First time out up here for three weeks ; decided on a trip across to Ullinish on Loch Bracadale to see if the mackerel had arrived yet and if they had, whether anything interesting had followed them.
Half mile walk across boggy fields to find four anglers already there which was a/ unusual and b/ unexpected, as nothing in the usual small parking spot when I arrived; apparently they were up here for a week in two campervans which they had left in the layby on the main road...So that was the two ledges at the deeper end of the point taken, and I walked back 100 yards to the shallower and weedier end. Still a decent depth, 5oz lead taking about 8 seconds to hit bottom at 80 yards. Had set up the usual running ledger with 4ft trace and mackerel strip but soon became apparent that there was a nasty ledge or reef about 30 yards out which I hit on the retrieve on my first three casts. Got the rig back every time but didn't fancy my chances with a decent fish on especially as would only get harder to clear it as the tide dropped so moved halfway back towards the other anglers onto some low weedy rocks which the tide had just exposed. Had a couple of experimental casts with no bait on to check for any problems but all clear apart from about 5 yards of kelp in the edge. So out with the mackie strip on a 2/0, five minute wait and a good pull round resulting in a dogfish. Which was obviously part of a pack as next seven casts produced four more and three missed bites (two the usual doggie's slow pullround and one succession of sharp rattles which could have been anything).
This was probably the biggest of the dogs, rest all much of a muchness
Bites dried up as soon as the tide slowed down, set up spinning rod to see if could find any mackerel to top up the freezer (could see that the other anglers were taking it in turns to have 20 minutes spinning but had only found a couple of small ones) but nothing apart from a couple of 4 inch pollack. Tide turned and added another dogfish but then, as has happened here before, the rising tide woke the crabs up and bait was often getting stripped,
Did try to get the rod positioned so that I could use the Cuillin Ridge as a target board but couldn't get the angle...
Other anglers packed in at about half tide up- had only had I think three doggies between them although to be fair one of them spent most of his time fishing a whole mackerel (live under a washing up liquid bottle float at one point..). The mark has a historical reputation for big spurdog and the very occasional tope but I've seen or heard of neither from it in my three years here.
Was about to be flooded off my rocks so moved to where they had been, where its about 10 to 15 ft deeper. Gave it another two hours for dogfish no.7 of the day and finally a lone mackerel on a small dexter wedge.
One thing about this sea fishing lark- the "nuisance fish" are far more acceptable. I'll take a pound plus dogfish over a bleak anyday....
A bit of wildlife about ; the inevitable Ravens on the walk in, a couple of Red Breasted Mergansers flew past , a few gannets about, one of which dived dramatically for something about 25 yards out from me. and a lone Black Guillemot, well away from the North End where I usually see them
