Outlander star Sam Heughan has been described as a “natural talent” after taking up fly fishing in Aberdeenshire.
The Dumfries-born actor was staying with a friend at Avochie Estate in near Huntly when he called on a local company to show him the ropes of casting.
As part of his rod casting lessons, he spent an afternoon on the River Deveron learning how to fly fish for salmon and trout with expert William Peake.
In an Instagram post, the 44-year-old actor said: “Huge thank you @river_deveron !
“Lucky to enjoy the beauty of @avochie.estate and the Scottish weather.”
Joking: “Fish love the rain?”.
He then thanked the Aberdeenshire company for their help.
He said: “Huge thank you to @twinpeakesflyfishing for your tuition, guidance and patience!”
‘An absolutely lovely guy’
Sam was fishing on the River Deveron inside the Avochie Estate, and area known for its fine salmon and trout fishing.
William Peake, who runs Twin Peakes Fly Fishing, said: “He was an absolutely lovely guy.
“He had fished with maggots as a child.
“Sam always wanted to give fly fishing a go.
“He was staying at one of the beautiful cottages at Avochie with a friend, and got in touch with us.
“It was just for an afternoon but he showed real talent. We fished for salmon and then moved on to trout.
“He managed to pick up fly fishing very quickly. He was good and a bit of a natural.”
Twin Peakes Fly Fishing is run by brothers Alastair and William Peake.
William has been guiding people to fish in Scotland and over the world for 15 years
He describes himself as “extremely passionate” about every aspect of fly fishing, something he enjoys sharing with other anglers.
He is a “certified casting instructor” and can be found giving casting lessons at the company’s fly fishing school.
Sam Heughan shot to stardom as Jamie Fraser in the hit TV series Outlander.
Peterhead actor Peter Mullan has been cast to star in the show’s prequel.