SpinFish Fishing Finder for places where you can fish for native brown trout in the wild rivers and lochs of Scotland. Find information about hundreds of trout fishing locations and day ticket waters or where you can fly fish, spin or bait fish or hire a boat
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Contents
Wild Brown Trout in Rivers, Lochs and Reservoirs
Northern Ireland
SpinFish Wildlife Photo Gallery
Go Fishing with Charlie Whelan
Salmon and Sea Trout Season Dates UK & Ireland
Articles:
Strict Controls on Salmon Fishing in Ireland See Rivers Closed for Fishing
Scottish Record Rod Caught Freshwater Fish
Weird Creatures Discovered in Scottish Loch
Deveron Days and Spey Day Tickets
Useful Fishing Facts to Know Before You Start to Fish in the UK.
Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Bill, the bill will soon be law, but does it do enough to address the issues of fish farming and Gs?
SANA Annual General Meeting, The SANA AGM was held on the 11th March 2007, presenting those in attendance with some ominous news.
Six Flies For the Highlands The only flies you need for fishing in the Highlands, they make a deadly combination
What to do When a Salmon Takes the Fly Part 1
What to do When a Salmon Takes the Fly Part 2
Cormorant, Why do Fisheries Have to Put up With Them?
Scottish Fisheries Board Salmon Catch Statistics, 1955 - 2004
Book Reviews
Angling News:
The Gyrodactylus salaris Threat
Go on, Go on, Go on, The Irish Drift Nets are Gone!
Features:
The Berwick Angling Association Beat on the Whiteadder at Allanton.
SANA, Scottish Anglers National Association
Fishing Reports:
Angling Rambles:
When Everything Goes Tickityboo!
Click a title below to go to a featured item or click Back Issues to go to the full list.
The Autumn Run on the Dulnain, Autumn 2003.
Catch and Release, Don't Play with your Food!
Fishing Finder The Directory of Where to Fish for Wild Brown Trout
Please note: the information displayed is gathered from a number of sources to save you time browsing the net, the information and prices are indicative of what was available when we searched for data. Please confirm details with the fishery before booking as Spinfish does not accept any liability for variations and changes to terms and conditions relating to any fishery listed.
Lochs
Orkney | Perthshire | Renfrewshire | Ross-shire | Shetland | South Uist | Stirlingshire | Sutherland | Uig | West Lothian
A to H; Aberdeenshire to Fife: I to N: Islay to Nairnshire: O to Z: Orkney to West Lothian
For essential background information about fishing in Scotland, England Ireland and Wales click HERE
Excellent trout fishing on a number of lochs, boat and bank fishing available. These are quality wild brown trout. I could list the information for you here but the Orkney Fly Angling Association have a first class web site with everything you would want to know about the fishing. Permits for this quality angling experience are £20 for a visitor membership! Log on to www.orkneytroutfishing.co.uk to see what I mean, I'm moving home.
Butterstone Loch
near Dunkeld is an exceptionally picturesque fishery with so much
wild life to enjoy even if you were not fishing.
Stocked with rainbows, blues and its own brown trout the fish average about two
and a half pounds with double figure browns, blues and rainbows
taken. Boats cost £23 for one person (oap £15); £38 for two rods
(£24 oap); £50 for three rods (oap £36) for day sessions 9am until 5pm
with a 6 fish limit. There is a wheelyboat at Butterstone.
Butterstone has 1 Wheelie Boat. Contact Adrian
Haldane on 01350 724238 or on his mobile 07710 771715.
Loch A Mhuilin, in Glenquaich, wild brown trout fishing on a secluded hill loch with one boat. Permits cost £32 per day for two rods. Call 01738 451600.
Loch Ba offers free fishing for wild brown trout in spectacular surroundings. Located on the A82 just a few miles south of Glencoe, Ba is part of a group of lochs that straddle the road with Ba to the west of the road and Lochan na Stainge and Lochan na Ashlaise to the west. The trout are not big on average but they are plentiful, take well and fight hard. You can fly fish, spin or use bait, traditional fly patterns do well including black pennel, Greenwells, March brown, iron blue dun and olives or anything that looks like a sedge, heather moth or daddy when in season.
