‘Going back in time’ to fishing holidays as they were in the seventies

It was 1973 when I was first transported the 700 miles to the West Coast of Sutherland for my first fishing holiday. I was just 13 years old and in an old Mazda with two brothers Pete and Robin, Spence a school chum of Pete’s and our driver and cook Myrtle our mother. In those days it took at least 2 days and we camped somewhere in the Scottish Lowlands on the first night, strangely this year in 2016 I drove back down the west side for the first time in 43 years.

On that first trip we had permission to camp in the school grounds at Lochinver for the first week and then to Achmelvich camp site for the second. We walked miles in the hills in waders and donkey jackets and caught fish all over the place including Fionn, Beannach and the Drumbeg area.

Since that first encounter with North West Sutherland I have been back almost every year for one or two weeks other than when I got married in 1985, in Australia in 1989 and when Peter and I cycled and fished southern Ireland in 1977. It is what I dream about when I can’t sleep, it is what I plan throughout the winter months and sometimes it is what I write about in trying to enthuse fellow fisherman about the area.

This last year in 2016 we went back in time with our planning, no more Scourie hotel for two weeks, no concentration on just one area, no real fixed bookings but an idea of where we wanted to fish and a sketchy timetable of sorts. In the past we have been camping, stayed in static caravans, tried crofts and stayed in a variety of hotels including Scourie for over 25 years. Peter and I even once cycled and camped which was memorable from washing hair under a tap with fairy liquid and then getting spotted dancing at the Lochinver ceilidh in wellies under our Brutus blue jeans.  I ramble but remembering a frustrated Peter hurling his bike to the ground on the Stack Poly road, falling asleep on the way back from the pub and ending up in a bush for the night and living off scotch pies from the Lochinver bakery brings back fond memories. Brothers a few years back looking trim!

Peter started in Wick with his newly purchased VW T6 Bilbo’s campervan here is his report

“My arrival at Wick around 1.30pm on the last day of May was a relief. Fatigue had kicked in some miles before after many miles and little sleep from my Penrith campsite. My journey up the east coast after Inverness had been a surprise to me. I thought I knew Dornoch, Brora and Helmsdale but the truth I had seen the names on traffic signs and buses heading in their direction. I had flown over this part of Sutherland and Caithness a couple of times and from several thousand feet up it looked like a desert but it turned out to be a fertile land supporting crops, animals and trees.

My first port of call was to Hugo Ross (referred to by Mr Sandison as ‘Mr Caithness Fishing’). However his fishing shop was closed for lunch. This gave me some time to look around Wick, which with its grand old buildings reminded me of a miniature Aberdeen. Lunchtime over and I purchased permits for loch Watten for two days off the bank, some flies and the telephone number for a boat on loch Heilen.

I checked into the campsite a stones throw from Wick centre and set off to Watten. I fished loch Watten in wellies which was my first and not last school boy error. The wind pushed the waves over my boots and after an hour I returned to the campsite. That evening I went to the Crown bar followed by a meal at the Norsemen hotel ... all very enjoyable.

Clothed in full chest waders nothing was going to stop your correspondent catching his first Watten trout. A trout just over the pound mark 41cms was landed around 1.30pm just after lunch on a kate mcclaren. Beyond that I saw no fish rise and had no other pulls and by 4.00pm I travelled to find the following days venue loch Heilen and also visited St johns loch near Dunnet Head.

The Crown bar and Norsemen Hotel were my evenings entertainment once again. Loch Heilen is run by and association where some club members have their own boat, bank fishing is available via various means . Our contact was Hamish Pottinger who offered me coffee and having declined both milk and sugar offered a further additive which I thought better of accepting at just after 9.00am !! We enjoyed twenty minutes of great banter and then went off to the loch with Hamish. The wind that had been around for the last two days had not abated and our chance of catching a trout on that rainy Thursday was not looking good. On the Monday a fish of 11lb 2 oz had been extracted!!

I was joined by Michel and John who had travelled over from Tongue, Michel and I took the boat whilst John tried the bank. The north bank is protected from anglers due to nesting birds therefore depending on wind direction bank fishing option is chancy affair. We did a few drifts and got no bites amongst some heavy downpours. However, as I was sorting out a tangle my boat partner saw a fish to my right which in any circumstances would have inspired the lines ‘we gonna need a bigger boat’ 

“

I guess the lack of Peter’s comments on their catch meant they caught nothing but it was an interesting first for all of them. They then all traveled back to Tongue to convene with myself who had just arrived from Las Vegas the day before and after a three hour stop in Cardiff to pick up all of my gear had driven to the Ben Loyal Hotel and had collapsed in my bed for an afternoon sleep.

