Category Archives: Loch Lomond

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A couple of days on Loch Lomond

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28th – 29th May 2021

Friday 28th May saw us leaving the Leven in convoy heading for two days on the loch. Struggling to able to contain their excitement were two eager young anglers Adam and Cameron and their Dad Michael in the other boat with Michael. Before leaving I was encouraged to ensure that I accepted a walkie talkie from the boys in order to share news of catch reports instantly between boats.

Young Cameron ‘showing the way” with a lovely Lomond Sea Trout

Flat calm conditions did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm with the calm only disturbed by the occasional clunk of the striker weight signalling a take. In my own case these takes proved to be no more than a small pike alas.

Young Cameron did however show the way on day one and put the ‘older’ anglers to shame by catching his first Lomond Sea Trout, a lovely wee fish of around 2lbs.

Following a night on Buccinch morning saw us back out on the water with renewed enthusiasm and heading north towards the Ross Isles. Fish remained elusive with conditions proving similarly difficult. With the need for sustenance a priority we met ashore at the Ross Isles for an outdoor ‘roll on sausage’ .

Fishing down the Loch without further reports then excitement of the day before and a late night had taken its toll and we decided to pull in the rods and head for home after lunchtime.

No salmon to report but none the less a very enjoyable couple of days on the ‘Big Loch’. The boys already asking when they can go again!

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A Fun Day on Lomond

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Saturday 17th October 2020

With the 2020 Season fast coming to an end the chances to get out on Lomond were rapidly reducing. My good friend Michael’s two young Grandsons Cameron and Adam both fanatical anglers already had been desperate to get out on the Loch with their Papa for weeks.

So with weather conditions on our side we set out from the river with the boys and their Father, also Michael, in Michaels boat. Full of chatter and excitement before leaving I was presented with a walkie talkie from Cameron who advised that we were to keep each other informed at all times of any fish caught. The other three walkie talkies went with Michael and the boys in his boat making sure I would be ‘fully kept up to date”.

Great to have anglers Cameron and Adam on board

The boat to boat comms started even before we had left the river and into the Loch with constant checks as to whether anything had been caught. Conditions were calm with little in the way of a wave but the day after all was really about the wee ones who were desperate to see a fish regardless of type!

Just above Boturich one of the pokers let go with a sudden if short lived take for when I lifted the rod there was a brief bend before all went slack followed immediately by a call on the radio from the boys in Michael’s boat ahead of me asking if I had a fish!

Lots of chatter and jokes all the way up the east shore and on crossing the Endrick Bank the inside rod with the orange tiger toby suddenly announced a take! After retrieving the other rods I lifted the inside rod and quickly realised it was a small pike of about 8lbs and commonly found in the shallow water on the Bank. After a short tussle the Pike tossed the orange tiger avoiding the need to bring it to the boat. Throughout this time the radio was noisy with chatter with Cameron and Adam excitedly wanting to know what was going on. I found out later and we laughed as apparently when they learned I had a fish on both of them announced that they were in the wrong boat and wanted to change boats and join me!

We fished North up to Milarochy Bay and the Black Rocks before heading across to Buccinch for lunch and a break and a catch up.

After the fire, lunch and some time collecting pine cones we were off again and Cameron and Adam now getting their wish and switching to my boat in the (false) belief that they may stand a better chance of seeing a fish in my boat.

As we headed South we passed one of the tour boats and the boys had everyone on board waving in return. Our peace was broken when their Dad came on the radio to announce that they had a fish on whereupon I had to tell them to sit down as a was worried that they were planning to literally jump ship! It turned out to be a false alarm in the way of a prank or joke on their Father’s part.

With no further action our next break was on the ‘spit of Inchmurrin’ for a respite and run around for the boys. Before leaving the boys were asked if they wanted to continue to fish down the Loch home or just to sail home and get home sooner. To our surprise they both announced that we should fish home.

Crossing over to cover Luss water outlet we then fished South without further events, realising that my boat was no luckier they had returned to their Papa’s boat.

Lifting the rods just above Duck Bay we headed for home with some fun in racing and sailing in tandem on the way.

Not the best days fishing by any means but a really enjoyable fun day for the boys and for the adults. Thank you Cameron and Adam for sharing your knowledge, experience and company.

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Loch Lomond Fly Fishing Competition

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19th September 2020

This my second participation in the Loch Lomond Fly Fishing Competition and it has proven to be a challenge for me in the past with the previous year being extremely tough with bright sunshine, flat calm and cloudless skies. The forecast for this year’s event looked worryingly similar.

