Mungo Ingleby
We caught up with Mungo Ingleby on a day’s trout fishing in the Scottish Highlands. Surrounded by the landscape he knows so well, we talked fishing, the countryside and the traditions that continue to shape his life and work.
Welcome to Campbell’s Clientele, a series celebrating the people who inspire us. Friends of the brand who live, work and explore with the same love for craftsmanship, tradition and community that we hold dear. Discover all stories here.
You've spent a lifetime on rivers across the UK and beyond. What first drew you to salmon fishing, and what keeps you returning to the river year after year? you grow up in the Highlands?
I was mesmerised by water, by fish and by fishing from the age of 3. I fished for anything and everything in river, loch and sea, I still do. Salmon, however, are different. When you fish for other species, they are feeding. You work out what on and when, you acquire and apply thenecessary skills (which may take decades), and you catch your fish. Salmon, however, arean enigma, they do not feed in freshwater, and their pursuit is endlessly fascinating.
If you could spend one final day fishing on just one river, which would it be, and what makes that place so special to you?
Rather than pick a river I will pick the conditions. In the last two seasons we have had long spells of low water so give me 2ft of cool water on the gauge and I will be a happy man. In the right conditions Scotland can be as good anywhere.
You've witnessed enormous changes in salmon fishing throughout yourcareer. How do you see the future of wild Atlantic salmon in the UK, and what gives you hope?
Cod, tuna, anchovies, eels, all fish, wherever they swim, are under great pressure. The salmon, with its complex migration is no different and it would be naïve not to be worried about the future. Salmon, however, are remarkable survivors and salmon fisherman are inherently optimistic, and we will do everything we can (if we are allowed) to help. As they say in fishing, it will be better tomorrow.
As both a fisherman and a writer for The Field, you've had a unique perspective on country sports. What do you think people outside the sport often misunderstand about salmon fishing and the people who dedicate their lives to it?
That it is all about catching fish and that you need an unlimited well of patience. I like to catch fish, I like to my clients to catch fish, we catch fish, but success is found in more than catching. There is immense pleasure to be taken in your surroundings, in the speycasting journey, in the rhythms and sounds of water and in the company of fishing friends.
Every angler has one fish they'll never forget. Which catch stands out above all others, and why?
My biggest fish have all come in the autumn, or abroad, but there is something particularly special about early spring fish. They are hard won, bursting with life, and their bright silver is a vivid contrast to the drab palette of winter. In many ways they are the first shoots of spring so I will go with two March 19bers. Caught from the same pool, in different seasons, and both between snow flurries. Perhaps one day there will be an early March 20lber. I will keep trying.
Fishing is as much about the people and places as it is the fish themselves. Which river, lodge or ghillie has left the greatest impression on you over the years?
There are many great ghillies. The very best radiate positivity, particularly in tough conditions, and they can tailor their approach to the guest on the day. Some fishers want guidance on every cast, others to fish in solitude or a 3-hour lunch and it is a great skill to recognise what, over and above their fishing, the client wants from their day or week. A pet hate is fishing huts where you must take your waders off to enter. The vibe, as they say, is wrong.
Your family has long-standing connections with the Highlands, and your mother grew up in Glen Strathfarrar, so Campbell's has always been a familiar name. Having known the shop over the years, what do you think makes places like Campbell's such an important part of Scotland's field sports community, and why do they continue to matter today?
Growing a retail business in a small town in the North of Scotland is an almost impossible task and it would have been incredibly easy, simpler even, for Campbell’s stewardship of estate tweed and highland tailoring to quietly disappear. Instead, John and Nicola embraced this heritage and history, and Campbell's has gone from strength to strength. Campbell's is now a true champion of estate life, and their success has been inspirational to watch and shows so many of us what can be achieved.
You've spent countless days on the river in every kind of weather. What are the few pieces of clothing or kit you simply couldn't fish without?
I am relaxed on kit, so much of it is now excellent, but as salmon fishing is all about confidence you do grow attached to certain combinations that have worked well in the past. I have a cherished and now discontinued intermediate fly line which has given me 3 double figure days in recent years. If I had this, a black fly, an orange fly, a cap and Aggie, my spaniel, mousing on the bank I would be well set. Oh, and scissors. I shudder at the thought of biting nylon!
Every great day on the river deserves a fitting end. Where's your favourite placefor a post-fishing dram or pint, and what are you ordering?
The battered armchairs on the Wester Elchies fishing hut balcony. They look out on the Spey, there are red squirrels, dappled light and in spring drifting snowflakes and it is perfectly quiet. There are few better places to while away an hour or two. As to the refreshment, and only in that hut, I would go for an Aberlour. The distillery is only a mile away.
Finally, after a lifetime spent on some of the finest rivers in the world, what has salmon fishing taught you about patience, nature and life?
It is often said that there are four stages in fishing. When you start you wish for any fish, then the most fish, the biggest fish and finally the best fish. I think, however, that this journey is also the journey of life. Read into that what you will!
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