....and not at Neist Point either
I recently got back from a family holiday in Skye. I took the fishing gear with me hoping to fit in a few short sessions in as and when I could. We had booked a cottage on Ardtreck Point which is on the west coast at the tip of Loch Harport. Our cottage was the very last one at the end of the track and was only a short walk to the shore all around the point so it is pretty obvious where most of my fishing would be this week lol. I know most people head for Neist Point but that was an hours drive away followed by a tw@t of a walk so sticking close by meant more fishing and less travelling and there must be fish elsewhere on Skye too or so I thought. It turns out there are ;-)
We arrived very late on Saturday night so I waited until the following day to get out an wet a line. It was a calm sunny day with a very flat sea and looked perfect for a bit of Pollack bashing. I nipped out for a couple of hours over low water. After a good scout around the whole of the point I settled next to a deep looking gulley between two prominent rocks which looked very fishy.
I put on a 4" sidewinder sandeel in pearl white and cast it across the gulley letting it sink for a while before beginning a slow retrieve. Nothing on the first cast. So I sent it out again and this time let it sink right to the bottom before retrieving. Bang! Fish on! A good one too. My rod was doubled over and I struggled with it as it tugged and dived and headed for the kelp. My line was going straight down into a mass of weed but it didn't snag up and the fish came slowly up through the kelp getting closer and closer eventually breaking the surface. What a monster! My previous Pollack PB was 64cm and this was way bigger. It had given up the fight now but I was about fifteen feet up on a rock and I had no net so had to gingerly climb down the side keeping the tension on the whole time so as not to lose it. I made it though and without falling into the drink and just managed to grab the line and haul the fish up beside me. A supurb fish at just over 70cm. Not only a new personal best but also my first specimen fish. And on my second cast! Well chuffed.
I stayed out for another hour or so and didn't catch any more fish but didn't care. The big grin was going to last me for days.
I recently got back from a family holiday in Skye. I took the fishing gear with me hoping to fit in a few short sessions in as and when I could. We had booked a cottage on Ardtreck Point which is on the west coast at the tip of Loch Harport. Our cottage was the very last one at the end of the track and was only a short walk to the shore all around the point so it is pretty obvious where most of my fishing would be this week lol. I know most people head for Neist Point but that was an hours drive away followed by a tw@t of a walk so sticking close by meant more fishing and less travelling and there must be fish elsewhere on Skye too or so I thought. It turns out there are ;-)
We arrived very late on Saturday night so I waited until the following day to get out an wet a line. It was a calm sunny day with a very flat sea and looked perfect for a bit of Pollack bashing. I nipped out for a couple of hours over low water. After a good scout around the whole of the point I settled next to a deep looking gulley between two prominent rocks which looked very fishy.
I put on a 4" sidewinder sandeel in pearl white and cast it across the gulley letting it sink for a while before beginning a slow retrieve. Nothing on the first cast. So I sent it out again and this time let it sink right to the bottom before retrieving. Bang! Fish on! A good one too. My rod was doubled over and I struggled with it as it tugged and dived and headed for the kelp. My line was going straight down into a mass of weed but it didn't snag up and the fish came slowly up through the kelp getting closer and closer eventually breaking the surface. What a monster! My previous Pollack PB was 64cm and this was way bigger. It had given up the fight now but I was about fifteen feet up on a rock and I had no net so had to gingerly climb down the side keeping the tension on the whole time so as not to lose it. I made it though and without falling into the drink and just managed to grab the line and haul the fish up beside me. A supurb fish at just over 70cm. Not only a new personal best but also my first specimen fish. And on my second cast! Well chuffed.
I stayed out for another hour or so and didn't catch any more fish but didn't care. The big grin was going to last me for days.
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