What a spot, one of the great places to fish in the world. Can practically smell the moor along with the peat hags and ditches. Always look forward to these videos so thank you for posting.
I'm so glad you enjoy them Richard. I completely understand that walking out the moor to a loch that I know will only produce a few small fish might not be for everyone but I enjoy the whole experience of the day out and the stuff you can see along the way.
A very nice day out Phillip ..success as well ..I really enjoyed your “excellent adventure” …long may they continue mate …it’s the dog days of summer doldrums here ..very hot days and only evenings or very early morning make fishing possible
Thanks Rick, I love wandering out to this loch even if the fish aren't so impressive. We've been having quite cold weather for a while now but I think this is a La Nina year so that is to be expected and it doesn't always have the expected effect on the condition and quality of the fish once the season starts. I hope it cools down a bit for you.
Happy New Year and thanks again; do you know, I honestly don't think I've seen you fish in a decent wave all year ! Similar down here in Snowdonia/Eryri; endless Easterly/ NE/ NW breezes and an occasional South-easterly- however as I approach 'man's allotted span' this month I still look forward to the new season as keenly as I did as a kid- how mad is that ?
Happy New Year Tom, it was a weird year weather wise and probably my worst ever season in terms of weather. Every year is different but in most years you get a few days when you think the conditions are ideal, even if the trout don't always agree, but this year was different. That's the way it goes. I'm like you and can't wait to get going again and fingers crossed that we both get better weather conditions.
I really like this loch Fred, the fish are never big and I honestly believe that the numbers in the loch aren't high as I've camped out there a few calm nights etc. and there are generally only a few areas of the loch where you see fish moving and it is usually the very occasional fish rising rather than the loch boiling with fish as will happen where there are more fish in the loch. I get that walking out there just for a few small fish will not appeal to everyone but in the end the size of fish has nothing to do with the sport.
You can't beat it :-) I know the fish in this particular loch aren't big or plentiful but it is a place I really love to fish as there is so much to see and so many interesting things plus a few wee fish as well.
Lovely day out Philip. Would that all my "hopeless" days be so fishy! 🙂 Those are beautiful trout. I also really appreciate your visits to the shielings. Happy 2025!
Happy New Year Richard, I hope you have a good one. That loch is usually good for a fish or two, but it is never super productive, and I was really pleased to get the fish in view of the cool wind etc. The trout in it don't get big but that doesn't really matter to me as it is a spot I really enjoy simply because there is so much to see.
Great video as usual would love if you could add a wee pic of a map with the lochs you fish as to help with finding them when I’m in Lewis later this year 🤞
Generally I'm not at all keen to ID the lochs I fish in part because there are a very many lochs that have better fish in them than this one, and that's what a lot of people want, and also because I'm not keen on people who might see my videos all heading for the one loch. We about about 1000 lochs and as far as I know I'm the only person who fishes this particular one. On top of this many visitors don't have much experience walking the moor and I'd hate them to try and follow me to some loch only to vanish into a bog hole somewhere. So generally speaking unless it is easily accessible angling association water then I usually don't ID the places I'm fishing.
@@kevinwhite928 The other thing I will say Kevin is that when you are on the island if you ask around in your local area people will point you at the good lochs. Mostly I simply don't want to send everyone to the one place when there are hundreds of options. Also, I'm not always fishing lochs that will produce fish, or will produce big fish, or whatever, as I enjoy a day out and have my fave spots even if they are not productive in terms of actual catching. With this in mind you will do better just by asking anyone you meet where they'd suggest. Most of the books on Lewis lochs are either very outdated, and so the lochs have changed, or in the case of the Bruce Sandison books I suspect that he was mislead about many lochs.
Happy New Year William, unfortunately I'm very unfit at the minute and have been like that for a couple of years so I need to do something about that as the fitter you are the more lochs it opens up for you.
Lovely days fishing Philip. Last year i was told by an older family member that when they were at the shielings her father used to net the trout for their dinner! Whether this was widespread or not I'm unsure. This would have been the 1950/60s.. Also told me how he would make a makeshift shelf in the peatbog for them to keep their food fresh!
