An extraordinary week of fishing. Part 4: Loch Lubnaig

Following on from our successful morning on the Forth and Clyde canal we headed over to the deeper waters of Loch Lubnaig, in the hope of targeting artic char as well as the big perch that inhabit it. We popped into James Bayne's Tackle in Callander to get our permits and soon after we were on the shore of the loch. Ross summed up Lubnaig in one whispered reverential word "awesome!" The water was a good couple of feet higher than the previous times we had fished it but still clear with a slight peaty stain. Lure wise I went straight for a 5g Jackson Cymo in pink, a lure which has always done well for me at this loch. Ross was equipped with the same lure and Scott was using a small pink Evergreen vibe lure. We began to work the lures around an area where a stream flows in next to a deep drop off. I was working the lure with little rips and falls, classic sink and draw retrieve pattern, it wasn't too long before a fish grabbed my lure and bore down. Fish on! The fish didn't want to come up to the surface and took line to try and stay deep. I was playing it very lightly and keeping the rod tip down but it quickly became apparent that it wasn't a trout and that could mean only one thing, it was a good sized perch! I played it into the shallow water where Scott was waiting with the net. As soon as the fish got into the net the barbless single hook popped out of the fish and feeling very lucky indeed we set about weighing and photographing the perch before releasing it again.

Not an arctic char.

At just over a pound this was my biggest perch so far this year.

We carried on fishing and I managed to hook and lose a fish that I suspect was a brownie, before we started to move around the loch. Scott headed south to a little rock flanked bay he had discovered on a previous session, Ross stayed where the burn ran in and I went north round into the bay. Scott had rigged up his favourite Lake Fork Live Baby Shad on a 3.5g #4 AGM jig head and was working the weed beds. It quickly produced results with some greedy perch attacking his lure!

Golden Shiner is Scott's go to colour. Perch love it too!

No big perch for Scott but they were all in lovely condition.

The perch were in the mood and we would later find out he had managed to land seven all roughly the same size. Before he got back though I had just worked my way back round the bay see how Ross was getting on. As I was making my way I heard Ross give a shout and saw him playing a fish. Hoping it was a char I hurriedly made my way over. Ross had got the fish in the shallows and he confirmed it was a char with an almighty "Yes!" followed by loud cursing as the fish threw the hook and drifted off into the loch, with Ross in close pursuit! Gutted! The fish had come off just as Ross was lifting it onto dry land. Feeling his pain I told him of the 3 other char I had caught and not landed, seems they are as adept as other trout species when it comes to throwing the hook!

Ross tries to hook a second char.

We soon got back to fishing and I went with a brown Cymo and Ross with a silver Mepps. After about 10 minutes I had a bite and felt a head shake and a little darting run. I had my suspicions the moment it took the lure and played the fish as delicately as I could. The fish came into view in the shallows and I saw what I had been hoping for, an arctic char! With my heart in my mouth I played it into the shallows and with Ross guarding its escape route, managed to beach my first ever arctic char! I was over the moon and with the score evened up at last I photographed my lovely catch before watching as it swam back to the deeps.

Finally one that didn't give me the slip!

A little time to recover before being set free.

Ross was now determined to catch another char and set about working the area. At this point Scott returned and we told him about the arctic char Ross had lost and I had landed. He joined Ross and had a go with his pink Evergreen vibe lure for a char. I headed off round into the bay where I had had some perch on our last visit. Half an hour later I found a small weed bed with gaps that I could work the Cymo through and no sooner had I started targeting the gaps I had a bite and struck into a good fish! The fish kited and stayed deep and soon it came towards me and turned in the water showing beautiful stripes and scarlet fins. It was a nice perch and was a bit bigger than the first one. I didn't have any scales but it was over a pound and great fun on the LRF rod! 

Got you!

Perch really like the Jackson Cymo.

A quick photo then back it went. I shouted over to Ross who began to make his way over. He pitched up just in time to see me land a second big perch! Again it was bigger than the first but I didn't weigh it and after a quick photo it was soon released back to sulk in the weeds.

Another lovely Lubnaig perch!

I think we must have carried on fishing for another hour and a half but apart from a visit from the highland cows, there were no further action. All in all it was a brilliant afternoon session in stunning surroundings and it was warm as well! I was really pleased to land a fish I have never caught before and always considered them as quite rare. Shame Ross didn't land his first char but it wont be long before he will be back, they are on borrowed time!

