The Old Man of Cruix

Situated south of the village of Caldercruix lies the famous "Old Man of Cruix" figure which was carved many years ago into the windswept sandstone rocks which are prominent along the North Shore of the Lily Loch. 

Legend has it that a young apprentice from the nearby quarry produced the sculpture with great skill and perseverance and was eventually completed in 1314.

The magnificence of the work has been somewhat eroded over the years by the weather, however the distorted, weather beaten face of the Old Man of Cruix or as he is more commonly known The Cruixman, can still be seen to this day, if you know where to look!

The Cruixman is said to depict the face of and Old fisherman from the village as he looks out over the loch, laughing and mocking the anglers on the loch as they pack up and trudge away off home, Piscatorially challenged.

Many anglers have reported that the mocking laughter of the Cruixman can often be heard, carried in the wind as they head up over the hill, back to Hillend........ Im sure I heard him today!

Busy at the Vice!

My keenly anticipated trip to the Outer Hebrides is but a week and a half away, however my plans have been thrown into doubt due to the ill health of a close family member.
Im just gonna have to wait until the last minute to decide whether to make the trip or not as I might need to be nearer home when the time comes.
In the meantime Ive been taking my mind off things by being busy at the vice tying a load of flies which I hope will be put to good use.
If the inevitable happens in the coming week and I don't manage the trip there will always be other opportunities to do so in the future.

Muddling about!

Thoughts are now turning to an upcoming flyfishing holiday to the Outer Hebrides.

Fly boxes have been getting tidied up , maps studied and various books read, as well as some first hand knowledge from the Island's locals taken on board! Oh and I've been tying flies again.

Here's a few muddlers. They are a bit scruffy. When I tie them it's a bit hit or miss if they turn out all right. I think these will do just fine. 

Mostly Muddlers

Sunday16th July my mate Tom and I headed north. Our loch of choice was the Spey Dam , but before going to the Laggan Hotel to pick up our pre-booked permit and oars we stopped of at the location of Teenage Fanclub's "Songs from Northern Britain" album etc, to see how the wee Laggan petrol station was looking these days. Seems there has been a complete overhaul.

 On arrival at the loch there was quite a stiff breeze blowing down the loch but we set off out on the boat anyway. We tried a few drift drifts mostly around the island rising numerous fish and getting half hearted takes without landing any trout. 

 We then decided to take a break as the wind was getting troublesome and a bit scary at times for although the boat was in great condition it wasn't the most stable in these blustery conditions. Once refreshed we headed out afloat again as the wind subsided a bit but every now and again would pick up so we had to be careful where we drifted and avoided the middle of the loch where the wind was at its most fiercest.

As the day progressed we started to pick up trout, losing and missing as many as we caught. At the end of the day we had 14 trout all about the 1/2 lb Mark for the boat, 7 fish each for Tom and I.

The trout were fooled by Ordies, Watten Warriors, soldier Palmer and muddlers but mostly muddlers.  We called it a day when the low cloud rolled in bringing  a drizzle of rain.

 I think thats my 4th visit to Spey Dam and I have always enjoyed my days there with great sport.

We headed off back down the A9 satisfied and hungry so stopped off at Pitlochry for fish and chips from the Chinese chippy before making the remainder of the journey back to North Lanarkshire!

Bb

The Falls of Clyde

I recently visited the River Clyde. Not in a fishing capacity though as I just went for walk down by the falls of Clyde to try shake off a recent sciatica attack and try to get some pics as its particularly nice down there at this time of year with all the Autumn colours at their best just now. I started the walk from the conservation village of New Lanark and walked along the Clyde walkway up to Bonnington Linn then walked back down the other side for a mile or so where I brewed up a hot drink before retracing my steps back to my starting point.

I intend to get back down there again soon once we've had a great spell of rain an get the falls in all their gushing glory! 

There is More to Fishing than catching Fish!

A slideshow of recent fishing stravaigs! 

Is it a fly? Or perhaps it's a lure?

Went into GAC this afternoon for a few flytying odds n ends and ended up with a new rucksack too for next season's flyfishing daytrips. Anyway I digress the flytying season has started in ernest tonight. Heres the first off the vice tonight!

Last cast!

Last Cast!
I wrote in my blog last week that my season was over, however during the week an opportunity to take my float tube  arose at a loch I last fished a few years ago.
Therefore I arranged a holiday from work on the 6th, the last day of the trout fishing season.
On Thursday morning I travelled through the County and passed through the town of Lanark towards a couple of lovely wee lochs nestling below the summit of Tinto Hill.
Once I parked up the car I shouldered my tube and accessories and headed up the hill to first try Loch Cleugh which sits at 1020 feet above sea level. I finned about the loch in the tube fishing various areas without success and then decided now that the wind had picked up that it would be a better idea to head off that loch and descend down to Loch Lyoch which sits at a mere 960 feet above sea level.
It was a bit disappointing to leave Loch Cleugh as it is reputed for its lovely brown trout however it just wasn't to be.
The decision to fish the more sheltered Loch Lyoch was a wise move, for not long after getting out on the tube there I was into my first fish of the day. A rainbow trout of about 6 or 7 lb which put up a tremendous fight and a fish that struggled to fit into my net, however I eventually got it under control and managed to get that obligatory photo before returning the fish to the loch.
As the day went on I had a few more rises to my flies but none stuck until later on when I eventually fooled another fish. Once  again it was another rainbow trout, this time it was a more modest fish of about 2lb
Both fish were fooled by the same fly, an Irish wet fly, the Conamaraa Black.
After no further success I finned to the top of the loch and got back onto dry land.
I then had a wonder about taking photos of this lovely loch set in the most scenic of locations.
I sat and had a coffee while I dried off the tube etc and reflected on a season in which I hadn't fished as much as I usually do.
As this season ends I can honestly say that I have well and truly got my flyfishing mojo back especially after the experiences I have had over the last month out on the Outer Hebrides, the Highlands and of course having a day like I had today in such a wonderful setting that is less than an hours drive away also helps.
Well the trout season is over that can only mean one thing, The flytying season begins! 

My season is over!

My season is over now we're in October

As the sixth was fast approaching I just had to have my last flyfishing trip of the season to the edge of Rannoch Moor to Loch Na H-Achlaise.

On this Occasion I took along my float tube as that was something I'd been intending to do all season and was keen to get about the islands and huge boulders that are scattered about on this most scenic of lochs.

 I arrived at the loch on Saturday morning and was soon working the fins out towards the rocky features where I had high expectations of encountering trout.

As expected I caught numerous brown trout which are known in some parts as "Bandies" There is some debate as to where that name comes from but in essence it just means "wee troot" 

I lost count of the trout I fooled with the two flies I fished all day, A muddler and a Kate McLaren variant. 

It was a very pleasing way to end the season, with a tremendous day of sport in a most spectacular setting.

Once I had my fill for the day I came ashore at a nice sandy bay and walked over the moor back to the car and drove up to Glencoe where I camped for the night.

The next day I finished off a great weekend by having a fantastic walk in Glencoe which was looking at it's finest in the most beautiful of days.