A Spring Salmon from Loch Doine
Callum Marshall at the helm on Loch Voil	Dan Jones with his Spring salmon
"I had a chance to do a little fishing on my first trip to Scotland back in May of 1996. One Sunday afternoon my wife and I were walking down the street in the small Trossachs town of Callander when we came across Baynes Fishing Tackle Shop. I went in and, on a whim, told the proprietor that I would really enjoy a little fishing in Scotland. When I asked if he knew of any fishing guides in the area he made a phone call to Callum Marshall of Craigruie to see if he could arrange an outing on nearby Loch Voil. Callum agreed to meet me at 11am the next day for a half day's boat fishing on the loch. So, that Monday morning I left my wife shopping in Callander while I travelled up to Callum's home at Balquhidder. It was a cold, damp morning - about 50 degrees F - when we started trolling for the salmon that make their way up to the loch via the River Teith, a tributary of the River Forth. Callum was a most interesting person and as we trolled he shared with me a great deal of information about the area's most famous historical figure, Rob Roy. He was also gracious enough to share a few wee drams with me, and as it was fairly cool the "Uisge Beatha" proved quite comforting. Callum had warned me that fishing would be slow and the chances of actually catching something this early in the season for the loch was very slim. I didn't mind though. Just the thrill of fishing in Scotland was a great experience. We made a thorough pass over Loch Voil with not even a tug on the line so we took off our shoes and stepped into the shallow pass that lead into Loch Doine and made a pass. Callum said: "Let's make one more pass and then we'll need to head for the house". As we made our final turn at the very upper end of Loch Doine, he hit. It was a good struggle and Callum was shouting to me not to fight him so hard. He was afraid I was going to lose him. Being a bass fisherman for the most part, it was hard not to try to play him like a bass. After what seemed like eternity - but was really only about 2 minutes - I landed a nice seven pound Atlantic salmon. While he's nothing to brag about in the record books, he was certainly a fine trophy for me and an experience that I will enjoy forever." Dan Jones, President Clan Mackay Society, USA
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