Fly fishing in Scotland in August

[KB_]

Anybody have an experience in the matter. We are heading out there in August and I'm planning on doing some fishing on some of the Lochs there (basically a lake) and some of the easily accessible streams.

So far I've learned fishing is popular with locals but not as popular on the tourist end of the spectrum. Maybe ill pick up some Scotland made fishing gear for the fun of it.

Permit situation? Should I just stop at one of the fishing shops and go from there, or does someone know of a better way. Scotland does not have a licensing system like we do in the States.

 

[Teeejs]

I did a little fishing there a few years ago. Went after salmon though. It was all based on buying a permit for a specific day and that may or may not come with a ghilly (guide) and then that was also specific to a section/beat of a river. One place to start looking is https://www.fishpal.com/ as that had a ton of info and you can buy some permits straight from there.

 

[KB_]

I did a little fishing there a few years ago. Went after salmon though. It was all based on buying a permit for a specific day and that may or may not come with a ghilly (guide) and then that was also specific to a section/beat of a river. One place to start looking is https://www.fishpal.com/ as that had a ton of info and you can buy some permits straight from there.

Thanks for the fish pal suggestion. That might make things a bit easier.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Never fished over there but had some Scotts fish with me in Alaska. They‘re accent is thick, they throw well in the wind and lead a fish to the net better than any group of people I’ve ever fished with. As was noted above, my understanding is you’ll need to negotiate for access but it could be a lot of fun. I really liked the guys I fished with from Scotland.

 

[Brad W]

I was stationed in Germany and fished throughout the continent. I never got to GB but researched it extensively. Bottom line is that there is zero public(as we know it)freshwater in Europe. The rights to fish a section of stream/river or a lake are typically owned by a local entity (town, fishing assn, fly shop, lodge, etc). Many of them will rent out the right to fish for the day for a fee. If a lodge/hotel or town owns the rights they often require the angler to stay there as well. DO NOT just show up in Scotland hoping to find somewhere to fish. If you are serious about getting out you should have everything lined up before you go. There are typically very few permits for any given piece of water per day. It makes for a wonderful experience but requires planning to ensure there is actually a permit available. Figuring out who owns the rights to any piece of water can be a pain in the neck. Despite the effort involved I loved fishing in Europe. Pressure was virtually nonexistent and the fishing could be exceptional in stunning scenery. Have a great trip!

 

[devon deer]

Good advice above.
Checkout this chap on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@caorach3354/videos
Ask him a question, if he doesn't get back to you contact me and I might be able to assist, he makes lovely videos and appears to be a really pleasant guy
Cheers
Richard

 

[KB_]

Good advice above.
Checkout this chap on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@caorach3354/videos
Ask him a question, if he doesn't get back to you contact me and I might be able to assist, he makes lovely videos and appears to be a really pleasant guy
Cheers
Richard

I will do that right away, Thanks!

 

[KB_]

Good advice above.
Checkout this chap on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@caorach3354/videos
Ask him a question, if he doesn't get back to you contact me and I might be able to assist, he makes lovely videos and appears to be a really pleasant guy
Cheers
Richard

I watched a couple of this guys videos. Seems like he has some pretty Steller fishing spots he as access too.