Loch Bhac a Pitlochry AC water 6 miles from Pitlochry holding brown trout and rainbows, fishing is fly only. Boat and bank fishing available 6 fish limit per boat or 3 fish bank, minimum size limit 10". Permits cost £7.50 bank and £20 per day for a boat. Permits from the Tourist Information Office in Pitlochry, call 01796 472215.
Loch Earn, there are brown trout and ferox to an excellent standard and a few escapee rainbows that have reconditioned and grown on to as much as 10lbs plus in this beautiful and productive loch. At 6.5 miles long, up to a mile wide and 287 feet at its deepest it is formidable but as with most big lochs the fish are in close to the shore. If you are more than 30 yards out in a boat you are wasting your time. The fish feed in the shallows and along the drop off into deeper water, match your drift to the terrain, low flat shores mean more extensive shallows, steep banks mean the drop off could be just a few yard off shore. Cast close to the shore especially in the evening when you will see fish moving in inches of water. Traditional flies are all you need, see my six for the Highlands at http://www.spinfish.co.uk/asixforthehighlands.html plus Kate Mclaren, gosling, Invicta and mini Muddlers are also recommended fished on a floating or intermediate line after April. Drummond Estate has been stocking the loch since the early 1990s with terrific results. Last year they put in 10,000 fish of 12ozs to 4lbs and fish in the 3 to 5lb category are fairly common, the average is about a pound. The record stands at 26lbs 10ozs caught in 2005 by Archie Somerville. Permits are £8 per day, £20 per week with reductions for juniors, boats are 15 foot long with 4hp outboards and cost £21 for 4 hours to £13 for 8 hours, contact Drummond Estate, 01567 830400.
Fingask
Loch a small loch
on the Lunan Burn a mile from Blairgowrie offers fishing with good
access for disabled persons, a wheelyboat is available. Call 01250
875402.
Loch Ericht, wild brown trout, ferox and char, permits from the Loch Ericht Hotel. call 01528 522257 or from the Mains Hotel, call 01540 673206.
Loch Faskally,
formed when the
river Tummel was dammed for a Hydro Electric scheme Faskally has a
good head of trout as well as pike and perch. 5,500 salmon pass
through the fish pass each year and most fish taken on the loch are
taken by trawling. Pitlochry Boating Station, Clunie Bridge Road has
17 boats for hire on the loch, call 01796 472919. There are stock
brown trout in the loch to 3 to 4lbs with some specimens up to 8lb.
Loch Freuchie, wild brown trout fishing on this shallow loch. Permits from the Amulree Country Hotel, call 01350 725218.
Loch Kinardochy near Tummel Bridge. An other Pitlochry AC water holding brown trout fishing is fly only. Bank fishing only, 10 fish limit per boat, minimum size limit 10". £15 per day for a boat. Permits from the Tourist Information Office in Pitlochry, call 01796 472215.
Loch Laidon, brown trout and ferox on this large wild loch out on Rannoch Moor, permits from the Rannoch Station Hotel, have a look at the mounted fish in the bar. Laidon is renowned for the quality of the trout fishing in the wild. The B846 road ends at Rannoch Station, from there you walk across the railway line and down a track to the loch, there are 5 miles of loch ahead to explore, fishing the west bank you will be lucky (or unlucky) to you meet anyone at all. The next stop at the other end of Loch Laidon is Loch Ba and Glencoe. For permits and information call 01882 633238.
Loch Lubnaig, salmon, brown trout, char, pike and perch. Permits from James Bayne Fishing Tackle, 76, Main St, Callander, FK17 8BD, call 01877 330218.
