Autumn In The Highlands
On an earlier visit this year, I discovered a beautiful but remoteloch at the foot of a brooding mountain called Suilven in thenorthwestern corner of Scotland. Fionn Loch is an hour and halfwalking distance from the nearest car park along a narrow path theappears to lead only into a rocky wilderness. I returned to Scotlandin September specifically to fish this exquisite water.
To fish this loch you require a reasonable level of fitness, atravel rod, similar to my Daiwa four piece, nine foot, six weightoutfit, a matching reel and as few items of line and tackle aspossible. Take something to eat and drink and make sure you are wellbooted and water-proofed. The weather changes dramatically in a fewminutes at that altitude and there is precious little shelter aroundFionn Loch.
There are,however, big mountains, sweeping moorlands, dancingrivers, eagles, deer and even an old heron sifting a feeder stream.The loch has an eager head of brown trout that attack a nicelypresented fly with speed and vigour. Most of the fish landed during aday are in the range of a quarter to half a pound with the latterputting up a good fight on a two pound tippet.
About every tenth take feels like a bigger fish but hooking,playing and landing them is not quite so easy. They twist and turn,pull and then back-track and have a menu of escapological tricks thatwill fool the average angler a good bit of the time. I’ve landed fishto a pound and half and what a thrilling fishing experience it was,too. I’ve a theory that there are so many small fish in the loch thatthe competition to take the fly is very intense. Thus, unless the flydrops in front of the nose of a larger fish the smaller ones getthere so quickly that big brother has no chance.
The water is very clear but can ‘colour’ quickly when the wind andrain get to work. Thus, some cloud cover is helpful and so is a bitof ripple on the water. On many days the weather is very challengingand, a note of caution, stay away in warm, still weather or themidges will eat you alive.
In milder conditions the fish rise very quickly to a small dryfly. My favourite for this area is a Greenwell’s Glory tied to a sizesixteen hook. The takes come the moment the fly lands on the waterand the problem is just when to strike; too early and the fly ispulled back towards you, too late and the fly has probably beendiscarded and the fish has gone. The fish I hooked on the dry flywere all small quarter pounders; I think the smaller fish occupy thewater nearer to both the bank and the surface.
I found larger fish, up to a pound-plus, when I used wet flies andnymphs on a fluorocarbon leader. There is a satisfying sense ofhistory fishing with flies whose names come from angling antiquity,for example Peter Ross, Black Pennel, Zulu, flies that I have notused for reservoir rainbows in Lancashire but that I have known about for fifty-odd years. The last time I used a Peter Ross was on theRiver Earn near Auchterarder thirty years ago and it may still beembedded in the same tree even today. The point is that these fliescatch fish. The locally-tied Peter Ross is a startlingly bright redand yellow concoction but it is a superb attractor and catcher ofbrown trout in the Assynt area.
SALMON IN ASSYNT
There are three very good salmon rivers in this area, the Kirkaig,the Inver and the Oykel. The fishing is a bit expensive, around£ 75 a day in September and October but it is rewarding. I lookedin the fishing log at the Inverlodge Hotel and noted that anglerswere catching fish every day, mostly under ten pounds and withoccasional sea trout coming to the net during the afternoon. Hen fishare returned, cocks are generally killed.
Most of the salmon anglers were experienced devotees, purists,almost to a man wearing breeks and fishing the fly rather thanspinning. My favourite angler of the week was not quite in thismould, he was a Midlands reservoir man and neither did he dress norenunciate his vowels quite like the other anglers. Don’tmisunderstand me, there was no snobbishness nor “attitude”; everyonemixed well and the cameraderie was very good indeed. He fished day-inand day-out and nearly caught a dozen fish. However, he was as gameas his quarry and stuck at it every single day for a week. I passedhim on the lower Kirkaig on his last morning before his return toBrierley Hill. I asked how things were going – nothing doing so farbut he was still enthusiastically optimistic.
I’d walked but twenty yards up the path when I heard the loudest”YESSSS!!!!” Just as if Villa had scored the winner! He was into abig salmon and he expertly played and landed a fighting cock fish inprime condition and weighing just short of twenty pounds. He quicklyperformed the final rites on the fish and commented. “This’ll keep mein salmon butties ’til Christmas!” It was a treat to witness thereward for his efforts.
Contacts for both salmon and trout fishing in the Assyntarea:
The Tourist Information Office
Lochinver
Sutherland
IV27 4LU
Tel: 01571 844330
The Inverlodge Hotel
Lochinver
Sutherland
Tel: 01571 844496
GOOD NEWS FROM WHARFE LAKE
The trustees of the Salmon & Trout Association water nearScorton have had a change of plan for this lovely lake. They intendto net and re-stock and then issue permits for winter fishing forrainbow trout instead of closing the water until next March.
This is an excellent trout water and quite challenging. Thefishing log showed very few fish caught averaging only about one fishper rod over the last two or three weeks. I fished with a colleaguelast Friday. We did nothing on dry flies, buzzers or nymphs, allfished on light tackle. The fish were showing erratically but notgiving way to temptation. All the right tactics, we thought, but nofish.
There was a little colour in the water and my fishing friendsuggested a vivid green lure of unknown origin. He had a couple inhis fly box and generously gave me one to try. Sure enough the takescame quickly. We cast into the middle of the lake, allowed the fly tosink the five feet or so to the bottom where the fish seemed to findthe lure. The takes were not fierce but came as steady pulls on theline towards the end of the retrieve. Several fish to five poundslanded and released and then we took one each for the pot at the endof the session.
I was curious about this killing pattern and I asked my friendwhat kind of fly it was. He replied, a tad impatiently, “One thatcatches fish.” Enough said.
Contact: Mrs. Linda Martin (Secretary, Lancashire Branchof the S&T Association). Tel: 01200 423954
