Osprey Hide in the making

speyghillie · #51 (**permalink**) 16-02-2012, 07:07 PM

Hi Martin,
It keeps me out of trouble,

it may seem strange but i would rather be digging holes in the ground than working indoors, tried that once.
I will be letting the hide out when i make sure its all working fine, its very early days and i will keep everybody posted as to how its going, if not well i got a hide to sleep in, if it all works out, and i am sure it will i will let it out for early morning guided sessions, and and it will be alot cheaper.
Early days yet, and i have lots still to do, perch going in the water tomorrow, Ospreys like to sit on a perch set in the water, with no small branches to bother their wings for take off and landing.
Thanks All
Gordon.

Jim Ford · #52 (**permalink**) 16-02-2012, 07:45 PM

Sounds like you'll be putting Rothiemurchus out of business this year!

Jim

speyghillie · #53 (**permalink**) 16-02-2012, 08:09 PM

Hi Jim,
No chance of that, in fact i am heading up to see my old boss (the Laird at Rothiemurchus) next week, .........it will be good for people to have a choice. Rothiemurchus is very well set up and if they get the right size and numbers of fish all will be good again, but if you ask anybody that has ever been there it really needs Keith to run the show,without him it is nothing... and they have tried.
For me its very early days, but i watched the ospreys all last summer very early in the morning........ to watch and learn.
Thanks Gordon.

Jim Ford · #54 (**permalink**) 16-02-2012, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speyghillie

Hi Jim,
No chance of that, in fact i am heading up to see my old boss (the Laird at Rothiemurchus) next week,

That'll be The Grant then. I'd rather see the money go into your pocket than a clan chief's, after their ancestors' involvement with the clearances (though I'm not sure how much the Grants were implicated.)

Jim

FUDGEY · #55 (**permalink**) 17-02-2012, 06:15 AM

It sounds like some project and i can just tell from this thread that it will be a huge success. Im not sure how you are going to go about it and im not trying to teach my granny to suck eggs here, but dont go to cheap mate. I made that mistake at my hide and to be honest the cheap prices attracted the wrong kind of people a lot of the time. It sounds harsh, but the more you charge the better the clientel you attract. I was only charging £20 a day and I was getting people that had no respect for my hide, my set up and worst of all the wildlife. I now charge £75 a day and despite the bookings dropping I am much happier. Dont undercut yourself Gordon, you have worked bloody hard for this and you deserve everything you get from it. Digging your own Loch??? That is truly remarkable. Hopefully I will make a visit one sometime as I love it up North. I wish you the best of luck, but some how I dont think you will need it mate.

DOXHOPE · #56 (**permalink**) 17-02-2012, 09:06 AM

Toatally agree with the above Gordon, and the prices you have quoted me are in line with this, and also taking into consdieration that there is still an established similar operating opsrey hide very close..
Look forward to hearing great news from March onwards, and certainly look forward to meeting both you and Keith when I come up..Camera primed and ready, and the lads are so looking forward to fishing on the river of Kings..

welshcameraman · #57 (**permalink**) 17-02-2012, 12:53 PM

Yea, pricing is a bit hit and miss at the start I suspect. Too high and nobody comes, to low you get the idiots...As long as you give value for money though, I reckon you will make a profit, which at the end of the day it's what you have to do.

I am looking forward to my trip to Scotland and will definitely be following this thread to see how it goes. All being well Gordon, I will be paying you a visit in May whatever.

Martin

speyghillie · #58 (**permalink**) 17-02-2012, 09:59 PM

Hi All,
Jim.
The Grant Lairds have been a strange bunch to say the least, but i get on fine with the present one, he knows a pound is a pound, after 16 yrs i left to do other work for a couple of months because there was not much work on the estate and when i went back he paid me 50p an hour less. and i guess thats why he is worth millions.
I understand this is a new project and it is very early days but i can tell everyone i won't be getting up out of bed at 4am for £20, i have a long enough day as it is, i would rather just have the hide for myself and friends.
I know the set up at Rothiemurchus very well (i helped build the hides) and i know they charged £125.00 per person.
I am also going to build a hide further back for people to come watch the early morning ospreys, so i will have a couple of options.
I hope all will work out but lets see, the lochan is right beside a kids play area so i only have the birds early morning, and most of their fishing is 5am til 8am which it the same everywhere.
Anyway i will keep everybody posted and be honest with how its going when the birds come back.
Thanks Gordon.

speyghillie · #59 (**permalink**) 20-02-2012, 06:57 PM

Hi All,
Just a quick update on the hide, all is going well apart from a couple of days of bad weather, we had a few days of snow but thankfully it went as quick as it came.
No hide work yesterday, but did manage to wrestle a big tree into the Lochan and get it upright, it was the one i had the un-ringed male sit on last summer in the early mornings, tomorrow i will make it secure so its better than before.
Hopefully he will be back and sitting on it next month.
I had to wade out into the Lochan....... but had to break all the ice before i could wrestle with the big birch tree, kinda like dancing though the ice.
Thanks All.
Gordon.