UKCF Anglers.

[Simon Bolivar]

indeed Johnny but I am looking at the same model.

[handlebarpipe]

Indeed, all the dbles were great fights & the jacks went pretty crazy too at this time of year. Can't wait for next year, planning to go in March & catch them at their biggest. Just looking at an electric engine to use there next time for quieter trawling

Pleased to see that you had such a great time both fishing and relaxing with a cigar afterwards.
Marc

[Simon Bolivar]

Pleased to see that you had such a great time both fishing and relaxing with a cigar afterwards.
Marc

Cheers Marc, not as many smokes as I was hoping but fishing is the most important thing on this holiday; plenty of time to smoke celebration cigars afterwards.

[Johnny Thunder]

I recently fished another session on my friends lake in France. It proved to be tougher than usual this time.
We had some real extremes of weather and fish spawning to contend with. We still managed to catch a few though.
Highlights for me were a 39lb 7oz mirror and a 34lb 12oz mirror. I also managed a 25lb grassie.








One of the lads had something a bit special, landing one of the big girls at 57lb 6oz.





If I am honest, the session for myself and my mate is just as much about the social as the catching of fish so we always have a few
beers and the odd single malt. We have some decent scoff too considering it is cooked bankside.

[Horsebox]

That looks like a cracking trip JT. The food looks fantastic 🤤


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Simon Bolivar]

Simon Boli's Fishy Hols 2018

Well I really had to dig this thread up, personally I haven't had any notable fishing moments since my last Bute holiday to record. But I have finally been able to sort & compress my photos from this years fishy hols so let's get this thread moving again!
Cigar Collection.2018.06.17.IMG_7080.1.jpgAbove my cigar selection for the holiday. I got off the Brent Charlie on Thurs 28th June, I started in a hotel in Aberdeen, as I was too late to get all the way to Bute. Fri 29th June I caught the first train to Glasgow & then picked up a hire van in Paisley. I had ordered the smallest van so was a bit disconcerted to find I had been given a large transit type van. Turns out I had a free upgrade, which was OK, with an advantage I could have slept in it if required but was awkward on some of the small farm tracks & almost impossible to see oncoming traffic from the left when pulling out.
I saved a great deal by buying a GPS & not hiring one (my last had died a death last year), so set that for Wemyss Bay & off I went. Had a deadline to catch the ferry but managed to make it in time & pick up some lunch at a garage, which I ate at the ferry car loading area. This was important as I knew there wouldn't be a lot of time to smoke my traditional first cigar of my fishy hols. Once safely parked on the ferry, I went up top & poured myself a coffee & lit up an ERDM DT 2013. The sun was blazing down & the skies were cloudless, not a great start for a fishing hol' but expected, with this having been the norm for the last 6/52. IMG_7110.1.jpgThe DT was the perfect choice, tasty & I just reached the band when drivers were called to get back down to their cars, as we arrived into Rothesay. The excitement was building, I hadn't caught a fish since my last visit to Bute, although I had been half a dozen times I had blanked every time in Belgium. Despite the weather, which I knew would mean most fish coming at dawn & dusk, I was still hopeful of catching a croc' or two. And of course just feeling the fish pulling on my line again would be wonderful.

I drove to my buddy's place, where I had been invited to stay this year, thus saving on B&B charges. This had given me the cash to hire the van which meant I didn't have to rely on taxis & could start earlier & leave later. Once I had sorted out a couple of rods, we went into town to pick up some deadbait which I had ?100's worth delivered to the butchers (as you do), & buy some groceries from the Co-Op.IMG_7116.1.jpg By the time we then went on to see Jimmy, who runs the fishing on the trout fishery Loch Fad. I wanted to see him & get permission to take a boat out early the next morning. Usually the trouties take the boats from 08:00 but that's after most of the pike will have stopped feeding! Having got permission, I said I'd be back tomorrow & we back home. After dinner we went to the other loch on the Isle holding pike - Loch Ascog. We had 2 hrs to break my duck & catch something. Although the light doesn't fade until nearly midnight, I wanted to get up at 04:00 so couldn't stay too late.

