Loch Long/Eilean Donan Castle - Aug-Sept 2013

View from the mark to Eilean Donan Castle

My job affords me little windows of opportunity to fish up and down the country and one of the best is opposite the village of Dornie on the shore/bank of Loch Long.

Fishing from the jetty where the old ferry used to dock gives a splendid view back east towards Eilean Donan castle, reputedly the most photographed castle in the world and Loch Duich beyond.

Eilean Donan castle sits at the junction of three sea loch's. Arriving from the north is Loch Long which meets Loch Duich coming from the east. The inner sea to the west of this 'junction' is Loch Alsh.

Being sea loch's, as the tide recedes, Loch Long flows like a river under the Dornie Bridge and on into Loch Alsh. At other times of the tide it can be fairly stable.

Endearingly up for it - Long Spined Sea Scorpion

I've heard that the locals are well versed in when to catch migratory Salmon or Sea Trout, but my ambitions don't reach that far just yet.

With my sessions limited to short 20-30 minute bursts, I've been travelling light with jigheads and Isome.

My first success was with some small Coalfish and a Pollock. These fish seem to be prevalent wherever you fish on the coast.

The water has been very clear so watching the lure on the retrieve always pays off. But there are large clumps of weed that require a bit of navigating at times, especially if the current is dragging.

Dornie Bridge - Eilean Donan just out of shot to the right

I often explore close in, in the slack water, sight fishing between the weed and bouncing the small piece of Isome over any clear patches of sea bed. Often there is enough interest from various small fish, but too often intent on bashing the lure rather than biting it.

On one of these occasions I was dangling the Isome down the wall of the jetty seeing if anything was patrolling when a typically aggressive Long Spined Sea Scorpion attacked with gusto. So using basic tactics in a fairly short time this mark provides a variety of species, albeit on the small side, but with loads of potential for the odd bigger surprise.

Fishing aside, an absolutely fantastic spot to pass some time!!!
 

St Marys Loch & Loch of the Lowes - August 2014

Where Loch of the Lowes narrows onto St Marys Loch

An overnight stay at the Tibbie Shiels camp site allowed me to purchase a 24 hour permit for St Marys Loch and the adjacent Loch of the Lowes.

Beginning on the latter at the south west shore with a jighead and Lake Fork Baby Shad lures I began exploring my way up the loch side. The resident species are Perch, Pike and Brown Trout, so I felt quite confident that something was possible. Although the Loch of the Lowes isn't as renowned as its larger neighbour, they are connected by a small stream and it certainly has the potential to hold decent fish.

However, despite my enthusiasm, there were no takers. I was kept interested though by the follows into the shallows of the occasional small Perch in the 6" range. With only an unidentified bird of prey to report, I headed camp wards with the increasingly bored offspring in tow to where the wife would hopefully have constructed our home for the evening.

Blank well and truly busted

Jettisoning the sprogs with their mother, I made my way keenly the 10 metres or so to the loch side. There was a small jetty which I walked to the end of before lobbing the lure as far as I could into the clear water of St Marys Loch.

Boom, a fish was on first cast and then the reel began to squeal as whatever it was made off on a hefty run. Having been told a 5 pounder was a wee one in here, I was immediately worried as I was netless with relatively light tackle and was going to have to struggle alone with this beast. My six year old daughter had tagged along, but no matter how much I told her to go and get her Ma, she extremely annoyingly refused, seemingly preferring to watch her old man lose a potential PB.

After a few minutes I was able to bring the fish into sight identifying a quite decent but not earth shattering jack Pike. He was also being tailed by another slightly smaller pike attracted somehow by the exertions of his larger buddy. But he was sturdy and angry and put up a decent scrap making quite a few runs before I was finally able to beach him/her.

Excitement ahoy

By this time it seemed half the camp site had been alerted to the commotion, the first quote on the scene saying something like "they fished it all last night and didn't catch a thing, how long have you been fishing", to which the truthful reply was simply "eh, first cast mate"!!!

By the time I had the fish measured, photographed and returned, five fellow anglers had appeared and were now getting their lines wet (wee boys and 'holiday' anglers really - I set up a young German boy with the same set up I was using to help him along - to no avail).