Over a fabulous dinner in the bar of the hotel and joined by fisherwoman Sue (John’s better half) we plotted our Tongue campaign for the next three days. Scarrie lochs on the Friday, fishing and camping in the hills Saturday and Sunday and a rendez- vous with Mr B Sandison on the Friday evening at the hotels bar.

The ‘Going back in time’ theme was being held onto with this two night stay in a hotel, after 3 days of travelling I knew I had to book a bed in advance and at £45 a night for B & B compared to $200 in Vegas it had to be done. I had booked it 7 months before hand as they don’t have many single rooms but saying that after only 2 nights in his campervan Peter booked into a delux room probably to keep an eye on me in the late bar.

After a brief visit to the Borgie Hotel and a chat with the Landlord we headed up the hill at the back of the hotel to fish a cluster of lochs that held a range of trout many around the lb mark but some larger. I watched John catch two nice fish from the east bank of the largest loch on a wet fly it gave him an excellent fight but were returned once netted. I was on the west bank but there is a narrow stretch which was ideal for sending a large dry fly out to drift into the deeper parts of the loch. Very little stirred for me until I reached the southern end and the weedy part of the loch, here I put on my newly bought stimulator from the USA. Within seconds of this fly landing a bigger fish snatched the fly and headed under again he was a lot bigger than the few fish I had hooked previously. Soon I had him under control and my first trout over a lb had been achieved. We had more fish off the smaller lochs to the North and they travelled great distances to smash into my semi floating nymphs, you could see the bow wave as they approached the sub surface flies.

It was an interesting hour spent with Mr Sandison at the Hotel on that early Friday evening he advised us on lochs we were to fish in the coming days including Loch Lanlish in Durness, Scourie lochs, Assynt waters and his memories of the Caithness lochs Peter had fished that week. We may have been fishing up here for 40+ years for two to three weeks a year while he has lived and fished up here for many many years with further knowledge gained from so many other local fisherman.

Never miss a ceilidh if you can walk to one is my mantra, so that night we hit the Tongue Hotel bar which had a band on. Not sure if we danced much but Peter did a turn on the mandolin for a Rod Stewart solo intro and exit, we met lovely girls from Thurso and Tongue and drank whisky with the staff from our hotel. A late night for the Williams boys but not as late as the night to come when the big fish were rising!

With permits purchased from the hotel, rucksacs packed in the car park and the obligatory photos taken of Ben Loyal we set off for our overnight fishing trip into the hills. There is a good selection of fishing with the Tongue permits with a range of lochs on either side of the Kyle but also permission to fish the Kyle itself for Sea Trout, Salmon and Sea Bass.

The weather was good with light winds little cloud and a warmth which you don’t get very often up here. We walked the 4 miles in about an hour and a half and dumped our heavy packs into the prospective camping ground ¾ of the way down the loch. John and Sue had come up for the day only and were fishing with a few sightings but no tugs. We set up our lunch spot overlooking the loch from a hill on the north west corner, it has a great view of the loch and views of Ben Hope in the distance.

Now to put the record straight I had fished this loch 3 times over the last 3 years and caught nothing, Peter has had a 3lb, a 4lb and a 2 1/2lb all on separate visits. It is one of those lochs that you rarely catch small ones and rarely see fish at all. You do hear them though, big thumps and splashes like someone has thrown a boulder in off a high bank. Well I am going to cut this short as it is worth a chapter in a book itself, broken twice both on the take, a 9-10lb fish on a huge (while sinking) orange stimulator (about 8pm), a big fish on a beaded black nymph (about 5am) possible school boy errors but leaders just not good enough.

The better news was that Peter had a 4lb 12oz (54cm) early afternoon and then went to his tent for the rest of the day/evening confident of the Big Fish Trophy we were competing for. But after reporting back to the campsite at 7am after losing the early morning big fish as well as hearing many more Michel emerged from his tent ready to fish. On my advice he went over to the south side and keeping his body low fished the areas I had lost trout. It was about 9am when I heard him shout “fish on” but when asked if he needed help he replied that he didn’t think it was that big. Anyway after 5-10 minutes it became obvious that he was struggling with something large and it took me another 5 minutes to reach him with my camera in hand.

