Easter Weekend..crew needed

davem2005

davem2005

Well-known member
I have a trip planned to scotland for the weekend but my mate has cried off at the last minute. Anyone fancy a skate fishing trip at short notice?

If you haven\'t tried it, all I can say is its awesome fishing, not expensive and you cant land a 100lb + fish on your own. PM Me if you think you can make it.

Cheers
Dave
 
The plan was to go to loch aline as its an area I know and I have an offer of digs. From memory sunart is not so far away so if you want a trip out on a boat sat/sun/mon let me know :D
 
LOL phil...its the first trip of the year ...but it wont be the last.
I had some good results last year and am finding it hard to get crew so if you fancy a trip some time just pm me and we can put a date on it.

Seems the gods are putting a curse on me for this trip . Ordered a new trailer cos of the milage and I wore the old one out last year...went today to have boat fitted..it wont be in till thurs!! Talk about cutting it fine! Delayed the set off time till sat am as a result. Then my mate cryed off this am. I\'m still going, just cant imagine how you could possibly land a skate on your own, and its a long way to go to target conger,thornies and spurdog, although I have been told of a mark in sunart that produces spurs to 20lb ish so that would always be an option...even though it would be a fustrating one!

Last years first trip produced 11 new species for me in 3 days so the skate are not the only things to go for...they just happen to be the icing on the cake :D Add the eagles and the otters and it is always worth the long trek if only for the scenery.
Dave
 
Up untill last Friday I had nothing planned for the Easter hols but now.............

Good Friday- working at my daughters house cos she wants 2 inches taken off her chimney breast so her new setee will fit

Sat- Fishing :D :D :D :D but I\'m sure god will have an earth quake or tempest planned

Sat night- going to see the Arctic Monkeys at the Carling Academy

Easter Sunday- recover from Easter Saturday

Easter Monday- Football party: NUFC v SAFC. Alan Shearers last game eva against Sunderland. The voices tell me that this match will be one of the best eva NE Derbys

Hope you get sorted and enjoy the weekend :D

[Edited on 10/4/2006 by Oblickta]
 
Is that the Risga pinnacle in sunart

fishy heaven or diver heaven depending on your perspective, got the marks in the gps, can dig em out if you need em. well worth a shot for just about anything you fancy hauling up, conger, pig pollack, big doggies, usually the odd ray, ling and and always the chance of the odd monster skate

fished it a few times when I\'ve dragged my boat up there (not taking it this time but will be there 3 weeks in august)

Have to agree, don\'t think there is any where better in the UK to fish from a boat, whether you catch anything or not.

took a small skate at around 100lbs on hokkais there 3 years back, nearly shit me pants, we were in a 13 foot borrowed orkney, once peeled off the bottom the thing towed us nearly quarter of a mile!
 
Totally p****d off. On call all weekend. Tried skate fishing a few times. Great days, and back breaking getting them off the bottom.
 
Would love to try for a barn door of a skate but working on the market sunday and monday.

If anyone on here has a place for a crew for good friday or saturday I would be available.
kind regards.
Jason
 
Costs...good point!
I\'m going so fuel is covered...digs...they are hard to come by in Loch Aline but I have an invite but it may involve sleeping bags on a couch or the back of the van...so thats covered...boat costs...if u wanna buy half of a new trailer feel free but its already paid so costs would be what u can afford to chip in + food and beer!

If you drink a lot it could cost a fortune...but other than that its food only. I have skate gear on board so there is no need to buy new gear.

Mark...I totally understand what u say about the fishing...the skate are awesome but theres plenty of other stuff to make the trip worth while. Best skate last year was 178lb and to see that laid in the bottom of a 16ftr is well worth the drive. Hoping to improve on that this year :D They are there as the guy I am staying with had a 205lb female two days ago! With the record standing at 227lb that makes it a noteworthy fish by any standard. Are you fishing from the shore over the weekend?
Dave
 
oh yes, under, and around the lighthouse at the end of the peninsula, kilchoan pier, sanna bay, and sunart in afew spots

if my friends up there have got their boat in the water, be out towards the cairns of coll maybe, bo fascadale if I\'m lucky, or just mooching about inshore

be having a pop for any early spring run salmon sea trout as well, and no doubt loads of wild brownies

be bashing the pollock on the fly as often as possible as well.

Depending what happens when we\'re there, might borrow a boat off andy jackson on loch sunart.

[Edited on 11/4/2006 by mark]
 
Its certainly different to Hartlepool. My first visit was a real eye opener. Crystal clear water, fast currents and unbelievable depths within meters of the shore. I launched at the Loch Aline slipway which is actually the ferry terminal so it is wide and has the perfect slope at all states of the tide. You are in about ten feet of water but after cruising 200 yards out into the mull the bottom had disappeared off my fish finder. There is a timber loading jetty just a short trip from the launch which is popular with shore anglers for the simple reason that an underarm toss of a pebble would see it landing in 300ft of water :o This is the venue I believe holds the shore caught skate record and its easy to see why.
Most fishing is done at anchor and with depths of between 300 and 400 feet you need to ensure you have your anchor retreival perfected as its no joke pulling one up by hand from those kind of depths. Braid on your reel is another essential as the stretch on nylon probably accounts for skate having a reputation as being like reeling in a sack of spuds. This is definately not the case as last week a very experienced skate angler had to bouy off his anchor and finally landed the fish 1/2 mile away from where it was hooked. I have seen guys hand over a rod to someone else out of pure exhaustion which is not a decision you make easily when you have a fish of a lifetime on. Its also common to see someone holding onto the back of a person with a fish on, after all you are connected to the rod and if your drag is not set right you would soon regret it.
Its an evil drive to get there but the quality of the fishing and the scenery make it all worth while, as does the look on an anglers face when they have landed their first barn door, a mixture of elation and a feeling that your glad thats over.
All skate fishing in that area is done on a tag and release basis which means when you have caught one you can find out if it is ever caught again. I was lucky enough to catch a 168lb female on my first visit and then be there when someone else caught it a month later seemingly none the worse for being caught, even the gaff hole on its wing had fully healed.
I cant wait for the weekend lets just hope the wind drops a bit and things warm up!
Dave
 
Plenty of pics but havent a clue how to get them on here..is there a thread with instructions anywhere?
Found the insructions but it seems I need an account and password...and an honours degree in computer science...I find it so embarrasing having to ask my ten year old son for help :cool: :cool:

[Edited on 11/4/2006 by davem2005]
 
Hiya,

Steve. this was the one that I had to chase after, all 205lb of her
davy205.JPG


1hr 15min and half a mile away from where I hooked her and that was with no tide running.. god only knows where I would have ended up if it had been running :)

For anyone thinking on going, there will be quite a few people up there from Anglers Net and a couple of other forums and you will probably have your best ever chance of a 100lb plus fish.

[Edited on 11/4/2006 by catchalot]
 

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