And I really should have stopped there as it was the only bite I had for the rest of my stay!!! Not to say I didn't give the venue a good thrashing. I worked round the entire north shore and up round the western (road) shore and off the larger jetty and berthed boats in the south eastern corner too. Some really nice looking spots, but absolutely nothing. The only other sign of encouragement (aside from the multitude of young fish along the margins) was the next morning when a trout of a good pound and a half leapt three feet clear of the serenely still loch. Later that morning after the wind had gotten up a fair bit I explored around the north eastern shore, distracted a little by a lady training sheep dogs in a nearby field whilst I ploughed on in ultimately futile pursuit of fish number two.

The lack of surface activity by the trout was interesting enough that I mentioned it when emailing my catch return. In reply I was told that this was of some concern to those who look after the loch and preliminary investigations have suggested that the brown trout are evolving from surface feeders into bottom feeders as a result of the pike in the loch. This made me think of the very similar conditions at Loch Chon, somewhere I'd expect to see brownies rising, but the abundance of Pike and Perch, may have forced the trout down to the bottom for food there too.

The final mention goes to the the 8 or 9 fighter planes that roared (not very far) overhead during the course of the stay. If you decide to have a dabble at St Marys Loch be sure to bring some spare pants.

Loch Portree - Aug/Sept 2014

The Black Cuillins , Loch Portree and Portree Harbour

Spending a lot of time on Skye since July, my base has been it's capital, Portree. This has allowed me to begin exploring around the shore and harbour and I'm seldom disappointed.

Like so many places on Skye, Loch Portree, basically the sea in the bay area where Portree is located, can be almost amusingly picturesque. The harbour front itself is classic picture postcard material whilst the views south to the Cuillin mountains, east towards Ben Tianavaig and beyond to the adjacent island of Raasay, or north past the black Rock where Bonnie Prince Charlie is said to have fled from government troops, up towards the imposing cliffs of Scorrybreac, make it an absolutely outstanding place to lose some time before nightfall.

My first Portree Pollock

These have been the most numerous of my sessions on Skye. I've been treated to the sight of a White Tailed Eagle soaring high above me and often spotted the odd seal hanging around the fish cages towards the sound of Raasay. Out in Loch Portree the youths from the sailing club are often out practicing in the conducive conditions. I think it gives a real insight into how past generations on Skye utilised this, like so many other sheltered sea lochs around the 'Winged Isle', to hone their sea faring skills in much the same way in the old Birlinns that frequented these waters in times gone by.

A quick mention here for the other wildlife you find in abundance, namely, the Midgie. In the absence of any wind, for any session to last more than a couple of casts you will absolutely need a midgie net.

Come back in a couple of years

My first few sessions involved hurling a jighead as far as possible (3.5g, so quite small) and jigging some Isome back at varying depths and speeds. Interest was frequent and I'd take some small Pollock and Coalfish in between the wee blighters nicking my lure.

The first few sessions were at the higher end of the tide. The Black Rock on the cornere of the sea loch is said to be a good mark, but is only accessible at low tide. For my first visit out there, I'd have to wait.

I doubt this wee one was even 3 inches

One evening was spent fishing my Isome into the clear waters of the harbour front itself. Actually being able to see the fish reacting to your offerings is extremely informative. Whilst hoping for a flattie of some sort, instead I was again amongst small coalies and Pollock. Or so I thought. One evening whilst out with Hutch at Cove harbour, he brought ashore a bay cod no more than six inches, making me realise that one of the comedically small Pollock I thought I'd caught at Portree harbour, was actually my first ever cod!!!!

Echoing the sentiments of the great species hunter himself, the sheer frequency of small Coalfiish and Pollock that seem to be almost everywhere you try in the sea around the coast can only be a good sign for the future.

Gully to the right

Back round between the Black Rock and Scorrybreac I variously observed the clarity of the sea under normal conditions right through to the dark colouration after heavy rain when the peat stained spate rivers that are abundant on Skye empty into the sea. On the much more frequent clear water days, the sea bed can be seen to alternate between weed covered rocks and sandy bottoms. Some tantalising gullies dissect the three or four outcrops where fishing is most possible. Pollock and Coalfish up to 8 or 9 inches have been the staple round here.

