Two Days at the Sandaig Isles | Big Spurdog | Tope | Wild Camping

[@Lavraki]

Many thanks Doug for yet another excellent video highlighting the sport that we have available in Scotland. Just the thing to inspire us on these windswept days that render boat fishing impossible.

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Just had a few of these windy, rainy days so I ditched any thoughts of fishing and had another crack at the West Highland Way instead (it was a much better forecast inland, although I still got utterly soaked on one day). That's why I'm late replying to some of these comments, not least because I'd very limited battery power and network access and spent most of the time knackered!

[@1983rossco]

I’ve seen every video u have put on. If u put videos on without fish I wouldn’t be disappointed as long as I see a two roll morning, coffee and a fire being made. I’d love a trip like urs 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

[@1983rossco]

Bought a kayak and fished the Clyde estuary. Didn’t catch a fish until my 7th attempt. I thought it would be easy after watch ur kayak videos 🤣

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Actually, I don't catch that many fish from a kayak myself😁. There's a lot of paddling and camping stuff, but not that much "serious" fishing going on. I find I'm comfortable with spinning or a bit of drift fishing but I rarely drop anchor, for example. Sometimes I just use the kayak to get me somewhere and then fish off the shore. If I was struggling to catch anything then I'd drop a set of wee sabikis to the bottom, baited with little pieces of mackerel or ragworm - it's a great way to pick up a range of smaller species. The Clyde is a pretty good alternative to the likes of Etive if you're looking for an overnight trip too. Just make sure you pick as calm and dry a time as you can as it's hugely more enjoyable than fighting miserable drizzle and a stiff breeze. No need to paddle any great distance either until you've got a bit of confidence/experience.

[@1983rossco]

I’ll leave the kayak now until next year. Thanks for your advice and pointers there. I’ll be patiently waiting for your next video 🎣👍

[@knpoutdoors4493]

I have been watching your incredible videos for a long time now and I am still in awe of how you do it. The way you capture the absolute essence of our sport along with immersive footage of the scenery is top notch. You dont seem a man that is too fussed with subs and views but it still baffles me how you've not got tens of thousands of followers.

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Wow! thanks very much🙂 I think I've just come to enjoy the video creation (almost) as much as my fishing so I spend a bit more time on it. I really love wild, lonely landscapes too, mixing my fishing with a bit of hiking/kayaking and camping. Basically I'm less hard core angler these days than many of my viewers!

[@alantipple3684]

Great watch and great fishing as always thank you 🎣🎣 🦈

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Thanks for watching - this was pretty much a last minute trip, as many of mine are. Just got to grab whatever decent weather you can around these parts! Sadly, it'll be getting too dark soon to make such longer distance trips feasible until next year🙁 Expect more Etive videos with wee spurries and chilly campers🤣

[@gordoncarass2360]

Great video Doug. Nice to see those big Spurries coming up.

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Thanks - although I wasn't entirely joking when I said I was glad to call time on our first day. It is definitely possible to catch too many of them!🙂. We had slower fishing on day 2 which suited me fine!

[@gingerbeerkid1967]

Thanks, enjoyable as always

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Sorry for my late reply - I've been away for a few (non fishing) days in the hills - but I'm glad you enjoyed it. Some decent fish on my videos for a change🤣🤣

[@Johnpir8978]

Another great video Doug👍

[@Corkwing-DougK]

I'm glad you enjoyed it - it's definitely somewhere I'll be exploring again as there's some great potential and a cracking backdrop to fish against. Quite a haul to get there though!

[@Savajam]

What an epic session on the spurdogs, and some good sized ones too. You sound way to calm about catching all those big fish, I would be bouncing. Old net for a nice tope - good deal! Tub Gurnard are so beautiful, I love seeing them. Thanks again for sharing 🙂

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Thanks 👍 Glad you enjoyed this one. I really was dead chuffed about the tope but didn't have time to catch most of it on camera, whilst spurdog get a bit more routine after (literally) dozens of them. If it was a single 12lb spurdog after a pack of 2 lb fish all day then I'd probably be a bit more ecstatic!

[@Savajam]

😂@@Corkwing-DougK

[@tamlyon4435]

Your gonna need a bigger net Doug 😁🥃slangs

[@1983rossco]

Videos are amazing. 👏🏻 🎣

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Thanks👍 although you'd be surprised how many never see the light of day though for one reason or another! At some point I'll need to pull together some sort of mashup of the best bits of these. Maybe a project for some dark winter nights!

[@Furzepark-c8j]

I was just thinking I hadn't seen a video from you for a bit. Coming up to Scotland early November and hoping to get out in the kayak weather permitting

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Well, I'm just back from 5 days in the hills (hiking, not fishing!) and I hope your weather in November is a little kinder🙂. With a little luck I'll get out again soon, once my feet stop hurting🤣

[@ashleyhoward8926]

Superlative sport there, well done. Shame about the net, but nice leads though. Useful footage of Sandaig/Camusfearna too ( I believe that's another cottage, by the way), thanks for posting.