I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were netting fish as this was a "survival" thing and they needed to get the fish to eat. Despite that it is true that the quality of fish in the lochs appears to have been much better in those days and there are photos of amazing catches from lochs that only hold tiny dark trout these days. I think the cattle, and the people in the shielings, were good for the moor and the fish as well.
Hi Philip I’ve been watching you’re videos for years and love them. I hope you continue them for years to come. What length of rod do you normally use please 🙏
Hi Jim, over the years I've kind of standardised on an 11 foot rod in a 7 weight. That is maybe a bit longer than what most people use these days but I find it works for me. Pretty much I use the same setup for everything from spring salmon to tiny trout in the lochs and this makes life simple. I have a 10ft travel rod and a few other "odd" things. I also have a couple of 4 weight 11 foot rods that I would sometimes use for trout or sea trout if it is very calm. Lewis is said to be the most windy inhabited place on earth so using a very light rod more generally almost always ends badly and I would say that a 7 weight is probably the most common setup. I posted the following for someone who was interested in Gress sea trout and as you can see these 2 fish came, on a flat calm day, to an 11 foot 4 weight rod: ruclips.net/video/QtCYiMHJshI/видео.htmlsi=JrMVbizX3HX1mwVT
It is the same loch Tony, for reasons I can't explain I really like this loch. There's certainly nothing remarkable about the fish in it and I don't think there are a lot of them in there. However I enjoy the walk and the stuff I see along the way and the loch is usually good for a trout or two.
As I’ve said before to you Philip there is nothing to beat a day out on the moor, just you, your surroundings, the wildlife and hopefully a fish or two, although they may be optional, depending on their compliance in coming to the fly. It was interesting to hear you say that there were two different colourations of trout, one dark and another more brightly coloured. I’ve certainly come across that as well on the lochs in North Uist, almost as if there were two different genetic strains of trout in the same loch. In theory they both have the same food available to them and I don’t think the dark ones morph into the more brightly coloured ones as they age and get bigger, so you would think all the trout in a loch should be the same, but evidently there are variations. Given the remoteness of the loch or at least the infrequency of it being fished, I doubt a different strain of trout was introduced into it by someone in the past, so those two different colourations of fish have probably been there from the beginning.
Most Lewis lochs still hold the fish that were in there when the Ice Age ended but, of course, there has been some "bucket biology" here and there. On Loch Melvin there are different strains of trout that look different to each other and it has been found that they spawn in different feeder streams and so they don't really interbreed.
Looking at the image quality around the midway mark lighting conditions, and stifling an urge to see this on one of those home mini-cinema plasma TVs 🖥 What's your take Phil?
I haven't got the image quality out of the DJI Action 5 anywhere close to the GoPro as yet but with some messing about I'm certain that it will at least become reasonable compared to how it looks in this video. I just can't match the DJI pictures to the GoPro pictures no matter how hard I try and the DJI images are very blue, among other things. I believe that DJI have another firmware update coming very soon in an attempt to correct their image quality so maybe in time they will make progress as well. For all its problems there is still nothing to beat the pictures out of the GoPro.
An interesting hike in Phillip, I wonder, do you ever get into any "sticky" situations in the bog? I noticed the odd bit of moisture on the lens. Does the action 5 have a hydrophobic coating like the Gopro?
I love to walk the moor and look at the interesting stuff. I've walked most of the moor and so am rarely on areas that are completely new to me so I don't often find myself in difficulties - some years back I did get into a complete nightmare bit of bog and it took me a long time to retrace my steps and reverse out of it but now I know where that bit is I can avoid it :-) As far as I can remember DJI claim there is a coating on the lens. I haven't used the DJI much yet (this video was a combination of the DJI and my GoPro10) but I did notice that I thought the lens of the DJI was more prone to holding the water. I believe there are another firmware update for the DJI coming very soon that claims to address some of the image quality problems so if you are considering another camera it might be worth seeing how that works out. I must highlight that while i was fishing I had no ability to view the video I'd shot so the DJI was on the same settings for all the videos from last season and I made no attempt to correct the problems. I now need to spend a little while making adjustments and trying to get some settings that will allow me to match the DJI video to the GoPro video as closely as possible but I'm going to wait for the new firmware before I try that.
