west scotland

[Paula]

if i have got the right place, on the west coast just north of ullapool is a place called ALTANDHU if you fish off the pier there you are fishing into 300ft of water straight away more or less and subsequently get all the species associated with that depth from the pier instead of using a boat.

this is in reply to blackvelvet on the boat fishing section but thought i would copy it to here to be corrected/let people know about it.

[spanner]

Hmm..., the Altandhu I know north of Ullapool is just beyond Achiltibuie. There isn\'t a pier there but there is a jetty in a shallow bay 1 mile to the south at Old Dornie. I have never fished off it but I have been there at low tide and I\'d be amazed if there is 300ft of water there. Anybody got a chart to confirm it?

[Chippy]

There is a pier at Lochaline which drops off in to very deep water, around 100m I\'m told. It\'s good for common skate from the shore.
A problem is getting enought line off the reel quickly enough once the lead hits the water. You cast a 6oz lead (no trace) as far as you can, then as soon as it hits the water rip line as quicly as possible off the spool with your hands, if you don\'t, the lead ends up back near your feet by the time it has sunk to the bottom. Tighten up, use a snap swivel and clip on your mackerel flapper and let it slide down the mainline to the bottom. Then wait for a common skate to come along. Or a dogfish.

It\'s one of the best places I\'ve ever fished, a mean drive to get there though.

[Davyred]

Fished there a few years ago chippy - never known anything like it. I filled a slosh 30 with 25lb and I had 2 turns left by the time it hit the bottom All we got were dogfish, a right ball ache pumping them up from 300ft down. Keep meaning to go back up, but its getting the time, as, like you said, its a **** of a drive. Been told to take my boat gear up, as theres a wreck not that far off which divers have said hold good numbers of conger that come out to feed at night.

[Rab]

Never had to use that method Chippy aslong as you fish an out going tide it isn\'t a problem. Quite a few skate from the boat but not all that good for them from the shore though there is always the possibility. Most of the shore skate were caught from the pier in the 70/80\'s.

I love to fish the place with my best fish being a 15lb conger caught in broad daylight. The time of day does not seem to effect the fishing due to depth of the water. The number of species that there is a chance of catching off the pier is immense, you just never know what could be biting next.....though when the doggies turn up it can be a pain!

[willywetegg]

That pier at Lochaline really sounds the bizz. Your posts have whetted my appetite for a crack at it. I might just have a look up with me mate in June for a weekend. Have already found somewhere to stay lol.

[Rab]

You mean the dive centre? There is actually 4 piers at Lochaline so alot of variety, the deep spot is the West pier. You also get a variety of wrasse down the side.

[mark]

go for it Jim, take your spinning rod as well, there\'s millions of pollack!