Morale booster

[ian g]

My parent's had friends who's family home was in Knockan near Ullapool ,. They used to let friends stay there . I went a few times it was like another world . I remember catching trout on worm fishing a slider float in one of the lochs up there. Happy memories.

 

[John Keane]

My parent's had friends who's family home was in Knockan near Ullapool ,. They used to let friends stay there . I went a few times it was like another world . I remember catching trout on worm fishing a slider float in one of the lochs up there. Happy memories.

When my mate and I backpacked around Assynt for a week, we spent the first night and the last 2 at Tom Strang’s Birchbank Lodge at Elphin, near Knockan. Tom was better known as a climber and mountaineering guide but he was also a great angler and ghillied for us on a day’s boat fishing at one of the good local lochs. We caught bags of great trout (released) and got up close and personal with a family of Black Throated Divers.

What a place Assynt is, absolutely my idea of heaven.

 

[The Runner]

Assynt, memories...
1982 me and two mates spent a week camping and hiking around the area. On one night the intention was to camp behind the Altnacealgach (?) pub at Ledmore , got there about 6 30 and went in for a pint first. And then the snow started (it was April) so we had another pint. Snow got worse, heavy and horizontal, two other customers came in, gamekeeper for the Vestey Estate which at the time owned pretty much half of Sutherland and one of his drinking buddies. Snow didn't get any lighter and in the end the gamekeeper offered us the use of his sofa and floor for the night. Left at closing time , absolutely clattered, with the gamekeeper driving us very erratically to his place. He hadn't bothered telling his wife we were coming but she seemed used to it.... Had a couple more whiskies.
Next morning his wife sent one of my mates to the freezer to get something for her. Which contained, as well as the expected stuff, a large roadkill otter.....

 

[Aknib]

Sunrise on a Christmas Day morning and full of anticipation of the day ahead's Perch fishing...

up images

 

[John Keane]

Went to Speyside in the Cairngorms in November and had a trip to the famous RSPB Osprey Centre at Loch Garten, Abernethy in search of the elusive Crested Tit. Did get some good views and some not so good photos of Cresties but there was a very welcome distraction provided by Coal T!ts that would come to feed on the hand. Delightful little birds.

 

[markcw]

When I worked for Govt, working on military and government establishments all over the UK. I always wanted to go to Stornoway and Benbecula, never got there, Did a job at naval establishment near Skye, stopped in Kyle of Lochalsh for few days then stayed on Skye for rest of the job. Fished a few of roadside locks, didnt do much.
I always ended up working on Unst, the furthest island in shetland isles, brilliant fishing on there, The RAF lads always asked us to bring a few pints of maggots up with us , It was a great feeling listening to shetland ponies running past your billet ,and watching waves crash over the cliffs. Its a different way of life up there, and to me a lot better paced.

 

[Aknib]

I'm rather upbeat following a day in work doing essential cutting today, didn't need to be in until 6am but I was in well over an hour earlier.

Lovely sunrise before the rain settled in...



This made my day though, I got a good couple of pictures of one but there were a pair and likely the pair that I've become familiar with during the last two or three years.

I looked for them last week but there was no sign and great to see them back, likely enjoying a favourable wind all the way up from North Africa on that nice southerly that we've been enjoying during the last few weeks.

The Swallows are back!

Lovely to be greeted by them every morning and it won't be long before there are several chicks bouncing down onto that wire as soon as I open the doors in a morning, they obviously have their own access but I tend to have a habit of getting in before they've woken up...

 

[John Keane]

Swallows are amazing birds and it always lifts my spirits to see them back here every Spring.

 

[barbelboi]

Nice to see these sunrise pics - I was wondering what it looked like.......................

 

[Aknib]

A newly finished float.

From the comfort of your living room you dare to imagine with every flick of sandpaper, every thread of whipping and every coat of varnish that it might catch you a big fish but nah, those dreams don't really come true.

Or do they..



frank horrigan mod

 

[Aknib]

A couple of randoms from a general waggler 'n worm session which turned out to be a rather rude one with the Perch...





And just for randomness, some sausages

 

[Aknib]

A nice gravel pit Roach.

Of all the gravel pit species I reckon Roach are one of the most proliferous yet elusive of fish, often enjoying acre upon acre of clear water whilst following the wind and treating any other food source than what they're generally used to with instantly dismissive suspicion.

One day they're there, the next they're gone.

That's not to say they don't let their guard down occasionally and being in the right place at the right time brings its rewards and often in numbers...

 

[Aknib]

From Prussia with Love?

Brown Goldfish/Prussian Carp, the only one I've ever caught...



Makes me chuckle when I look at that, I generally tend to keep my fingernails trimmed except for my thumbnails which I use for opening up shot but they do collect the clag :laugh:

 

[wetthrough]

Finally got to play with my new toy today and it perked me up a bit so here it is. The result of a joint project with a friend of mine to build two cnc routers. Mine has a float mill attachment. He's somewhat behind as he lives about 8 miles away and I have the special cable he needs to finish it off...

First run

 

[John Keane]

Finally got to play with my new toy today and it perked me up a bit so here it is. The result of a joint project with a friend of mine to build two cnc routers. Mine has a float mill attachment. He's somewhat behind as he lives about 8 miles away and I have the special cable he needs to finish it off...

First run

View attachment 8906

...er, what is it and what does it do?

 

[wetthrough]

Basically a cutting tool that you can control up/down, backwards/forwards and side to side with a computer. The full pic might give you a better idea. This one has a rotary axis as well so I can machine round things like floats What it does is make things in 3d or more correctly 2 1/2 d.

 

[mikench]

3d or more correctly 2 1/2 d.

I'll have a dozen at that price Gordon

 

[Aknib]

I'll look forward to seeing the floats then Gordon

And just think, your living room too could soon resemble scenes like this as you look for ever quicker ways of drying the varnish...

upload photos

More than worth it though when you get 'em out on the bank and catching fish...

img uploads

fallout 3 enclave armor

 

[Aknib]

Another one as a result of Kev's handy work with the camera.

An Ide from a small, local abbey pool taken on the bomb and quivertipped worm...

 

[seth49]

C&F Fly Wheel | Fly Dryer | Fly Tying Accessories | Sportfish

Something like this would be good for drying floats. you wouldn't get any runs in the paint either.