Borve Lodge Estate

Location

7 miles southwest of Tarbert on A859

Summary

Five year average: 45 salmon/grilse
and 43 sea trout
11 lochs, 4 boats, 1 hut, 2 WC's
Maximum rods: 6
Price range: From £5 to £40 per rod per day.
No disabled access but roadside access to all boats.

Description

The Borve Lodge Estate fisheries lie amongst some of the most beautiful scenery in the Western Isles. The streams flow through rugged mountainous terrain and journey just a few kilometres down to the west coast and its famous white sandy beaches. Most of these streams provide excellent spawning for salmon and sea-trout and they flow in and out of numerous small lochs that provide the venues for targeting the returning adult fish.

The Estate's main sea-trout and salmon fishery is centred on the two lower lochs on the Laxdale River. Located at the head of Luskentyre Estuary, Loch Fincastle is approx. 3ha., it is only just above sea-level and is only separated from the sea at high tides by the dam wall. Loch Fincastle provides the cream of the sport in the early season. With fresh run sea-trout and grilse normally arriving late June/early July. Loch Fincastle has two boats, and being small and shallow it is easy to cover and to become familiar with the best lies. Loch Fincastle and the nearby sea-pools are also very fishable from the bank.

During summer spates, salmon and sea-trout travel a mile further upstream to lie in Loch Laxdale which is slightly smaller than Fincastle. This loch has one boat which is essential for covering the best areas as this water is surrounded by flowering lilies and weed beds. As the season progresses the salmon accumulate in Loch Laxdale and during the latter half of the season the fishing in Loch Laxdale can be very productive.

Like most West Coast systems, the salmon and sea-trout in the Laxdale River average about 5lbs and 1.5lbs respectively. In recent years a number of salmon over 14lbs have been caught. The record salmon is 16lb 2oz and the record sea-trout is 13lb. The salmon catches have remained steady over the years, but unfortunately the system has had a succession of below average sea trout years and as with other fisheries in the area last year was particularly bad. The Estate has invested heavily in an effort to improve the fishery in recent years and hopefully the sea trout numbers will bounce back. Meanwhile anglers are asked to play their part by returning all sea trout caught.

The catch returns shown are for Loch Laxdale & Loch Fincastle only. These catches appear modest, but when interpreting these figures, anglers should realise that compared to other fisheries on the islands the Laxdale River is much smaller, is normally fished by just two rods and is strictly fly only. On a catch per unit effort basis it is a prolific salmon fly fishery! In fact one of the beauties of the system is its small size. New anglers soon become familiar with the lochs and the fish are relatively concentrated and easy to locate.

Roadside access throughout, good facilities and ease of locating fish all make this an excellent fishery for visiting anglers, especially for those who can only manage a short break and who don't have time to become familiar with the larger systems.

The 'availability/prices' shown are for up to two rods (with one boat) fishing on Loch Fincastle. Borve Lodge guests have exclusive access to the other boat on Loch Fincastle. As the season progresses the Loch Fincastle rods will alternate with those on Loch Laxdale to give everyone fair access to the best fishing.

The Estate does not employ ghillies. None-the-less if a ghillie is required to handle the boat then we may be able to arrange one given enough notice.

After a few summer spates, the majority of the large sea-trout entering the Laxdale River travel further up beyond Loch Laxdale to Loch na h-Aibhne Garbh and Loch Bearasta Mor. These upper lochs provide good opportunites for targeting wild brown trout and some of these big sea-trout. One of these lochs, Loch Bearasta Mor, has a boat available (£10/day). The Estate also has similar fishing available on three other minor migratory systems. The Luskentyre System, the Borve System and the Carran System. Amounting to a further nine lochs offering bank fishing for wild brown trout and the chance of sea-trout later in the season. These lochs are rarely fished, booking is not normally necessary and permits are available directly from the Estate Manager for £5 per rod/day.

All of our fishing is available to, and eminently suitable for, anglers bringing their own float tubes.

Laxdale Cottage overlooks Loch Laxdale and is the perfect retreat for angling visitors. This cottage is now available for self-catering guests. Preferential rates will be offered to guests booking the cottage and fishing. If you are interested please check the where to stay page or contact the Estate Manager for more details.