Loch Rannoch, wild brown trout, ferox, char with the occasional salmon on this large deep loch. Bank fishing can be very rewarding, but keep moving this is a big loch and you have to look for fish they won't come to you. Study the shore line it will tell you how the the underwater terrain will be, I prefer the shallow bays where there is an in flow stream of which there are many. Look for ridges, submerge rocks and the 'drop off' into deep water which is often quite a distinct point going from a couple of feet to deep in the space of a step or two - so watch out when wading. Boat fishing can be fantastic, my favourite area being towards the top end of the loch in the area that was flooded when the Hydro scheme was developed. Drifting around the little island over sandy shallows can be very good, I hooked and lost a terrific fish here and it still hurts when I think about it now. I was also smashed by a fish, my rod tip being hammered into the water, in the bay just round from the point where the burn runs into the loch just west of Finnart ( I think the turn was called Tigh na Begrh, the spelling is wrong but you will find it on an OS map) . One great drift is about 200 yards out from the row of cottages at Killchonan. I have had some great bags of fish from here. Boat and bank fishing available, contact Dunalastair Hotel, Kinloch Rannoch, 01882 632323.
Loch Tay, brown trout fishing, and nowadays escapee rainbows of enormous proportions. Loch Tay offers both bank and boat fishing, float tubing is done with great caution as this is a large loch, 14 miles long, where the weather can change so quickly.
Ardeonaig Hotel, 3 boats with outboards, call 01567 820400.
East Loch Angling Association control a sizeable part of the bank fishing for trout, salmon fishing is in the hands of riparian owners. Boats hire the Loch Tay Boating Centre includes a permit to fish for trout.
Kenmore, brown trout bank permits for the loch, £5 from Kenmore Post Office, call 01887 830765.
Killin, brown trout bank permits for the loch, £5 from News First, call 01567 820363
Loch Tay Lodge, boat and bank permits. Boat £25 per day, bank £5. Call J Duncan Millar on 01887 830209.
Loch Tay Highland Lodges offers boat hire including fishing permit at £30 per day. Call 01567 820323.
Loch Venacher, has a good population of wild brown trout which is supplemented with a policy of stocking every year with pre-yearlings and some fish up to 2.5lbs. The average is about 1.25lbs with the best fish recently coming in at 4lbs 2ozs. Venacher supports a good mayfly hatch in June and a generally good fly life which makes for very good fly fishing. Fishing is from boat and bank, there are 30 recently refurbished boats with outboards for hire at £25 per 9.30 to 5.30 session Mon to Fri and £29 on Saturday and Sunday. Bank tickets cost £8 and £10 with concessions and junior (under 18s) reductions available. Permits from Trossachs Leisure, call 01877 330011.
Loch Voil, salmon, brown trout, char, contact Catriona Oldham, Muirlaggan Farm, Balquhider, Scotland, FK19 8PB, call 384219.
Ardgowan Trout Loch on the moors above Greenock this 37 acres water offers boat and bank fishing with fly, spinner or bait for rainbows up to 20lbs, wild brown trout and brook trout. There are 6 boats and float tubes available inclusive in the ticket price, boat fishing is fly only. Permits for 2007 cost £25 for 10 hours, 7 fish or £20 for five fish, C & R £10. There are reductions for seniors and parent and children. Call 01475 522492.
Howwood Trout Fishery, a natural loch where the depth varies between 8 to 16 feet. Bank and boat fishing, three boats available, for rainbows stocked at between 2 to 6 lbs. Contact Howwood Trout Fishing, Howwood, Johnstone, Renfrewshire, PA9 1DG. 01505 702688.
Achiltibuie, 3 fly only hill lochs permits from the Summer Isle Hotel, call 01854 622282 for availability as these these lochs are used by hotel guest. Lochan Fada, brown trout average 3/4lb; Lochan Ballach, brown trout; Leacach, a crystal clear loch with brown trout.
Gairloch Angling Club have an enviable amount of fishing for brown trout on 22 lochs and for salmon and sea trout on the river Kerry. A'Gharbh-Doire Loch, Loch Fuer, Lochan nam Breac, Loch Coire na-h-Airig, Boor Loch, Loch na Lairige, Airig Mhic Craiadh Loch, Loch Airig a Phiull, Loch a'Mhuilinn, Loch an t-Sabhailmhoine. Loch Clair, Bad an Sgalaig Loch (holds some big fish), Duhb Loch, Loch am Fuer-Loch, Lochan a Chlierich, Garbhaigh Loch (Talladale), Nam Buainichean Loch, Loch Doire na h-Airighe, Loch Feithe Mugaig, Sgoud Loch (sea trout in July), Tollaidh Loch (has some big fish), Loch Laraig. Should keep you busy for a week or two. The Kerry is a summer spate river with sea trout and grilse. Contact Mrs Mackenzie, 4 Strath, Gairloch, Ross-shire, IV21 2BX. Permits are available from local shops.
