A return to Crinan

We`d made our plans and the time had come for myself and some friends to take another trip up to Crinan in Scotland for a few days fishing for the Common Skate. We all started arriving at the campsite in Lochgilphead around teatime on Thursday, Paul & Daz were first there, then myself followed by Spud and finally later came  Alain and his boat, Lozz turned up sometime while we were all fast asleep, having driven from Dover straight from finishing work.

Friday morning and the wind was up, too much for Crinan and Skate, so we all set off for Loch Etive to fish there. The wind was a little better so we launched and spent the day on the water. The fishing wasn`t great but kept us occupied with plenty of Spurdogs being caught along with Dogfish and the odd Ray.

Saturday saw us back at Crinan and the weather played the game, starting off with a stiff breeze that dropped to nothing, with the sun shining just like a late summers day should be. 
Stephen had joined us by this time so the numbers were rising in our favour, with six rods in the water. Lozz, Stephen and Spud were anchored together while myself and Paul dropped a second anchor a  short distance away, Alain was off up the Loch in his boat giving us a wide birth while Daz was set up on the shore off the point at Crinan.

It wasn`t long before the first fish was on it`s way up for Lozz, then almost immediately Spud was into a fish, Lozz had already released from Stephen and was being pulled away from Spud by his first Skate of the day. Spud was into a small Thornback.
We heard Alain over the VHF, he was about 3/4 of a mile away and also into his first Skate.


The day was set to be a good one.

Alain had a second Skate shortly after but the two he`d boated were only smaller fish so he pulled his anchor and came over to join us. As he arrived Spud was on his first Skate and also Paul.
Meanwhile Stephen and myself were still waiting to hook into a Skate.
Everything was quiet for a short time and then Paul was heaving at his rod, Skate number 2 for him, a shout from over the way and lozz was pumping too. Stephen had left Spud and Lozz to try a bit further down the loch and he was also into a fish.
Not looking good this I thought, I was the only one that had not had a fish or even a bite.
We had started to slip anchor so while Paul dealt with his fish, I pulled anchor and moved back up tide and re-deployed it. Paul was back after his second catch and I was still waiting for my first. A quick hour passed and again the nod of Paul`s rod meant he was into Skate number 3, he released his buddy line and set off down the sound, after 5 minutes I had what felt like a good bite so I leaned into what felt like a good sized fish, it was on. I started the long haul, 25 minutes had gone by and I realised something wasn`t quite right, Paul having been 50 yds down tide from me was now getting closer and I was still on the anchor. I stopped hauling and my line went slack, we`d got the same fish. When it finally surfaced Pauls hook was in the Skates mouth and my hook was in it`s tail, Pauls 3rd and me still el blanko.

Time was moving on, Stephen had gone back, Spud was on his way, Lozz was still fishing so was Alain and myself and Paul the Skate magnet was into his forth.
This was starting to feel like Neptune had something agaist me, I had to take pictures of Paul holding onto his forth  fish of the day.

Meanwhile Alain still close by was into another Skate, talk about taking the proverbial, all around me fish were being caught.




But Alain had a big problem, this big Skate was putting up a good fight and Alain was puttin on the presure with a kidney harness and the reel foot snapped off the cage. Paul paddled over to help Alain keep the fish on while changing the reel, in the meantime Lozz had gone and this intrepid angler, angled on straight into his first Skate, yes I actually had a bite and a fish on all to myself. I again started the long haul happy in my mind it was all for myself.          

The wind had got up by now and the night sky was closing in on us. Paul had changed Alains reel and his fish was on it`s way up and I was firmly hooked up to what fealt like a monster of a Skate, this fish was not giving anything in fact it was continually taking line.

Alain had boated his Skate and Paul was busy taking pictures, he eventually got back in his yak and came over hoping to get a gurning shot of me but I wasn`t having any of it, I was into my first Skate.



The darkness kept coming but the Skate hadn`t so I made the decision to put the reel in low gear and winch it the whole way. All the way up this fish was still taking line at every opportunity, I could feel it had plenty of power, to me it was huge.

 


Darkness had fallen by the time the fish came to the surface, well over an hour of endless fighting but and I mean butt, the Skate was hooked in the ass, about 80lb and still trying to swim away, I had caught my first Skate in the bumhole. No wonder it fealt big and strong and managed to take so much from me.

It was my first and will be my most memorable Skate if this never happens again, hopefully in the future the gay Skate will keep clear of my baited hooks.

That was it, the end of the days fishing and the end of the fishing for the rest of the trip, the wind was back and we didn`t really bother with any more but the trip was a success we caught our targeted species and enjoyed each others company.

I did take the opportunity to try out a new toy while at Crinan. I`ve bought an Oregon AT2K helmet cam. I plunged the camera under the water as we released the Skate Paul and I hooked, nice bit of kit for £30