UKCF Anglers.

[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.

[Horsebox]

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


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[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.

[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.

[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]

indeed Johnny but I am looking at the same model.

[Johnny Thunder]

I am just considering a Minn Kota. Something around the 55lb thrust mark. This is purely for baiting up and possibly
landing fish though. Calculations are much more critical when it comes to working lures as I am sure you know.

[Simon Bolivar]

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

[Johnny Thunder]

Fantastic write up Simon. The scenery is stunning and the fishing great too. I would bet that a 15lb Loch pike
puts up a fair argument once hooked.

[Simon Bolivar]

Bute Final Part: So spent the last couple of days on Loch Fad chasing another big dble. 1/ Pic of the blue mountains of Arran at the top end of the Loch. 2/ The winning bait selection, Smelt & Rainbows. 3/ another glorious day, could do with more cloud cover for fishing though. After having lunch by a rocky spit with 2 deadbaits out, I had a few casts with a Loz Harrop Jerkbait. Just casting into the reed line & I had a hit that didn't connect. When I checked the lure I checked it & there were decent size tooth marks in the hardwood. So I re- cast but it didn't take again. I continued to fish for another hour & a half, hoping now aroused it might take the deadbait but then cast a 25cms rubber pike at the reeds & it hit again, nice 11lber. Dble no3. 4/ Last day. Having Just after midday I was trawling a large rubber pike & had a hit near the Trout pens, after a good scrap another PB in my net; this time 15lb 05. It was my first Upper Dble from Fad after 10yrs of fishing so not an easy water but a great end to the holiday. 5&6/ That evening as I packed up for the last time, the sky came alight, a dramatic curtain call. 6-8./ Leaving on the Sunday afternoon ferry, heading back to Aberdeen & the rig. Celebrated with a Bolivar Belvederes '98, amazingly strong after so much time. Hope you enjoy the story, Johnny Thunder?

[Simon Bolivar]

Bute Part 3: Wed morning & we were up at 04:30 & took the boats out whilst the mist was still hanging on the water. The boats aren't usually available until 08:30 but because I was staying at the owner's flats we were allowed to arrive early & stay late. Trawling a dead trout & smelt, I had a good take at 07:00, a hard fighting 14lb'er. A new PB for me from this water & a great start to the day & really set me up. Knowing the day was already a success & the big ones were feeding, kept me buoyed up until we left at 22:00. A long day but I did celebrate with a Hoyo PR 2010, one from a split with Martyn; thanks mate, a nice wee smoke with a tinnie of JS. Happy days.

[Simon Bolivar]

Bute Part2: Monday afternoon we took the boat out & rowed around & around in the sunshine. The rollocks were very loose in thier holders so every time you tried to dig in (especially when going into the wind or heading to the rocks) the oar would come out & have to be re-seated. Very annoying. Nothing caught worth taking pics of. Next day we changed waters & went to the largest loch on the Isle - Loch Fad. It's a trout water that holds pike & all pike have to be returned. This was one of the first waters to pioneer this approach & they have proved you can have a viable trout & pike water, with good specimens of each. the largest pike from this water was 42lb! I managed my first dble of the trip, early in the day & finally felt able to have a smoke; ERDM DT 2001 with a coffee. Now we are fishing!

[Simon Bolivar]

Bute Part1: Sorry Johnny missed your last question. The answer was yes & I just got back from Bute on Sunday evening & am now safely back on the rig, have downloaded & compressed some pics which feature some beautiful scenery, hard fighting pike & a few cigars. I took a dozen with me of various vintages but didn't smoke for the first 3 days, as I had the remains of a throat problem & wanted to be 100% before I started smoking again & didn't actually want to get ill during my one weeks real fishing of the year!
So arrived the previous Sunday, late evening so only 90mins fishing. Hoping to catch one to get me off on the scoreboard but quickly had 3 jacks on lures! Impressive as I only caught 8 jacks during the whole of the last season on Belgium.
The following day went back & expected a dozen or so (last year remember I caught 71 in the week & 29 in a single day!) but only had another couple of jacks. Was joined by my mate on the Isle - Andy & his new puppy Dexter.
1/ Approaching Bute, things look grim :O( 2/ approaching Rothesay & already the weather has changed. 3/ first view of Loch Ascog this year - it's like coming home. 4&5 two jacks caught the first evening. 6&7 Andy showing me how's it's done. 8 Another wee'un for me. 9/ Dexter & 10/ the maw that contains 700 backward sloping teeth.

[Horsebox]

Smashing set up JT. I'm not an angler but appreciate a good camping setup when I see one [emoji1360]


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[Johnny Thunder]

Are you fishing Bute again this year Simon?