Last night , after a trip to our local Indian, while having an urgent cold seat in the wee room I spied August’s copy of T&S. On the front cover it says ‘Loch Style Then, now and tomorrow’ . That’s interesting I thought. Turning to the article there’s a very old picture of Loch Ailsh. Looks promising I thought. Reading the article I have to say it’s the biggest pile of nonsense I have read since John Horsey’s website claim to be ‘The UK’s first professional fly fishing guide’.
It’s written by a fellow called Allan Sefton. Never heard of him and no idea who he is. The article it’s self is suppose to be an insight into Loch style fly fishing and the developments over time. It starts of fine, then makes a bizarre statement that when the ‘boat was becalmed….’ loch style fishers had to wait till the next day and goes on ‘They felt no responsibility for a difficult day because their approach never changed.’ REALLY? First I’ve heard of that. He sure as hell never spend a day with my grandfather. Then he rattles on about how he moved back to Engerlund and ‘immersed’ himself in ‘a cauldron of fly fishing innovation’. The whole article is basically claiming that English reservoir fly fishing moved loch style fishing forward by using leaded lines with brightly coloured lures trailed behind a boat. Now being Scottish I’m used to English toffs moving north and looking down their snouts at us scrounging peasant Scots. However I must correct Mr Sefton and all at T&S, using weighted lines to drag large brightly colour lures behind a boat has been around in Scotland for a long time before English reservoir fly fishing, Steve Parton didn’t invent it, up in real Scotland it’s called TROLLING. Used to catch ferrox trout on Loch Awe long before Parton used it for catching pig food at Rutland.

Here’s a true story for Mr Sefton, Andrew Flintcroft and the rest of clowns at T&S, a wee lesson from us daft ignorant Scots…………

Many years ago as a small lad I helped my grandfather ready a boat on Loch Barvas for a days fishing. The client an English toff waddled over from his Range Rover, puffed up his chest and stated ‘It’s a pound per fish today MacIver.’ My grandfather didn’t reply but spent the entire day rowing the toff up and down the wrong side of the loch. Puzzled, when they return fishless I asked why he didn’t come over to the side where the fish were lying, my grandfather smiled, winked and replied ‘It’s two pound a fish today.’

:Did they really have range rovers that long ago?!!

I think you'll find loch "style" consists of (as a minimum) Barbour wax jacket and a deerstalker. Allow for a personal flourish, such as a fly in your bunnet or yellow cords to make it properly dapper. Oh dapping theres a whole other subject history could be re-written on.

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I read the same T@S article and am glad I'm not the only one who found dissappointing to say the least, in fact I found the whole issue a disappointment. I did complete the crossword so I may win the a swancky reel. Ha!

I've given up reading T&S for this exact reason.
I had seen the headline on this issue on the stand and was contemplating buying it for a look at the article, glad I didn't now.
Who is the guy that wrote the article, never heard the name myself.
Bw

Dj, silk lines were left ungreased and allowed to sink on Scottish lochs long before sinking lines were manufactured

I look forward with bated breath to DJVass's article, "The Truth behind Loch Style Fly Fishing" shortly to appear in a magazine near us all. After all, anyone who can criticise with THAT level of *****iness and inverted snobbery can most assuredly do a whole lot better than the original author.

However, I fear that like most who criticise the loudest, he'll do nothing for fear that he'll get the same sort of slagging that he likes to dish out to others.

I also resent the fact that we english move north of the border and look down on the peasants.




I can do that perfectly well from down here, thank you.

no need to add wood to the fire mike.

I think the first Range Rover hit the production line circa 1970... 40 years - could be plausible.

Although I partake it 'traditional loch style' fishing - its definitely an old man's game. It is the most inanimate and least physically exerting way to fly fish... stuck to your seat on a rolling wave for hours on end with the only serious possible injury incurred being hemorrhoids or 'farmer's grapes' as there called in some circles...