Thomson answers the call of the isles as he heads west for Harris - Nigel Duncan
Fraser Thomson, owner of Pottishaw Trout Fishery near Whitburn, had a haircut recently, a move sparked by a decision to become a ghillie for two months at an exclusive estate in the Outer Hebrides on the West Coast of Scotland.
He’s fulfilling a dream and it’s an opportunity to add another notch on his extensive CV. It is also a big wrench as he has spent 23 years nurturing Pottishaw and has not been away from the popular fishery for more than six days during that time.
So his Nissan Micra will be rammed to the rafters with equipment and ready to roll to Harris and the five-star Amhuinnsuidhe Castle Estate, where he will work six days a week from June 17.
The imposing Victorian castle, designed by architect David Bryce and built in 1865 for Charles Murray, the 7th Earl of Dunmore – whose mother, Lady Catherine, encouraged the then-fledgling Harris tweed industry – is home to important works of art and antiques and is situated on the road to Hushinish, with uninterrupted views over Loch Leosavay to the island of Taransay and the white sandy beaches of South Harris.
Guests can walk down to the shore and follow a pathway to the sea pool and waterfall, which is said to be an excellent spot to watch salmon and sea trout, and the fishing is claimed to be “unsurpassed”.
Thomson will spend his eight weeks tutoring guests in freshwater loch and river systems in remote surroundings, with locations accessible by vehicle and foot.
Most of the fishing is done Hebridean-style from a boat, and traditional loch-style fishing is offered for up to ten to 12 rods from the nine estate boats.
Thomson will be one of five resident ghillies, and he arrives as the sea trout start to run, with salmon a week or two later, and weights are comparable with those found in similar waters in Scotland and Ireland. Sea trout average 2lb and salmon average 5lb.
Sea fishing is also available for those staying at the estate and Thomson has done his homework on specific fly patterns that will be needed, enlisting the skills of friends who have been busy in recent weeks building a stock, including of big muddler and wet flies.
Thomson is an experienced salmon and trout angler with a thorough knowledge of the sport. He fishes anywhere there is water from the Dee to the Tay, to Dumfries and Galloway and to Fort William and he said: “I have basically dedicated my life to fishing and this [becoming a ghillie] has been a dream of mine since I was a wee boy. I’m buzzing.”
The chance has come during what Thomson described as a “tough” season and he added: “It is hard to keep grinding it out.”
Pottishaw will continue to be open seven days thanks to Thomson’s hand-picked team of Jack McCaig, Neil Andrew Coutts Irvine and his mum, Rae, and he travels north with the blessing of his partner, Leigh Vanderstay.
He said: “Being a ghillie for two months is basically what I do here [at Pottishaw] at a slightly different location, but I have never been away from the fishery for more than six days and I think I need a new challenge.
“It is very easy to become stagnant and this season has been incredibly tough. The weather has been against us, it has turned into a wee bit of a grind, and, when I come back, hopefully I will have some new ideas for Pottishaw.”
Thomson admitted he has never been further west than Forth William previously. Also, he only passed his driving test 14 months ago and has never been behind the wheel for a journey further than Blairgowrie in Perthshire.
However, once he arrives, he will welcome people from all over the world and he expects to guide some newcomers to the sport, including wives whose husbands go shooting. He added: “I want to give everybody the best experience possible and it is important to project fishing in the right light.” The football World Cup will be on while he is away but he said: “My plan is to fish, work, rest, repeat, and experience the lifestyle. There are four lochs and two rivers I will concentrate on, but there are a number of wee lochs on the estate.
“Overall, this is part of my CV jigsaw which is missing. I have pretty much everything else, and fishing on a big estate is really the only thing left to experience as I have a degree in aquaculture and have worked [in retail] in Country Life [in Edinburgh] before starting Pottishaw in 2003.”
Traditional dress is worn on the 50,000 acres of glorious, craggy wilderness, a far cry from Fraser’s home in Livingston, but he stressed that nothing changes at Pottishaw where fishing has been “stop-start” this season.
When it has been good it has been, in Thomson’s words, “amazing”, but he added: “When it has been bad, it is absolutely terrible.” He is, however, re-stocking with genuine steelhead fish, specimens Thomson described as “beautiful”.