Brownies from the Loch and River near Glencoe

The Herkemij boys were on tour to Glencoe from the Netherlands for a week, and got us booked in for a couple days last week. One day on the hill lochs, and one on a river which for a chance of salmon.

The first day was tough going, with a few decent perch the result of fly and lure fishing, but only a couple of trout. Still though, as an introduction to fishing, it is safe to say the youngest Hugo was well and truly hooked!

In line with the full Glencoe experience, the midges got the better of the trio just as the fish turned on for the evening rise, and we watched sickened as the loch come alive as we neared the car to head home. With a completely still, warm, damp evening the midges were one of the worst I have seen, so fair play to the guys for sticking it out as long as they did!

A couple of days after, I met them a little further afield a the river for some more brownies, with a chance of salmon. After our previous evening, I had walked a few kilometres of the river to see what the levels were like, and identify some likely pools.

We arrived in the morning and hit a deep spot that I have fished several times before, and sure enough, on one of the first casts on a beaded pheasant tail nymph, James was into his first brown trout on the fly!

We then drove downstream a little while and worked a kilometre stretch of successive pools, where we had a few bites, and a few trout for everyone. Unfortunately the levels were very low, and resulted in more tough fishing, and certainly very challenging conditions for salmon.

However, the guys had a great couple of days, and fingers crossed for higher water in a couple years on their next trip to Scotland!

Brown trout on the river near Glencoe