At the age of 74 I’ve acquired a new skill – dapping for trout

While most have been concentrating on Euro 2020, I’ve found the perfect way to get my mind off Covid-19, writes Janet Street-Porter

Some of the fish Janet caught (Janet Street-Porter)

While most of you have been following Euro 2020, I’ve found the perfect way to forget Covid, Matt Hancock and all the rubbish that’s been clogging up my head. A quiet, peaceful hobby that requires total concentration, a steady hand and 100 per cent focus.

I’ve been perfecting my dapping skills on the beautiful Scottish island of Harris. Dapping is a traditional way of fishing with a sixteen-foot pole or collapsible rod. It involves enticing fish by touching the fly on the surface of the water or bouncing it along on top mimicking a real fly – not easy in windy weather.

Last year, I learned how to catch loch trout this way from a small boat on a remote loch in Sutherland. The sheer joy of seeing fish leaping from the water repeatedly to take the fly beats any football match, well for me at any rate.