He attempted to use his enormous wooden net but the fish was a handful and I screamed at him to wait for my arrival. I grabbed the net and he brought him round for a run at the net, it was huge! a great big flank on him and he darted for the underside of the bank. Luckily we slid the net under him and I brought him onto the bank. Unbelievable, simply unbelievable the fish was a healthy 6lb+ (61cm) with incredible spots and Michel was exhausted and ecstatic at the experience. After a photo call he swam back out like a torpedo and caught on video looked even bigger than on the bank.

 

What an adventure, I did catch a fish over a lb but it was such an anticlimax it is best forgotten and looking at my fishing diary it didn’t even make an entry. In great spirits we walked down the hill for a few drinks by the cars and headed south to Durness for some limestone action over the next few days.

The Durness campsite sango sands oasis is brilliant, plenty of room, loads of facilities, pub and restaurant on site, helpful attendant and owner/manager who will sort out your battery if you’ve been stupid. We had emailed in advance about the fishing about 8 months previous but had sent a reminder a few weeks before that we required a boat on Caladail and Borralie as well as one of us fishing Lanlish over the next two days. I have read lots of articles and books over the years but had never fished any of these Durness lochs before. 

This is a photo of a 11lb trout caught on Lanlish by Mike’s our sisters partner Grandfather….

   

Loch Lanlish is difficult and best fished at night according to the experts, I fished it over two days during the sunny periods as you can see and saw very few fish rise but some large fish definitely reside and there were some largish splashes. After picking up 21 golf balls that did not make the 6^th green I waded out to the left of this picture below and you can nearly reach the middle which was great for drifting the dry fly across the lake even to the far bank.

I even managed 18 holes on the second day with some fellow visitors who fancied a knock on the most northerly golf course in mainland Britain. I had a few birdies and managed a 9 iron shot across the loch onto the green at the sixth as seen here.

The boys fished Caladail and saw a huge fish early on but caught some smaller ones. They fished Borralie the next day while I was golfing, fishing Lanlish again and then walked over the hill to fish Borralie from the bank which was very tough going but managed to catch a few tiddlers from the bank.
MC holding a nice fish from Borralie

After three nights and two full days fishing in Durness it was time to move on but we will definitely be back. We headed south to pass the Dionard and the Laxford before arriving at the Scourie campsite and set up camp so that we could get fishing on some Scourie and District Angling Club lochs that day.

We have been big fans of the SDAC water over the last 20 years and I even keep a club map and leaflet in my Filofax at all times. 36 lochs with three that have boats and very reasonably priced.

We entered the main system from two directions with Peter climbing the reservoir hill while M and I cut into some initially smaller lochs from the main road. There are some wonderful looking lochs as you trek from East to West with Mackay’s loch being deep and mysterious.

It was classic loch style fishing as we fished and walked from loch to loch usually taking one step after each cast. We were heading for a lunch time rendezvous with Peter at no 22, Loch Laicheard Beg and the sun was just beginning to get through the clouds and the temperature by lunch time was getting extreme. It was hard fishing but we all had something but nothing to boast about in the Scourie bar that night.

After a sweltering afternoon we headed back to my car for some refreshment and hopefully to catch up with our many friends who were staying in the hotel that week. A glorious evening was had by all as we drank, ate and chatted in the Eagles Eyrie bar, they had not had a successful week so far with the sunny weather

We then spent a great day on a road side loch in a boat taking turns to gillie the other two around loch no 32 (an damh mor). Over the years we have fished this with wives and children and had some interesting trout of all sizes up to about 2lb. It did not disappoint, dry flies of many varieties were used but with few changes and fish would take all over the loch but you had to work hard for them on each drift. A lunch time break to the Kylesku Hotel probably did not help with the score but we had well over 30 trout between us the best being a 1lb 10oz to my small black stimulator.

The following day we headed for the croft at Achmelvich as I had arranged a BBQ party with Jerome and his Paris friends who were fishing in Assynt that week. Jerome an Assynt regular over the last few years had been in contact with me for some time and we had fished some Scourie lochs in 2013 and had a drink/bbq in 2014. We also invited Stewart Yates and family of Assynt Fly Fishing who we were keen to meet in person rather than thru social media etc. It was great to catch up with everyone but also just meet so many like-minded people.

