Success on the Durness Limestone
Lochs 2017
I had heard about them for the last 30
years, clear water, shallow, very dour at times, some of them only at night,
lucky to see a fish let alone catch one and so on. But even the positive
comments had always said “you will be pleased if you catch it just right and
catch a couple of good two pounders”. Even the Master, Colin had agreed that
they were a tough gig but should not be overlooked.
I
had met fisherman at Scourie who were used to a short walk to the boats and
then spend the day afloat and return to the Cape Wrath Hotel with the odd good
fish. But I never dreamt of 12 fighting fish in a day from our boat with fish
over 50cm and at least four over 3lb and another day off the shore a 5lb +
beauty who was an old boy but over 64cm and much heavier in his prime years.
This story goes back to 12th
July 1932 when Sir George Willis was fishing Loch Lanlish with the dry fly. He
managed to catch a lovely 9lb 8oz on his annual holiday to the Sutherland
highlands while he was home from India. The fish and a photograph of Sir George
sits in a bookcase arch in a house in Totnes and is admired by my brothers and
myself whenever we get to visit our Sister in Devon. I have dreamt about catching
such a fish for the last ten years and have been fascinated with all the
stories surrounding Lanlish.
As you can see it is impressive and there
must have been plenty of food around to grow this fat but as they say, there
always was back in the good old days.
The Big Fish competition in 2016 had taken
us much further north than our usual Assynt and Scourie haunts and we had
fished from Wick to Tongue to Durness before heading to south west Sutherland.
In Durness we fished for just two days and a large fish was seen on Caladail
and a few fish of reasonable size were caught on both the main boat fishing
lochs. I had fished Lanlish twice and seen good fish but should have taken
notice of the advice received from Bruce Sanderson who we had met in Tongue a
few days before and that wading was a complete no no as they cruise in the
shallows.
I rose nothing, netted 21 golf balls and playing 18 holes one afternoon did not help with my fishing timetable!
Peter here demonstrating my fishing success!!
After this fairly disappointing limestone
initiation we allocated & booked two further days in 2017’s trip with 2
boats on Caladail for four fishermen and a day on Lanlish for three of us.
After Peter and I had been blown off the hill in Tongue we had headed for a
restful afternoon at the Sango Sands campsite and bar. So we were full of
enthusiasm as we approached the hill on the golf course leading to Lanlish that
next morning, it is a good stroll and you are bankside in under ten minutes.
We
set up by the 6th green and had a very comfortable vantage point to
scan the loch for any movement and watch the golfers approach shots across the
water to the green.
I don’t remember much of the morning, a
good breeze, some sunshine and assorted dry flies from the three of us. We are
typical creatures of habit and used our top performers to start with and don’t
tend to change flies too many time before lunch. I use some small stimulators
of different colourings including black, Michel opts for a Goddards Caddis /
deer hair sedge type dry fly while Peter is the master of the Turks Tarantula.
The Turks, well maybe not to start with but it doesn’t take him long to abandon
the small parachute flies he often uses.
We fished hard though and our flies were on
the water a good few hours before a shout from the north bank and Michel was
into a good fish. He was fishing the beach bay and a cruiser had taken his
floating fly and was on the run to deeper water. Was he broken or did the hook
not hold? Well his WhatsApp reply to my question recently was the fish ran to
some weeds wrapped around them and he was broken in the process. He was gutted, angry and even more determined
to catch a fish on this loch. Pete and I were just excited that there were fish
in the loch and that they could be hooked, I turned to wets and cast into the wind
from the south west being aware of the possibility of golf balls flying past on
the sixth fairway. I worked my way around the southern end but it was difficult
and there are reeds along the shore so side casting helps but does not get the
line far out. I wanted to wade but was aware of scaring all the cruising fish
especially as I was nearing Michel’s bay of plenty, well one!
Lunch was taken back at the sixth green
base and white wine consumed as we considered our tactics for the afternoon. Peter
mentioned that he had a rise during the morning but it was well out and no idea
of size. We agreed that dries or sub surface flies slowly pulled in was the way
forward and we set off to cover the north west shore again for a few hours.
The boys were flagging after an hour and
the day seemed to be coming to an end as they sat on the bank of a hill by the
shore near the beach bay and the very shallow area that extends way out into
the loch. I had put on a fresh fly to fish wet for the last time and cover the
water the boys had fished earlier with dry flies. It was a Ke-He size 10
traditional colours with some extra legs, a fly I always have in my box these
days as there are so few Wormfly options around. I cast out with Peter and Michel as a
potential audience but they were snoozing after discussing dinner options and
aperitif selections.