Stoneyfield Loch Trout Fishery, 3 lochs totalling 5 acres, two fly only one bait and fly stocked daily with rainbows of about 1.5lbs plus some double figure fish, there are some wild brown trout too. Fishery record for rainbows is 15lb 8ozs and 8lbs 2ozs for brown trout. The fishery is open from 9am to 10pm tickets cost £22 for 4 fish for a full day +C & R or £11 for a sporting ticket. Stoneyfield House, Newmore, Invergordon, IV18 0PG. Call 01349 852632.
Tarvie Loch Trout Fishery, Inchdrean, Tarvie, Strathpeffer. IV 14 9EJ, call 01997 421250.
The Gorm Lochs a group of hill lochs near Gairloch are worth a visit for the quality and quantity of the wild trout, bags of 100 fish have been taken averaging half to three quarters of a pound and up to 2lbs. Good hatches of olives in the summer bring the fish to the top. Take plenty of Skin So Soft, the midges can be very bad. Permits from Les Lamb, the Anchorage, Pier Rd, Garloch, has permits for Loch na h'Oidche as well.
Shetland Angling Association has has access to fishing on the island with boats on the most popular lochs fishing for brown trout and sea trout. Shetland has a reputation for producing some very good quality trout in its over 300 lochs. Club membership is £20 per year with a further cost of £20 per year for the use of boats. Visitor tickets are available. Permits from Shetland Island Tourism or Rod and Line tackle shop in Lerwick or from the Association club room open Tuesdays and Thursday at 9 Burns Lane, Lerwick. Contact alec@troutfishing.shetland.co.uk
Loch Achray run by the Loch Achray conservation Association the loch sits between Loch Katrine and Loch Venacher and offers quality brown trout fish from boats only, fishing is fly only. Call 0850 58869 to book a boat.
Loch Coulter near Denny, bank and boat fishing. Boats cost £30 per day for two rods, £10 per day for bank from Topps Farm, Fintry call 01324 822471.
Loch Drunkie (Lochan Reoidhte) good, plentiful free taking brown trout on both lochs, call Forest Enterprises, Aberfoyle on)1877 382383.
Loch Katrine, brown trout fishing in pristine waters. Built in 1859 to supply water to the City of Glasgow Loch Katrine has been keep pure ever since ensuring that a day on the loch is a complete and cleansing experience. Fishing is by boat only and electric outboards are now allowed, blessing as this loch is 8 miles long and getting back to Stronaclachar from the Trossachs pier end in a westerly wind is back breaking (point to note when fishing any of the big Scottish lochs without the benefit of a motor). The fish come in a variety of colours dependent on the loch bottom so they can range from brown to gold to greenish, silvery or spotted. Averaging three quarters to 1.5lbs they aren't the biggest trout but they are rated highly as fighter. Best drifts are at Glengoyle although it tends to weed up in the summer, but weed indicates good feeding and good feeding produces good fish. From the point on the bay at Portnellen to the Highlanders Grave Yard is an other good drift. Hangmans Tree has some deep water of the rock face which can produce some bigger fish and Ferry Bay is good. Where the burn runs in at Glasahoile their is grassy bottom which produces stikingly coloured fish. To the west nearer the boat pier is Heather bay and Royal Cottage, worth a cast. Best flies are reconed to be traditionals like greenwells, black zulu, Alexandra, Kate Mclaren and grouse and claret. Boats from Stronaclachar Pier, call 07976 729805 or 01786 841692 in the evening. As a guide boats are about £20 plus £10 for the outboard and take three anglers.