Tight lines, Schogsky.

Loch Lubnaig : Char quest continues!

Jake and I had a job to finish yesterday that gave us the opportunity to visit Loch Lubnaig again. Jake's not the type to ever admit defeat and he has a score to settle with the resident arctic char population who have been tormenting him recently.

We arrived and headed straight to the spot where I caught two of them last time we fished it. Same tactics were employed, ultra light gear and pink Jackson Cymos which the fish  in the loch love. After a while with no action at all we decided to head up the loch towards a weedy spot where Jake caught a few perch last time with the intention of return to the starting point later. We reached the area and started working the lures through the weed beds. I quickly became annoyed having to pull the lure through the weed and weed off the lure so I switched to a weedless Decoy Violence jighead and a 2.5" Lunker City Fin-S shad in Watermelon Candy Shad.

Still no action so we decided to head a bit further along the bank to a spot we've never tried before. The water was a bit deeper here and immediately in front of us to bottom was a fairly clean boulder field but a bit further out was a large weed bed. We started working along this and as Jake was retrieving his lure it was hit very close in by a perch, just in front of him. His drag was set lightly so the little perch started stripping line much to our amusement. He was enjoying this little scrap and I jokingly told him to tightened up before it spooled him! After a quick photo it was returned to grow bigger.

This cheeky perch gave Jake an epic battle.

 
Jake then caught another two in quick succession. Again both of them taking the lure very close in, probably following it in from the weeds before striking.

Another stripey fish falls to the pink Jackson Cymo.

Jake makes it a hat trick of perch.

Meanwhile I was not getting any attention on my Lake Fork Live Baby Shad in Golden Shiner on a 3.5g #4 AGM Finesse jighead so I decided to start heading back to where we started to try for trout and arctic char whilst Jake happily continued targeting perch.

I got back to where we started and carried on with the soft plastics retrieving them very slowly with a few pauses and twitches. After quite a while I was beginning to think I was going to blank when I felt a little jolt and hooked a small perch quite close in just beyond the drop off. This was my first perch from Loch Lubnaig so I was quite pleased.

My first Loch Lubnaig perch! Due to the absence of pike the loch holds some huge perch, or so we've been told.

At this point Jake came back around to rejoin me and asked what I had caught. I told him it was a char..., pausing briefly to wind him up before adding, ...ming little perch. Luckily he saw the funny side.

Then as we we were fishing we heard a low pitched drone. Over the horizon came a bomber. Flying very low it flew over our heads before heading up the loch and north up the glen. Obviously on a radar avoidance training exercise. An awesome sight indeed!

The bomber approaches.

With Jake's focus now switched back to targeting arctic char, he waded out a bit and began working along the bank. This time in the opposite direction down the loch. I headed past him, and very quietly past the group of relaxing highland cow bulls that live in the field next to the loch, to some rocks a bit further along next to the road.

Highland cow bulls including a jet black one. Just looks weird!

I climbed up onto them to survey the area. It looked it may hold a few perch. Fairly deep and a few weeds but instead of large beds they were a bit more spaced out, perfect I thought! I started working my lure through the gaps very slowly. Moving along the rocks exploring the gaps in the weeds. Again as the lure was close in I hooked a perch. It was very small, yet had managed to get most of the lure into it's greedy little mouth! It took me a bit longer to unhook it so I put it straight back without taking a photo. A few cast later I caught another, slightly bigger perch.

With no pink vibe lures wizzing by to distract them, the perch were loving the Lake Fork Live Baby Shad in Golden Shiner.

Lovely fins.Some odd scars on it though. Perhaps from a monster Lubnaig perch!

Meanwhile Jake had also caught another two perch, a small brown trout and had also hooked another two brown trout that had thrown the hooks but alas the arctic char were not playing ball again.

Another nice perch for Jake.

Tell your cousins that Jake will be back for them!

Looks like another, perhaps longer visit will be on the cards soon. I know what Jake will be targeting, I on the other hand may take some "heavier" lure gear and throw some larger soft plastics to try and tempt out a bigger perch!

Tight lines, Hutch.

A charming afternoon's fishing.