Gully to the left

Grey Gurnard

However, on my second last visit, finally the tide was low in the evening and I was able to scurry over the sea weed covered rocks and onto the Black Rock itself. I quickly discovered that the optimum place for bites was on the sand just outside the fringe of weed that skirts the rocks. Here I hooked my second baby cod, then a wee coalie, before something altogether different chomped my Isome and was brought to the surface. Confused I took a quick pic in the fading light and fired it off to Hutch asking "Whats this?". "A Grey Gurnard" came the reply from the walking fish encyclopedia, "they're usually red" he followed up. I was stoked, a brand new species. Grey, red or fluorescent purple, didn't matter to me.

In discussion with Hutch, he advised that the amount of missed bites I was reporting might be negated with a drop shot tactic instead of the jighead. The next night I was back with a drop shot set up and a better camera. First fish was a wee Pollock making that four fish, four different species in a row from the Black Rock. Then I tempted another Grey Gurnard, getting a much better snap for posterity. More Coalies and Pollock followed. Whilst the drop shot was hooking more fish, my rod and especially reel were making actual bite detection less successful than it should be. The LRF would make its way to Skye with me the next time.

Baby Cod (or Whiting?)

And so it did. I arrived to find relatively high high tides over 5 metres and began covering the sandy bottoms north of the Black Rock (inaccessible). Every tap and take was felt, but with every assault on my hook, I was losing Isome and was quickly going to run out. More Coalies and Pollock to about 8 inches continued to oblige, but I endeavoured to source some prawns instead for the following night.

Getting (a bit) bigger - Pollock

Encouragingly, but frustratingly, I also witnessed a Salmon leaping clear a bit further out. I know they do show in the sea around Skye awaiting the rivers filling up and it is extremely tantalising to know they are there. But I wouldnt like to hook something that big with that much space to swim around in on the LRF. So the next night I was back with prawns for the LRF and my spinning rod for distance casting with a lure. While a Salmon is still an outside chance, the lure I'd use was the sand eel I'd been advised were good by the gent in Dunvegan's tackle shop, and that the other guy had been catching decent Pollock on at Neist Point.

Coalfish/Coalie/Saithe

I began with the prawns and was inundated with interest feeling every tap and take. Every fish landed was a Coalfish and they all measured as good as 12 inches. A distinctly different demographic with these fish giving a great fight on the light tackle. I also chucked the lure out on the other rod, but despite a few follows and half hearted takes by smaller Coalies or Pollock, that elusive larger specimen failed to materialise.

Neist Point - August/September 2014

Neist Point Lighthouse

The most westerly point on the Isle of Skye is known to any serious sea angler in Scotland and further afield as a primo location to encounter big fish from the shore. And I've been able to fish there four times since July.

On the edge of the Duirinish peninsula, Neist Point is separated from the Outer Hebrides by The Minch, a channel of the sea where there is a real chance of spotting amongst other things, Minke Whales, Basking Sharks or the largest UK bird of prey, the White Tailed Eagle. This isn't to mention the seals or seabirds such as Cormorants and Gannets that feed in the abundant waters overlooked by the Stevenson lighthouse.

Looking south over Moonen Bay

Immediately to the south of Neist Point is Moonen Bay which is overlooked by cliffs towering over 1000 feet in height, some of the highest in Europe. It is a stunning location and on a fine day, it's hard to beat. But it's not for the faint hearted. Setting out from Dunvegan around Loch Dunvegan and past Loch Pooltiel and Loch Mor, the drive to reach the parking spot alone is challenging enough. From the 'car park' its then a good 20 minute traipse down a steep cliff path, then up and over another mound of rock (the large wedge in the top picture) along unguarded cliffs before the lighthouse even comes into view. Another steep decline takes you down to the lighthouse and the very western tip of the island where your next choice is then a clamber over basalt rock formations (akin to the Giants Causeway) in any direction. This gets the heart going, then there is the exact opposite on the way back where frequent rests are required on the steep climb back up to the car park.

Looking east to the cliffs at Moonen Bay

But it's worth it, even for the 20-30 minute sessions I've been able to fit in.

My first couple of attempts were as much exploratory as anything. My tackle was really too light and my offerings of Isome on a jighead weren't taken seriously by anything swimming in front of me. I did however spook a rockpool full of, I assume, blennies of a decent enough size. These will be targeted again at some point for sure, but on that day my mind was on exploring the sea itself and time was of the essence.

