Last week saw the rod box packed once again on the sleeper as we set sights on Port Bannatyne  on the Isle of Bute. This time pike fishing was out of the question as fish lice have become a major issue on Loch Ascog, Quien and Fad, limiting the fishing or completely closing it down as in the case of Loch Fad.

After visiting Bute Angling for some local advice (far more useful than using the mighty internet) my sights were set on mackerel and if I had the time and patience some mullet. With sixteen of us gathered on the isle, time spent fishing was limited but I still managed a few quick trips off the breakwater in Port Bannatyne, where after a failed first attempt I managed a mackerel and two pollock, the pollock were small and returned but the mackerel was taken back and sliced into sashimi.

On the penultimate day we took the boat out across the bay and into thirty foot of water, where each drop of the line took hold of three or four mackerel.

… that night we fed all sixteen, including an additional harvest of langoustines bought on the quayside from two local teenage lads.

While returning to the marina that evening I noticed a group of lurking mullet swirling on the surface…next time perhaps?