Yesterday was a stunning day weather wise and after a spot of work, unfortunately this does occasionally get in the way of fishing, Jake and I headed to Loch Lubnaig to resume our attempts to catch arctic char. The last time we fished it Jake hooked two of them on a pink Jackson Cymo vibe lure but lost both of them so we know they are in there! We headed about halfway up the eastern side of the loch and parked up, carefully and quietly crossed a field containing some large highland cow bulls and followed a small stream that was stuffed with small minnows down to the mark.

Moo.

Loch Lubnaig under a clear blue sky.

We setup up our LRF gear, clipped on a pink Jackson Cymo vibe lure each, and started casting out, letting the lures sink down then retrieving them in a very quick sink and draw style but with lots of small rips and pauses to get the lure working. A slight wind blowing up the loch made it tricky to cast and stay in contact with the lures but it soon dropped off. Jake had a couple of missed bites and then hooked into a fish. He got it up to the surface and could see from its colours that it was an arctic char. Mission accomplished!? Not quite unfortunately, like the two he hooked during our last trip, with a frantic thrash it threw the hooks and bolted. A very annoyed Jake decided it was time for a smoke break but he couldn't find his tobacco so headed back to the van to look for it.

Whilst he was gone I kept on fishing and just as the lure dropped after a short rip I was hit by a fish. I played it lightly to try and minimise the chance of losing it and as it came into view I realised it was another arctic char! I was expecting it to thrash around and give me the slip but I guided it over the net and breathed a huge sigh of relief! I looked over it and admired its aubergine back and silver flanks with lovely subtle pink spots. Its fins had a nice white tinge to their edges too. A lovely looking fish. I popped it back into the net to show Jake when he returned. As Jake came back he must have seen me kneeling over the fish inspecting it and popping it into the net as he came back in a quite a hurry to see what I had caught. I gave him the news and he congratulated my success, we got a few photos and popped it back.

My first ever arctic char.

Jake was even more determined to catch and land an arctic char now and pretty soon he hooked a fish but it was a small brownie. He followed this up with another brown trout shortly afterwards. He then started working his way around the bay and after a while was a fair bit away.

Small but perfectly formed loch trout.

Lovely heavily spotted markings on Jake's second brown trout.

Jake searches out his target.

I continued to fish over the same area and looking over I could see Jake's rod bent over again. He was making his way back to the bank and obviously had landed a fish. I wondered if he had caught an arctic char as he seemed to be taking a lot of photos. A few casts later and he had hooked and landed another fish. I was happily fishing away whilst watching him and not really paying too much attention to what was happening with my lure, just enjoying the sun and the surroundings really, when I felt a take pretty close in. After a very short but again cautious fight I had landed my second arctic char of the session. I called Jake over and he came across to see what I had caught. Again we got a few photos and popped the fish into a stream and watched him make his way back into the loch.

My second arctic char. Same size as the first. This one took a brown Jackson Cymo.

Very hard to capture the pink spots in the bright light. The photos don't do the fish any justice at all.

After the excitement subsided I asked Jake what he had caught and he told me it was a couple of perch. I was chuffed for him as we'd both been having a bit of frustrating time with a long barren spell as far as perch go and now we had both busted the hoodoo!

The perch were loving the pink Jackson Cymo too!

Off the second perch goes to sulk around in the weeds again.

We had a few more casts at the area where I had caught both my arctic char and then had 30 minutes over at the point where Jake had caught his perch, a very weedy shallow area. Jake hooked a third perch but it came off as he tried to pull it through a large clump of weeds. Time up we headed back to the van. As we were leaving I spotted a load of small fish in a little stream. Jake scooped some up and it turns out they were lamprey. Never seen one before so it was fasinating seeing their strange mouths and fins. A few of them were absolutley full of eggs.

The tiny stream was full of these small lamprey.

Tiny little sucker mouth full of little razor sharp teeth! A few hundred more on the way too!

Obviously this won't be the last trip the Loch Lubnaig as whilst Jake has sorted himself out with a perch he's still determined to land an arctic char. I'm sure the next trip will see him do it!

Tight lines, Hutch.

Loch Lubnaig : Good Vibrations.

Saturday and a break in the windy, rainy weather saw us head inland in search of the elusive perch. We chose Loch Lubnaig (the Gaelic name for "crooked loch") situated west of Callander on the edge of the Lomond and Trossachs national park. Lubnaig has a bit of a reputation for throwing up large perch as well as brown trout and also Arctic char. After an hours drive we reached the town of Callander and duly bought our permits for the Loch from James Bayne Fishing Tackle Shop on the high street. As neither Scott nor I had fished this particular Loch we were treating this as more of a reconnaissance mission. When we arrived at the loch we parked the car and walked down to the shore, the sky was blue with a few white clouds and the view stunning.

