This year's much anticipated fly-fishing stravaig to Caithness was once again a great success filled with laughs, good food and drink and the pursuit of trout across the county’s numerous lochs and lochans.
For our group of friends, this annual meetup is more than just a fishing trip it's a chance to reconnect, share stories, and indulge in our shared passion of flyfishing.
This year, as always, we were blessed with a variety of weather conditions however it was mostly sunny and windy which was challenging at times. Some of us fished from boats, while others chose to fish from the shore, casting into the unknown with hopes high.
The lochs we fished were varied, some well known some not so much. Some were expansive, requiring to keep a careful eye on the wind and a good deal of patience, while others were more intimate, their secrets revealed only to those who knew where to look.
The diversity of the waters from shallow peaty moorland lochs to the deep, clear waters, provided a perfect challenge for all of us.
As is often the case in fishing, some of our Stravaigers were rewarded with impressive trout.
These moments were celebrated with the obligatory photos of the fish the lochs and the general views, each photo a reminder of why we love these dear wild places.
For me, however, the trout were more modest.
The trout I caught, while not as large or as spectacular as those of some of my companions, they were no less satisfying. Each one was a product of months spent at the vice anticipating these moments a reminder that the joy of fly fishing lies not just in catching fish, but in the process itself.
These are the moments that make these annual stravaigs so satisfying and worthwhile.
Our evenings were spent at our fantastic Dunbeath base with beautiful views of the North Sea, sharing tales of the day's adventures, both the triumphs and the near misses.
I never did manage to stay up too late as most nights I was too tired as after our hearty meal and a few beers and occasional whisky I could barely keep my eyes open.
As the trip came to an end, we all agreed that this year had been another success.
The fishing had been challenging but rewarding, and the time spent together, priceless. Caithness provided us with memories that will last until our next reunion.
On a personal note, I was delighted to have no blank days for a change however I did come close on one of the six days we fished. A wee sparkly muddler managed to fool a trout about the size of a Tunnock’s Caramel wafer one late afternoon just when I was thinking of giving up and reeling in. Throughout the week my most successful flies were the Watten Warrior and the Blue Zulu but a variety of others fooled the trout too such as Loch Ordie, Clan Chief, Black Zulu, Kate McLaren and various other leggy wets.
Caithness offers such a vast number of lochs to fish each with its own character and we collectively only fished a few, there are so many more to explore and fish so hopefully we will make a return next year to experience the wild beauty and charm of Caithness once more.