With entry fee and lottery tickets purchased I was off heading out of the river with all of the usual excitement and trepidation. My good friend and fishing pal Michael and I headed up the river at the same time. Having done some research and kindly been given some deeply secret tips on drifts and locations I headed up the western shore towards the Luss area first. My biggest concern was and had been the weather with forecasts of bright hot sun and little wind.

Fished hard all morning up at Luss area in really bright sunshine and virtually calm conditions before heading to Inchlonaig for a bit of lunch and regroup. The loch was bussing with please boats, kayaks and craft of all kinds.

Revitalised and having set the world to right we decided to give the north shore of Inchlonaig a try as there seemed to be a bit of a wind on this side at least.

With little in the way of interest and only a couple of fish sighted we decided to head down and try our luck along the shoreline of Inchfad. The drift looked much more promising down at here at Inchfad however once more we failed to raise any interest.

Having given it all we had we decided to head in to the ‘weigh-in’ on Inchmurrin. The winner Paul with a fine bag of three sea trout of around 3-4lb was duly awarded a well deserved cup and some fine prizes. After congratulating the well deserved prize winner and some chin wagging we headed for the river and home.

A really good day despite the challenging conditions and the distinct lack of fish in my own boat! Plenty of time to rethink and plan for next years event.

Images courtesy of Michael King (BIPP)

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A couple of days venturing up “The Tap End”

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Having spent most of my first seasons on Lomond fishing the “Bottom End” of the Loch, my fishing pal and myself decided we were ‘ready’ to explore the famous “Tap End”. From all accounts by seasoned Lomond anglers then by mid July the ‘Tap End” was likely to hold fish and this was evidenced by recent catch reports on the Loch.

So with the usual excitement, trepidation and boatloads of gear, tents, fuel and firewood we set of off.

I didn’t need to wait long for some excitement as I suddenly struck one of the rocks at Boturich hard. A teeth clenching moment as the boat mounted the submerged rock and ran the length of the keel before the engine ‘bounced’ beside me! I was glad that I had packed a set of dry clothes, including fresh underwear. That will teach me for getting over confident and fishing tighter each trip and for smirking critically at the cruiser I had witnessed aground on these same rocks only a week before!

As if this was not enough fun, almost immediately afterwards the inside rod let go signalling a fish. Breaking with protocol I lifted the inside rod to see what was on it only to see the gaping mouth of a largish Pike break the surface. Thankfully it managed to free itself without much further fuss and I was able to try to relax after the early scare.

The ‘magical’ Tap End

The “Tap End” is a ‘magical’ place and is entirely unlike the more gentle contours of the bottom end with its many islands and shallow bays. ‘Tap End’ bears more resemblance to a Scandinavian Fjord with it’s sheer mountain faces and deep drop offs into black depths. Fifteen yards from shore and you are fishing in fifty to eighty feet of water. With no roads, or noise on the eastern side and little in the way of other boats the ‘Tap End’ is an awesome unspoiled enchanting place.

Home for the night was camp just above Rob Roy’s Cave.
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Loch Lomond 4th July 2020

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Heavy skies, spectacular scenery as I head out of the river into the loch for a day on the water chasing that elusive silver. Fished up the eastern shoreline as far as just above Rowerdennan before turning and fishing down along the eastern and southern shores of Inchclonaig where only the pike were in residence it seemed. Returning homewards back across the bank and down past Ross Priory.

Reflecting on the day I came across a poor cabin cruiser being towed off the rocks at Boturich and decided that my day had been a good one after all.

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Lomond Silver – June 19th & 20th 2020

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My good friend and experienced angler Michael King and I had planned a long overdue two day trip on Lomond camping overnight in order to reach and fish “The Tap End‘. Having been talking about it for at least the past few seasons then plans were made, gear was readied and my own boat was now finally back in the water having been trapped in workshop for months as a result of Covid-19 lock down. As with many plans then these changed suddenly due to unexpected engine problems with my boat which was disappointing to put it mildly. To save the weekend trip Michael generously once more offered that we fish from his boat which saved the day.

Friday saw the boat loaded with all the camping gear, food, fishing gear and the kitchen sink and we duly headed out into the loch beneath heavy low grey clouds. Rain was forecast for later but I was just glad that the trip had been saved and we were off.

Fishing reports concerning the loch had been good during the last two weeks and consequently we were filled with even more than the normal anticipation of finding fish. Whilst the plan was to fish the upper reaches of the loch, known as “The Tap End” which neither of us had really explored, I was quietly hopeful that the “Endrick Bank” and Balmaha area may prove productive given recent catch reports.