Breathtaking view up towards the crook in Loch Lubnaig.

We setup up ready to fish. I geared up with my LRF gear, Graphiteleader Corto EX rod, Shimano Exage 2500 reel spooled with 8.5lb Daiwa Tournement braid and an 8lb Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon leader. Scott elected to go with a heavier setup, Shimano Speedmaster Drop Shot 3.5-28g, Shimano Exage 3000 reel spooled with 10lb Sunline Rockfish as he wanted the option to fish heavier jigheads and slightly larger lures to try and tempt a bigger perch. 

We knew the loch had a thriving population of minnows so I went with a Berkley Gulp! 1" Minnow in Watermelon Pearl mounted on a 2.3g #8 Shirasu Fine jighead. Scott started with a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad in Golden Shiner on a 7g #2/0 AGM football jighead. I worked my way down  from the car park towards the end of the loch where the River Leny flows out whilst Scott began working his way up the Loch. I fished the minnow right down to the river then back up the loch to meet Scott and neither of us had had any interest, except for shoals of minnows following our lures.

A change of tactics was required so I decided to go with a vibe lure as it would work deeper and maybe trigger an attack in the peaty depths. I rigged up a 5g Jackson Cymo in pink/silver as pinks and reds seem to do well in peaty water. I worked the Lure by casting in a fan pattern and retrieving in a sink and draw fashion. Short lifts of the rod tip made the lure vibrate upwards, pause and slow the retrieve and it would flutter down. After 10 minutes the lure was seized by a fish, as it splashed and writhed on the surface it quickly became apparent that it was no perch and indeed after a spirited fight I landed my first Lubnaig brown trout!

The Jackson Cymo proved irresistible to this brownie.

Marvellous, a proper wild loch brownie and a boost to my confidence in the lure. About 20 minutes later I got hit by a fish quite far out in the deeper water. My rod bent into the fish which had taken the lure just as it started to fall. It felt different to the trout and it immediately tried to dive down. It kept boring down as I played it towards me but I still couldn't see what it was, could it be that elusive perch? No, it's an Arctic char! I exclaimed as it slid over a weed bed and into view. I caught sight of its amazing colours, scarlet belly with an emerald green/grey back and white piping on its fins. Scott upon hearing my exclamation grabbed the net and hurried over towards me. It was a good sized fish, over a pound and as I drew it towards the shore I decided that rather than wait for Scott I would just beach it. Bad move! As I turned the fish back to come into the shallows it gave a shake of its head and out popped the lure! Gutted, If only I had waited for Scott. Still I can vaguely console myself with having very nearly landed a fish I never though I would encounter without having to travel to Alaska or Norway.

By this point Scott had tried a variety of soft lures but hadn't even had a bite.

Scott washes another lure.

He headed back down to the bottom of the Loch to fish near the mouth of the River Leny and finally hooked a decent brownie on a Skippy Fish in Golden Shiner but on its second leap out of the water it threw the hook. After speaking to a local angler who was fishing back near the car we decided to try a spot a bit further up the loch and for the last half an hour of the session we found ourselves at the mouth of a burn that flows into the loch. Where the burn flowed in it gave way to some deep water very close in. 

We began fishing and almost instantly Scott was getting bites but no hook ups. A few casts later and whilst I was watching the lure travel over the shelf another Arctic char darted in and began nipping at the lure. The fish missed the lure and slunk back down onto the shelf. I cast again and this time a good bite, he was hooked! Only for a short while though as he threw the hook. Win some lose some!

Scott hooked a brownie next which again threw the hooks as he was coming in to be landed. The trout however couldn't resist the Jackson Cymo and a further 2 brownies were landed and released as well as losing a few more before we could land them.

Another beautiful Loch Lubnaig brown trout.

Its always great to catch a wild trout and these were no exception.

Ready to swim back to feast on the minnows.

No sign of any perch on this trip and a rare blank for Scott but we are assured the perch are there, however, my brush with the Arctic char population has really inspired me so a few more vibe lures have been ordered and another visit is on the cards to target and hopefully land one!

Tight Lines, Schogsky.