My next trip out, tooled up with more lures and heavier jigheads was hindered by the clunkiness of my new rod/reel. I'd bought an emergency set-up out of the tackle shop in Dunvegan after snapping my spinning rod, but the reel and pre-loaded line were a bit mis-matched, meaning my casting distance was poor.

Pollock, returned for being too big!!!

However, another fisherdude appeared with his ladyfriend in tow and promptly began extracting impressive Pollock on a sand eel lure. He landed three that we guessed were from 2-7lb or thereabouts. I wasn't able to reach the extra 10-15 yards he was getting that was getting him interest on every cast. While frustrating, it only whetted my appetite for the next time, when I would be sure to have more adequate kit with me.

So on the 19th September I returned and conditions were good enough for me to set off on the hike down to where I was sure I'd smash my Pollock record (or anything else I caught for that matter). Whilst I'm relating those times I've managed to fish in relative safety, half the time I visit, the weather conditions would only suit someone with a death wish (literally).

19th September, tougher conditions

But on arrival this time it was immediately obvious the previous mark wouldn't be fishable for two reasons. Firstly the tide was a lot lower making the previous hot spot uncoverable, and even if it had been, the wind was blowing straight towards the mark, the entirely opposite direction from my previous visit. So I'd have to explore elsewhere. This might sound straightforward, but in the limited time available, it meant a mixture of jumping over crevices, rock climbing up and over basalt columns and trying not to slip or fall onto the barnacle covered rocks while I tried to find somewhere on the other side of the rock. Neist Point is not a place you want to get injured.

I found a new spot, but despite fanning around with my casts, I couldn't find any fish and had to just make do with watching the Gannets divebomb for their lunch, admire the views across to Lewis, Harris and the other smaller outer Hebridean islands to the south while a seal bobbed its head up to check me out .

So as yet, I've drawn a blank in this breath taking location. But it won't be long until I'm in the right place at the right time. Watch this space.

The three pictures below are from my 14th September visit. As I emerged over the brow of some rocks at the southern tip of Neist Point, I noticed a flock of Cormorants sitting on the rock. But they saw me at the same time and bolted.

Loch Ness & Caledonian Canal

Caledonian Canal looking north to Loch Ness

Having many opportunities to sneak in 20-30 minute sessions around Fort Augustus this year has had me in hot pursuit of my very own Loch Ness monster.

Alas I have absolutely no fish to report despite it looking likely at all times. I've viewed a couple of eels and plenty of minnows in the canal as well as one very small jack pike, but nothing in the canal or loch has bothered to give me a look in.

Fishing where the River Oich flows into Loch Ness one day during a strong flow something did flash at my lure quite far out and I also had a follow close in. The first was maybe a trout or maybe a Salmon, the fish being about 3-4lb, but hard to be sure and the second was probably a trout of about a pound.

The tactic has been a large rapala with wire trace hurled as far as possible and retrieved at top speed. This approach worked really well on Loch Chon and is my go to tactic where there are Pike about. Earlier attempts in the canal with a jigged Lake Fork Shad also failed to yield.

30/08/2012 - Forth & Clyde Canal

Looking towards Kilsyth Basin

Time -
Water - Darkish but clear enough
Weather - Very nice
Method - Jelly Minnow/wire trace
Total - 3
Species - Pike (8.5 & 14 inch), Perch (8 inch)
Companion - H (inter-blog madness)

Three different locations were attacked: Falkirk Wheel, Kilsyth Basin & Banknock Lock.

Falkirk Wheel - Started off with a recent purchase of Jelly Sandeel on a weighted hook, but two factors elicited a change. Firstly I wasn't looking like taking anything, secondly, H sprinted quickly into a 2 fish lead using a wee Jelly Minnow. Borrowing one of the offending lures, I didn't take long to take a small Jack of 8.5 inches, probably a smallest ever!!! In the meantime I managed to lose an even smaller one as well as getting a little bit of interest from smallish Perch. The (bottom) basin itself held an impressive amount of Roach with some Perch in amongst them, although it wasn't until we ventured along the jetties on the opposite side that we started connecting with some regularity. Probably lost a couple of Perch & Pike each, one of the Perch extremely amateurishly, all no bigger than anything I successfully landed.