Over the next few days we were led astray a bit by the Lochinver bars and having to change a tyre for some holiday makers who had taken the Kirkgaig road from the Summer Isles Hotel. But did manage some fishing trips with little success. The picture here was from the Baddidarach peninsular and an interesting loch (na gobha) where I rose a very large fish who was feeding on something very near the bank, he followed my fly but never really seemed to snatch at it after he missed the initial take when it dropped in the water.

A boat was taken on the Monday on Loch Fraoich from Assynt Angling near the mission in Lochinver by Peter and I. IT was a weird day with the wind changing direction frequently and sometimes dying completely which was midge madness!!! Many fish were caught but none of anything above a lb and I am not convinced there are bigger ones here compared to its sister loch which has some whoppers in it.

One occasion I need to tell you about was one lunchtime we had delayed our fishing with a visit to Peet’s bar by the harbour. This is the old Culag bar from my youth when at the age of 15 I was drinking in the bar and trying to enter the under 16 fly fishing tournament at the Lochinver highland games. Not a good idea. Anyway we decided to head up to the town reservoir and give it a whirl, we parked at the old quarry and a fellow angler also parked at the same time. I went over and explained what our intentions were and introduced myself only to be told he already knew who I was and of my brother Peter from my blog account. It was great to meet someone who had followed my stories and visited many of the places I had talked about. Gijs was from the Netherlands and chatted with Michel while on the loch during the afternoon. I hope he reads this and takes some interest and enjoyment from the article which is getting too long and running out of steam.

Thanks to you who made it down this far but I have enjoyed many posts from fellow fisherman but they do tend to end too quickly. I tired a bit as well as the memories were fading but a great two weeks in my dreamland. Now planning next year with more of the same but spending more time around  Scourie area after Durness days. Look foward to meeting you on the hills if you are about in June. Cheers Graham

 

Toughest days fishing in Sutherland

Toughest days fishing in Sutherland

While completing an application form for a BBC fishing programme I was asked about the toughest fishing I had experienced. I did not take it as the toughest days to catch a fish but more on the brutal days we go through to catch a fish or just to travel to a faraway loch in pursuit of those mystery fish. I told of one story but it is actually parts of two adventures in the hills both with my old friend and now departed Vince Kerr.

Both were in the mountains north of the Laxford, Stack & Merkland, all on the Westminster estate waters and of course all with permission from the Factor at the time. This is a longer version and is all fact but covers at least two outings in these mountains and lochans.

It always starts in the south, usually around 3am when the car is packed and an early night has been taken.

Coffee, flasks, sandwiches and 695 miles. Nine hours is my record but those were the days when we all drove at 115 miles an hour and more.

Preparation for the walk ahead


On this trip it was limited with speed cameras so a stop south of Inverness was required, Moy campsite is perfect, small, few campers and great showers. It would be my last for three days.  The campsite also gives you that holiday buzz feeling, out in the open drinking beer, wine and cheap brandy a bit of a calm before the storm/pain.

The South had been in a heatwave for weeks but as soon as I passed Lairg the sky was dark with cloud and the rain started as I neared my parking spot on the banks of Loch Merkland. I stopped immediately and thought bugger it lets get the wet gear and boots on now rather than in the pouring rain five miles further on. Luckily no one is on the road at six in the morning up here so I changed in the middle of the road on the shores of Loch Shin.

The rain poured down as I reached the end of my 700 mile journey, the pack had been filled and checked over the previous weeks I strapped two rods cases on either side and started the ascent. It should have been a two hour stiff uphill walk up Sail Na Glaise with a walk along Creag na h Uidhe ridge before a descent of Carn an Tionail to a campsite location next to Lochan a Bhealaich. But as I climbed the weather got worse the cloud dropped and the wind really whipped up as I reached the first plateau.

At times I could only see a few yards ahead of me and my nerves were shattered when I realised there was a cliff edge to my right which I had not expected to see. I had drifted to the East but looking at the map in the dry that is where the plateau starts. In my concerned state I took compass bearings and headed directly North but with the wind blowing from the East and there being a slope to the West I kept drifting off line. It was crazy I knew the correct direction but the weather and contours just kept pulling me to the North West. Within half an hour I knew I was in trouble I had ended up on the cliff edges on the other side totally disorientated and doubting my location.

For the next hour I walked all over the place trying to relocate my actual position on top of this hill, I must have traveled some of it North as I was still using my compass. You start to wonder why you go on these wild walks on your precious ten days holiday on such occasions. I even bumped into a flock of ptarmigan who were surprised to see me, they jumped up into the air and then tumbled to the ground in distress - very strange stuff.

