I am booked to go back the same week in August this year and looking forward to it . the anglers that were staying at the hotel were great fun in the evening and the hotel staff made us more than welcome Cheers again Iain. 🥃
Thanks Iain for sharing your six days on the Thurso. Very enjoyable and informative to watch. Tough going but good to see you finished off with a lovely fish, enjoy your reward!
I had looked forward with anticipation for my trip Stew . each time we go fishing conditions are different and some times we hit it right and others like this year are more difficult . it all makes the challenge of salmon. fishing more exciting and the catch more appreciative all the best Tight lines. Cheers Iain. 🥃
Well done Iain you fully deserved that fish. Persevering through all the trying conditions you have encountered during your week is exceptional. Thanks very much for a really enjoyable series of videos and looking forward to your next outing
Thank you Andrew I enjoyed every day fishing even although some days were difficult . the company made all the difference. I landed lucky with the anglers in the hotel and look forward to meeting them in the future Cheers Iain. 🥃
I was one of the lucky ones Colin . there were a few that never caught . it makes it all the better when efforts get rewarded and the other anglers that tried hard have to look forward to there next trip Cheers Iain 🥃
I may not smoke the fish until after we meet as I have been out playing in the water and have a few things going on. see you at the bank ........ Cheers Iain. 🥃
Well done Iain! - negotiated that obstacle course fantastically! my net remains dry so far this year, but hopefully another couple of outings to come. cheers again for the Video.
it has been a difficult year Fraser you are not alone in not catching and it sometimes feels as if we are doing something wrong but its up to the fish and they have to be there . there has been a shortage of fish this year and I hope that you connect soon. Cheers Iain 🥃
Not the easiest of fishing conditions so well done getting one. If ever an angler deserved a feed of smoked salmon this week, it's you. Loved the series and the scenery, Cheers, Steve
Thanks again Peter I think that I over did it for my week a lot of effort left me quite tired when I got home now ready to splash about on some other rivers Cheers Iain 🥃
Well done Iain, not so good when you first started very bright conditions but after lunch totally different and very fishy indeed and a lovely fish to show for your efforts. Cheers Iain and well done. 🍷. Steve.
It was great finishing of my week with a wee fish Steve . I think that I was lucky with the cloud cover in the afternoon . there was only one other fish caught on the last day. It's all, about saving for next years trip and getting it booked 😵💫. Cheers Iain🥃
I am hopping to do a bit of smoking this week .. It's always wise to keep the fish frozen for a while as it kills bacteria and parasites that may be hiding . wild salmon seem to pick up these things from the farmed rubbish. Cheers Iain. 🥃
I never cease to be amazed how desolately beautiful Scotlands countryside is . Nice fish Iain , and by the way , I will only eat wild caught smoked salmon. Never packaged farm fish so as you can imagine it’s been a while since I tasted that delicacy😉
Frances gave name a present of an IQ smoker quite a few years ago and I never managed to do much with it due to our circumstances . I recently bought some farmed salmon and smoked it and then was ridiculed by some anglers for that. I have kept my first salmon in a lot of years and smoked it yesterday and found that I was wrong to do so . I hate smoked sausage. So it looks like I am damed But Hay Ho I will enjoy my we fish and know that you are one of those that understand all the best Steve Cheers Iain. 🥃
There were that many wee trout attacking the fly with venom Steve it seemed every take was a salmon until they were on for a couple of seconds. this is the sort of thing that happens when we don't get out a lot 😜. Cheers Iain. 🥃
Well done Ian, goes to show sometimes the less delicate of casts hooks a fish. At first I thought it was really fresh, the way it was leaping about! You get your fair share of head shakers, hope it tastes nice.
Thanks Russ I am looking forward to smoking him this week . There is only one perfect cast and that is the one that hooks a fish. the rest are only practise casts there wasn't a really fresh fish caught for the whole week even although fish were seen coming into the lower river . I think that with the water in the river being close to20oC and the fish coming in from the cold not sea just put them off Cheers Iain. 🥃
Hi Liam. That was the one that shoutout of Lady Whitemans and into the weedy pool without any problem even although it was dragging a line behind it . hope to catch up next week Cheers Iain 🥃
my wife gave me a cold smoker as a present a few years ago and I had only used it once James . I had decided that if I caught a fish worth smoking I would take it home and cold smoke it . I had some guidance from a good friend that lives in Perth . I still have a couple of small bits that are frozen and looking forward to defrosting them Cheers Iain 🥃
I was a bit worried about the hook hold . fishing with size 16 doubles don't give you the best hold and when the fish is out of the water a lot they can sometimes show the hook alls well that ends well Cheers Iain. 🥃
Hi Darren. when you fish the river Thurso you are allowed to keep two fish for the week as long as they are under 8lb . As I hadn't kept a fish for a long number of years I decided that I would take one home. My wife had bought me a smoker about 7 years ago and decided that I would keep a fish to smoke if I caught a grillse I have returned a lot of fish over the years and didn't see a problem keeping a wee one . Cheers Iain. 🥃 . PS I have been moaned at for not killing fish in the past so feel damed if I do and damed if I don't
i remember seeing Eddie Marchatey opening the gates not sure which month it was and the salmon came sneaking up using the water break blocks in their dozens , what a sight it was
Gone are the days when Eddie used to put the boards in to hold the fish back for the anglers . watching the salmon back up was a sight . there weren't many rivers that you could catch 3 springers in a day Cheers Iain. 🥃
Lovely to watch and well deserved Iain. You might say a week of ups and downs for you but that's fishing and made all the better with that cracking salmon. Hope it tasted as good as it fought. 😎🍺🍺
It's still in the freezer and I hope to smoke it this week . I have been told that I have to freeze wild salmon for 10 days to make sure that all the bacteria from farmed salmon are dead before smoking Cheers Iain 🥃
There are a lot of fish caught in the bridge pools in the spring but it gets difficult when the water warms up .... I hope to get back fishing next year on the Thurso Cheers Iain. 🥃
It was an Iain Bain Special That is the fly that I use most . I have made a video of myself tying it and I think that Davy Mac Fail has a version of it Cheers Iain 🥃
Yes Richard First for many years and I smoked it today . I have Vacuum packed it and had a taste of it and I am glad that I went to the effort of bringing it home to smoke. This is the first fish that I have kept for a long time and it may be a long while before the next . I hope that this doesn't burn deep and you can allow me to smoke this fish and get some pleasure from it all the best Cheers Iain. 🥃