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Thanks Ash - these leads are more or less the perfect size for much of the fishing around Sleat🙂. I wasn't sure about the cottage but I couldn't see any sign of anything else. The spot we camped at is probably the best option for the bay as a lot of the rest is either boggy or rather too shingly for comfort. I'd also be cautious about using the main bay for mooring as it is a little exposed to the south, which is why we opted for the river channel.

[@uffo200]

The cottage was a long term let to Raef Payne who taught at Eton, he used it as a holiday cottage for many years. He and Maxwell were friends and he stayed there for a while after Sandaig House burned down.

[@gafishon2066]

Hi doug, I'm interested to learn how you anchor your boat so she doesn't end up beached on tidal waters? Love to try it

[@Corkwing-DougK]

I've been asked about my overnight mooring setup a few times and wrote up some notes on how I do it, which you can find at corkwing.co.uk/boat-fishing/setting-an-overnight-mooring/. I haven't done any YT videos specifically on mooring but my notes link to one video with more info and I think there are one or two others where I also show the technique. It works pretty well but I'd definitely recommend a bit of practice before relying on it overnight. All at your own risk of course, so only do something you're comfortable with!! Cheers, Doug

[@jamesrussell7775]

Another inspiring video. Can as ask what you were using to cook with when you used the griddle pan for your bacon and eggs? It didn’t look like the average Camping Gaz stove.

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Hi James, it was just a bog standard tabletop stove that you can pick up for £10-20. Perhaps the fact it wasn't completely covered in rust made it look better than it was! I've got a couple and they usually last 2-3 years before becoming too manky/dangerous to use. The pan is a Ridge Monkey effort which is OK for basic boat cooking - it's main advantage is that the lid reduces the sputtering of fat from the bacon. A standard pan tends to leave the boat a little coated in grease😢

[@jamesrussell7775]

Thanks for that Doug.

[@mackie666]

Fantastic video doug 🙂 I have been following your videos for some time to the point that in order to relive my youth I recently bought a small 16ft fishing boat which after some work is ready to go and enjoy with my 10 year old. Many years ago my dad and I launched at Skateraw, Dunbar and St Abbs however I am also looking for some other places to go including some loch fishing but unfortunately I live in falkirk right in the middle of the country and I have been trying to reseach some good places to launch and fish but not coming up with much. Do you have any suggestions of any good slipways or launches or even know a website or forum i could find such recommendations. As always keep up the good work and take care all the best 👍 Gary

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Hi Gary, decent slipway setups are pretty few and far between in Scotland, although there are many slightly dodgier options that are OK once you understand their limitations. Try boatlaunch.co.uk if you haven't already found it, although the information isn't always up to date. A lot depends on your towing setup and how confident you are in reversing and launching/recovering it - you don't want to struggle down a narrow, bendy, slipway with an audience looking on, or to rush a launch because there's a queue of boats behind you. If you're running a 2WD car and a light unbraked trailer (preferably roller coaster style) then my first choice would be Kelly's pier at Taynuilt on Loch Etive, launching within 1-2 hours of HW. There is no slipway here but the beach is hard packed and stony - I used to launch here with this sort of set up a lot. Plenty of space, so no-one breathing down your neck, and the loch is a relatively safe and calm environment for kids (I used to take mine here). It's generally possible to winkle enough fish out to keep them interested, even if it's small stuff. Head up the loch and you can find places to stop ashore for a break too. I never had an issue with seasick kids on Etive either, something that was a problem on the east coast. 4 things to consider here when launching: 1 - It's exposed to the west, although this is rarely a problem in practice. I would always try for a forecast of 10 mph or less myself. Take your forecasts and tide times from Bonawe, not Oban as there can be a big difference (Etive tide times are roughly 2 hours later than Oban). 2 - The beach is more or less flat on the lower half of the tide, so tricky to launch or recover without dipping your tow car or roping the trailer out. 3 - There is a pile of rocks near the end of Kelly's pier. Sometimes marked with a buoy but covered at HW. Avoid these by sticking close to the pier wall (say within 10m) until you're past the end of it. 4 - Weed on the beach. Mainly an autumn/winter problem after storms, but you sometimes need to dig your way through it if you start to wheel spin. Remember a fork! Your east coast alternative is probably Dunbar (although probably not worth it until mid-May next year, or July if you want mackerel to keep a 10 year old amused). Here I would try and launch/recover 2-3 hours either side of HW. A HW launch can get tricky as there is no where safe to leave the boat whilst you park, while the lower half of the tide leaves you negotiating a couple of tricky doglegs in the slipway. Parking is a problem and you have to leave your car and trailer along the outer sea wall (i.e. on the far side of the harbour bridge), which means leaving the boat for several minutes while you do so. Normally there is a sand patch available around that HW +/-2-3 hour point, but you still need to be quick to avoid the boat either drying out or floating off - a sensible 10 year old can probably manage this on a calm day though. On the sort of calm, sunny day you probably want you'll find the harbour area very busy with lots of visitors and also other boats wanting in/out. For this reason I only launch very early in the morning, especially at weekends. Also check for harbour gala days, etc. during the summer, as the slip may be closed. Skateraw is an alternative to Dunbar but you will definitely need some sort of 4WD capability as there is soft sand at the top of the beach. I would also use boards under car and trailer wheels, especially on retrieval, and aim to hit the middle two hours of the tide for launch and recovery. Do not use Skateraw in any NE swell as it is very exposed. Also a 2.1m barrier on the road down to the beach. The slip itself was rebuilt recently and is fine but it just gets you down onto the beach and not to anywhere near the waters edge. As the road reaches the beach turn left and the slipway is just a few yards away. There are other options within daytrip range of Falkirk but they all have their own limitations and wouldn't be my first choice for initial sessions out whilst getting used to the trailer setup and the boat itself. I've never launched my boat in freshwater so can't comment on your options for that. Cheers, Doug