I got to a point that I needed to act fast before something serious occurred, this may sound dramatic but I had been walking lost for quite some time and the weather wasn’t improving. I decided to head West and descend the slope and hope that I had passed the steepest of the cliff edges.  It was hopeless I could not see anything more than a few yards ahead. Then suddenly I felt the gradient change and the cloud appeared to brighten a bit, I prayed a bit and then in frustration called out to God and asked him for some help.

All I can say is that it was an epiphany and surreal moment for me, suddenly the cloud lifted and then parted ever so briefly to give me a view of the loch below. I had my location and within seconds the cloud covered my view and I was back in dark cloud again. The rest of the hike took another hour but I at least knew where I was going and I dropped towards the valley floor at an angle and reached the campsite with Vince appearing out of the mist which surrounded his tent.


Vince fishing on my arrival at the campsite in the mist.

A two hour walk had taken me nearly five hours I had started at 6.30 am and it was nearly twelve as we boiled the kettle for a brew. We were at the loch we had visited the year before with a recommendation from the Factor and had caught seven trout all over a pound in weight and nothing had been seen smaller that day.


It was very clear water and you could see the trout coming out of the depths to take your dry fly and with a wet fly they would often smash into it on the initial drop. Of course so far Vince had not seen anything the night before or early this morning but the cloud/mist was to blame for that.

Coire Loch is another twenty minute walk from the campsite we had chosen so after a full recovery and some whiskey we set off and fished the west bank of the campsite loch with a few takes abut no real serious fish showing themselves to us. You descend a steep hill and then traverse some barren ground before this amazing loch appears.



It can be just another corrie loch but with the cloud the drizzle and the wind sweeping waves onto the shore it is an impressive sight. It looks very deep at one end with the cliffs above and the other end becomes a beach like affair as the outlet stream heads down the valley to the northern oceans.

Vince chose his bank and direction and the contest began. We all know that there is a contest but it is not spoken off or inferred but just talked about after the day or event, fisherman’s hunter gatherer prowess is still important in this day and age.

It was tough the odd tug on the line but obviously nothing showing. I was on an old favourite combo of wormfly point and black pennell on the first and only dropper with a floating line but letting it drop low in the water before retrieval.


 I had a lovely fish of 2lb after an hour but a bit thin as you will see from the photo, it was returned as far as I can remember as we had hoped it would grow a bit fatter latter on in the summer. 1-0 was the final score that afternoon and port, curry and some whiskey were had to celebrate back at the camp that night.





 We fished it hard the following day and pulled some beauties out in the cloud and rain but it was far from ideal conditions.


I have been back there twice and fished on lovely sunny afternoons but there is nothing quite like fishing in the rain and wind when you are soaked through and only have a tent to go back to that afternoon /night.

I always have some sort of contingency pj’s in the pack so that at least when back in the tent I am dry and cosy when brewing up my next curry. I always have a litre of port sometimes mixed with brandy and usually a 75cl plastic bottle of some blended whiskey. (75cl or a litre but always some!!)

This is a classic curry cooked under canvas as it was tipping it outside and was for two as my fellow camper’s tent was not trustworthy enough to cook in.  

His was delivered with the use of gut and his mettle dish as you will see from this photo.






But this toughest experience did not end there as on the way back to the cars on a slightly different route so as to get back to Vince’s car at Lone we trekked once again in the wind, no rain but a lot colder than before. I was tired from two days walking, fishing and camping but Vince had been up there for three days. I noticed he was slowing his pace and kept stopping for a rest but then he asked to take of his jacket and closing his eyes all the time, he had got totally exhausted and I began to realise that he was suffering from hypothermia and just wanted to take off his waterproofs and go to sleep.

It took me an hour to go 100 yards with him. Luckily I had plenty of gas left and cooked him up some soup and found some chocolate. As we dropped altitude it got warmer and he managed to recover enough to complete the walk back to the car and the safety of the Scourie Hotel.

Here is a great picture of my old buddy and fishing pal above the falls at Kirkaig on the way to fish a mystery loch in the hills- never forgotten always remembered, especially on the loch side.

The Best Trout Loch in Sutherland?

