Lochside

Hardly much happened as regards fishing, or anything else, over the Christmas period, with the lochs frozen - along with my water supply! I stayed at home and saw no one, which is not unusual during the festive period, what was more strange were the very bright moonlit nights, up to 4am. Had there been any unfrozen water nearby I would have been tempted to try my luck just to get out of the house for a while!

A couple of pike fishing friends had tried just before the big freeze, against my advice, as I normally find if it's too cold for me to sit around, and it's not likely the pike are in the mood to feed either. So, instead, I  took the boat out and smashed through a hundred feet, or so, of inch thick ice which took the weight of the boat, and myself walking on it - very warily I might add! Breaking the ice in front of the boat, with an oar a few feet at a time I reached the open water after an hour.

This was much to the amazement of my angling friends, who were taking photos in the sure knowledge I was going to fall in at some point or another! But no, not this time! So I left them shivering under their umbrellas on the opposite bank, and rowed down the centre channel bumping against large sheets of ice, until I reached the large expanse of Loch Luichart. And on this calm, windless, but chilly day, using a light spinning rod, I had no pike but, surprisingly, three out-of-season trout - two, around 1 1/2 lbs. The third, which I at first thought was a pike was much bigger, and for a few seconds it pulled the light boat round, then leaped out, with the red and white Toby spinner hanging from its mouth. I then could see it was around the 8 lb mark, and like the previous two had obviously stopped spawning and was in prime condition. It seemed well hooked by this time so I relaxed, and got the net and camera ready, still playing the trout.

I got it up to the boat, a beauty to behold on a cold day, in went the net, the fish swirled and then nothing! On retrieving the spinner, I found a barb on the 'new' treble  hook had broken. I stress 'new' because I'm finding the barbs on white metal hooks on a batch of lures I recently bought are prone to snapping, when any reasonable pressure is applied. So I've been changing them for the far more reliable bronze hooks. As I wasn't expecting to catch anything that day at all, just have a nice row to keep warm, this lure had been overlooked!

Another sharp lesson I've learnt, never take anything for granted ! I hadn't given much thought to the hook especially as I was only fishing a few feet below the surface! Anyway no harm done to the fish, which was a surprise in the cold conditions to catch.

I rowed back to my friend after a couple more hours of nothing happening and tried again in the shallow end of the loch which was comparatively free of ice, just a few yards from the 'umbrella' anglers, who shouted out they hadn't had a touch fishing on the bottom with dead bait for pike!
Within 10 minutes of spinning, two more trout took the broken hooked lure, bending the rod end, jumping in the air, and both again around the 1 1/2 lb mark. Both not surprisingly, came off. My friends were amazed that the prey fish were so close. However, with no pike around, they still decided to stay a bit longer.  I left them, and struggled getting back to the shore, through the ice pack, where I leave the boat. It was an interesting day.

"I don't get this fishing lark, do you?"

"Not really, but it keeps him amused, and at least he's not got a gun…."

A couple of weeks later, two of us tried Loch Chollin in a snow shower, before it set in again. No success. Then again to Loch Luichart, where a lone 10lb pike was the only catch that day.
After that the weather closed in, and the one inch of ice on the loch turned into three inches. Even using an iron pole I couldn't break through to take the boat out. And that's how it remained until the 13th January and at last a thaw! So there is hope in the coming weeks that some fishing might be possible for that elusive thirty pounder! After all, its better to be fishing, than staying home and wishing...(belated) happy New year to all!                

David Willis 

Photograph courtesy of Jim Curry