Yes, fully clothed, including wellies, backpack, holding a rod, and with the Grudie River in full spate. I relied on an overhanging branch to swing around an outcrop of rocks leading into the water and it broke! So there I was, being carried downstream on my back, with my waterproof jacket and trousers full of air. Water-filled wellies acted like anchors as I struggled to the bank, but the water was surprisingly warm.
I was unharmed but unfortunately my camera containing many large fish photos was completely ruined. It seems that, in the Olympus 35mm camera I’ve had for 20 years, the two lithium batteries short circuited and burnt out the camera when wet.
Consequently the camera was really hot to the touch after I squelched the mile back home and took it out of the bag. Removing the batteries immediately after leaving the water may have saved the camera, if not the film, but I hadn’t thought that they would actually overheat in water rather than just be ruined.
Anyway, this event forced me into the new age of technology. I’ve now bought a Samsung Digital smart easy use ES73, so light and small after my Olympus – it will take some getting used to until I can hopefully find a shop that still has a more chunky 35mm for sale. I do like to feel I’m holding a camera, as this new one is more like a mobile phone. It’s like comparing a car with a heavy steering wheel to one of the Japanese cars with ultra light steering! Great for the ladies but not for me!
So far this month I’ve done well with some good pike from Loch a’ Chuilinn. I took a fishing friend to one of my favourite spots I had pre-baited and he had a hectic few hours catching a number of fish in beautiful condition, including pike of 8lbs, 9lbs and one just over 10lbs. All I could muster was a small jack pike of 4lbs which took a herring bait half the size of itself. It’s amazing what those smaller fish will try to swallow, such as the large yellow bubble float a small 1lb pike tried to eat. Recently I found it drowned with the float jammed in its mouth. I took a photo but my sketch will show it more clearly. All I saw was the float and the jack pike was hanging underneath in a state of decomposition. Goodness knows what the 20 and 30 pounders could swallow. They all have big jaws, rows of sharp teeth and look aggressive, but in all my years of fishing for pike, I’ve never known one to try and bite my hand, even when I’m removing hooks from their mouths. They are, in fact, quite vulnerable and have to be handled with care to prevent them dying when caught.
Numerous red and white buoys with sensors have been in Loch a’ Chuilinn and Loch Achanalt for the past year. Pitlocherie fisheries management use them to monitor pike movement, with a certain amount of fish tagged with numbers. Any such fish caught are to be weighed and measured and the tagged number recorded. The number can be passed on to me or to Pitlocherie.
The pike should then be returned to the water as soon as possible. I understand it’s the first time this type of sensor has been used in Scotland to monitor pike, and it will make fishing for them that little bit more interesting. I’ve been wanting to tag the bigger fish for years to see any weight changes during a period when first caught and when caught again a year or so later.
Today, 15th October, while I sat in the rain, I saw the dog otter for the first time in over a year, swimming to a small island. It meandered along the edge of the island like a hound on the scent, its head going to and fro, then re-entered the water smoothly and was gone. I wondered if it was looking for a dead char or two that I often find on the island and use for bait. The pike never fail to take a char if it’s fresh. The seagulls also find char an easy source of food. I originally thought the small char came up the main loch in the summer to breed in the river shallows, and a number then died from exhaustion after breeding. This still may be the case but I’ve also found much larger ones dead in the winter as well. If anyone has knowledge of the habits of these fish I’d be very interested to hear it.
I think, despite the cold winds, rain and overcast conditions, a number of large pike will be caught this month, an unusual month containing five Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays respectively. This, I hear, only happens approximately once every 800 years. The summer, if one could call it that, certainly proved eventful. Unexpected catches of six very large pike over 20lbs were had, with one of 25lbs in a fortnight and 26 from 10lbs to 19.5lbs up to October. I also found a dead brown trout, halfway out of the water, weighing 7lbs.
I’m slowly getting used to my digital camera and I’m sure the photos will be brilliant when developed or printed or whatever it is you do with the tiny memory card that takes the place of a roll of film. I’d feel a lot happier with another 35mm Olympus camera. Living in the past suits me just fine! More next time.
David Willis
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