Inflow near Kilsyth Basin

I've used Jelly Perch's in the past on the Union Canal with a little bit of success, however their price and their (lack of) longevity curtailed their use. But I was well impressed with the minnows H gave me. The way they sit in the water when just suspended looks outstanding and I wouldn't be surprised if they would work simply suspended under a float, almost like a cross between livebait & deadbait, but with no baitfish being harmed.

H switched lures regularly and had much the same mixture of success and loss.

14 inch Pikey

Kilsyth Basin - Like the Wheel at Falkirk, I'd also fished here once before. Two guys were already in situ, one had a Perch livebait on but didn't appear to have much success whilst the other guy had apparently taken a Pike of about a pound and a half on his first cast. As they were at the inflow, we worked towards the basin itself. Access was a bit better than I remembered, but still a pain in places. H was working through his entire lure box including using some floating efforts that stirred a lurking Pike or two in the far margins, but couldn't add to his two Falkirk fish. With a smallish lure I wasn't able to cast too far, so worked the near reeds a bit. At the end of a retrieve I was dangling the minnow a bit from a reed overhanging the water when I though I'd snagged. However the lift produced a slightly more respectable Jack of 14 inch.

8 inch Perch

After working back to the inflow, we also tried the opposite side of the road bridge, which looked good, but didn't produce.

Banknock Lock - H had fished here previously on the advice it was stuffed full of Perch and naturally him and his mate had filled their boots with Pike.

On approach we passed an Artist painting at the picnic bench who enquired after the time. What a delight to be spending some time in such a lovely spot without having to worry about such trivialities as a timepiece.

View towards Banknock Lock

The canal was narrower than at Kilsyth and after a few fruitless casts, I fancied there might be a Perch or two staying close in to the lock wall. So I dropped the minnow down and slowly 'walked' it about no more than a couple of feet from the brickwork and hey presto, I was into a Perch. Then it was off. The same tactic almost immediately paid off again and a perfectly respectable (by my standards) 8 inch Perca was on the bank. We worked along to the 'bridge' spotting some Roach and both getting some interest. Almost done on the way back to the car, H had one last hopeful cast and was into a Perch. 3-3 and an excellent way to finish an excellent days fishing.

16/08/2012 - North Esk

Time - 1500 - 1600
Water - Normal
Weather - Nice
Method - Two fly set-up, Wickhams/Greenwells Nymph
Total - 1
Species - Brown Trout
Size - 6 inch

A quick session from Valleyfield down to Eskmill. I've totally neglected local fly-fishing this season, mostly due to the amount of rain and the rivers being up more or less all the time.

This was a maiden expedition with H who is trying to hone his fledgling fly fishing skills.

There was another fly fisher out who reported one plus a few offers. Another dude was bait fishing in the Ele's hole. I didn't entice anything until the last pool alongside Eskmill, where, when I was reeling in, a daft wee brownie decided to take the Wickhams.

10/08/2012 - Port Seton Harbour

Harbour view on departure

Water - As previous night
Weather - Lovely
Where - East wall
Time - 2030-2130
Method - See text
Total - 0

The weather and tides were similar to the previous evening (tide later, sunset earlier of course) although the breeze was up and the sea had more of a chop about it.

There were three anglers where I'd been on Thursday although the adjacent (east) platform was free so I headed across there. As I arrived I caught up with a local gent who was thinking about setting up too, though he wasn't keen when he heard how scant the offerings had been the previous evening. After a bit of encouragement he attached a silver lure to his rod and immediately hooked into a Mackerel which he returned. He declared early it was from a "shoal of one" and so it turned out.

I employed a new tactic I've been meaning to put into practice for a while. Instead of anchoring Mackerel lures to the bottom with a heavy weight (increasing the chances of a snag), I suspended them (four silver flashed hooks) under a bubble float and weighted them with some plasticene which allows an easy adjustment of the weight should I be able to add bait (Pollock/Mackerel strips etc) to the lures in due course. It also has the added 'bite indication' bonus of using a float.

The other rod used the toby from the previous evening although this was eventually lost low and close in on a sub-surface harbour reinforcement. So I switched to a Flying C which is surely as good a lure as any.

