Fishing in Scotland

Scotland has over six thousand lochs (lakes), ranging from small hill lochs offering wild brown trout fishing to some of the largest freshwater bodies in the UK with fishing for salmon, sea trout, artic char, ferrox trout, brown trout, grayling, pike, perch and chubb. There are also very few places in Scotland where you are not within easy reach of one of the hundreds of commercial fisheries, predominantly offering rainbow trout fishing, but an increasing number of the fisheries are now introducing additional species such as blues and steelheads and coarse species such as carp, tench and perch.

There are more than a hundred quality salmon and trout rivers ranging from small spate rivers to world famous names such as the Tay, Spey, Dee and the Tweed. It doesn't have to cost the earth to fish these rivers with permits available for brown trout fishing from as little as six or seven pounds a day and salmon fishing permits from as little as twenty to twenty five pounds a day.

Scotland also has over seven thousand miles of coastline with sea fishing stations and charter boats in abundance.

The Fishing Season in Scotland

The salmon fishing season in Scotland is usually from early February until late October.

There are several regional variations depending on the salmon fishing district.

The Brown Trout Season is from the 15th of March until the 6th of October.

There is no closed season for rainbow trout as they are not an indigenous

species to the united kingdom and they can be fished for all year round.

A number of commercial fisheries are now staying open over the winter months

and rainbow trout fishing can be found throughout the year, weather permitting.

Coarse fishing and sea fishing is also permitted all year round.

There is no national rod licence required in Scotland as there is in England and permits for most of the river systems can be obtained from a variety of local sources such as tackle shops or hotels etc.

Commercial fishery permits are usually obtained on site at the fishing hut or Lodge or shop.

Fishing Locations

The Borders

There is a wide and varied choice of some excellent salmon and trout fishing in the Borders with the River Tweed being renowned worldwide for its salmon fishing particularly in the autumn when there is usually a prolific run of large salmon. The salmon fishing season on the Tweed is one of the longest in Scotland, running from the 1st of February right through until the 30th of November.

There is also some superb brown trout fishing to be found on the Tweed and it's tributaries such as the Whiteadder, Ettrick, Leader and the Teviot. As with most regions in Scotland, the Borders has a rugged and spectacular coastline with sea fishing in Eyemouth, St Abbs, and Burnmouth.

Listed below are just some of the fishing that can be found in the Scottish Borders.

They are mainly day ticket, stillwater lochs with brown trout and rainbow trout fishing.

Berwick - Coldingham Loch

Chirnside - Whiteadder

Duns - Watch Reservoir

Hawick - Acreknowe Reservoir, Alton Loch

Jedburgh - The Hass Loch

Peebles - Kailzie Fishings, Portmore Fisheries

Selkirk - Headshaw Loch, Lindean Reservoir, St Mary`s Loch, Wooden Loch, Clerklands Fly Fishery

Tweedsmuir - Talla Reservoir

The Central Region

Central Scotland has a wealth of excellent fishing lochs and fisheries offering a variety of fishing to suit most styles, with fly fishing for wild brown trout on waters such as Loch Achray, Loch Arklet and Loch Katrine, rainbow trout fishing on Gartmore Dam, Lake of Menteith or Swanswater Fisheries, salmon or trout fishing on The River Dochart and pike or coarse fishing on numerous lochs throughout the region.

The lochs are listed alphabetically under the name of the nearest main town.

Aberfoyle, Alloa, Bonnybridge, Crianlarich, Callander, Doune, Cumbernauld, Denny, Drymen,

Grangemouth, Stirling

Dumfries and Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway is geographically blessed with everything, from a rugged coastline

to miles of sandy beaches, acre upon acre of forestry with wildlife in abundance and if that

wasn`t enough a wealth of salmon rivers and trout lochs. A fishermans dream.

The lochs are listed alphabetically under the name of the nearest main town.

Annan, Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie, Dumfries, Gatehouse of Fleet, Lockerbie, Moffat, New Galloway, Newton Stewart, Stranraer, Thornhill

Fife

The River Tay, one of the finest salmon rivers in Scotland ends its journey to the sea in North East Fife.

