Trout

Wild trout

Nowhere in Europe offers such a wide variety of fishing for wild brown trout as Scotland.

At one end of the spectrum there is sport to suit the specialist or expert fisher seeking to outwit difficult but highly rewarding lowland river trout. At the other extreme there are literally myriads of lochs teeming with comparatively uneducated fish, which at times can appear suicidal.

River fishing

In late spring and early summer there is challenging dry fly fishing, mainly concentrated in the more sedate lowland rivers of the east and the south west such as Tweed (and its tributaries), Tay, Don, Clyde and Annan, all of which support rich feeding. The fish here are 'educated' and demanding, requiring skill and precision casting to present an upstream dry fly or the traditional wet fly cast across and down.

There is also a wealth of small river fishing including the upper reaches of the big lowland systems; here the riffles and glides support large numbers of less discriminating trout, allowing good bags to be taken.

Several of Scotland's better rivers (and indeed some areas of the Highlands including much of north-west Sutherland) are subject to trout Protection orders in the interests of conservation; these are designed to allow easier access to the fishing through the issue of permits, but control the number of rods and the methods of fishing.

Loch fishing

At the other end of the trout spectrum there are boundless opportunities for loch fishing within a vast swathe of territory stretching from Argyll and Perthshire in the south right up through the Highlands and virtually all of the islands. A cursory glance at a map will give an indication of the tremendous amount of freshwater in this area; indeed it includes the great majority of Scotland's 35,000 lochs and lochans.

Essentially what this means is that wherever one is within this area, there is unlimited fishing on offer. Once the visitor has decided on a location, then it makes every sense to carry out as much research (obtaining leaflets and other literature on the fishing in the particular locality) before arrival to help make the most of the trip; increasingly the internet is an excellent source of information.

When fishing the fly from the bank on lochs, it is desirable to keep moving in order to cover as much water as possible. A boat is really an aid to achieving this. Traditional loch-style fishing from a boat, casting and retrieving a team of two or three wet flies on a steady drift (if necessary slowed down by the use of a drogue), is the most popular method. Other tactics also have their merits. One of the most visually exciting is dapping- bouncing a large bushy fly on the surface by means of a section of very light silk-floss line fished on a long rod. In addition dry fly and nymph fishing (the latter fished on an intermediate line) have their place.

One of the great joys of exploring the small remote lochs of a particular part of the Highlands or Islands is that of 'discovering' a real gem. There are many such, often unnamed and without any sort of reputation, which in the right conditions can provide unforgettable days. Once they have stumbled upon such a gem, anglers tend to guard their exact location jealously!

Whilst the fish populations of the majority of Highland lochs are dominated by trout of 8oz or less, they are usually free-taking; such lochs provide children with an ideal introduction to angling. There are also a great many lochs where the feeding is better and the average weight is considerably more with the occasional trophy fish between 2lb and 6lb (sometimes even heavier). This class of loch includes some that are not typically Highland in character including the fertile low-lying waters of Orkney and parts of Caithness and the limestone lochs of Durness.

The deeper lochs of the Highlands usually contain small populations of ferox trout, a strain of slow growing heavy brown trout often with cannibalistic tendencies, which can grow to great weights (up to 20lb or more). They are most prevalent where there are healthy numbers of charr and their capture sometimes entails the use of highly specialised tactics such as lures trolled at considerable depths.

Stocked trout

Scotland is internationally famous for the quality of its commercially stocked trout fishing.

The stocked fish are predominately rainbow trout, but there are many wild brown trout waters that supplement their numbers with stocked brown trout. This type of trout fishing is truly world class and not to be missed by any visiting angler.

History

Rainbow trout are not native to Scotland and in fact they do not even breed naturally in our waters. Their original home is the Pacific coast of North America and they were first introduced to Scotland in 1888. However it has only really been since the late 1960s that they have become widespread and they are now the main quarry species for the Scottish stillwater trout angler.

How to catch

Most of the main commercially stocked fisheries in Scotland are fly fishing only, but there are a good number that allow bait fishing as well. If you trout fish at home, then your own tackle will probably be perfectly adequate. There are obviously special flies etc which are popular on a specific water, but they are not essential. Many commercially stocked fisheries have a tackle shop on site, which will be able to supply local patterns and local advice is freely given. Actual tactics depend on the time of year and weather conditions and can vary from dry fly and nymph fishing to deep sunk lures. A floating and intermediate fly line will cover the majority of situations.

When to catch

There is no official close season for rainbow trout in Scotland. Generally speaking the physically larger waters shut down over the winter period but nearly everywhere can be guaranteed to be open from April to the end of September. Many of the smaller fisheries are literally open all year round. In fact late autumn and winter can often provide some of the best fishing at these waters.

Where to catch

Scotland is extremely well served by commercially stocked waters, with most of the major ones being members of the Association of Scottish Stillwater Fisheries, and they genuinely provide fishing that is second to none, at a very reasonable price. Whilst spread throughout Scotland the majority of commercially stocked waters are to be found in Aberdeenshire and the Central Belt area. The waters themselves vary from large boat fishing venues to smaller lochs and ponds that specialise in specimen trout fishing. Double figure trout are quite common in many of these waters and a trout of four to five pounds in weight would not raise many eyebrows! However it is not all specimen fishing and many waters specifically cater for the novice or junior angler, often with special discounts and the possibility of organising coaching on site.

To see a selection of Stocked Trout Fisheries, please follow this link to our Stocked Trout Fishery page.

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Trout

Where to catch