@caorach3354 Many thanks, Phillip . I shall watch closely next season before I commit. The reliability of the DJI ( no freezing and battery pulling) does appeal plus the extra battery life 👍
@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 I haven't carried out any real testing yet Chris but I did notice that some reviewers were saying that if you go to "high bitrate" mode on the DJI then the battery life will be reduced. I can't confirm this but it makes sense. They were also saying that in the higher bitrate mode the camera runs a lot hotter - with us being mostly outside and in relatively cool conditions this probably won't be an issue but it is worth keeping in mind. What I will say is that with running my DJI in low bitrate mode (the firmware update for high bitrate wasn't available at that point) the difference in battery life between the DJI and the GoPro was really very noticeable during my use. The comparisons I saw between high and low bitrate didn't, when viewed on RUclips, show any significant difference to me so it could be that you'd be happy with the lower bitrate (you can switch between them in the settings) in which case I'd be certain that you'd see a big increase in battery life. I run my GoPros with as many features as possible turned off - no GPS or voice control or any manner of other features - and I'd say that in a full day I might do maybe 5 battery changes (I carry a power bank and recharge batteries on the go) whereas with the DJI I'm not sure that I did more than 1 battery change per day on the few days out when I used it.
What a spot, one of the great places to fish in the world. Can practically smell the moor along with the peat hags and ditches. Always look forward to these videos so thank you for posting.
I'm so glad you enjoy them Richard. I completely understand that walking out the moor to a loch that I know will only produce a few small fish might not be for everyone but I enjoy the whole experience of the day out and the stuff you can see along the way.
A very nice day out Phillip ..success as well ..I really enjoyed your “excellent adventure” …long may they continue mate …it’s the dog days of summer doldrums here ..very hot days and only evenings or very early morning make fishing possible
Thanks Rick, I love wandering out to this loch even if the fish aren't so impressive. We've been having quite cold weather for a while now but I think this is a La Nina year so that is to be expected and it doesn't always have the expected effect on the condition and quality of the fish once the season starts. I hope it cools down a bit for you.
Happy New Year and thanks again; do you know, I honestly don't think I've seen you fish in a decent wave all year ! Similar down here in Snowdonia/Eryri; endless Easterly/ NE/ NW breezes and an occasional South-easterly- however as I approach 'man's allotted span' this month I still look forward to the new season as keenly as I did as a kid- how mad is that ?
Happy New Year Tom, it was a weird year weather wise and probably my worst ever season in terms of weather. Every year is different but in most years you get a few days when you think the conditions are ideal, even if the trout don't always agree, but this year was different. That's the way it goes. I'm like you and can't wait to get going again and fingers crossed that we both get better weather conditions.
Enjoyed it immensely, Philip, Gress Grabber is working well for you👍
It was doing the job John though I didn't have much opportunity to fish it at Gress in view of the conditions this season.
A great day out Philip. Some nice trout, not too shabby at all! These lochs remind me of the lochs that border Caithness and Sutherland.
I really like this loch Fred, the fish are never big and I honestly believe that the numbers in the loch aren't high as I've camped out there a few calm nights etc. and there are generally only a few areas of the loch where you see fish moving and it is usually the very occasional fish rising rather than the loch boiling with fish as will happen where there are more fish in the loch. I get that walking out there just for a few small fish will not appeal to everyone but in the end the size of fish has nothing to do with the sport.
Happy New Year, Phil. Great days out living vicariously through you! 😊
Happy New Year! You can't beat a day out on the moor :-)
Great day as they say. All the best for 2025 👍
You can't beat it :-) I know the fish in this particular loch aren't big or plentiful but it is a place I really love to fish as there is so much to see and so many interesting things plus a few wee fish as well.
Lovely day out Philip. Would that all my "hopeless" days be so fishy! 🙂 Those are beautiful trout. I also really appreciate your visits to the shielings. Happy 2025!
