A Tale of Triumph and Teamwork

Our overnight camping trip from June 29th 2020, was nothing short of extraordinary. Boris had just loosened the lockdown restrictions and just in time. This grilse had arrived. The day began early, and we set of at 5.30am with a long walk through the hills leading us to our secluded spot by the loch. Eager to start, we set up our rods before even pitching our tents, casting out ground bait in anticipation.

As we began setting up camp, an unexpected thrill jolted us into action. Before the poles were in the first tent, Donald’s rod was on the ground, and a salmon was leaping out of the bay—he had hooked a fish! This small grilse (a younger salmon that typically spends only one winter a sea), weighing about 3 pounds, put up a good account for itself and was quickly returned to the water, but what a start it was!

With the tents finally set up, we switched to 15g toby spinners and moved along the loch. We reached a prime spot where a burn entered the loch. It soon turned into the Donald show; he hooked three grilse within 20 minutes, one after another. But it wasn't all great and despite his efforts, all three managed to escape before being landed. Such are the joys and frustrations of salmon fishing.

Then it was Luke’s turn. He finally hooked a salmon. To Donald’s chagrin, Luke successfully landed a nice 3.5lb grilse, evening the score to 1 each.

We returned to base, both eagerly watching the ground bait from an elevated spot. Then suddenly, Luke’s rod, went off with a sharp 'bang bang', the tip bent violently as a salmon took off. He leapt, rolling down the hill, and managed to grab his rod—this time, a robust 5.5lb grilse was on the other end. The fish stayed low and put up a terrific battle, where Luke emerged victorious.

Luke’s lucky streak didn’t end there. We went back to the earlier hotspot, both with 15g spinners. Again, Luke struck gold— this time a well-conditioned 4lb grilse. This made it 3 for Luke, while Donald had only landed one small grilse out of the four he had hooked.

We returned to the tents for dinner, but our fishing spirit wasn’t dampened. After eating, we went for another cast, hoping for more action. The hotspot didn’t yield results this time, so Donald ventured a bit further, casting over the weeds—a risk worth taking. After several casts, he felt a tug that was so solid he thought he had hooked the bottom. But no, he had hooked onto a fish of a lifetime. The fight lasted several intense minutes, with Luke ready to net the fish. Despite getting a welly full of water, Luke landed the fish just in time before the spinner flew out of the net. This fish was an absolute unit—a coloured hen fish, possibly a springer, given it was only June. Its tail was huge, and we estimated its weight well into double figures. After a quick picture, we released the magnificent fish back to finish its journey. Donald was now a relieved man, proving it’s about quality, not quantity.

This unforgettable day will be etched in our memories forever. Days like this are rare, but the feeling they bring is unparalleled. We went to bed as happy men and woke up bright and early the next day, eager for one last cast. Though we caught nothing that morning, the day was already perfect. We concluded our adventure with a challenging walk back to our cars, our spirits high from an incredible experience.

Slàinte Mhath and tight lines,

Luke and Donald