Lake of Menteith,
In the Trossachs, fishing on this Scottish lakes is
so highly regarded that it a venue for major international fly
fishing competitions hosting over 30 competitions each year. Less
than an hour from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Perth this 700 acre fishery
is a challenge to fish but all thirty boats have outboard motors so
getting about shouldn’t be too exhausting. Interestingly, when you
reach your session bag limit you can fish on catch and release and
can keep any fish taken weighing over 5lbs. A Wheelyboat is
available for disabled anglers.
Call 01877 385664 for bookings or
Email
enquiries@menteith-fishings.co.uk
Loch Voil brown trout and some salmon late in the year permits from James Payne, Callander call 01877 330218.
South Uist Estate Brown trout in the limestone machair lochs up to 5lbs permit for a boat (£35, 2 rods), Contact John Kennedy, Crois ab Ruthaid, Bornish, South Uist, Western Isles, Scotland. Call 01878 710366.
For a feature article about traditional fly patterns to use in the Highlands click HERE
Assynt Angling Group, the
Assynt Angling Club and 8 local landowner have joined together to
offer access to 150 lochs in the area including 20 with boats. The
fishing is for wild brown trout and ferox with 5
lochs offering salmon and sea trout fishing. Trout average 6 to 12
ounces with a few fish over the 4lb mark taken every year. This is
fishing in the raw, no stockies. Permits from a number of sources in
the area cost from £5 per day with no extra charge for the salmon
and sea trout fishing. For more information log on to
www.assyntangling.co.uk
Durness Limestone Lochs, this area rightfully has a famous name in the trout angling world. A geological gem from the angling perspective resulted in a large area of limestone being exposed around Durness, consequently the waters around the area are alkaline, a rich and fertile environment where trout grow fit and large in the gin clear waters as nature planned for them . The record stands at 14.5 lbs and 2 to 4 lb fish are a regular occurrence, not one of them has seen a feed pellet. Croispol is the most prolific having on average the smaller (about 1LB), fish while Lanlish is dour but produces the very large fish. Contacts; Cape Wrath Hotel has fishing on Borrelaidh (Borallie), Caladail, Croispol and Lanlish, call 01971 511212; Durness and Kinochbervie AC have a boat on Croispol, permits from the oasis camp Site, Durness, call 01971 511222.
Lochs Craggie, Dola and Tigh na Creige, wild brown trout fishing on hill lochs near Lairg. It is 20 odd years since I last fished these cracking good lochs. My last visit was a memorable hour on Dola when the trout came on to medium olives giving me 5 trout of 1.25 to 1.5lbs in prime condition to a dry olive, an unforgetable lucky break. Tigh na Creige at that time was full of tidlers but I believe that has changed and Craggie has always been excellent. Park House Sporting, Station Road, Lairg, IV27 4EH, call 01549 402208.
Loch Doilet, brown trout on a bonny we loch near Strontain, permits from the Strontain PO.
Loch Duinte, Bettyhill AC have fishing for wild and stocked brown trout, one boat available, permits from The Store, Bettyhill, call 01641 521207.
Loch Eilt, brown trout with some sea trout, boat only, call Colin Clarke on 01687 470327.
Loch Horn near Golspie offers fishing by boat and off the bank for brown trout. Permits from Lindsay and Co hardware store in Golspie, call 01408 633212.
Loch Loyal a large loch, at 4 miles long and half a mile wide and up to 200 feet deep on A 836 near Tongue. Generous stocks of wild brown trout. Permits from the Ben Loyal Gotel, Altnaharra Hotel and Borgie Lodge Hotel.
Loch Migdale Trout Fishing, wild trout fishing in a beautiful setting near Bonar Bridge. Average size 3/4lb with fish to 4lbs taken and the occasional salmon. Mayfly in July with generally good fly life. Contact 01863 766242, boat, bank and float tube.
Moidart Hill Lochs, 30 loch holding good trout, fished Loch nam Paitean twenty years ago, getting there now would kill me, but the view is sensational! Call Kinlochmoidart House on 0196 7431609.
