Lochy

[storlaks]

Indeed. It was that man Tony Price again. He does get his fair share of big fish. I recall hearing that he takes a beat to himself i.e. all 4 rods and fishes alone. Obviously that helps him rest pools which might make a difference but I'm doubtfull of that as the Lochy springers don't tend to hang around in pools for long. JG predicted a poorer spring run this year and a big grilse run......hope one of his predictions comes true!

[splash]

storlaks said:

Indeed. It was that man Tony Price again. He does get his fair share of big fish. I recall hearing that he takes a beat to himself i.e. all 4 rods and fishes alone. Obviously that helps him rest pools which might make a difference but I'm doubtfull of that as the Lochy springers don't tend to hang around in pools for long. JG predicted a poorer spring run this year and a big grilse run......hope one of his predictions comes true!

Hope so too Storlaks , we are there in a couple of weeks, bit of a no mans land slot but hopefully there will be a few late running springers or early running grilse and you never know up there, a bit of rain a rise and a run off fish and bingo

[jock]

Tony Price does take a beat to himself. The secret of his big springers ? Well that will have to remain a secret, except to say he caught most, in a lie below Loy Mouth. This year there does appear to be fewer of the really big ones being caught. Still 29lbs must be up with the best in the UK this year and it would appear this one got past Loy Mouth ;D

[storlaks]

Hope so too Storlaks , we are there in a couple of weeks, bit of a no mans land slot but hopefully there will be a few late running springers or early running grilse and you never know up there, a bit of rain a rise and a run off fish and bingo

That was our week last year. This year I'm in Norway that week so we had to change. We had 7 for our 4 rods last year up to 20lbs, with another 2-3 lost. I agree it's a bit inbetween but you never know. Get lucky with water and it could be good. It's not a numbers week.

Jock, a lie below Loy Mouth.....you mean in Pollock or inbetween??
Reveal the secret

[jock]

Jock, a lie below Loy Mouth.....you mean in Pollock or inbetween??
Reveal the secret

Below Loy Mouth and above Pollock is my understanding. Exactly where I'm not sure but Tony showed Ian Mackie the lie. So on your visit ask Ian. I don't think any were caught this year from there but if the lie still exists (high water affected the river badly last winter) it will be worth a crack. Enjoy your visit I'm back first week in Sept.

[storlaks]

I'll be knocking on Ian's door on Sunday night so I can go straight to that lie on Monday morning. I'm on beat 3 but I'll get up really early

Strange I've fished those 2 pools a lot over last few years and never noticed any lies inbetween them......there's no depth. Just shows what these big fish wll lie in.

I heard Ian has put some additional lies in the Autumn run, which I see has produced a 20lber. Nice pool now.

[colliedog]

Returned last night from 3 days on the Lochy. Hard going. Water steady at 10' - not great but not bad.

Mon - fished beat 3 - nowt. One of the party had a good pull in Rail End (much changed due to a large gravel bar at the neck). Heard of a fish taken on beat 2 and another from tail-race.

Tues - Beat 4 - nowt, not so much as a fish seen. "Highlight" of the day was watching a group of 5 Hoodies descend on the tail of Big Rock with spinning rods - brazenly ignoring us on the far bank - quick phone call had them sprinting up the bank at the sight of the bailiffs Landy.

Wed - Beat 1 - efforts rewarded. Had a 13lber covered in long-tailed lice from the Rock Pool - Nigel B followed it up with a 12lber from Jetties and Phil F a 2 1/2ln seatrout.

So, no different from all the other rivers - fish in short supply and running hard - you really just had to hope that at some point your fly and a resting fish crossed paths. We were told on arrival that the the best week so far this season was 4 fish

Interesting to see some of the damage caused by the winters mamoth floods.

CD

[castlikeaghille]

H2

Carrying on from Colliewuff's H1 report, I have a few fragments to add. I thought I was on banker with the Lord of the Isles fishing my rod on Beat 2 on the Thursday. All I heard was Splash had one on, otherwise nadir. I also hear the Graveyard (where the Price is Right catches the 40lbers) has been knackered by gravel in-fill following last year's tempest.

Not a good start. I drove up on Friday morning. Before lunch I fished the majestic Camisky pools. I actually saw a fish in the Lower C - I could hardly contain my self.

Here is a hopeful piscator fishing Upper Camisky



After lunch I waded across Lower Camisky and fished Fank, Railend, Rock and the Falls from the right then crossing over at Railend the left banks.

This photo shows the top of Fank looking down the gorge to the Rock. Last autumn the biggest flood touched 22 ft. There is a debris line down these trees that I could barely touch with my rod tip!



By the end of the day the total score was nae a nibble and one fish seen. Roll on the next day

We were up early and on the river by 6.30. The logic was the tide was at 6 and our best hope was to intercept a running fish pausing at the known resting spots. On Beat 4 of the Lochy (nearest the sea) these are the Cruvies and the mighty Rock Pool. Tip, if ever you are on the Lochy and not sure where you are fishing just say you are on the Rock Pool as there seems to be one on every beat!



When there are very few fish around pretty much all you can do is employ a tactic that allows you to cover as much water as effectively as possible in the hope that you come across a fuishie. In summer for me that is now a Jocky M, 10' Inty Tip. Because the water was a couple of degrees warmer than the air at 07:00hrs I put on a heavily dressed size 8 Big Mouth Double Cascade. I fished down the tail of the Lucky Cast into the head of the Rock. The fly was hanging slightly mid stream and as I retrieved I felt some light resistance. Hmm. drew again thinking it might be a rock and again light Resistance. Drew again and this time the resistance gently moved away. I guess if it wasn't early-o'clock and I wasn't hungover I might have had the sense to hit the fish hard. Instead I just lifted the rod. Fine on a solid take, but in these circumstances with the fish moving up toward me a lip hook. Sure enough the fish went down into the Rock Pool dub and started shaking its head. After 2 mins the fly simply came away. Dooh.

