BIG Five Fishing & Country Sports in Highland Perthshire

Lets Fly Fish with Ally Gowans

Ally Gowans is a professional writer, photographer, fishing instructor and guide who provides top class tuition and instruction including Spey casting, underhand, roll and overhead casting with two handed rods and all types of single handed casts, including overhead and side casts, roll and Spey casts, underhand casts and the use of single and double hauls with those casts. Learn all the secrets for successful fly fishing.

Fly fishing tuition and guided trips are available within the Highland Perthshire area and throughout Scotland, contact Ally to make arrangements. Ally also holds Spey casting and single handed casting schools in Scotland and various other countries including USA, Canada, England, Ireland, and Italy. If you would like to arrange a fly fishing school close to your location contact Ally for details.

Ally's qualifications include APGAI trout, salmon and fly tying, AAPGAI Master and FFF Master Instructor and Two Handed Casting Instructor. He also hold a coach licence for game angling, a requirement for undertaking public authority coaching duties. These qualifications are fine but they pale into insignificance against over 50 years experience of being a serious fishing bum. Whilst he cannot cure the angling disease he can make it more enjoyable, infectious even, by teaching you trout and salmon fishing and fly tying to the very highest standards.

Ally is the creator of the renowned Ally's Shrimp salmon fly, amongst others, which was voted the "Salmon Fly of the Millennium" by the readers of Trout & Salmon magazine and the Trout Fisherman & Angling Times.

To download a copy of Ally's informative brochure click here. Gift Vouchers are available and make the perfect gift, visit the website for more details.

'Spey Casting Made Easy' DVD was directed and produced by Ally and it is possibly the most instructional fly fishing DVD ever about Spey casting and salmon fishing. This DVD teaches double handed Spey casting techniques in a simple and effective manner. Including chapters on efficient Roll, Single Spey, Double Spey, Snake Roll, Snap Tee and Underhand casts and how to avoid common casting faults associated with these casts. Extra chapters on fly tying Ally's Shrimp, knots, shooting line, sinking line and choosing the correct cast for the prevailing conditions.

Loch Faskally

Situated between steeply wooded hills, Loch Faskally (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Faschoille) is nicely sheltered, and is approximately 2 miles in length narrowing to around 800 yards wide. Loch Faskally is man-made reservoir built between 1947 and 1950 by Wimpey Construction to stabilise river flows below the dam at Pitlochry as part of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board's Tummel Hydro-Electric Power Scheme. Pitlochry Dam incorporates a salmon fish ladder, allowing around 5,400 salmon to ascend annually, and is a popular visitor attraction. Loch Faskally is fed by two rivers, the River Tummel and the River Garry from the North.

The Clunie Memorial Arch is located on the northwest side of Loch Faskally and leads to an attractive riverside picnic area, parking and picnic benches available. It was built to the same dimensions of the tunnel that carries water between Loch Tummel and the Clunie Power Station. The tunnel itself measures 2791 metres in length, approximately 400,000 tons of rock were removed during its construction.

The circular walk from Pitlochry to Killiecrankie follows a route close to Loch Faskally and then along the banks of the River Garry, this is one of the best low level walks in the area. Much of the walk is through oak and deciduous woodland, rich in wildlife such as red squirrels and woodland birds. Another highlight is the beautiful Linn of Tummel, a natural salmon leap at the confluence of the Rivers Garry and Tummel.

Fishing Loch Faskally

Loch Faskally is popular with anglers who fish for brown trout, pike and grayling. Salmon and a few sea trout pass through as they head up the Tummel and Garry systems. The water holds a good head of brown trout and the native fish are augmented by a stocking in the 1-5lb range. June sees the arrival of the summer grilse. There are also good numbers of small pike with a few larger specimens mixed in. The best recorded pike have been over 30lb.

Faskally Boating Station is easily accessible by car and has ample good parking available. The Boating Station can be found at the north end of Pitlochry and is clearly signposted on the left just as you exit the town boundary. There is a very pleasant café offering good quality, honest food at reasonable prices with excellent service.

Permits are available from the Boating Station, fishing tackle is available for sale and for hire there too. Contact the Boating Station by phone 01796 472919.

Fishing Permits: Bank per day £9.00, Bank per week £27.00, Boat 1/2 day £8.00, Boat full day £10.00, Boat weekly £36.00
Boats with Outboards: 4 Hours £30.00, 8 Hours £40.00

Notes: All anglers require a permit. Boats with outboards are for anglers only. Boats must be returned by 5.00pm. Life jackets must be worn at all times, which are included in cost of boat hire. No alcohol permitted.

Download a copy of the map here. More details available on the website.

Image Gallery: © Copyright and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Atholl Estates Country Sports

Atholl has long been known for the quality of its red stag stalking, but stalking for hinds, is also available. Ponies are used in the traditional manner to retrieve deer from the hills whenever possible. All stalking guests are accompanied by a professional stalker.

There are five sporting beats available on the Estate, providing a mixture of sporting opportunities to suit all tastes. Bookings can be arranged either for larger parties on a weekly basis, together with self-catering lodge accommodation, or on a daily basis subject to availability.

The beats are as follows :

Forest Lodge: Red deer stalking, grouse shooting and fishing.
West Hand: Red deer stalking and grouse shooting.
Glen Bruar: Red deer stalking, grouse shooting and fishing
Clunes: Red deer stalking.
Dalnamein: Red hind stalking

Fishing on Atholl Estates
Atholl Estates provides some of the most scenic fishing in Scotland. The estate has three salmon fishing beats on the rivers Tummel, Garry and Tilt, plus a hill loch for wild brown trout.

Salmon Fishing
The Lower Tummel cuts through some of Scotland's most impressive scenery, the Tummel beat extends from the village of Moulinearn to the Logierait bridge (approx 2500 yards), just before the Tummel meets the Tay at Ballinluig. The Garry Pol Dornie is one of the most beautiful stretches of river in Scotland, the Pol Dornie beat of the River Garry flows past Blair Atholl and towards the dramatic Pass of Killiecrankie, offering some immensely satisfying fishing for discerning anglers. The Tilt runs through the famous Glen Tilt, this stretch of water offers unparalleled scenery and an abundance of wildlife. The river is split into four beats but only the middle two are let.

Trout Fishing
There can be few better remedies for stress than a day's fishing for wild brown trout on a quiet Scottish hill loch. The only sound to disturb the peace is the gentle lapping of water against the sides of your boat. Atholl Estates offers wild brown trout fishing on Loch Broom and stocked rainbow and blue trout fishing on Rotmell and Dowally.

Country Sports Tourism Group

Scotland is revered internationally as a mature sporting destination that offers visitors outstanding sporting experiences amongst stunning & dramatic landscapes.

Fish for wild Atlantic Salmon on world-renowned rivers such as the Tay. Hunt for majestic Red Deer Stags amongst Scotland’s famous mountains. Or have the Red Grouse, unique to the United Kingdom, driven over you as part of a team of guns strung out in butts over heather clad grouse moors.

The Scottish Country Sports Experience - Beginners Welcome!

These half day sessions are ideal for anyne interested in trying Country and Field Sports. Choose either shooting, fishing or deer stalking and learn direct from some of the top professionals in the field. Lasting approximately three hours, these courses are the ideal introduction to one of Scotland’s most exciting sports.

We want to welcome both UK and international visitors from all over the world to come and enjoy Scotland as a unique sporting destination.