For the last half hour I noticed plenty of small fish close in on the outside of the harbour as well as in through the entrance. Although I couldn't get a good look, they appeared to be feeding, occasionally flashing their sides as they changed angles in the water. I obviously dragged my lure through them a few times, although I seemed to be getting attention, they refused to become hooked.

The fish didn't agree and shunned both tactics. In mitigation, I barely spent an hour at the harbour. I was over half way there when I realised I'd left all my sea rigs at home and cut a good 50 minutes out of my fishing time returning to get them before setting off again.

09/08/2012 - Port Seton Harbour

Port Seton Harbour on arrival

Water - Darkish cloudy
Weather - Lovely, very light breeze
Where - Harbour wall (west)
Time - 1930-2130
Method - Silver flashed hooks, toby and Pollock live & dead bait
Total - 4
Species - Pollock

On my first sortie to the shore in this neck of the woods I didn't get quite as far along the coast as Port Seton Harbour. However a mate who'd fished it previously informed me that the water off the harbour wall is deeper here and therefore makes it more likely to be able to reach fish. He'd previously taken Mackerel without bait.

Looking up the Forth Estuary to Inchkeith Island

The weather (including forecast) was excellent and high tide was about 2040. With aforementioned buddy working til 1730 this made the conditions and availability fit nicely.

The sea was almost flat calm as we could see on the drive down. On arrival there was one dude fishing off the other (east) harbour wall, leaving the west wall to ourselves.

Cockenzie under the clouds

I began with weighted lures (silver foil flashes) chucked as far as I could having been reassured they catch fish here (they don't, in my experience, at Granton). I put a toby on my second rod to 'double' my chances.

Quite early there had been a couple of splashes in the harbour entrance, most likely of some fish breaking the surface. By the time I had my spinner set up, my mate had been at his for a while although he kept connecting with seaweed. I resorted to jigging my toby off the side and soon began getting a little bit of interest from what turned out to be small Pollock. After a while I decided to use these as bait and attached them to the lure rod and chucked them out again.

Not much bigger than plankton

A Pollock with chunks out of it

The newly baited rod attracted some attention. A couple of pulls and plenty of little bounces, but no fish if/when I struck. The Pollock bait was taking a hit though with the usual cartoon bites taken out (The photo isn't the best as I had the rod in one hand, the camera in the other and the fish/bait was spinning and swinging in and out of shot). I'll need to devise a more intricate hook set up to increase hooking chances I think.

Quite late on, there was a flurry of fish breaking the surface in front of us with around 10-12 fish appearing from nowhere in maybe a 20-30 second spell. In this mini-frenzy, my buddy connected with a Mackerel but despite rapid relocating of my rods, they were away almost as soon as they appeared.

His fish was quite thin, but at 15.5 inches was almost as long as my four tiddlers put together.

Sun setting over the Forth

Nothing else was landed, but we left reasonably chuffed. It's always good to get off the mark at a new venue.

Arthurs Seat to the left

In the first sunset photo you can see a small rowing boat (dark blob), this had left the harbour and was doing some fishing a wee bit further out. I'll definitely have to get further down the road to getting myself some sort of fish seeking craft.

Solitary Mackerel (not mine)

26/08/11 - Bonaly Reservoir

Reflection

Time - 16.00-19.00

Water - Clear, flat calm mostly

Where - Dam wall

Weather - Fair, no wind

Methods - Dead bait, fly (lure), maggot
Total - 0

No fish, no bites, no sign of any fish whatsoever for that matter, but some nice photos including some more funghi!!!

Flat Calm

Lack of wind tempted me to give Bonaly an erstwhile effort. Some reasonably well to do yoof were camping on the south bank and making accompanying noises ruling out any angling along my favoured bank. Concentrated mostly on the weedbank off the dam wall at the northern end.

Plonked a mackerel section out a foot or two under the surface. Moved it a couple of times to tryboth sides of the weed bank.

Tried the Wooly Bugger & Cats Whisker on a sinking line. Varied the retrieves and worked my along the dam wall to the south bank. B spun a minnow for a short while and tried some maggots.