Happy New Year Richard, I hope you have a good one. That loch is usually good for a fish or two, but it is never super productive, and I was really pleased to get the fish in view of the cool wind etc. The trout in it don't get big but that doesn't really matter to me as it is a spot I really enjoy simply because there is so much to see.
Great video as usual would love if you could add a wee pic of a map with the lochs you fish as to help with finding them when I’m in Lewis later this year 🤞
Generally I'm not at all keen to ID the lochs I fish in part because there are a very many lochs that have better fish in them than this one, and that's what a lot of people want, and also because I'm not keen on people who might see my videos all heading for the one loch. We about about 1000 lochs and as far as I know I'm the only person who fishes this particular one. On top of this many visitors don't have much experience walking the moor and I'd hate them to try and follow me to some loch only to vanish into a bog hole somewhere. So generally speaking unless it is easily accessible angling association water then I usually don't ID the places I'm fishing.
Can fully understand that I have been to Lewis a lot and have tried walking to a few lochs but as you say the peat bogs can be a bit tricky at times
@@kevinwhite928 The other thing I will say Kevin is that when you are on the island if you ask around in your local area people will point you at the good lochs. Mostly I simply don't want to send everyone to the one place when there are hundreds of options. Also, I'm not always fishing lochs that will produce fish, or will produce big fish, or whatever, as I enjoy a day out and have my fave spots even if they are not productive in terms of actual catching. With this in mind you will do better just by asking anyone you meet where they'd suggest. Most of the books on Lewis lochs are either very outdated, and so the lochs have changed, or in the case of the Bruce Sandison books I suspect that he was mislead about many lochs.
Hi Philip happy new year good videos scenery stunning as always your a fit lad with all that hiking 🚶♂️
Happy New Year William, unfortunately I'm very unfit at the minute and have been like that for a couple of years so I need to do something about that as the fitter you are the more lochs it opens up for you.
Lovely days fishing Philip. Last year i was told by an older family member that when they were at the shielings her father used to net the trout for their dinner! Whether this was widespread or not I'm unsure. This would have been the 1950/60s.. Also told me how he would make a makeshift shelf in the peatbog for them to keep their food fresh!
I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were netting fish as this was a "survival" thing and they needed to get the fish to eat. Despite that it is true that the quality of fish in the lochs appears to have been much better in those days and there are photos of amazing catches from lochs that only hold tiny dark trout these days. I think the cattle, and the people in the shielings, were good for the moor and the fish as well.
Hi Philip I’ve been watching you’re videos for years and love them. I hope you continue them for years to come. What length of rod do you normally use please 🙏
Hi Jim, over the years I've kind of standardised on an 11 foot rod in a 7 weight. That is maybe a bit longer than what most people use these days but I find it works for me. Pretty much I use the same setup for everything from spring salmon to tiny trout in the lochs and this makes life simple. I have a 10ft travel rod and a few other "odd" things. I also have a couple of 4 weight 11 foot rods that I would sometimes use for trout or sea trout if it is very calm. Lewis is said to be the most windy inhabited place on earth so using a very light rod more generally almost always ends badly and I would say that a 7 weight is probably the most common setup. I posted the following for someone who was interested in Gress sea trout and as you can see these 2 fish came, on a flat calm day, to an 11 foot 4 weight rod: ruclips.net/video/QtCYiMHJshI/видео.htmlsi=JrMVbizX3HX1mwVT
That’s not the same loch a few years ago you rescued a sheep from the bog? Great days fishing and a good walk Philip.
It is the same loch Tony, for reasons I can't explain I really like this loch. There's certainly nothing remarkable about the fish in it and I don't think there are a lot of them in there. However I enjoy the walk and the stuff I see along the way and the loch is usually good for a trout or two.
