SAMY

« Well, Samy, do you think it will be ok for pikes, today?

– I think so! It’s windy exactly as one would like, for us to drift on the shallows, I hope you’ll get a big one! »

We had joined our guide in Super Roger’s fishing shop in Callander.

«You’ll see, you are going to enjoy your afternoon, I wish you the best, dear and take care. »

We already owed Roger quite a lot ; we had come several times a day to James Bayne’s fishing tackle since our arrival and he had indeed urged us to the famous spots where our steamers got gulped down through splashes of water. And as he had warmly advised an outing with his pal Samy (for hardly anything, they must have appreciated how eager we were), we were already looking forward to it, salivating, in fact. Moreover, we had been really salivating, for three or four days, we hadn’t had a bite of food, except disgusting bread, Pringles, coke and as many as fifteen Babybels (tiny cheese) a day in order to take away our appetite as we could, failing to manage enjoying Scottish dishes.[slideshow]Our new friend’s huge 4×4 – besides, Samy was as much impressive and had the typical accent of the Trossachs’ countryside –  had allowed us to cross the forest of Queen Elisabeth’s park to arrive where a fishing-boat was waiting for us on the banks of Loch Achray.

«It looks quite well, doesn’t it? Corentin had asked him, already beginning staring eagerly at the milliard reeds.

– It’s going to be a good day! » he had stated.

A few minutes later, Corentin had an attack. And then the wind had turned at first. Another attack, before dead calm again. After the third one, and spending quite a lot of time checking all the spots, our poor Samy looked quite upset to see the conditions change so quickly and the outcome of our fishing-party become dubious.

«It’s quite strange yet, everything seemed so perfect however, I said.

– Ahhhh… well, how can we know?…The wind is constantly changing, we should drift from a bank to another, but with this small electric motor…And moreover pikes … »

Finally pikes hadn’t shown a gargantuan appetite, to our guide’s deep regret!

But we didn’t care a straw. We had spent a day we would remember for a long time, in a wonderful place, with one of the coolest and most charismatic guy in Scotland who had known to advise us several more times during our stay, about the spots or what to do after a pike had fiercely bitten my hand.

Before leaving Scotland, we came back to our favourite shop. Our two friends hoped to see us the following year. We asked Samy a last question, so as to hear his answer we were so fond of:

«Do you think if we come at the same period and we go for a row on Loch Katrine you spoke about, we can have good opportunities?

– Ahhhhh you know… pikes… That’s quite stange… you know… It depends. There are days… You know… We don’t always understand… »

Don’t forget Roget and Samy if you go to Scotland (you should really go there) and rush to pay them a visit if you if you can stand eating plenty of Babybel, the only hardly eatable food in the village of Callander.