After a weekend in Applecross I was ready for some familiar territory and where else better to go than the “best trout loch in Sutherland”

It is a long drive to Lochinver if you chose the scenic route and visiting Sheildaig was a great start to the journey. Glen Torridon was stunning and the hitchhiker that I picked up at Kinlochewe insisted I would save time going via Garve but I dropped him off and ploughed north via Loch Maree and the Gairloch coast.

As soon as I top the rise above Ardmair I know I am nearly there, each mountain I see as I drive towards Elphin reminds me of mad long fishing trips to lochs high up in these hills. At Elphin you get your first sighting of Suilven with its tower at the far end and reminds me of a trip many years ago with three brothers. We walked from Elphin through Cam, Veyatie and then Fionn lochs fishing all including the small satellite lochs to the Kirkaig falls. We caught Char in Cam and 1/2lb’s from the small lochs with a better fish off the end of Veyatie. Splitting up into pairs we were able to test all the small lochans and hot spots for any signs of bigger fish, meeting up at set venues to check totals and what flies were working best.

It amuses me that the worm fly and the Soldier Palmer were the best flies back in 1927 and they still were in ‘79 on this Williams brother’s adventure as well as now in 2013. They were the preferred choice for those trying to catch quantity as well as the odd big one. Dry fly is used but when covering so much water the wet fly has been the popular choice for us.

At Lochinver I stopped to pick up some Scottish pies from the Spar and lamented the closing of the bakery where they made the best hot pies in the world back in the 70’s. At Kirkaig I parked the car filled the small pack with lager, whiskey, pies, rods, reels and my faithful Hardy smuggler . I was in shorts, gaiters walking boots, running vest and had a fishing shirt which was stowed away ready for the time spent fishing.

It took me 45 minutes to see the full expanse of Fionn Loch and another twenty to hit the stream on the north side. It was here that my plans changed completely, it was a glorious sunny day with no clouds to be seen and no haze to block the views. So I decided to climb Suilven and descend the north side and skirt the Na Barrack lochs before fishing “the best trout loch in Sutherland”. It was a very V C Wellington* type of thing to do and was probably my inspiration but I felt no urge to rush to Scourie to be there in time for dinner. 

A can of 1664 was much needed motivation half way up the Suilven path climb but it gave me time to look back west and south and scan the lochs fished in my youth. Na Tri Lochan, Sionascaig, Loch Fionn, Veyatie and the wonderful connecting stream. At the top I shared my whiskey with some fellow walkers who were surprised to find a fisherman amongst the completed ascent party. When they left I rested and fell asleep for a good 30 minutes before my phone rang with my brother Peter enquiring as to where his clothes were as dinner at the Scourie Hotel was approaching. It was 3pm and I was a least 3 hours from my car and I had yet to start fishing so it was unlikely they would arrive before 9pm. The Scourie Hotel Board Master would be wearing jeans on his 1^st night on duty, a first for him but I am sure not for the Hotel.

The views north as you descend the steep path were fantastic, Cansip stood out so clearly as did   the lochs between it and Loch Assynt which I had fished one early May when I had crossed from Kirkaig to Inchnadamph. They are of a good size and hold some good fighting fish which rise to a dry fly on a windy day.

Once at the bottom of the path I traced my way between the Na Barrack lochs and the steep sides of Suilven. There is  a plateau that develops rapidly as you travel west and if you can ignore the great fishing to the north you can travel easily on these giant paving slabs. There are some tempting fish in these lochs though and especially in the main loch I have taken fish of over a pound on many occasions in the last 30+ years in all weather conditions. The Grouse & Green being a terrific fly on this water as well as a Teal & Green.

As you reach the end of Suilven's western slopes the going gets tough and back in the 80's I badly twisted an ankle on miss placing my footing amongst the mini hillocks. It was an injury that cut short a 4 night trip from Elphin to Kylesku, I managed to limp to the Lochinver surgery with some help from a hill walker.  If you do have dodgy ankles which I now have after 40 years of rugby and walking the hills do wear ankle bracelet supports. Even with good boots it is worth having that extra support while carrying a pack and balancing with a 10ft rod.

Your first site of The Loch as you leave the Na Barrack lochs. Taken in 1979 and the quality shows

As you reach the rise at the end of the Na Barrack lochs you get your first sight of “The Loch”, on this day the sun was shining in the west and it was a perfect picture with a slight breeze from the North West and not a soul around. This was our first view of the loch back in 1974 when as a 14 year old I pushed on ahead and as we were passing flicked out a fly just to see if there were any fish about

On the first cast I felt a huge knock and assumed I had snagged the bottom which was strange but on the second cast a 2 1/2lb trout took the wormfly and nearly ripped the small fly rod rod out of my hands, it gave me a terrific fight and was landed as my brothers arrived by the loch side.

