Hi
Im planning a trip to Sth Uist to fish the many Machair and other lochs.
We arent using the services of a gillie and I know that its preferred for one angler to steer or set the drift of the boat using the oars whilst the other fishes, but is there any reason why one cant fish using a drogue so both anglers can fish at same time? like a typical still water approach. In particular due to the high winds experienced there. Any tips/observations would be welcome.
Ive also heard of a few peple being successfull using grasshopper patterns as in the machair there are a particular grasshopper lives there and the fish feed on the one blown into the loch , is there any truth in that?

Thanks

Shallow water.lots of Rocks.Shy fish getting disturbed.are some reasons I think might influence the use of a Drogue

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

thanks Jim, pretty obvious when you say it like that
Ill leave the drogue at home.

Jim is spot on. Very few of the lochs have much depth and there are rocks everywhere.
Not only that but taking turns on the oars is a very good way to fish. There is as much skill in the rowing as the fishing. You can follow the contours of the bank so getting all the good bits, a straight drift on the drogue will always miss bits! You can hold the boat over the good spots and stop it so the rod gets more casts over a risen fish. When a fish is hooked you can pull the boat clear or hold it still while the fish is played so no length of the drift is missed. The oarsman can spend his time spotting rising fish for the rod. In fact I think it lets the rod fish so well that niether angler misses out on anything over the day.
When on the oars you can give the rod endless stick for missed fish and the like and then get it all back (with interest) when it is your turn to take up the rod!

Andy

Thanks for this valuable info.

I think it depends; some of the lochs (e.g. Bornish) aren't rocky at all (apart from the one that creeps up on you when you least expect!). You do need to exercise more caution than normal though. Might be worth having it in the car for all the room it takes (I bring mine).

As other posters have suggested, one on the oars and one fishing is just as much fun (if not more) as two fishing!

Dighty