North over Edinburgh to the Forth





Bonnie heather (looking west)

24/08/11 - North Esk

View upstream from left bank

Time - 18.00-20.30

Water - Turning peaty from brown, 10 cm or so up

Where - Wooden Bridge to Ele's Hole

Weather - Damp

Method - Bronze mepp size 2
Total - 3
Species - Brown Trout
Size - 7.5 - 11 inches

Fairly typical session for time of year & conditions etc. Connected with excellent example of the Salmo Trutta coming in at 11 inches on the measuring tape. Twas such a nice fish I've added two photos profiling both flanks.

Note the vivid red on the tail and adipose. It emerged from quite close to the waterfall.

There were another couple of fish trying to jump the waterfall, nothing over 9-10 inch.

19/08/11 - South Esk & Moorfoot Burn

Time - 16.00-18.00

Water - (Roseberry outflow) Up a bit but quite clear, (Edgelaw outflow) Up a bit also & peaty

Where - Temple Road Bridge down to Corner Pool & upstream to Carrington Road Bridge

Weather - Fair

Method - Silver mepp size 2
Total - 5
Species - Brown Trout
Size - 7.5 - 8.5 inches

En route I had a go in the Moorfoot Burn again. The water was very peaty and also had what appeared to be a high algal content of some sort. An almost granular or bubbly organism of unknown origin. Connected briefly with a 5 incher under the road bridge. Nothing at all between there and the Swirly Pool where after just about giving up I made a brief aquaintance with a brownie of about 7 inch before his exertions proved victorious.

At Temple: Fished under the Temple Road Bridge, one possible tap. Next the pool with the concrete shed, got yet another 8.5 inch brownie, almost didn't need to measure it. Then got a very nice take that was straight off, prob about 10-12 inch.

Nothing else until the confluence with the Edgelaw outflow which was nicely coloured. Had a few taps and eventually got a 7.5 incher in first pool above confluence. Worked up to Carrington Road Bridge and got another two fishing in the pool just above bridge, casting upstream. One at 8 inch, then another 8.5 incher. Retraced steps down to confluence and got a couple of hits fishing from the right bank into the opposite peaty side. Had a dip just above the Corner Pool and got another couple of taps. Then extracted last victim in Corner Pool, which presently has a fallen tree from opposite bank lying more or less halfway down the pool from bank to bank.

Almost forgot, I also came across my first ever waterlogged PS2.

On the return walk some bright yellow and bright orange mushrooms caught my eye. Took some photos, then became rather preoccupied for rest of the walk with spotting more fungi, and took more photos. Identification is an ongoing process as I'm no expert. I took more than one photo for each shroom, but have only appended one per species below.


Waxy Cap, Hygrocybe Marchii?



These are the orange ones. Caps about 2cm across. Colour very vivid.




Butter Waxcap, Hygrophorus ceraceus?

 




Close by were a few of these. Very bright yellow, similar size to the orange ones (above).





 
 

Rosy Brittlegill (Russula rosea)?

Had to clear a bit of the foliage away to get a decent picture of this singleton. The cap appears to have had a few little nibbles taken out of it. I suspect this may be a Rosy Brittlegill (Russula rosea).

Two shrooms on view here, the one at the front gives an idea of how low lying they were. Creamy light yellowish cap with white gills and a thick white stem. 

Stump Puffball




Curious little things these, about 1cm in diameter in a scattered clump of about 10 or so. I'm quite sure I've correctly identified them as Stump Puffballs.

Probably the least attractive of the bunch. Very low lying, almost as if it didn't have a stalk. Also been eaten away a fair bit. Growing on wood.

Chicken Of The Woods?

  


This is by far the largest I photographed. Probably about 30cm high and wide. Tentatively identified as 'Chicken of the Woods.

 

Originally suspected this might be a Chanterelle. However they dont quite have the required colouring, especially as the gills are so white. The leading contender is currently Yellow Russula (Russula ochroleuca)



Another one that liked to lie low, again I had to clear some of the leaf litter to get a good look. The beech leaves hopefully give a bit of scale. Has a funnel shaped cap.  

Cortinarius gentilis?



The shroom on the right has had its stalk nibbled and it looks like it might be hollow. I didnt get a look at the gills as they were no more than 3cm tall. The colour of the caps and stalks was very consistent and almost a little translucent.

No mushrooms were harmed during the photographing of these specimens!!!