Slippery character

I have just returned from a fishing trip to Soval estate on the Isle of Lewis. This year, we visited with a group of largely novice rods who did not have any of their own equipment. After rooting round my large fishing cupboard we were still a couple of rods and reels short. Thankfully, my brother, who was not joining us, lent us two of his.

On a day trip to Loch Langavat, headkeeper Michael Mackenzie took a team of novice rods with one of my brother’s borrowed rigs. Mandy, whose first day’s fishing it was, quickly hooked a particularly energetic salmon – as is often the case when fishing with Michael. The fish stripped out all of the line on the reel and as the line passed to the backing, the knot that attaches the line and backing came loose. To the horror of the group the salmon escaped, together with fly and line.

Passing back through the bay, one of the team saw the line and leaned overboard to collect it. To his amazement, the salmon was still attached and he hand lined the fish into the boat.

With Mandy’s first-ever salmon landed – and in such a dramatic fashion – we felt it appropriate to record the scene. As Mandy held the salmon it wriggled and she let out a loud shriek. It leapt out of her hands and back into the loch.

I wonder if any of your readers have a more bizarre fishing story than this one.

Tom Adams, by email