Piking....... what a day

[SIXFOOTSTEVE]

We went upover again on Sunday ,got to the Loch to find it blowing a hoolie and tipping it down ,we stuck it out ,some more than others ,and with the conditions being as they where we didn't get a single run ........never mind ,I still enjoyed the day ,the craic and the weather blowing a few cobwebs out , the bull in the field on the way down did worry me a bit to be honest but he did move away and let us past ,what a beast .

One thing I'm not impressed with while Loch fishing is the mess that other anglers leave ,daftly I thought that freshwater anglers might have a different outlook on mess and litter ....how wrong I was .
Obviously it's the minority of anglers ( I use the term very loosely ) .. why ruin such beautiful places . I've cleaned up many a salt water mark just the same but it really gets my goat as it seems most if not all types of angling have the same problem .

[oldessox]

I think I know your loch steve , if it's the one I think it is there's a better chance of a biggy out of there than loch ken , as for the mess , it's one of the reasons I like fishing from the boat now, no one elses mess to worry about , I can pick a spot on the loch that is totally unspoilt to fish.
The loch I'm thinking about is notorious for rubbish being left behind , unfortunately we in the north east get a lot of the blame for it , whether it is north east anglers that leave the place like that I don't know , I know none of the lads I've ever fished with would leave such a mess.
I'm a bit of an all rounder when it comes to fishing , I'll fish just about anywhere for just about anything , and when it comes to rubbish being left no where is sacred , the more expensive/exclusive the venue generally the less rubbish is left , but even the managed trout fisheries get their share

I remember a bull on a shoot once , we had walked a wood out and at the end of the wood we stopped and waited whilst the farmer led the biggest bull I've ever seen into the field next to the wood , all went well until the farmer and bull reached the gate to the field , then the bull decided he wasn't going in , the farmer pulled on it's nose ring pushed it from behind whacked it with a stick , the lot , until the bull got annoyed with him and turned on him
We were in stitches watching 2 ton of bull chasing a farmer at 2.3 miles an hour across this field , they disappeared back to the farm.
Half an hour or so later we watched again as the farmer led this time a cow up to the same field with the bull in hot pursuit , his nose jammed under the cows tail obviously liking what he could smell
The farmer walked the cow through the gate , the bull didn't even notice he was through the gate he was so pre occupied with other things
Once through the gate the farmer did a u turn , got the cow through and shut the gate between the cow and the bull , patted the cow on the flank and stuck two fingers up at the bull.


Ray.

[SIXFOOTSTEVE]

Cheers Ray ,a lot of what you've said is so right mate .

I'm trying to keep off E bay as the gear I've bought recently is nobody bussiness..... well apart from the people selling on E Bay that is

[magicglen]

re rubbish being left behind in D&G SW Scotland

Locals dont blame just those from the NE of England anymore than they blame all anglers now, I've lived in Lockerbie on and off for over thirty years and my friends and I are sick of cleaning up yards of line and bait packets from many a so called angler.
Theres no excuse for leaving a mess anywhere as it takes but a few minutes to keep an area tidy for Everyone but a minority are ruining it for everyone.

[Jimk2]

I regularly fish Scottish lochs and some of them are disgusting, the litter bog roll and toilet mess is a disgrace. I'm not sure of the loch you are on about unless the bull is new but if it is the one with tree lined of picturesque beauty then I agree. For £3.50 you would think the owners would ban bank fishing.

We have more issues now on these waters with poachers, I was on a water last Thursday and moved a set line. Such a shame we have so many problems which makes it more of a challenge.