With the loch levels way down compared to the start of the season we fished up the east shore past Boturich, Ross Priory and the usual bays carefully noting the now exposed jagged shoreline and rocks. Fishing as far into the corner of the “Endrick Bank” as we dared we turned and proceeded to cross the Bank trying to stay on the “shelf” between deeper water and avoiding the 1-2 foot shallows. Half way across the Bank the “inside poker” rod let go and we went into the now practiced drill of adjusting the engine speed and brining in the other rods quickly. There was little sign of panic since as I suspect that we probably both inwardly believed and expected that this was probably yet another pike or a wee sea trout since this had been our experience to date after two seasons on the loch. However complacency turned to pure excitement when Michael announced “it’s no a pike its a salmon!” as I stowed the last rod. The GoPro camera was on and recording before in an instant before I had put the last rod down and I turned to see the purple and silver flash as the fish which had launched itself at an orange and gold bellied Tomic. One that I had asked Tomic to copy from its Rapala competitor.

I cannot say how heartening it was to see the the flash of purple and silver after so many hours and trips. After a brief fiesty struggle in which the fish made some brief lunges and runs including a heart stopping moment in which I thought it was about to run under the boat Michael had it played out enough for me to slip the net beneath it!  Resisting the natural instinct to shake hands in current times we resorted to shouting “well done” and “finally”! Well done Michael as we looked at the fish and then grinned at each other. What we did not talk about was the fact that minutes before MIchael had one of the “poker” reels in bits trying to get the drag and retrieve mechanisms to work again. Yes and it was this same rod and reel that the fish had just been landed safely on!

Lomond Silver 19th June 20
Michael and his first Lomond Salmon (10lb)

Still buzzing and adrenalin filled we resumed fishing working our way across the bank witnessing a large salmon jumping repeatedly as we approached Balmaha. I admit that I insisted that we cover the bank again at least once so we turned and retraced our course across the bank. No further contact however as we crossed and returned towards Balmaha and continued our journey north.

Given the forecast for rain later in the evening we decided to pull into Buccinch for lunch and to pitch the tents before heading back out. Mid afternoon saw us heading back out and once more heading up the eastern shore towards Rowerdennan. Turning around at Rowerdennan we headed back down towards Buccinch for food and sleep. They say that you should always “fish that last piece of water” or “be prepared for the unexpected” since as we a beat wearily and somewhat drenched approached Buccinch we were just about to start bringing in all the rods. Just as we were about to do so the same “poker rod” suddenly buckled as a decent fish swirled at the orange Tomic but failed to connect with it!  Certainly an eventful day with plenty to dream about. It seems were were not the only ones with a smug grin on our faces as we arrived at Buccinch, Another angler had held off going out again until seven o’clock had hooked and landed a fish of around 14lb not far from our camp.

Day two (Saturday) saw us packed up and on the water again before seven thirty heading once more northwards aiming to fish as far up as we could in the time available. Weather had improved and the loch was showing it’s absolute splendour with blue skies and gentle wind. We fished all the way up or just past Rowchois without seeing or connecting with anything. Around mid day we turned and starting fishing our way back down with no further action. Crossing the “Endrick Bank” the wind had started to increase blowing from the south as we headed for home feeling tired but contented if a little sunburned also.

Well done again Michael and thank you for sharing your knowledge, company and of course boat. After many attempts, trips and much effort of loading and loading gear and equipment on and off the boat it was finally good to break the duck and land some silver into the boat!

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First outing of the 2020 season on Lomond

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March 21, 2020

Following a long winter close season and not to mention the increasing restrictions and health measures it was fantastic to get out on the “Big Loch’ for the first time this year. A big thanks to my friend Michael offering to put up with me in his boat as mine is still having finishing touches completed o it in the workshop.

With a bitterly cold wind and leaden skies we headed out of the river heading up the eastern shoreline past Balloch Park and then Boturich. We didn’t have to wait long before the poker announced a take, a small but beautiful silver sea trout. A good start we thought and before long we had missed two further larger takes, something I seem to be a dab hand or jinx at on Michael’s boat. We hit another small sea trout shortly afterwards before starting a troll across ‘the bank’, half way across the inside rod buckled violently and we scrambled into action gathering the other rods. Alas yet again our excitement was dashed as the fish failed to stay on shortly upon lifting the rod! Putting a positive on things we agreed, after the curses, that it was a promising further sign.