Loch Muidhe is the main loch of 4 controlled by Rogart AA. The lochs are Loch Muidhe which has wild and stocked brown trout ranging from half to 1.5lbs; Loch na Cinnemhuin; Lochan Preas nan Sgaithenach; Loch Salachaidh. Loch Muidhe fishes best in a south or westerly breeze with traditional highland flies and can give good dry fly fishing in the summer. Permits from the Post Office/ Store in Rogart, call 01408 641200.
Loch Sheil, boat only for salmon and sea trout and brown trout, contact Ian on 07900 387150 for guided fishing on this very large loch (£55 per day, £30 per half day, equipment included) or the Glenfinnan Hotel has a boat free of charge to guests, call 01397 722235. Boats from D MacAuley, Dailea Farm, Acharacle call 01967 431253 or Mrs Dunan, Langal Farm call 01769 431229. An outboards is essential as Sheil is a very big loch, try the dap if there is a breeze, oh and have tonnes of Avon Skin So Soft because the midges are awful.
For guided fishing on lochs Morar, Sheil, Arkaig and Lochy call Billy Neil on 01397 712476 mob 017917529341.
Loch
Shin,
Lairg Angling Club administers the fishing on the
loch which has a good head of wild trout and ferox and the
occasional salmon. There are so many good spots on the loch, the bay
where the Tirry enters the loch near Shinnes can be special, where
the river Fiag enters the loch two thirds of the way up the loch on
the A838, and I had a sensational day fishing from the power station
opposite Overcraig when I lost count of the fish I caught some time
two and three at a time, amazing good fun. Traditional patterns work
so well here, wet greenwells, black pennel, bloody butcher, and
march brown size tens or even 8s. The Lairg club also have the
fishing on; Beannach Loch, Loch Beag na Fuaralachd, Loch Crask,
Loch Camasach, Loch Alaskie, Loch an Ulbaidg, Loch Dubh Cul na
Capulich, Loch a'Ghiubhais, Loch a'Ghriama (Loch Graham). For
permits and boat hire contact The Croft House, West Shinness, Lairg,
Sutherlandshire, IV27 4HN, call 01549 302309 or on 01549 402309.
Some of the hotels may have boats for hire as well, try Overcraig
Hotel for boats in the top of the loch.
Reay Forest Estate, fishing for brown trout on hill lochs on this extensive estate, contact Estate office, Achfary, By Lairg, Sutherland, IV27 4OQ, call 01971 500248.
Rhiconich Hotel Fishing, fishing for salmon sea trout and brown trout in 10 surrounding lochs including; Loch Croacach (bt 6 - 8oz), Loch Tarvie (bt 12oz), Asir Mor (bt occasional salmon and sea trout), Lady Loch (loch na Callisch) bt & st, Number One (bt 6 - 8oz but fish up to 2-3lbs), Gharbet Mor (bt and st good sea trout in summer), Key Loch (bt dour but fish are big 1lb+), Gull Loch , Loch na Thull (bt and st and ferox). Contact 01971 521224. Rhiconich Hotel, Rhiconich, Sutherland, IV27 4 RN.
Scourie Hotel, 25,000 acres of lochs, hill lochs and rivers to chose from, it will take you some time to explore, some lifetimes! There are 36 boats in different locations plus beats on Loch Stack and Loch More, six beats on the river Doinard with two beats available on application. There are salmon and brown trout fishing on the Duart system with sea trout appearing in recent years. Char can be taken on Loch Stack and Loch More (you must have a ghillie on Stack because of the amount of submerged rocks). Salmon from June onwards, mostly grilse. If that's not enough the scenery is awe inspiring.
Uig AA have fishing on two lochs on the Island, Loch Beag and Loch Mor. For more information contact Andrew McVean on 01851 672716
Linlithgow Loch.
Overlooked by Linlithgow Palace, the birthplace of
Mary Queen of Scots, this loch has a great deal of charm. There is a
wheelieboat available for anglers with disabilities. For bookings phone
01506 671753 or email
enquiries@fafa-linlithgowloch.org.uk
or for details log on to
www.fafa-linlithgowloch.org.uk
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