Unnamed Loch at the base of Suilven

I have only fished this Loch once, in the middle of May this year.

Spring had been almost non existent with snow on the high tops, so I suppose it was slightly optimistic to expect the trout in these higher lochans to respond to the fly. Nonetheless I set off from the Glen Canisp side in fair if somewhat chilly conditions and made the long but scenic trek up to the series of lochans stretching from below bealach leading to the summit of Suilven.

No surface activity was evident. I managed to winkle out half a dozen trout to 3/4 lb from several different lochans, all on a deeply fished GRHE goldhead before the wind died and the sun came out.

By the time I reached the Unnammed Lochan I was beginning to regret the extra layers of clothing necessary at the start of the day. The sky had become cloudless and the surface of the loch was like a mirror. What was most noticeable however was the different character of the loch itself. Unlike the others in the area which were fairly typically steep sided leading to deep water close in, this lochan had relatively shallow margins comprising sandstone slabs for some distance out. I persevered for a while with the deep nymph then tried a dry fly, but nothing could be tempted and I soon called it a day.

A 14 mile walk for a few wee brownies might seem a lot of effort, but the route back out to Inverkirkaig via Loch Fionn and the Falls path was glorious in the late sunshine and a day out in Assynt is never a complete waste of time.