All anglers should have a few good adventures along the way and in the company of a few good anglers Tiny and I have just had a cracker. Landing over Fourty of the hardest fighting pike you could ever meet and losing plenty more in the stunning Argyll scenery has been a real adventure. This time we took two boats and a small group of hardy anglers to hunt out pike in the vastness that is Loch Awe. At twenty three miles long and up to four hundred feet deep it can be a daunting piece of water but every time I visit I love it a lot more. You might have seen the place on the telly and in the press but to be out there grinning with five foot waves and a long way to motor home takes a special type of angler. In truth it took a little figuring, but once we had sussed it out we had some great looking fish and although no monsters came our way this time, the fight these highland pike put up has to be experienced to be believed. Best was a 14.3 fish to Phil Done but we each had numerous pike around the ten pound mark and all possess a speed and tenacity unheard of in fish from south of the border. Tiny and I drove back in convoy down the M75 on the empty roads of a sunny bank holiday Saturday, exhausted and dreaming of monster fish, memorable days, squirrley burts, missed runs and grand nights in the Ardbrecknish bar. Stopping at a service station for more coffee we thought seriously of turning round and heading back for more. But a different reality kicks back in and some things will have to wait till next time.

Phil Done and a cracking 14.3lb

Time for a sundowner

Ben Haynes and one from ‘Amsterdam’