[@mackie666]

@Corkwing-DougK Hi thank you so much for the quick reply Doug. The tow car is 2wd at the moment which will be getting changed at some point next year. As for towing not too bad but will need to practice some reversing 😄 My son is just happy being out in the fresh air and on the water fishing is a bonus,, we have friends who live in Loch Carron and spent hours on their boat launched out at StromeFerry, I think I read on your blog you had sailed from the slip here. Skate Raw can wait, I do have good memories from there so will be back soon when I've got the 4wd, the tips for dunbar are perfect. St Abbs is pretty similar we kept the previous boat there a few years ago and the harbour master is very good only downside is how busy it can be with divers etc. I am going to look at Kelly's pier I saw that on one of your previous videos so definitely planning on going there so thanks for the tips. Once again keep up all your good work can't wait for the next instalment, and thank you for all the detailed info you gave me in your reply it is very much appreciated, take care Gary 👍

[@Vipox69]

Cracking Video. Great stamp of spurdogs and a nice surprise tope as a cherry on top. How did you find anchoring in that area in the sound? I know further up has some wicked tides but is it a bit more manageable there? Thanks

[@Corkwing-DougK]

I was pretty sure that tope were there somewhere, as I've seen them elsewhere in Skye at this time of year, but it was nice to have it confirmed - even if it was the last fish of the trip! Kylerhea has ferocious tides but Glenelg is almost an eddy much of the time. We weren't far offshore, in around 180-200 feet and the tide was quite manageable with 8-16oz. Further down the sound things were a bit stronger and you'd need over 16oz during the peak hours - still perfectly manageable unless you hook a skate😁

[@Renton348]

H where is this mark exactly- would love to go

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Hi - we were fishing in the Sound of Sleat, between Skye and the mainland. The Sandaigs where we camped are at the entrance to Loch Hourn, although we were fishing nearer to Glenelg about 2-3 miles further north. Its a fairly remote spot and there aren't many places to launch a boat - we put in at Dornie on Loch Duich and then sailed down through Kylerhea to get into Sleat.

[@DarioFerrari23]

Hi Doug, how is it for leaving the car and trailer at Dornie, seen on google maps there's a small car park do you just leave car and trailer there? Cheers Dario

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Hi Dario, You could use the carpark (you'd have to detach your trailer), or you can park on the grass verge between the carpark and the water. This is what the locals seem to do and no-one has objected to me doing the same. One of the buildings a few yards from the slipway is a pub/hotel so I guess it will get quite crowded at times in the summer, just something to bear in mind. Also the slip will dry out at LW on a decent tide, and for maybe 2 hours either side of LW there will be a strong tide rip across the slip. Life is a lot easier around mid-tide, especially if you're solo! Cheers, Doug

[@DarioFerrari23]

@@Corkwing-DougK Brilliant info as always thanks Doug

[@DarioFerrari23]

I meant to ask Doug, how do you find it going through the kyle rhea with the tides? I'll be heading up this way and launching from Dornie like yourself in the near future. Cheers Dario

[@Corkwing-DougK]

Hi Dario, I've only been through Kylerhea 4 or 5 times so treat what I say with caution! In calm weather I've not had any problem although the tide can be 4 knots+ at the southern end. However, I can see that wind against tide could be pretty dangerous in a small boat, so I think it's more important to watch the wind speed and direction, especially from the SW. Also, a SW wind will probably kick up a swell into Sandaig Bay so make it difficult to overnight there (you might be able to sneak in on the north side). Cheers, Doug