[James Laraway]

Sounds an excellent trip Terry 👍. Any joy with those mayflies I tied you? I've never tried one myself....

[Terry Coging]

James - yes. I started the mornings with a team of wets with the your yellow mayfly on the point, PTKO middle and they both worked well. Changed to dry mayfly after a couple of hours or when some naturals were showing. Saw the odd mayfly every day but only one proper hatch. I suspect that they had shown earlier on this season. Top dropper was alternated between daddy, sedge or a bushy mayfly. A couple of times when there was a big wave I used a big red and black dapping fly tied by Hamish and it brought a few up while my boat partner was touching nothing. Used the 15' wafting rod and a 3 or 4 weight Smallstream all week. The 4 weight was better during the calmer periods.
Looking forward to going back up there later in the season. In the meantime I'll be visiting the Oban waters a couple of times.

[Sandy Nelson]

Our turn this week. 3 Days in Assynt, the phots don't do it justice, so there's no way any of my words will help.
Let's leave it at Spectacular scenery, prolific fishing and fabulous company. enjoy the photos.





















And a first for me and an elusive box to tick, a wild Scottish Char on the dry

[Hamish Young]

Awesome 

[Mike Barrio]

Yep, an awesome few days without a PC or phone signal ...... just great company and lots of Brownies 

Thanks for your hospitality Stewart 

Here are a few more pics .....

[James Laraway]

so yesterday I thought that as the forecast wasn't that great i would head to Lochindorb after some pike and made the decision to try the north end of the loch for a change so i set afloat on the tube.
With my I tool my #9 for the pike and my #4 for the trout ( just in case)

The weather was nice and calm with a wee breeze coming from the north



A few flies were coming off and the minnows were dimpling on the surface so i thought well, if i dont get a pike i'll get a trout.

My lunch I hadn't had a take from any pike and no sign of any trout either so I made the decision to move to the southern shore where i have caught pike before.

Much to my amazement there were about 8 guys pike fishing - most of them spinning and some 'bivvied up' deadbaiting ( the signs do say " fly only"...)

So despite this i launched and headed in-between the spin fishers , 2 of whom were in a boat.

I headed out to where i could see some weeds and started casting into the gaps. Amusingly  about 2 casts in *WHAM* - pike on . Not big but about 3 or 4 lbs

There was a look of bemusement from the spin fishers which only got worse 10 mins later when I got another.

For some reason then then all packed up and left 

I then thought " I'd really like a trout....."

As there was nothing showing in the loch despite flies on the surface I packed up and hit the road. There is a smallish burn that I always drive over that looks lovely so thought i would give it a go.

The weather by this point was boiling hot.

First cast into a pool and fish on - a lovely wee trout

The a range rover pulled up and a chap got out. I was preparing for a 'telling off' however he was really nice, asked if i had caught anything and said he has also always looked at the burn and wondered if it was worth a cast !

I wandered downstream with my #4 glass, bead head nymph on the point and a spider on the dropper. Caught loads of wee trout and missed many more. I've not enjoyed a days fishing so much for ages. Just exploring new water and having fun trying to cast to wee trout in challenging places.

[Terry Coging]

A great day James  ...and lovely photos.

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff James, looks like a cracking stream to explore 

[James Laraway]

So I seem to be getting up a bit of steam finally fishing wise.

Today i headed to a loch near Aviemore, one that I hadn't fished for about 20 years......

It contains pike and trout so I took my #10 and #4 afloat with me



It was meant to start raining about midday so i was ready for a soaking.

Suffice to say no rain came and it was a real scorcher of a day.

Worked my way round the first reedy bay and nothing, not a sausage.

The second bay looked even better  -lots a reeds, lily pads etc. Not too deep and not too shallow.

Near the end of the bay *whack* - first hit, but i think it more hit the tail of the fly so didn't connect. The fly was a black and silver tube about 8 inches long

I change to 'match the hatch' a tied on someone more akin to a small pike ( with a bauer rattle for extra attraction ).

About 4 casts in the fly gets hit like an express train - really savage...i still have NO idea how it didnt hook itself.

I thought " I have to catch something  " so put on a much much smaller flashabou tube fly and finally I'm in !

Small (tiny  ) but perfectly formed



some fight it gave on the #10 

Despite flies on the water no trout showed to my #4 stayed in the bow of my tube

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff James, and some really nice pics 

Looks a bonnie loch to fish.

[James Laraway]

And I forgot to mention, the line was a Barrio #10 intermediate. A beast of a line that casts big air resistant flies with easy - even with XL wiggle tails attached..

[Matt Hart]

I know exactly where that is, and I'm so glad you caught something and had some good contact! I fished it with my little brother back in June, and we didn't get a touch, absolutely nothing at all!

I'm curious (as we will be back again next summer), when you were getting contact, were you casting in to the deep water with a sinking line, or were you using a floating line sink tip etc? Or were you fishing in to the reeds? I tried both fly and spinner, various methods...and caught nothing but a cold! 

[James Laraway]

sent you a PM...

I know exactly where that is, and I'm so glad you caught something and had some good contact! I fished it with my little brother back in June, and we didn't get a touch, absolutely nothing at all!

I'm curious (as we will be back again next summer), when you were getting contact, were you casting in to the deep water with a sinking line, or were you using a floating line sink tip etc? Or were you fishing in to the reeds? I tried both fly and spinner, various methods...and caught nothing but a cold! 

[James Laraway]

Got a day off today so headed to the hills.
Northerly breeze but nothing too bad so launched the tube.
As 2 quick takes but they didn't stick and by lunchtime I had seen nothing else.
Tubed out to the edge of a wee island and went to the lee side and switched to an intermediate with a black and red muddler on the dropper.
Finally i'm in - a nice fish of about 35 cms then got another 3 in the next 10 mins as well as dropping one.
I did try a floater but they just weren't having it no matter what flies i tried !
Back to the intermediate and back into the fish. Ended up with 8 in the net and lost about 4. Cracking day out.
The ONLY fly they would take was a red bodied muddler with a black head and black marabou wing !
Managed a couple of wee photos

[Mike Barrio]

Bonnie fish, nice dark tails