Loch Rannoch Conservation Association

The source of man's unhappiness is his ignorance of Nature. Paul Henry Thiry D'Holdbach Brrrrrrrr....March, I can't say I was sorry to see the back of it. When the Beast from the East came barrelling in, it wasn't just Rannoch that was affected, but the whole of the country. I spent the week answering text and Facebook messages from concerned relatives, asking how we were - very well as it happens, and in fact I think we were better off than those further South. The Caledonian Sleeper pulls into Rannoch Station The fishing Season kicked off with a bit of a whimper, largely due to the weather. The first weekend normally see's a fair few groups of hardy fishermen, keen to get the first catch under their belt, but, with a few exceptions, they were thin on the ground. The fishing season got off to a cold start Although these lads didn't seem to be put off by the weather. Then again, judging by the amount of alcohol going downrange,

“When God was making the months I think February was a mistake, like a burp. There it was, small, dark, and prickly. It had absolutely no redeeming qualities.”  ―  Shannon Wiersbitzky ,  What Flowers Remember Did you know......On rivers with a high level of angling pressure, trout become more able to distinguish between any sort of food item that has a piece of nylon attached and one that hasn’t! The Beast from the East - Special Extended Edition! As I was about to hit enter on the keyboard, and commit the monthly blog to the cybersphere, the so called, "Beast from the East" made an appearance. With such a once in ten year event, it seemed worthwhile to see what this would actually mean. For us around the Loch, frankly, I was wondering what all the fuss was about - we had much heavier snow here around the middle of January, and it didn't even rate a mention in the Courier, let alone the Scottish or National Press. So it was a slightly smug m

“  January brings the snow,  Makes our feet and fingers glow.  " Sara Coleridge, Pretty Lessons in Verse January brings the snow...or if you live in Rannoch, November brings the snow, as does January, February, March and April, and if we're really unlucky, May! At least the shortest day has come and gone, and whilst we don't quite dare to hope that we'll see some signs of Spring, it seems not too far away. Here's a question one enterprising child asked me the other day; "where do Brown Trout go in the Winter"? Everyone is entitled to a break, it’s in the EU Working Time Directive! Of course the simple answer is that they're still out there. Proof, if it was needed, was in the form of a large group of fish all rising to take flies off the surface of the Loch, just before Christmas, when the snow disappeared and temperatures leapt to a positively Mediterranean 9 degrees, (oh fickle Rannoch weather, with your two foot of

“I heard a bird sing in the dark of December. A magical thing. And sweet to remember. We are nearer to Spring than we were in September. I heard a bird sing in the dark of December.”   -  Oliver Herford Winter gets it grip on Rannoch Rannoch always manages to attract the hardiest of fishermen, even in the depths of winter. Pike fishing is extremely popular at this time of year. However since the early part of November our banksides have seen little or no activity, I wonder what the Christmas period will bring? As this goes to publication, winter has well and truly got its claws into the local area. After a fairly quiet start, this week has seen 5-8 cms of snow which has given a good covering to the countryside, which makes it a joy to photograph, but somewhat hazardous to navigate. I expect it will be all gone before the Christmas period starts in earnest. Why All The Fuss ? Or more importantly, "Why all the fuss about Waxwings"?  RS