We have all had those takes that you get
after an initial cast and you miss it as you are getting the line sorted and
not paying enough attention to the fly at the end of your cast. Well this was a
classic as the fly was floating and although a fair way out in shallow water
was a temporary cast area before I concentrated on a hot spot. So I was looking
of sorts but shocked to see my line straighten, I struck and immediately
realized I was into a good fish who was on the move and heading out to the
middle and deeper water. The boys woke up in disbelief of my good fortune as
they had both fished here within the last twenty minutes and initially were
dubious to my appeal for support.
I have just watched my GoPro video of the
playing of the fish and had to change my initial typed comments above and what
follows as the truth was told on camera-
missed the actual take and boys fast asleep on bank. For some reason I
struggled to play it in a calm manner, I was trying to boss it but it was
strong and raced towards me a couple of times which throws you a bit. Anyway
Michel netted it finally as I held him steady in the shallow water. 64cm and
just over 5lb in weight with beautiful colours and spots.
A broad back but not
in best condition as I felt he was an old fish and on the way out with a saggy
stomach. He was returned after measuring, weighing and extraction of Red Tag or
Ke-He.
It was and is my best Brown Trout in
Scotland with a 4lb 15oz being my previous PB to date. I still can’t really
take it in that I have had a Lanlish monster on the line and in the net but
luckily I will be back there again in 2018 and will endeavor to repeat the
experience with a younger fish and preferably a little bit bigger. Maybe with
some small nymphs and buzzers hanging in the water, catching the interest of big
uns as they cruise around in search of food. After a few more casts from myself
the guys were ready for early drinks at the campsite and we headed off down the
hill to celebrate.
Caladail from the boats was our appointment
the following day and we were up early making up lunch boxes and having a
cooked breakfast outside the tent and campervan. Robin was on his way up from
Scourie to share a boat with myself and the weather was typically average, grey
sky, a bit misty with a very light wind.
We took three cars to the parking spot and
unloaded fishing gear only and headed for the short walk to the boats. Peter
had his new electric motor which had been a great benefit when fishing Healan
and St Johns loch earlier in the week. It proved useful here but mainly to tow
the other boat back for a picnic lunch at boat bay.
With the stories of big fish I had advised
Robin that strong line would be needed and I repeated the advice given to us at
Heilan about using a 10lb minimum but
preferably 12lb. We had heard and seen the big fish up at Wick break fisherman
some on the take others playing the fish with all the weed about. We had upped
our breaking strain but Robin paid the price and lost two early fish with
breaks both in the weeds that are all over the loch.
It was a frantic morning I had two fish
over 2lb early on and then had one over 3lb which gave hell of a fight but I
was strong with him and he was netted in record time. We moved the boat and drifted around the
southern island and the wall that runs in and across the Loch from South to
North.
As the other boat drifted near us before
lunch we found that we were well behind in numbers but they had nothing of the
size of our fish caught by me or lost by Rob. Anyway a shout went up and Robin
was into another good fish he was careful and played it well and got it up on
the top and away from the weeds. It was nearly in my net at one stage but a
plunge into the deep started the fight all over again. The other boat was
coming too close for comfort and with no attention to our health and safety, we
screamed at it’s irresponsible skipper but it was too late the fish broke
Robin’s line and another 3lb + fish lost (also his last Ombudsman).
We got a tow back to the boat bay and the
gap in the submerged wall and went back to the car for our picnic spread and
assorted wine selection. Talk was of the mornings experiences which none of us
had expected and of the forthcoming trip to Iceland in August. Further advice
was given on knots and breaking strain!!!
The afternoon was quieter but still
productive and both of us on our boat managed a few more fish in the 2-3lb
category.
We were thrashed on numbers by Peter and Michel but they could not
rise the bigger fish. I think there is another size a step up from these as we
have seen them before but I was happy to be connecting with quality fighting
fish and one of the best days of boat fishing I have ever had.
We adjourned to the campsite when the
clouds got darker and the temperature seemed to be dropping. A satisfied glow
surrounded the Limestone loch fisherman as they sipped their gin & tonics
in deck chairs within our corral of tents and campervan. We talked of Scourie
where we were heading the following day to camp and fish the Scourie and
District Angling Club waters with Robin fishing the hotel beats he would select
later that night.
On reflection:
- · What a cracking days fishing Caladail can be.
- · Unbelievable success against all the weather gods advice
- · Check your leader for worn areas, knots and breaking strain- don’t just guess yesterday’s leader will be ok
- · Take more white than red wine on your picnics
- · Give good advice on the best picnic deck chairs before you leave home (mine can be used in a boat as well)
- · Reminder to self- always buy a spare double blow-up mattress
- · Don’t spend too long or too many days at Lanlish
- · Take your golf clubs or hire some for £10, breaks up the fishing and drinking and you meet some great people.
Other than that I am fishng Achiltibuie, Assynt, Scourie, Wick and Dunnet head and all lochs south of Melivich for two weeks from the 1st June. Tight lines out there Cheers Graham
