Watch "Destination: Scotland" Full Film on YouTube now!
This is an area completely steeped in fishing tradition. Tweeds, rubber boots, 14 ft Spey rods, and salmon. The salmon stocks have been crashing over the last few decades in the UK, and anglers are starting to expand their focus onto the healthy populations of trout. That said, the traditions are still present.
American Simms Pro- Rick Watson, has started to crack the code on some of these trout waters, bringing clients from all over the world (primarily the US at this point) to experience truly world-class fishing. While the rivers in the Northwest part of Scotland are known as an Atlantic salmon fishery, there are prolific hatches that have sustained a flourishing trout population.
Due to the traditions deployed on all water in Europe, river-based trout fishermen have been constrained to walking the banks. They are left daydreaming what the unreachable runs hold…
With Rick’s western trout experience, he realized that no one was actively fishing down these rivers in rafts. Sure, there were canoes deployed on salmon runs to fish key pieces of water, but no one was deploying western tactics, launching a boat at point A, and taking out at point B.
Through Ricks’ connections and persistence, he has gotten permission to be the first to float down one of these famous Scottish trout rivers and fish while doing so. It will be breaking the traditional mold of European fly fishing. The hope is that with these vessels (NRS rafts), the true potential of these rivers will finally be attainable.
Through the perspective of the local Scottish Ghillies, the story of being the first to float the historic Scottish rivers is going to be one of exploration, undoubted pitfalls, and hopefully, amazing fishing. The hope is that the locals who have been working these rivers will have a newfound appreciation for the waters they’ve been plying for years and get a taste of what a raft on a river can offer. Blanket hatches, streamers on sinking lines, rafts trailered through sheep fields, heavy Scottish accents, new experiences for old-time fishermen - Destination Scotland has it all.
Watch "Destination: Scotland" Full Film on YouTube now!
