Ten days to Christmas with one thing in mind , heading to wilderness Scotland for some extreme kayak fishing . It’s Monday , usual ritual and looking at the scene , it is going to be unpleasant .We got to our winter spot , Loch Etive situated in the highlands . Nick and I arrived late at night following the slippery snowy road .We like to sleep in our cars prior to fishing , double sleeping bag and a hot water bottle to keep cosy .The easterly wind is strong and the rain is lashing .We wake up early , it’s cold out there , I dress up inside the car , a few good layers of clothing to keep me warm I eventually manage to zip the dry suit on .The loch is looking wild , with snow capped mountains right across Andy , Nick and myself are making plans . We are going to head straight into the wind , paddle far and find a sheltered spot . The fish farm in the far distance looks inviting , we can always shelter behind the thick netting .The activity on the water is interesting , fish farmers out there hoovering fish from the cages , it’s nearly Christmas and all those fat looking salmon will shortly ends on people’s table right across Europe .Tied on the fish cage we slowly descend our baited rigs . Nick mention to me , this is 240 ft deep , yeep 80 mt and thankfully we have enough lines on our reels . The tide is high , the wind is strong and the flow of this glacial water is starting to increase . I start to register some bites , fish are on and off , they are simply cutting through my line I guess .Spurdogs are feeding in pack , I tease them slowly winding my trace , and then it’s the hard winding , 80 long and painful meters .We are all catching , mostly spurdogs and then the cod are making an appearance .Those fish are growing fast close to the fish cages with free food supplied daily .The weather is now dry but it is bitterly cold out there .We have no other options but to stay tied onto those fish cages winding fish up regularly . Five hours on the water already and it’s time to head back home . The strong wind is pushing us back to our launching spot and the waves are fun to surf . All safe and well we drive back to the mighty City , images in our heads , another bitterly cold day out there well worth living . Looking forward to this winter now , certainly we will catch a fish or two . Finally notice all spurdog are released free , protected species in Scotland , however the cod are suffering on their way up , and those will make some good fresh fish supper .Ps ..I love Mondays !
Video here ..https://youtu.be/RLZyxFwm_cM
youtu.be/RLZyxFwm_cM
