At the age of 74 I’ve acquired a new skill – dapping for trout

While most of you have been following Euro 2020, I’ve found the perfect way to forget Covid, Matt Hancock and all the rubbish that’s been clogging up my head. A quiet, peaceful hobby that requires total concentration, a steady hand and 100 per cent focus.

I’ve been perfecting my dapping skills on the beautiful Scottish island of Harris. Dapping is a traditional way of fishing with a sixteen-foot pole or collapsible rod. It involves enticing fish by touching the fly on the surface of the water or bouncing it along on top mimicking a real fly – not easy in windy weather.

Last year, I learned how to catch loch trout this way from a small boat on a remote loch in Sutherland. The sheer joy of seeing fish leaping from the water repeatedly to take the fly beats any football match, well for me at any rate.

This time, my route to Harris took me through the beautiful Scottish Borders – great walking, although I got lost trying to find the Selkirk Brethren. Not a bunch of religious zealots, but three hilltop cairns marking the boundaries of neighbouring estates.

Then a ferry from Ullapool, followed by an hour on the road and then almost an hour’s four-wheel drive down a scary rocky track to a remote lodge. Finally, an hours' walk over rough ground to a tranquil loch and a small dinghy.

I sat mesmerised on the water, trying to wield a pole in a slight wind, weaving seductive patterns with a tiny fly two inches above the surface. And then – result!

I landed 25 lovely brown loch trout over a couple of days – putting back 21 and eating four. Plus, I saw a golden eagle!

I’m hooked on dapping and planning to try it on the river next.