Holiday Trip

[Stores]

Well, just back from a week in Angus, based in Ferryden and fishing, mostly, around Usan.

Me and Rod decided on a change from Eyemouth largely because of the, seemingly, predominance of wrasse on almost all the marks we've fished recently. Angus certainly doesn't have that problem.

We arrived last Sunday and, like children in a sweet shop, we were off before even unpacking.........so no camera and no photos. We fished the lighthouse at Scurdie Ness and a mark down from the Mains of Usan for a couple of red codling and a couple of poodlers, so not the greatest start. Rod has fished here a few times in the winter but we had very little knowldge of the area, a problem in some ways but an increased adventure on the other hand.

Monday saw us go to the Fishtown of Usan - the weather was perfect:

We still struggled with fish until a couple of hours before low tide when it was a fish a chuck. We must have caught 15 codling in an hour, unfortunately almost all around the 1lb mark although I managed this keeper (all the rest safely returned)

Although we did want to explore the area the very quantity of fish kept us close to base. On one of the days we must have caught nearly 30 fish and even though the majority went back the size and quality improved as the week went on.

We also had a play with the light rods and came up with a few mackeral, poodlers and a few of these.

All in all a super week. The weather changed on our last day (Saturday) and the fishing was tougher in a coloured sea but we managed a few fish from the Quarry area.

It's a canny drive, especially from Birmingham, but it was nice to get a few fresh run fish in the summer, especially with the option of fishing into the tangles under your feet for a bit of variety.

 

[Davyred]

Great report and pics Dave....and a cracking Pollack

 

[g-force]

Very nice report there David - hoping to get up that way myself this coming winter. And yes, a cracking pollock there for Rod - bet it put up a great scrap on the light gear!

Cheers, Gary

 

[Stores]

Very nice report there David - hoping to get up that way myself this coming winter. And yes, a cracking pollock there for Rod - bet it put up a great scrap on the light gear!

Cheers, Gary

Let me know when you're going Gary and I'll help as much as I can.....................You don't honestly believe Rod caught it do you???? lol - he only got to hold it !!

 

[seanyrooroo]

Superb, Davey.

 

[dave craig]

Cracking report well done!!

 

[g-force]

Let me know when you're going Gary and I'll help as much as I can.....................You don't honestly believe Rod caught it do you???? lol - he only got to hold it !!

Thanks David, I'll definitely get in touch before I go - it's an area that a friend of mine has mentioned as a good winter mark, along with a few shots down Arbroath way. I'm hoping to fit in a couple of trips this winter as I've never fished that part of Scotland; I'm more familiar with the west coast (when it was in it's hey-day, places like Rhu Narrows, Gareloch, Loch Long, Largs, Loch Ryan, Balcary etc etc) but that's a long time ago and most of those marks have been fished out now

As to who got that pollack, now I'm confused......thought the angler usually posed with his catch??? Hmmmmmmm..........

Cheers, Gary

 

[Stores]

As to who got that pollack, now I'm confused......thought the angler usually posed with his catch??? Hmmmmmmm..........

Cheers, Gary [/QUOTE]

Rod had to go down the rocks to get it so I got the camera and we got the fish back in the water asap. Funnily we got 3 the night before, one a similar size and this was the smallest and Rod couldn't manage one, even though we were covering the same ground.

 

[g-force]

Thanks David, that does make sense - I do believe you! Poor old Rod, eh? By the way, were the pollack taken on artificials or floated bait - just curious.

Gary

 

[Stores]

Thanks David, that does make sense - I do believe you! Poor old Rod, eh? By the way, were the pollack taken on artificials or floated bait - just curious.

Gary

All taken on those £1 silver 1oz lures you can get from the bargain bucket in most tackle shops................would you expect anything else from me? lol

 

[mickcave83]

Quality read David, Usan is one of my all time favourite marks

 

[Stores]

Thanks Mick,
It was quite confusing to begin with - the weirs are limited to the often single rocks and the rest of the ground appears bare and when we were spinning the lures were scraped along the bottom. We thought the bottom was sand, especially as all the codling were fresh run but the most common thing caught on the lures were starfish so the bottom must be rounded rocks - really different to the ground around Coldingham but it explains how you can fish it more succesfully than Coldingham in the winter and why you have a chance of getting a fish in.

Couple of other things.....we ordered our bait from Lewis' and without doubt it's the best frozen crab we've ever had. Secondly I've never seen a coastline with more lobster pots - there are thousands of them, plus there are the fixed salmon traps all over the place (you old 'uns will remember them up at Eyemouth) - but we never had a cross word with any of the boats up there - they would wave, ask how you were getting on, wait until you'd pull in to start hauling, no problems. Add to that the pod of dolphins that went past every day, the seals wallering around, the pheasants frightening the life out of you as you walk through the fields, the deer jumping the walls as you drive around and the lack of rubbish on almost all the marks and you can see the attraction of the place.
I just hope that if you go you can drink a lot - it seems to endear you to the residents lol.