For many, myself included, this is what fishing in Assynt is really all about. Heading off into the wilderness to explore and connect with the magnificent surroundings and tend to the fire of your inner self. It epitomises why so many, not only the fly fishers, become so deeply entwined with this special place. This is scenery to become absorbed into, to see, to feel, to sense and to fully appreciate it, you need to remove yourself for everything else. It is easy to do that here.

Fishing provides a wonderful ‘excuse’ to explore every square kilometre of the parish and often I still feel as if I am the first human to set foot on the rocky, remote shores of a beautiful small lochan. It matters not one bit that this is not the case, indeed I often encounter this feeling when sitting quietly beside one of my favourite lochs, in the full knowledge that I have crouched in that exact same spot so many times before… But this feels like the first time!

For a full day’s fishing on some of the lochs further away from Lochinver, such as Veyatie or Cam Loch at Elphin, it might be worth considering booking an Extended Day as this will maximise our fishing time. These big lochs deserve a decent amount of exploring and I can never stop that gut-wrenching feeling that accompanies heading back down those lochs at the end of the day… It always feels like I should be motoring in the opposite direction!