We were on our way back to the tents at Achmelvich campsite so there was only time for a few casts for each of us. I carried on with the wormfly for a few minutes with another strong take but this area of the loch is shallow and playing the fish was hazardous among the rocks and the fish released himself easily and the loch went quiet

 

 

1980, I was twenty and proudly wearing my new jacket with friend Doug and bro Peter (PS I wore a Donkey jacket before this)

Peter & Keith in waders and Barbour jackets at the Best Loch in Sutherland. 1979 we think and got lost in the clouds earlier that day only 200 yards from our destination.

 

On this day in 2010 I had as much time as I wanted but in my thinking I would be happy with just one fish to confirm the loch’s status in my mind. There was no sign of rises or movement as I set up my 8ft 6” Hardy Smuggler and set in my new Greys reel which was a Christmas present on its first outing. It was a little large for this rod but the smaller reels have little capacity for backing and when a 4lb fish decides he is boss this rod has little to offer in resistance. Dry Flies drifting on the wind have always done well here so a large size 10 Stimulator was attached to my 16ft leader with a 6lb brown Drennan cast.  

Casting a small 8ft rod after 3 days with my 10ft Sonic can be testing so I false cast across land before nearing the water. The reason for this was that I have caught at least two fish from this loch while just dropping a wet fly into the shallows as I organised myself in getting line out. I did not want this happening again as I wanted a perfect first cast and a rise on the first drift. The Stimulator went out about 20ft from the bank to a place where I had seen a very nice fish many years before (90’s) and where the bank is higher than anywhere else. It was perfect as I waited crouched down in anticipation of the 1^st rise. Striking a fish with a small rod is also totally different fishing wet or dry flies, the tip action requires a much more vigorous jerk rather than my usual pull that had been so effective in Applecross during the week.

After a good five minutes with a bit of twitching and retrieval I conceded defeat on cast 1. On one knee I prepared myself and pulled in some further line before loading the rod ready for cast 2 and covering fresh water with a new drift. The line, leader and fly flew out and caught the breeze and landed delicately in the light ripple, the light coloured Stimulator looked perfectly poised. My concentration was totally transfixed on the task and we waited………

It was not a delicate rise the wild brown trout smashed into the fly and turned aggressively creating a terrific splash and swirl. The line was taught immediately and I lent into the fish rather than the anticipated strike.

It ran.

Then ran some more, way out into the loch not showing itself or even leaping as I had given it as much line as it had needed. At some point it changed its mind and turned back toward me and at some considerable speed, I hand lined the line from the yards of tangled spaghetti in the heather below my boots. The fish then suddenly leapt clean out of the water and showed its true identity as a very large heavy fish of at least 3lb+. Playing of fish can be tedious to readers as George Melly used to say and this one was the norm, on and off runs to the deep and then going left and right I guess in search of weeds or boulders. As this went on I got the fish on the reel and gained the upper hand within minutes.

To be honest I have an amazing memory of catching fish but I only remember the take, the initial fight and maybe a bit about the netting or beaching. But the rest is usually a void and when I try and recall it is a mess of a thousand trouts played. It’s a muddle of hanging on, getting control, looking for the net, getting the net ready, where can I net it, panic on losing the fish, does size matter and then what size is it really!!

Hey no worries, I steered the fish towards the bank 15 yards further along where it was far less steep, descended to the water’s edge and brought him/her closer for inspection. A magnificent specimen, fat and healthy, big spots and a tinge of red left of the eye. 20” with big red spots on the lower edge of its belly, I knew instantly that no net was needed it was the biggest and healthiest fish I had ever encountered here at Graham’s Loch named after me by my brothers and lifelong fishing friends. I released the fly while she was in the shallows and as many fish I had caught in Chile the previous year she darted off into the depths grateful to grow on ready for my further visits in years to come.

Back in the 70's when I had hair fresh face and my faithful Beret

 This loch however is never easy and blank days are a plenty but at least you do see rising fish and even large fish feed in the shallows especially at first light around 4am. It has deep areas and a point that is to die for where 3 bothers and a nephew have camped for a couple of nights in the past.