We arrived at the waters edge at 20:00; IMG_7126.1.jpgI had a lure & a jerkbait rod with me, Andy just a lure rod. You can see from the photo about 3/4 of the water, the rest is to the right & ends in the dam & the water plant, as it's the Isle's main drinking reservoir. The water level was down so many rocks were releaved that have 'stolen' lures from me in the past. This was an old quarry so no surprise the bed is littered with them. We cast out with 100% certainty that between us, we'd catch at least one fish. One my first visit to the water, I only had 50mins before dark & still managed an 8lb'er & I had never blanked on here on a full session. I needed to use very shallow lures to keep from snagging on the rocks & a couple of times we had to rescue lures that got jammed behind or between rocks. Then as the light reduced a little, the pike began to smash into huge shoals of fry. Casting into these flurries was a little frustrating as the pike get obsessed with fry sized food but we soon picked up a jack each.IMG_7136.1.jpg Moving about this edge of the big bay we had many takes that we didn't hook up with but when we finished, I had 2 to Andy's 3 jacks. Great start & proved they were feeding & catchable despite the conditions. What would I catch tomorrow on Fad, where the pike go up to 30lb? I hardly slept before my alarm woke me at 04:00.

[Simon Bolivar]

Simon Boli's Fishy Hols 2018 Part 2

Part 2: Up at 04:00 & in the boat & fishing by 05:30. Would have started sooner but I loaded ALL my gear into the lead boat only to discover the petrol tank was empty! Having re-loaded into another boat out I motored to e few fav hotspots, hoping for an early take before the trouties arrived.

Well there weren't any pike smashing roach fry shoales on Fad, in fact the fish jumping were the trout. By 08:00 the trouties were scooting out in their boats & filling the banks. There was even a coach load of 'weegies, already loud & brash, drinking must have started drinking on the coach, let alone the ferry. 3 in a boat, no lifejackets, t shirts or suncream for the majority, there would be pain before bedtime!

I moved further up the 175 acre loch & found quieter spots but no fish. Come lunch time I was still fishless & it was time to get out of the sun. I beached my boat, found a shady spot, had lunch & after smoked a RG Panatela with a tin of JS. RG.Pan.2018.06.30.IMG_7148.1.jpgThe panatela is a fine slim smoke & totally handmande unlike the Pan X ( which is hand finished, also a great fishing smoke & of course cheaper too). As I lay there admiring the scenery & watch the Osprey's hunting - more successfully than I, I soaked in the beauty & warmth.RG.Pan.2018.06.30.IMG_7150.1.jpg I managed a short nap & at 15:30 I was back out on the water & fished until 20:55, long after the coach load of lobster coloured trouties had left by 128:00. Even in the peace & practically on my own I couldn't get a take. At ?35 a day, I decided to fish mostly Ascog & come back once at the end of the week to see if I could get lucky, having caught my fill of smaller pike on Ascog.

[puropunch]

i love a spot of fishing..i don't mind if i catch its just nice to be by the water for a day. I must get my gear out and dust it off. Used to do a lot of pike fishing on the Ouse near York...fishing that was. not much catching went on. Only caught rocks and ripped my gear apart. I still went back tho! perch could be pulled out for fun on a small pole from a boat but those spiky buggers aren't easy to get off the hook, especially when they swallow it!

[Simon Bolivar]

Aye Mr Puropunch, perch are greedy buggers, always need a disgorger handy for those. I find using a whole lob worm isn't so easy to swallow quickly & can help the lip hook ratio. Indeed, just being by the water is a break from the pace our normal lives, lust like Mole & Ratty but that's fishing, I like to go catching occasionally too!

[Simon Bolivar]

Part3 Sun 1st July: Expectations had been somewhat dampened by yesterday's total blank at Loch Fad but things are different on Loch Ascog. Firstly it's a private members only water, with around 50 members but I have never seen more than half a dozen on the water at any one time & during the week I am usually fishing on my own. Secondly, I have caught more fish & more lbs (nearly 2,000lbs) of fish ere than in the other top 5 of my piking venues & yet only spent less than 400hrs fishing it. I have previously caught 70 & 71 pike in a week & had them up to 17lb 05. With the summer conditions being record breaking for this part of Scotland, I knew those PB's weren't really in danger but the only way to truly make the most of my limited time here was to put the hrs in at peak times.

This was to be a short session as I wanted to finish in time for the church service at 11:00. Andy came with me & we were casting out by 06:40, having dragged our kit around to a pretty inaccessible swim, that obviously hadn't been fished for months, the track was so heavily over grown. I cast out on deadbait rod with Smelt & had a lur erod to keep continually casting with, apart from a 15min break for breakfast. It took less than 5mins before my first take! A 6lb'er ona spinnerbait; thi sfish thought it was a trout & spent half the time it was being played tail walking & leaping clear out of the water. Lucky start said me mate. It was true coz I had to wait 15mins before I had a 3lb'er 7 a whole 30mins beofre my first dble fell to a Manns -1 (doesn't dive deeper than 1 foot). This fish had engulfed the small lure completely &I needed to use my surgical skills to cut the hooks free, through th egills & then retreave the lure. On a dble there is quiet a bit of room to work but later I had a small jack do the same ting 7 it was quite a struggle to complete the same task. Afterwards I removed a treble to leave a single & make it easier.

