Nature’s power

I had just fished through the first pool when the text landed: “Seventeen shots for one.” I laughed, put the phone away and cast out again into 4ft of the most perfect water

I’ve ever seen.

As the day wore on, my friends who were up on the moor started to shoot a little more sharply. Every one of them had a grouse, but it reportedly wasn’t a masterclass in shooting over setters. It’s an odd thing, we’re often told by those who don’t like us that really this whole thing is just about gaining dominion over wildlife. For someone somewhere it might be, but I’ve always thought that when sport is done right, it’s the other way round. Those grouse proved too good for my pals, too wise, too agile, and gone too soon. I fished long into the afternoon and had nothing to show for it. On that gusty Hebridean day, the salmon and birds we were privileged to spend some time with came out on top.

To me, this has never been about the might of humanity. Instead it’s all about facing our ineptitude when pitting our wits against forms of life that in so many ways are far superior to us.

Patrick Galbraith, Editor

Follow Patrick on Twitter @paddycgalbraith