The roll call of 2021 Macnabs
"We need to do something drastic. Nothing seems to be working,” said Ward Svarvari’s gillie at breakfast after three days of flogging the North Esk river to no avail. “These Atlantic salmon were maddening,” remembers the American, who had made the trip to the Gannochy Estate in Angus from Kansas. “They were constantly jumping, taunting us with their presence, while we flailed our spey rods in vain. It was an extremely humbling experience to the point of hopeless despair. So [our gillie] Ali pulled out the unconventional Red Francis. A dozen casts later into Witch’s Pool and I was in business. As Ali netted the 9lb buck, the first Atlantic salmon I have ever caught, a scream of unbridled exuberance and excitement was unleashed. Unlock the mountains! My Macnab was on.”
After more than a year of lockdowns, there is perhaps nothing more liberating than the prospect of being set free in the Highlands; the more bracing the wind the better. Throw into the mix a quest to complete the Macnab Challenge – bagging a salmon, stag – and the taste of freedom is intoxicating.