Andy caught a couple & then things started to get a little crazy. turned out there were huge roach fry shoals holded up in this small bay, I saw sights I have never seen before in 51yrs of fishing & am not likely too on another water in the future. I saw pike jumping clear out of the water & smashing down on the fry, stunning some & killing others, they would them scoop up the dead & dying fish. This wasn't a single fish but it was repeated again & again by the pack that had been drawn here by the fry. At times it was frustrating as you felt you should get a take with every cast; I never had a run on deadbait, which is very unusual on this noted deadbait water but take after take on the lures. The successful lures where surface lures that could be fished subsurface as well. Surface only got hits but rarely hooked up. I hadn't got time to experiment too much so my AC 7" floating jointed lure with rubber tail was pressed into service, even thought it caught my first 20lb'er & should have been retired.

Finally the rubber tail was worse for wear so I swapped for a larger bodied copy in fire Tiger. This was taken completely by an 8lb'er, the pike moving so fast they were over taking the lures. By 09:40 the action was taking a pause & the disturbances from the fry trying to escape from the pike underneath them was moving further away & out of casting range & I decided to call it a day. The tally was 12 to me & 8 to Andy. 20 pike, weighing 100lb+ in 1hr 50mins all from the same swim, unbelievable!

I usually wear 5mm neoprene waders but the heat made these a little uncomfortable so I was just wearing a pair of wellies. Looking down at the thick covering of slime on my trousers, reminded me of the other reason besides wading why I normally wear them. I had to go back, have a quick shower & change & made the service with plenty of time to spare. Afterward I took Andy & his family out for lunch & celebrated with a beer.

I did drive back to the water that evening for a couple of hrs, fishing a different swim, one that's usually a productive evening swim but blanked. No matter, the game was on & I knew where to fish on Mon.
Photos: 1/ 10lb'er, 2/ jack/ 3/ 8lb'r, 4/ 6lb'er with healing otter wounds, 5/ a washed up example of the size of last years roach fry that the pike were feeding on & 6/ Fresh Bute crab for luncheon.

[Simon Bolivar]

Part4. After yesterday's high of a dozen pike in less than 2 hrs, today was likely to be an anti-climax. It's an old piking saying that, if you return to a successful swim the next day you'll catch less & even less the following day. Although it sounds obvious sometime sit can be hard to resist the chance of similar, if dwindling returns. However I didn't have the luxury of such to worry about that too much. My original plan had been to spend most of the week fishing from a boat but Ascog had the problem that the water level was below the boat house & therefore it was impossible to launch the boats & roughly manhandling them could easily lead to hull damage on the rocky shore.

I chose to take the chance & fish the morning in the Sunday's swim, I could always move in the afternoon if it proved unsuccessful. So I was up at 04:00 again & crept out of the house, trying not to disturb the natives. I took the picture of mist rising from Loch Fad as I passed by on the way to fish the top end of Ascog. This time I was dragging all my own kit around & chose a deadbait set up & my lure rod & carried a chair, coolbox, landing net & unhooking mat as well as lures & tackle. I managed to cast out by 05:08, on another gloriously sunny morning.

I kept looking for the fry skittering across the mirrored surface but apart form the occasional event, it only occurred about 5% of the times it had the day before. Basically the fry shoals had moved on & generally seemed to be out in the middle, if only i could get in the boat! Still a jack 13mins after starting was soon landed, another to the red spinnerbait, fished just sub-surface, watching the bubbling wake it produced as I reeled steadily in & then seeing the pike come up to hit it was truly amazing. Nearly an hour of continual casting before the next fish struck, this time to a rubber pike. I found a pike fry washed up & photographed it with the lure. I guess he'd been smashed by the leaping pike the day before. Sad thing was as the next pic shows, it was already covered in fresh water lice that this water has been cursed with for the last couple of years.

