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Tag Archives: Isle

Mackerel on the washing line.

11 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in General fishing

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bannatyne, Bute, fishing, Isle, mackerel, mullet, of, port, sea

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.

Abu mackerel

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.

Bute 2013

Bute ii 2013… that night we fed all sixteen, including an additional harvest of langoustines bought on the quayside from two local teenage lads.

mackerel 2013
mackerel mealWhile returning to the marina that evening I noticed a group of lurking mullet swirling on the surface…next time perhaps?

The lure of Abu.

11 Saturday May 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in General fishing

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abu, Anders, Österlin, Bute, fad, Isle, loch, lures, poster, spinners, vintage

After booking the annual trip to the Isle of Bute this summer, my mind turns to thoughts of spinning for Pike on Loch Fad or trying for wrasse off the rocks. Plugs, spoons, jerk baits, streamer flies, shooting heads and multipliers, the fishing bag is going a little more modern as I will be spinning and fly fishing for a week on the west coast in August.

Abu poster Abu poster 2 Abu poster 3

Finding Loch Ascog.

20 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by The tuesday swim in General fishing, Pike

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angling, Ascog, bay, Bute, Ettrick, fishing, Isle, loch, pike, scotish, scotland, zavaronis

Surprisingly, travelling to the Isle of Bute in February brought a taste of spring, double figure temperatures greeted us, with no wind and no rain. The visit was more to meet extended family but I did manage to post two old fibreglass carp rods up to Bute on the previous week. They would now stay in the house near Port Bannatyne for future pike and sea exploits.

Monday morning saw me picking the rods up from the Post Office in Rothesay, the main town on Bute.  I then ventured down to Bute Angling Centre for a ticket to fish Loch Ascog and get some sound local advice. The town of Rothesay has a sense of past grandeur that still remains in its heavy stone granite architecture and gothic detailing, but in more recent times, Rothesay has taken on a run down charm, left over from the ice cream parlours of the 1950’s.

Loaded with some local knowledge, a landing net and a few frozen smelts, lunch was next on the agenda, so a ten minute drive took us to Ettrick  Bay on the west coast of Bute, where after a game of football on the beach we ventured into the lowly and isolated beach-side cafe. For such a remote cafe on a Monday lunchtime this place was busy and for good reason, the menu was quite extensive, and the food was well made. I soon understood why it was so popular, my prawn cocktail salad was almost as big as the views that were framed at each table setting.

After a fine lunch I managed to persuade two from the eleven to venture forth to Loch Ascog in search of a Argyll pike, just a short drive away from Ettrick Bay.

The loch lay in a soft valley with some managed forest and fenced fields of winter crops, the banks gently sloping into to the peaty, dark waters. With one of my fellow piscators being ten years old I knew our time was limited, spinning with Toby’s and dead-baiting brought us no rewards, our first attempt for a pike here on Bute was a little half-hearted and unsuccessful, but we shall return with a little more knowledge, hopefully more time and bucket loads of enthusiasm!

The next two days were spent eating, drinking, sleeping while the rooks engaged in their gothic squawks and dog walking on the beaches.

Off to the Isle of Bute & Loch Ascog.

10 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by The tuesday swim in General fishing

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Tags

angling, Ascog, Bute, fad, fishing, Isle, loch, of, outdoor, pike

I just got off the phone to Bute Outdoor Angling and the word on the quayside is pike! So my bags are packed with the usual piking gear, a hat, a selection of reels and some rods all heading for Loch Ascog and possibly a boat on Loch Fad. The report is, slow and cold but some large ladies are showing themselves….

 

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