THE ULTIMATE ANGLING BUCKET LIST

There were certainly less fish about by that stage, which the pair had seen as an increasing problem
over recent times. But, the size had increased very dramatically, maintaining a similar level of
productivity and biomass, only now expressed in a different presentation.
Suggestions put forward include eutrophication such as septic tank inputs from a growing local
population of people, and from agricultural runoff enriching the water, both of which can lead to
increased invertebrate productivity. Rising temperatures generally will be in the mix there too.
Whatever the reason, the balance has very clearly shifted.
Coniston and Windermere are the two lakes I am most familiar with. But there are dozens of others,
particularly in Scotland. Jeff and Bill were saying great things about Crummock Water being the best
bet these days for good char hauls, and we have also picked a few up there while ferox fishing in the
past.
Unfortunately, many of the Scottish waters are either less accessible, or not available to char angling at
all. There is however one worth mentioning here, that being Loch Arkaig.
Apparently, the char there have learned to gather up under the salmon farm cages at feeding time,
gorging themselves on high protein pellets missed by the salmon which then fall through the mesh.
As sea run char in the Arctic can well top twenty pounds, the growth potential is there, even if other
factors are limiting the expression of this amongst land locked populations. It should come as no surprise
then that some of these Loch Arkaig fish grow big. Very big in fact, with double figure specimens
having already been taken.
A word of warning however, and this goes for all the larger exposed glacial ribbon lakes situated in
deep mountainous valleys. When the wind is being channelled along these lake surfaces by the
surrounding hills, the water at the downwind end can get as rough as anything you are ever likely to
encounter at sea.
I remember being out one day on Coniston in a howling blizzard with waves coming over the roof of
the sixteen foot Pebble dinghy we were fishing from. Another smaller open boat close by decided
enough was enough, upping anchor and turning beam on to the swell to run for shore, only to be
completely swamped and rolled by breakers within seconds.
What a dodgy rescue that turned out to be. Fearful of a similar fate, we could only grab the wrists of
one person at a time and tow them back into the shallows, then back out for another one.
So respect the conditions. The fact that it's freshwater and therefore can't get as bad as being out at sea
is a fallacy. No bag of fish is worth any measure of personal risk.
Associated audio interview numbers: 46.
SCHELLY, GWYNIAD AND POWAN Coregonus lavaretus
Bucket List status – result
At the height of the last ice age, much of Britain, Ireland, and a lot of northern Europe was a frozen
wilderness where glaciers carved out deep valleys such as in Cumbria and Scotland, paving the way for
the glacial ribbon lakes such as Windermere and Ullswater which we know and love today.
Due to the amount of water taken up by the ice, sea levels were very much lower than they are currently.
England was joined to the continent of Europe, while Ireland was joined to England by the Kintyre land
bridge.
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