Mix n match.

My days off saw me try a few different marks that I previously noted but for various reasons had not fished there. I targeted  a natural harbour with a steep rock wall in Loch Leven that I thought could produce something. I was planning to fish with my Solpara to maximise the fun.. On my way there though, I stopped near Duror at the mark where I caught the ling before in Loch Linnhe. This place is a mystery to me as it never gives large numbers of fish but there's always a surprise coming from it. And this time was no exception with my first cuckoo wrasse getting caught first cast and only a pollock and a couple poor cod caught after that.. I wasn't complaining though and I made my way to loch Leven. The mark is a kind of tricky to approach but after a bit of scrambling I was on the rock wall. There seemed to be fry moving about and after the first casts I started getting bites and poor cod. I then caught a chunky goldsinny wrasse and a few  codling followed.

My first ever cuckoo wrasse first cast!

The Loch Leven harbour..

Chunky goldsinny..

Codling are everywhere!

I then decided to head down to Loch Etive and fish opposite the Taynuilt pier as the current is strong there and I though this would attract fish. I put on a metal jig and I could see that the tide was just coming in. A few casts around a rocky point and I was in! The coalies started hitting my jig and some of them being quite decent put up a great scrap on the Solpara! I also managed a 2lbs pollock that made things even more interesting.. I was surprised to see small coalies feeding in the surface on flies and I regretted not having a little popper to play around with them.. After the metal jig bite wavered I turned to the microjigs and Ecogear grass minnow to work the bottom. I managed a couple codling and then something better that snagged me up in the kelp.. The plant life has grown dramatically now and I lose fish more often than before, so I think I will revert to braid for my mainline. I concluded the session at my classic spot in the harbour and got another pollock on a 7g HTO shore jig.

Find the current find the coalies...

Super fun on the Solpara

I love metal jigs!

He wanted it!

On Saturday I was on my way to Loch Fyne but I stopped first at loch Awe for some dropshot targeting the perch. The water level was high and I had to wade to my armpits and fish in the bulrush to be successful, I got a couple on the Dekoj 3" swordtail that I really started to favour for the dropshot. I lost two fish in front of me that managed to pass the hook on the bulrush (how do they do that?!) and then got a decent one on the smallest Savagear soft 4play on a jighead.

A nice presentation

If only I had a belly boat!

I wanted to drive to loch Fyne after the perch session but I had an unpleasant surprise when the car broke down and I find myself yet again without a car! I hope I'll manage to get it repaired soon as I'm now starting to turn my attention towards salmon.. I really have to get one before I finish the season!

Tight lines!

Gear used
Rod: Major Craft Solpara SPS-S792M (7'9", 0.5g-5g), Awa shima qlite spin, 2.40, 1-5g
Reel: Mitchell Mag Pro1000, Tica libra SA2500
Mainline: Sunline Siglon fluorocarbon, 3lbs. Sunline FC guide special fluorocarbon, 6lbs.
Rig: metal jigs, microjig, dropshot
lure: Ecogear grass minnow s, Jaxon hexan ice pilker, HTO shore jig, Dekoj swordtail, Nikko-Kasei pin worm.