I carried on down the Rock. As I came opposite the last rock I had another thumping take - hooray. The fish exploded on the surface (15 - 16lbs and gleaming). It then cartwheeled across the pool and crashed down with my leader over an exposed rock; ping Nnnnnnoooooooo! I've had plenty of grilse cartwheel straight off, but never an adult salmon. Thirty years ago when starting out an old hand said some salmon you will land whatever you do and vice versa. Thirty years on that is still true, although when fish are few and far it can hurts almost as much to lose them now as it did when I first started out.

Anyway with the pools probably empty again we went back for brunch and then went to see John Gibb (river manager) at his hatchery. Here he can be seen inspecting his fry tanks.



Hopefully, a few of the 50,000 fry seen here will return as portmanteau fuishies.



John Gibb is a real pleasure to talk to. The Lochy are doing everything they can to help increase runs of fish for the benefit of anglers who pay to fish there. For that reason alone the Lochy will continue to receive my custom in preference to the opportunistic profiteers on other rivers. Mind you, as Dr Philgood noted, if you are going to catch very little then it is harder to think of a finer place in the UK than the Lochy to do it; an absolute A list river.

John is now supporting the breeding and release program on 5 other west coast systems. For many years they pooh pahed stocking. However, after 10 years of flat lining at rock bottom catches while the Lochy has seen a substantial recovery they have conceded that this might not just be co-incidence after all!
All in all, things are starting to look a little better on the West Coast.

Regardeth

CLaG

[elwyman]

Lovely report CLaG.

As you say, I can't think of a nicer looking river to blank on.

[splash]

Aye it was hard going right enough as CLaG reports. The torrential rain that most of England and Southern Scotland (and even Perthshire) seemed to get did not put in an appearance due to the Northerly and Easterly winds and the river was pretty much at summer levels when we arrived:



I managed to lose a fish from the Garrabouie Flats as Donnie W forced us all out of bed at 5.30am on the Thursday. For his penance he was forced to fish the Graveyard. Sadly a pool which at 2ft on the guage was a 35yard cast to reach the far side lies last year, was so badly gravelled up that Donnie walked past the pool asking "Where is the Graveyard" I hope these pools recover as the big floods reported by CLaG have had a profound effect on some of them. What they didn't manage to move was that b****d of a tree which is stuck in the middle of the Keyhole. As one of the best low water holding spots on Beat 2, it really should be removed as its a total pain to fish the pool with this stuck in the middle: Here's a pic of Donnie once he found the Graveyard


Dr Philgood then managed a fish on sinking shooting head and a bottle tube from the Island. Unfortunately it was a 6lb brownie which he thought was a salmon for a considerable period. Its amazing how many big brownies that we have picked up on salmon fishing trips over the last couple of years

The low water meant even the mighty Falls pool was reduced to an even flow


I fished the Lower Falls, Grilse Run and Garden on the Thursday afternoon and if there is a more secluded, beautiful and tranquil place to fish for salmon in Scotland then I've still to find it.

Saturday saw another early rise to catch high tiode and the travails of CLaG on the Rock. Here he is after losing fish number two, manfully trying to find its big brother from the same spot



So as reported by Colliedog and CLaG not a lot going on for a huge amount of fishing effort but a magical place to fish. Finally, in true Blue Peter "here is one I prepared earlier" style a Lochy summer salmon for Splash (from July last year) to finish

[altmor]

Cracking posts guys, and a lovely looking river, which I haven't had the pleasure to fish yet. The pics have me thinking for next season though.

On the subject of adult salmon cartwheeling around the pool, (and on West coast rivers), I am just back from the R. Awe, fishing there Mon - Wed last week. Tuesday night, with little showing for most of the evening, on A beat (just below the barrage dam) saw a small run of fish coming in around 9.45pm.

At 10.00pm on the nose, wham, a savage take from a 15lbr (landed), which proceeded to cartwheel all over the pool (big verry), and then high tail it back down the river with at least 35yrds of backing out and me running across the rocks like a mountain goat. Fortunately it turned before reaching the little verry and the white water below.

Here's a pic of Avatar Jack (95% recovered) with a wee rainbow escapee he snatched from the margins. ... That's ma boy !!



If he was 100% recovered - he would have had a go for a salmon !!

[salmonking]

Great report ...would love a go on that river,the setting looks awesome.

[hornet]

Like wise a cracking report and pics.

Some day


Hornet

[greenalert]

Superb looking place

[storlaks]

Off to Lochy On Sunday. Looks like rain is forecast

Would be nice if the water looks like this:

and the fish look like this:

My luck has deserted me in my last few outings so here's hoping...

[hornet]

All the best and hope you have a good yin.


Hornet

[jock]

Just off the phone to Linda Singer whom I rent my accomodation from. She was saying the superb grilse run is continuing on the Lochy. Last week they had over 100 salmon. One party of 4 rods getting into the forties. With the river at a good level it looks set to continue. With other rivers reporting good grilse catches at least there is some good news for salmon and salmon anglers.

[tyneandrew]

Fantastic news Jock

[jones]

Jock - great to hear. I'm on the Lochy 27/8 to 2/9 so hoping for repeat of 2005 when we had 41, rather than 2006 when we had 6! Any decent fish showing up or mainly all grilse? IMHO middle Camisky must be close to perfection at about 1'6".

[jock]

Hi Jones,

Linda did not say, but I could tell from her voice they are over the moon with the fishing.

You have a pm