 I have fished at midnight after driving 697 miles from London one crazy day in the nineties, That morning the deer where unhappy with my lodgings as they barked at my tent at 5am. The biggest I have seen is 5lb+ in the late 80@s, the largest hooked was as described in 2009 but 21” fish have been caught but thin as an eel.

A typical fish from this loch thin, long but beautiful. This was caught on the first false cast and ended up being the only fish that day.

Returned successfully.

 It is fished by many anglers and some like I have been going there over the last 40 years and word has spread through guides and the new licences. But it still has the capacity for 4+ fisherman and you can easily spend a day here but the Na Barrack lochs should always be visited as they have mysteries of their own. My late friend Vince and I came up here in 2006 and had just one fish on my first false cast but we later explored the small lochs to the west and had some fantastic fun on the way back to the Kirkaig. But be careful in 1979 after climbing the steep rise from Fionn three of us got completely disorientated in the cloud and spent 2 hours by a small loch where we rested in our waders and Barbour jackets eating our sarnies and drinking our McEwans.  As the cloud rose we saw Suilven and discovered the loch was less than 200 yards from rested location.

On our last day we would always travel all the way up the loch for the 2^nd visit in hope of a bag to take back to Wales

Three nice fish for our Mothers cooking pot.

 

Suilven’s pillar looks over you always while you are fishing this special loch, at every cast you feel something is looking over you and have that well known feeling the someone is  watching you at all times. I take it as a positive vibe and love the loneliness of the rea especially after spending the previous days walking Oxford St and the Harrods luggage departments. I never feek remote or concened about solitude and if anything fear that my time will be broken by fellow walkers, rock scientists or anglers.

I will leave a whiskey or two under a rock on my next visit and leave it for those dedicated fisherman who adventure out and are prepared to walk the 2 hours and enjoy the best of fishing in the “Best Loch in Sutherland!”

Tight Lines 2014

Off to Draycote tomorrow

Can't wait  cheers Graham *V C Wellington wrote a great book in which he describes journeys such as this but walking from the Culag Hotel to Suilven and back  and there is now a website researching his past see http://www.assyntanglinginfo.org.uk/angling_history_literature for all relevant info,

Tongue to Stack Video and more photos on Flickr

Spending a week at my brother Peter's house looking after dog Jenny and some decorating but most evenings spent in the Nerve Centre. This is his No 2 office & fly tying room but more importantly has maps all over the main wall, covering the Coigach to the Dionard valley and the last loch North i have fished is Bad na h-Achiase in the Eriboll valley. A few nice fish here but the walk up to Loch Stay on side was awesome and I had a  pleasant night spent at loch-side with the company of a swarm of midgies.

The reason for the post is to let any followers know that I have updated my flickr photos with more Scourie years and the annual camping trips the few days allowed before hand. Scourie photos are not exclusively Scourie but are all over West Sutherland and is just the Holiday title. eg "Darling Wife I am off to Scourie" meaning I am off fishing in Scotland for some time and may be home in 10 to 14 days. see http://www.flickr.com/photos/97460423@N08/

There is also a video of my 4 days walking & fishing from Tongue to Stack via Ben Hope, Gobernuisgach lodge and the ridge waterfall between Arkle and Foinaven on You Tube as Flickr only takes 3 minutes video at a time. Apologies for the lack of fishing but my head cam is broken and to be fair did not do too much over the four days.
You Tube link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uchrIqsTiPs&feature=youtu.be

 Pete's big fish on the first morning of my walk is on my Facebook page and I will try and find a better place to publish it  maybe here >

Have been really impressed with Social Media activity on the Assynt area from four Facebook sites including Stewart on Assynt Fly Fishing, West Sutherland Fisheries Trust & Sutherland. I know some worry about our paradise being over-run with fisherman but I still think there is room for more as I still seem to spend most of my holiday in solitude when I am not fishing Scourie waters.

I will type up a few more articles over the next few weeks and hope you will find them interesting on these cold, wet & windy nights. cheers G

Photos & Videos on Flicker

I have managed to start the process of putting some sets of photos on Flicker with a set of videos but not worked out if you can watch video as one film. If I had a more modern PC it is better to watch a combo of both as that is how I have tried to do it and I have seen the results on other pc's.

Any way click on http://www.flickr.com/photos/97460423@N08/sets/ to get the beginnings of my public  photos & videos.

I may add some sets of past photos as the quality of the images are just great.

cheers Graham