Running across the southern shoreline of Inchmoan we hit yet another substantial fish and we leapt into action, at least as fast as two 50 something old guys can ‘leap’. Our efforts were rewarded with exactly the same result, fish off and left looking at each other and examining the treble as if it were the culprit.

Crossing over to the western shoreline we followed the golf course shoreline as tightly as we dared and both thinking this was going to be the spot and 4th time lucky. This however proved to be unfounded optimism and we carried on heading south passing a fellow angler at the Fruin water.

We fished all the way down this shoreline until reaching Duck Bay at which point the rods were stowed and we headed for home and a heat.

A great day despite the cold and missing successive takes and we both agreed that it bodes well for the new season. Thanks Michael for your kind invite.

With a bitterly cold wind and leaden skies we headed out of the river heading up the eastern shoreline past Balloch Park and then Boturich. We didn’t have to wait long before the poker announced a take, a small but beautiful silver sea trout. A good start we thought and before long we had missed two further larger takes, something I seem to be a dab hand of jinx at on Michael’s boat. We hit another small sea trout shortly afterwards before starting a troll across ‘the bank’ half way across the inside rod buckled violently and we scrambled into action gathering the other rods. Alas yet again our excitement was dashed as the fish failed to stay on upon lifting the rod! Putting a positive on things we agreed, after the curses, that it was a promising further sign.

Running across the southern shoreline of Inchmoan we hit yet another substantial fish and we leapt into action as fast as two 50 something old guys can ‘leap’. Our efforts were rewarded with exactly the same result, fish off and left looking at each other and examining the treble as if it were the culprit.

Crossing over to the western shoreline we followed the golf course shoreline as tightly as we dared and both thinking this was going to be the spot and 4th time lucky. This however proved to be unfounded optimism and we carried on heading south passing a fellow angler at the Fruin water.

We fished all the way down the shoreline until reaching Duck Bay at which point the rods were stowed and we headed for home and a heat.

A great day despite the cold and missing successive takes and we both agreed that it bodes well for the new season.

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September Lomond Splendour

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Saturday 21st September 2019  “The Loch Lomond Fly Fishing Competition”

Saturday morning and having firstly registered for this years Loch Lomond Fly Fishing Competition I was soon heading up river. Other commitments had looked like I would not be in a position to get out so I was really over the moon when the planets aligned at the last minute. On the other hand the weather forecast was not just as pleasing with bright sunny skies and little to no wind. At Balloch Bridge I was reminded of the sad scene of a boat fire the previous evening where unfortunately the well known boat “Aurora” was destroyed.

Having checked the forecast yet again for the umpteenth time then with a ‘gentle’ wind from the south east forecast I elected to head for north shore of Inchfad in the hope of a decent drift along this shoreline to start with.  As I crossed over to and along Inchmurrin my hopes rose as the wind and wave strengthened, so much for the weather forecast I thought as the spray came over the bow.

Arriving at the north east end of Inchfad I was heartened to see that wind direction was right and a good wee wave promised a decent drift. I had opted for an 11 foot 7wt setup, Sage X switch rod, with 8 ft polyleader and a 15 foot leader with two droppers and a wee double to anchor things.  Second (spare) rod was more of an experiment and a chance to at least try out a recent acquisition a shorter 9 foot Sage Igniter 9wt with an intermediate sink tip and similar three fly setup. Yes too short and over powered compared to a ‘traditional’ loch setup but was keen to give it a cast for the first time.

I spent a good few hours fishing this drift hard a couple of times with not a hint of a rise! The temperature was rising steadily and by noon the sun was splitting the clear blue cloudless sky as I opted for a break for lunch. Following lunch I decided to give the Igniter a throw and was not disappointed.  This rod rated as “Ultra Fast” weighing in at just over 3oz in weight should require a licence. The line left the rod like a bullet even into the wind which was now in my face at times.  However even this newly acquired weapon could not produce a rise nevertheless.

With the sun blazing and the wind now moderate I decided to give the south shoreline of Inchfad a try passing a boat of fellow anglers en route who signalled their own lack of fish as we passed.

Fishing along the south western tip of Inchfad  I found what looked like an ideal drift between the tip of the main island and the wee island of Ellanderroch. Despite the bright sunshine and lack of cloud there was a good stiff breeze and a decent wave which lifted my spirits and hopes of connecting with something at least.

By mid afternoon the relentless sunshine and heat had not abated and I decided to call it a day. The weather may have not been ideal for fishing but what it did serve to do was to showcase the stunning beauty of the big loch in all its glory.