Angling Reports 2005
6 March - Loch Etive
6 March - Loch Etive - Fished Lower and upper reaches of Loch Etive on two fishing boats, caught several small whiting, no spurdog and no dogfish. Very poor day's fishing. S G Ferguson
18 June - Ballachullish - As it was cloudy and a bit overcast at 08:00 I was wondering if the bridge at Ballachulish was a wise place to be, given just how wet it can get there. Nevertheless, I started of with a couple of large fresh mackrel strips on a medium hook attached to an 18 inch wire trace, swivel then 25lb mono. I'd been wanting to try out my new beach caster. Having been an avid fly fisher for the last 12-13 years this was a new experience. Within about 10 minutes I had a smallish ray, thornback I think, about 6-7lb's! Thirty minutes later I had a small dogfish, about 5-6lb's on as well! As someone who has been used to the somewhat reserved fight you get from rainbows or brownies, the dogged 'brawl' you get from these fish is quite something else! I can only imagine what it's like with some of the monster skate I've seen on this site must be! At the end of the day, my 'score' was 2x sea trout (4lb & 5lb), 2x ray's, one thornback, the other, I don't know, and one dogfish. All in all a great day and one I'll be repeating asap! Hamish Lambert
25 June - Loch Fyne - Fished on the Cowal Peninsula side of Loch Fyne near Portavadie. Weather was warm and very still, the sea like a mill pond. Pestered by doggies all day - however managed to land 2 nice pollack up to 2.5lb and two ballan wrasse up to about 2lb, all taken on jelly worm tipped with lugworm. John
30 June - Airds Bay, Loch Etive - I was fishing for a few hours on the spinning rod with a small silver lure wading out into the middle of the bay where the day before I had caught two four pound rainbows. The weather was overcast with the sun shining occasionaly through a break in the clouds. I caught a 3 1/2 pound rainbow on the spinner then swapped to the fly rod. I put an allies shrimp on the line and fished the bay placing the flie infront of the fishes heads as they torpedoed through the water after a few minutes of unsuccessful fishing I hooked a 7 pound rainbow. It was at low tide. Robbie
1 July - Oban - Fished from dusk on Friday night until Saturday midday. Had a Lesser Spotted Dogfish first cast, then a bite a cast until darkness. Next morning my dad took two Mackerel on feathers and I had a sizeable Dab. Dogfish & Dab taken on Mackerel strip, Mackerel taken on a string of feathers. Very calm conditions but strong flood tide, almost impossible to hold bottom. Ross
3 July - Loch Etive - I fished Loch Etive at Airds Point, tied the boat onto the first orange buoy by the point, catching lsd, spurdog throughout the morning and around 4pm hooked into a conger of 48lb 14oz using 30lb class boat rod, 30lb mono and mackerel and crab cocktail as bait. Took around 45 minuits to boat. Weather was cloudy, little wind. Alan Cargill
13 July - Loch Etive - First trip to Etive this year for myself and son. Forecast was for heavy showers and breezy. In reality, light winds, sunny and warm! Fished from high tide down through ebb, low water and start of flood. Fished 2 rods each using pulley pennell & 2 hook paternoster rigs. Main baits were mackerel, sand eel & squid with some prawn and peeler crab. Slow at first, though nice watching sea trout jumping only 10 yards off the shore. As tide dropped we started catching whiting and grey gurnards, the best of the gurnards reaching a pound in weight. Near the bottom of the tide we hooked a couple of thornback ray, the largest going to 6lbs. All fish returned alive. Son disappointed to not have caught a ray, but he had the spurdog on previous visit! Scott Lees
15 August - River Awe - Water level high with a light westerly breeze blowing. Me, my wee brother and my dad were fishing for escapee rainbows. Fishing pheasant tail nymphs. Wee Lyle was fishing a plug and nailed a brilliant 1 pound sea trout. Me and my dad caught a few nice brownies and a rainbow about half a pound. Not a bad day with a few fish. Liam
20 November - Firth of Lorne (on board Oberon) - I joined a group of four boys that had driven all the way from Soho in London for a two day skate fishing trip on the Oberon. We set off from Dunstaffnage Marina around 8am and headed to the back of Kerrera, via Oban for fuel. After 20 mins pollack fishing, where we caught a few around the 3lb mark, we headed to a mark John knows for skate. Within half an hour the first rod went and we were in. The first skate was landed after 45 mins, weighing in at 175lb. The following three hours were mayhem, at one point we had three skate on at the same time. In total we caught six skate, between 145lb and 175lb, and a black mouthed dogfish which weighed in just under the current Scottish record of 2lb 13oz. Andy
27 November - Loch Awe (Kilchurn Castle) - Set out at 1pm to fish for pike. Freezing cold day with blue sky. Fished shallow diving plugs on light spinning rods with 6 pound line. Fished for 3 hours without a touch. An hour later my son landed a 6lb jack pike which put up a good scrap. Weather was really cold but a enjoyable day out. Vilas Roberts
3 December - Loch Etive - After a bit of a hike I fished the north shore of Loch Etive, approx. 1.5 miles beyond the quarry, a steep rock mark fishing into approx 150ft of water. I arrived around 9.30am and was into fish right away, mostly spurdog and lsd around 1.5 lb, and 6 small whiting 1/2lb. Water was like a sheet of glass. Weather was sunny but very cold with no wind. All fish fell to a cocktail of squid and sandeel on beachcasting gear and 15lb mono line. All fish were returned. Alan Cargill
17 December - Loch Fyne (Furnace) - Arrived at furnace at around 8.30am and fished on the old wooden pier through the quarry. Weather was sunny and really quite mild considering it was the middle of winter. Water was very calm and there was no wind. The catch for the day was 3x lsd around 1.5lb and 4x pollack (small 1-1.5lb). A very snaggy area and best using a pulley rig here to cut down on tackle loss. Beachcasting gear was used with 15lb mono, most fish fell to squid baits although sandeel and ragworm also proved good. All fish were taken on the bottom and returned. Alan Cargill
27 December - Loch Awe - We fished from 9am to 2pm from the bank near St. Conan's Kirk. The weather was calm and sunny but cold. Myself, Brian and Stu were fishing mackerel dead baits on the bottom for pike. After around 2 hours I got the first run, the fish took about 30 yards of line then dropped the bait. Half an hour later I got another bite but this time the fish took hardly any line so I struck into it and after a short fight landed a pike of 8¾lb. The fish was lightly hooked and in good condition and was returned to the water. Unfortunately that was to be the last run of the day. Al, Brian & Stu