South Uist with it's alkaline lochs, has some of the finest and most exceptional brown trout and sea trout fishing in the world. The brown trout are truly wild which is a rare resource in this age of stocked fisheries. There are some 800 lochs and lochans on the two islands of South Uist and Benbecula and virtually all of these contain wild brown trout. The hill lochs tend mainly to have large populations of small fish, albeit 'monster' fish are caught there from time to time, the best baskets of brown trout are caught in the machair lochs where the size of fish ranges from 1lbs up to 5lbs.
The sea trout fishing is mainly on the west coast lochs where there are three main systems consisting of some seven lochs. Unlike most other fisheries the sea trout lochs in Uist do not necessarily require high water conditions as the fish are able to come up with the spring tides which back right up into the lower lochs. The average fish is 2.5lbs but fish between 4 to 7lbs are not uncommon and a number of double figure sea trout are taken each year.
Bag Limits
There are no specific bag limit for sea trout and brown trout - anglers are being asked, and increasingly are agreeing, to practice voluntarily catch and release. The wild brown trout and sea trout are a unique asset and it is worth taking considerable trouble to protect and foster the fishing so it will continue to flourish for future generations.
The open seasons are as follows:-
Brown trout: 15th March - 30th Sept (inclusive)
Sea trout/salmon: 1st Feb - 31st Oct (inclusive)
Safety
All those using boats should wear a lifejacket. These are obtainable from the South Uist Estate (Storas Uibhist) office.
Be aware that the weather can change very rapidly into rough conditions and whilst the lochs are generally not large, they tend to be shallow and contain rocks and skerries - often just under the surface.