The Tay Estuary provides a wonderful habitat for wildlife including common seals, porpoises and a great variety of waders and wildfowl. Sea trout fishing from the shore in Tayport and Wormit is very popular and there are some first class fly fishing venues in Fife offering predominantly rainbow and brown trout fishing.

The lochs are listed alphabetically under the name of the nearest main town.

Dunfermline - Loch Fitty, Loch Glow

Kirkcaldy - Raith Lake

Leslie - Ballo Trout Fishery

Lochgelly - Lochore Meadows

Newburgh - Golden Loch, Loch Lindores

St Andrews - Cameron Reservoir

Wormit - Newton Farm Fishery

The Grampian Region

The Grampian region is relatively flat with the east boundary meeting the highlands and taking on the typical Scottish Highland terrain characteristics. The most dominant geographical feature is the stunning coastline to the north and east, with it's rugged cliff tops, home to hundreds of sea bird colonies and it's miles of long sandy beaches, where if you are lucky you might spot some dolphins.

The famous River Spey, one of Scotland's finest salmon fishing rivers, runs from Ballindalloch

to the Spey Bay and the not so well known River Lossie runs through the market town of Elgin.

Aberdeen, Banff, Braemar, Elgin, Ellon, Fettercairn, Fochabers, Forres, Fraserburgh Huntly, Insch, Methlick, Mossat, New Deer, Old Deer, Oldmeldrum, Stonehaven.

The Highlands

The Scottish Highlands have a wealth of excellent salmon and trout rivers, freshwater hill lochs and sea lochs. The fishing being traditionally for salmon, brown trout and other wild species such as the artic char. Coarse angling for pike is now becoming increasingly popular and the stocking of rainbow trout into privately owned lochs has increased in recent years and there are now a number of commercial fisheries offering quality day ticket rainbow and brown trout fly fishing.

Aviemore, Bridge of Orchy, Brora, Cannich, Dalwhinnie, Durnes, Fort Augustus, Fort William, Golspie, Invergordon, Inverness, Kinbrace, Lairg, Loch Inver, Muir of Ord, Newtonmore, Poolewe, Isle of Skye, South Harris, Strathpeffer, Thurso, Tongue, Western Isles

The Lothians

The Pentland and the Moorfoot hills are the dominant geographical feature of the Lothian

region, with the waters from these hills providing us with some superb fishing lochs in the

Lothians. The fishing in the Edinburgh area is mainly for rainbow trout and brown trout on

a variety of still waters, most of which are within easy driving distance from the city centre.

Bathgate - Ballencrieff Fishery

Colinton - Clubbiedean Reservoir

Cramond - River Almond

East Linton - Markle Fisheries

Edinburgh - Harlaw Reservoir

Gifford - Hopes Reservoir, Whiteadder Reservoir

Linlithgow - Beecraigs Loch, Linlithgow Loch

Livingston - Allandale Tarn Fishery, Bangour Trout Fishery, Morton Fishery, Parkley Fishery, Selmuir Fisheries

Penicuik - Gladhouse Reservoir, Glencorse Reservoir, Harperrig Reservoir, Loganlea Fishery, Rosebery Reservoir

Strathclyde

Strathclyde is singularly the most diverse of the regions in Scotland, it has absolutely everything from the hustle and bustle of Glasgow's city streets and nightlife to the stunning scenery of the many varied islands peninsulas, inlets, rivers and lochs stretching right down its west coast.

Airdrie, Ardbrecknish, Ayr, Bridge of Weir, Campbeltown, Coalhall, Crawford, Dalmellington,

Dalry, Dumbarton, Dunoon, Glasgow, Greenock, Hamilton, Killearn, Kilmarnock, Kilsyth,Lanark, Milton of Campsie, Neilstone, Largs, Oban, Paisley, Taynuilt

Tayside, Perthshire and Angus

Some of the finest salmon and trout rivers in Scotland can be found here including the world famous River Tay and it's tributaries which include the the rivers Isla and Ericht. The South Esk and the North Esk are just a few miles further north east and there is no shortage of excellent rainbow trout and brown trout fisheries within the region.

Aberfeldy, Alyth, Meigle, Auchterarder, Blairgowrie, Bridge of Earn, Comrie, Coupar Angus, Dundee, Dunkeld, Forfar, Glendevon, Kinloch, Rannoch, Kinross, Kirriemuir, Montrose, Perth