As I’ve said before to you Philip there is nothing to beat a day out on the moor, just you, your surroundings, the wildlife and hopefully a fish or two, although they may be optional, depending on their compliance in coming to the fly. It was interesting to hear you say that there were two different colourations of trout, one dark and another more brightly coloured. I’ve certainly come across that as well on the lochs in North Uist, almost as if there were two different genetic strains of trout in the same loch. In theory they both have the same food available to them and I don’t think the dark ones morph into the more brightly coloured ones as they age and get bigger, so you would think all the trout in a loch should be the same, but evidently there are variations. Given the remoteness of the loch or at least the infrequency of it being fished, I doubt a different strain of trout was introduced into it by someone in the past, so those two different colourations of fish have probably been there from the beginning.
Most Lewis lochs still hold the fish that were in there when the Ice Age ended but, of course, there has been some "bucket biology" here and there. On Loch Melvin there are different strains of trout that look different to each other and it has been found that they spawn in different feeder streams and so they don't really interbreed.
Looking at the image quality around the midway mark lighting conditions, and stifling an urge to see this on one of those home mini-cinema plasma TVs 🖥 What's your take Phil?
I haven't got the image quality out of the DJI Action 5 anywhere close to the GoPro as yet but with some messing about I'm certain that it will at least become reasonable compared to how it looks in this video. I just can't match the DJI pictures to the GoPro pictures no matter how hard I try and the DJI images are very blue, among other things. I believe that DJI have another firmware update coming very soon in an attempt to correct their image quality so maybe in time they will make progress as well. For all its problems there is still nothing to beat the pictures out of the GoPro.
An interesting hike in Phillip, I wonder, do you ever get into any "sticky" situations in the bog?
I noticed the odd bit of moisture on the lens. Does the action 5 have a hydrophobic coating like the Gopro?
I love to walk the moor and look at the interesting stuff. I've walked most of the moor and so am rarely on areas that are completely new to me so I don't often find myself in difficulties - some years back I did get into a complete nightmare bit of bog and it took me a long time to retrace my steps and reverse out of it but now I know where that bit is I can avoid it :-) As far as I can remember DJI claim there is a coating on the lens. I haven't used the DJI much yet (this video was a combination of the DJI and my GoPro10) but I did notice that I thought the lens of the DJI was more prone to holding the water. I believe there are another firmware update for the DJI coming very soon that claims to address some of the image quality problems so if you are considering another camera it might be worth seeing how that works out. I must highlight that while i was fishing I had no ability to view the video I'd shot so the DJI was on the same settings for all the videos from last season and I made no attempt to correct the problems. I now need to spend a little while making adjustments and trying to get some settings that will allow me to match the DJI video to the GoPro video as closely as possible but I'm going to wait for the new firmware before I try that.
@caorach3354 Many thanks, Phillip . I shall watch closely next season before I commit. The reliability of the DJI ( no freezing and battery pulling) does appeal plus the extra battery life 👍
@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 I haven't carried out any real testing yet Chris but I did notice that some reviewers were saying that if you go to "high bitrate" mode on the DJI then the battery life will be reduced. I can't confirm this but it makes sense. They were also saying that in the higher bitrate mode the camera runs a lot hotter - with us being mostly outside and in relatively cool conditions this probably won't be an issue but it is worth keeping in mind. What I will say is that with running my DJI in low bitrate mode (the firmware update for high bitrate wasn't available at that point) the difference in battery life between the DJI and the GoPro was really very noticeable during my use. The comparisons I saw between high and low bitrate didn't, when viewed on RUclips, show any significant difference to me so it could be that you'd be happy with the lower bitrate (you can switch between them in the settings) in which case I'd be certain that you'd see a big increase in battery life. I run my GoPros with as many features as possible turned off - no GPS or voice control or any manner of other features - and I'd say that in a full day I might do maybe 5 battery changes (I carry a power bank and recharge batteries on the go) whereas with the DJI I'm not sure that I did more than 1 battery change per day on the few days out when I used it.
hI, You were in fine fettle that day.
Atb.
I don't know that I can ever be said to be in fine fettle :-) I sort of just do what takes my fancy and see how that works out :-)
Hi, better fettle than I, after a sporting event 48 miles west of Edinburgh.
Atb @@caorach3354
Another video
Another day of unsuitable conditions
That's day 1239/1239 of unsuitable conditions for this most unlucky angler.
I know, it's just awful, but what can you do?