch them a fish but I only took five.

The kids went on their way after a look at the Zeds teeth and dipping my tackle box for Kopyto Shads and SG Dying minnows, minus the hooks of course.
The fish were still in the mood, so was I, so we cracked on together till dusk.

My intention had been to fish for a few hours on Sunday before heading home. The canal had been very good to me, thirty odd fish, my first Carp and some great memories. I decided to quit while I was ahead. I settled for a few beers on Saturday night, some sleep and a visit to the Christmas market on Sunday, nice way to end the trip as Christmas seemed to have arrived early for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fangs for the memories

Scott and I had been planning to target Zander since our first jaunt to Rutland last year. We enjoyed that trip but were looking to have a crack at Grafham in the hope of hooking up with a big Zander and maybe a decent Perch. The weather however over the last couple of months has been having none of it so we put plan B into play. We bought our rod licenses and booked our day tickets for a midlands canal and headed for Englandshire. I had never fished a canal before but Scott had plenty of rod time dodging shopping trolleys on Scotland’s waterways so he would keep me on the right track.

Day one and it had been a heavy frost overnight; we had bright conditions and light winds. We tossed a coin as to where we would start and then got to work. After about an hour of walking and casting Scott connected with a little Perch on a drop shot rig, the blank was off! 

I made a few changes and put on a SG Fourplay hooked broadside on a drop shot rig and quickly hooked my first Zed of the trip. This was a brief encounter as when I went for the net it spat the hook, happy days….

Over the next 3 ½ hours we walked and covered loads of water trying locks, bends, weed beds , overhangs and bridges without a touch so we headed back to the car and made a move. When we arrived at the next spot Scott was straight into a fish so we both felt things were looking up.

I was next up with a small but much appreciated Zed which had wolfed the Fourplay, this one was staying on. 

Not long after that I looked over when I heard Scott shout that he was into a decent Zander.  I made my way along with the net but just as I got there the hook came out. The curse of the net strikes again!  It would have been rude not to have a few chucks so I walked a few feet up the canal and pitched in my rig which was promptly smacked by a decent fish.

You can see by the shape and distribution of the fins that the fish is built for agility and speed.Not the greatest fighters but an impressive fish just the same.

Scott reckons this might have been the same fish. It’s a PB for me, probably around 4 pounds so I ended the day on a high.

The forecast for day two was pretty grim with strong winds and rain in the forecast. Scott picked a spot on the map and was on the money as he hooked a Zed on what was probably his third cast of the day.  I walked over with the net, and well you can guess what happened next. Not a happy lad. A few minutes later he picked up this little chap.

This was a much better start to the day than Tuesday so we were optimistic we would get a few fish. We walked a fair distance, changed the lures and took cover under a bridge when the thunder and hailstorm started. Eventually I connected with a nice Perch on a SG Dying Minnow but to be honest it was slow.

We were about to have a move when I decided to try a spot before we made our way back to the car. I then had a couple of gentle taps on the lure which turned out to be a Zander, the net was brought out and yet again the fish was off. I gave Scott a shout and within a minute or so he hooked another Zed which promptly spat the hook again. A nearby wall then received a swift boot and I moved off in the opposite direction to give Scott some time to meditate. I was going to make a comment about rubber hooks but thought better of it and went on my way. 

I sneaked this one out when Scott went back to get his bag
That was pretty much the end of the bad news.Over the next couple of hours we had steady action, we lost more Zeds and Scott dropped a thumper of a Perch but rubber hooks Hutchison had three Zander back to back and I went on a steady run of nice Perch. At one point I had to empty the landing net as it was full of autumn leaves picked up while netting fish, nice problem to have. We finished up day two with Scott having two Perch and three Zander and I finished on one Zander and eight or nine Perch.

The SG Dying Minnow again

Total relief- a Zed at last. This was Scott's 108th species of 2013 in fresh,salt and international waters.

But where are the Zeds ?

Rubber hooks is on a role-this is easy!

Stripes in the sun which came out at last

Bristling for a fight

One for the road.Check how broad this fish is in the picture below.

Chubby Perch this one

The business end!

Did we smear or way to success in the brown water ? Who knows but it helped the confidence levels

Tricky fish these Zander, subtle takes or lightning fast hits and a hard mouth full of dentures. We like the Zed. I think we both felt the assist hooks we had would kill the action of lures we were using so we might try something different on our next trip and maybe leave the rubber hooks in Scotland.

We both got over the coloured water pretty quickly but the shallow depth was a surprise to us both. Compared to the canal Scott has fished in Scotland it was really well maintained in terms of bank litter with virtually no snags or rubbish in the canal.  I guess this is down to the fact that it’s maintained as an active and well used waterway which was good to see.