Another hour & finally a scream on the alarm & a fish fell to smelt. Had a break from casting for breakfast & then caught another double on the AC 7" lure. Unfortunately we took very few pics, with water temps at 20oC at the surface ( the loch goes down to 70 feet so plenty of cooler water out there to recover in) & the fish fighting so hard, the most important thing was to return then asap. The few photos I did get were when I was with friends, who could snap them quick after I had unhooked them.

As things calmed down a bit I took a chance & lit up my first of the day, a well deserved Trini Coloniales Oct 2008. This is more than I would normally have after breakfast but these were exceptional circumstances. A rewarding smoke indeed, only once did I have to get up & land a fish that took a smelt. After an early lunch I had a CC Robusto, which went down very well with strong coffee. And later I had my last of the day a Cohiba Robusto 2010, from SS 2017. I had this with a JS beer & many thanks to my generous SS again, splendid smokes indeed.

I took a break after this cigar & wound the bait in & walked over to the boat house where I could see the guys trying to resolve the boat launching problem. They had cleared away most of the rocks & had been digging a channel so the boat could be launched into the water. Would take another couple of days work to complete.

I returned to my swim & re-commenced at 17:30, managing another couple before I finished off at 21:45. A long day without sleep, amazing how far adrenaline, caffeine & nicotine will keep you going. In total I had actually beaten the previous days total & had 13. It had seemed a slow day in comparison as it took 14hrs instead of under 2 but hey, still a hell of a result & another dble thrown in.

[Simon Bolivar]

Part5: Tues 3rd: decided to fish Ascog, near side bank, with one deadbait rod & one lure rod & just fish a swim for half an hour & then move on until I found the fish. Also decided just to fish until lunch & then take the afternoon off as there are so few runs then & watch the England match with my mate , who of course would be supporting any team but England.

Didn't get any results in the first hundred yds of bank so moved ahead to the next known area & fished the other side of a chap who was staying for 5days under a brolly camp. After a chat with him I started fishing again & finally started picking up some fish & plenty of missed takes. The pike were lying in a very shallow area, mostly 2-3' & when hooked where going skywards to shake the hooks; in a fairly brief spell I had 5 jacks & a hell of a lot of fun.

Back at Andy's after lunch, I took shade by his shade & smoked a R&J TCP from Tippex, with a beer. Very pleasant. Saw the match & prepared for the next days fishing.

[Simon Bolivar]

Part6: Up at 05:00 this morning & drove to the opposite end of of Ascog & started by the dam. Being deeper water the dam is usually good for a fish or two but today I had to wait until I was 100yds further along the back for my first take, a wee jack on the red bladed spinnerbait. Worked my way all the way up to the chap in his brolleycamp & fished the flat area I had has several yesterday but didn't land any there today. Stopped at midday & after lunch helped the guys finally get the boat in the water & they kindly agreed I could use it in the evening. Went back home to make up some more traces & have dinner.

19:40 I was in the boat rowing, with one rod with a deadbait under afloat & the other lure rod with a floating joined lure. Again didn't have any on DB but did pick up another couple of lures, when fished near Sunday's hotspot. Finished at 21:30, with 3 jacks for the day.

Thurs was to be my last day's fishing & I had agreed to go with Johnnie Mac' who is probably the Isle's most successful fisherman: whether piking, perching or brown trout on the dry fly. Up until last month, he was a commercial fisherman too, with his own boat. If Johnnie couldn't put me on some pike in Fad, no one could.

[Simon Bolivar]

Part7 Thurs 5th: I just typed this up & then lost it! So as my time is running out, I'll keep this one brief. Johnny & I fished from 05:45 to 21;40, I caught 3 jacks, an improvement on last Saturday but down to the weather conditions, rather than lack of effort on my part or knowledge on Johnny's. Andy & his son joined us for a few hrs in the afternoon but blanked. I smoked a Boli Regentes 2000 after lunch & that was the highlight of the day, splendid wee smokes, any one else tried them recently?
Up at 06:00 Fri morning packing up & making sure I caught the 10:00 ferry. During the short crossing I smoked a Trini Reyes, perfect choice, very satisfying. Went to Mother's for the weekend, as she had just had her 81st birthday. Whilst there I rounded the trip off by smoking a Cohiba Reserva Esplen' 2002, that I just hadn't had the opportunity to some on the Isle, a magnificent 97points! OK, that's it for this year chaps, hope you enjoyed yet another saga? Hopefully I'll get my boat back on the Dutch waters in Sept & have some more tales to tell of hard fighting Dutch pike before too long.

[Simon Bolivar]

Fishing Hol's 2019