Aberfeldy Area Trout Fishing

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.

Aberfeldy Angling Club - Upper Tay

Aberfeldy Angling Club offers Brown Trout and Grayling fishing on a number of beats from Aberfeldy to Grandtully, visitor permits are available. During the winter months the club also manages the Grayling and Coarse fishing from Bolfracks, Aberfeldy and Grandtully, right bank. The club also has salmon fishing , on the Town Water, Aberfeldy. Permits are on sale at Wades New Agent, Aberfeldy. Trout, Coarse and Grayling fishing is available on the following beats, trout permits are charged at £5.00 per day on Bolfracks,Aberfeldy Town, Derculich, Cloichfoldich, Findynate, Derculich South, Pitcastle, Haugh of Grandtully, Sketewan, and Ballintaggart.

In addition to the above, Aberfeldy Angling Club manages the Grayling and Coarse fishing out of the trout fishing season from Bolfracks to Grandtully. from 7th October to 14th March. One permit covers the following beats during the winter months. At this time of year anglers are especially requested to keep clear of spawning redds and to follow the guidelines set by the Grayling Society. Beats of the River Tay are as follows Bolfracks Town Water, Lagg, Grandtully, Tombuie, Derculich, Cloichfoldich, Findaynate, Haugh of Grandtully Sketwan and Ballingtaggart.

Permits available from: Wades Newsagents, Bank Street, Aberfeldy PH15 2BB t. 01887 820397

Club T&C: Aberfeldy Angling Club has a wide selection of waters available (listed above). Many are restricted to fly only although some allow any legal method. Typically there is a 4 trout bag limit and trout under 12″ must be returned unharmed. Fishing is usually dawn to dusk, and is permitted on Sundays. There are restrictions on the numbers of rods for each beat. Check permits for more details of terms and conditions.

The club also manages the trout and salmon fishing on Edradynate Estate. Permits are only available for this beat from the club secretary on 01887 829512 or by email at aberfeldyanglingclub@tesco.net or from Fishpal

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Loch Tay

Loch Tay (Scottish Gaelic, Loch Tatha) is a freshwater loch which lies in the valley between the villages of Killin and Kenmore, stretching over 15 miles in length and 1 mile wide. Loch Tay is a long and narrow loch with steep sides, which follows the line of the valley from the south west to north east. It is the sixth largest loch in Scotland by area and over 150 metres (490 ft) deep at its deepest.

Ben Lawers on its north shore is at 1214 m the 10th highest mountain in the British Isles, and is the highest peak in a group of seven munros.

Killin at the head of the loch, and Kenmore at the outflow of the River Tay, are the main settlements on the lochside today. The smaller settlements of Acharn, Ardeonaig and Ardtalnaig are located on the south side of the loch whilst Fearnan and Lawers are on the north side.

The loch, and many of its surroundings, feature in the traditional Scottish 'Loch Tay Boat Song' (Scottish Gaelic, Iorram Loch Tatha).

In ancient times (in the Iron Age) people lived on defensible, man-made islands on the loch, called Crannogs. More than 20 submerged crannogs have been identified in the loch. An example has now been reconstructed on the south side of the loch at the Scottish Crannog Centre.

The rivers Lochay and Dochart run into the head of Loch Tay in the west, while the River Tay itself flows out of the loch in the east. Loch Tay acts like a giant reservoir for the River Tay, rumour has it that a strong west wind blowing down the loch can send an extra foot of water down the river.

Fishing Loch Tay

Trolling using Rapala plugs, Kynoch Killers, spoons and minnows is the most effective method for salmon fishing the loch. There is a shelf which runs nearly all the way round the loch, approximately 30m out the shelf plunges steeply into deep water, trolling boats are advised to follow this line. There are over 20 Crannogs submerged in Loch Tay, make sure you know where they are or they will damage your boat.

Salmon fishing in the loch has been practiced for many years, at the end of the nineteenth century it wasn't uncommon for 300/400 large salmon to be caught on rod and line during the first four months of the season. Today this is unheard of but the loch still produces a few monsters between 20/30lb each year. In addition to salmon there are substantial numbers of trout, charr, pike and roach. The low shores at Killin are renowned for Pike and Roach.

The trout session runs from 15 March - 6th October and the salmon session runs from 15th January - 15th October (excluding Sundays).

Permit Details:
West/Central Beat: Killin & Breadalbane Angling Club operates the trout and coarse fishing from mouth of the Lawers Burn to Killin on the North side and Lochay/Dochart to Allt Mherin Burn on the South side. Permits are charged at £5.00 per day, available from News First, Killin, telephone 01567 820362

Central/East Beat: East Loch Tay Angling Club operates the trout and coarse fishing from Fearnan to Kenmore on the North side and Achianich Burn to Kenmore on the South side, including challenging fly fishing along the wooded shoreline. Permits are charged at £5.00 per day, available from Kenmore Post Office & Shop, telephone 01887 830200

Salmon fishing permits are issued by riparian owners. Permits are available to purchase from:

Loch Tay Highland Lodges, Milton of Morenish, Killin, telephone 01567 820323
Ardeonaig Hotel, Killin, telephone 01567 820400
Loch Tay Lodges, Acharn, telephone 01887 830209

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Kenmore Beat - Upper Tay

The Kenmore beat of the Upper River Tay offers double bank fishing on 2.5 miles of the River Tay beginning at the Kenmore Bridge, the mouth of the mighty Tay.

Salmon Fishing - Kenmore Hotel
Kenmore Hotel provides Salmon fishing permits from the Hotel Pool to Tommy Price (9 pools), click here to download a copy of the map. Fly-fishing and spinning are allowed on all pools. A double handed fly rod is recommended. Floating and sink tip lines are favoured mostly, with sunk lines being used in Spring and late Autumn. A strong single-handed rod can easily be used in summer for Grilse. Favoured flies are the Willie Gunn and Ally's Shrimp. Spinning with a 10 – 12' rod can be productive especially in high water.

Visitors can obtain permits from Kenmore Hotel which is open seven days a week from 08.00am - 10.00pm, situated in the Village Square. Email by clicking here or call 01887 830 205
Day Permit: £30.00 per person

Trout Fishing - Taymouth Angling Club
Taymouth Angling Club was established in 1997 to provide trout fishing to residents of Kenmore as well as to visitors to the area. Trout are normally around the pound mark and can be prolific, there are some better specimens in the more inaccessible places. Fishing is strictly by fly only using a conventional fly rod and line, with a maximum of 20 rods per day. Barbless hooks are requested. Senior Citizens, Juniors and the Disabled may fish the Hotel Pool using any method.

Visitors can obtain permits from the Kenmore Post Office which is open seven days a week from 8.00am - 6.00pm, situated in the heart of Kenmore Village opposite the hotel. Call 01887 830 200
Day Permit: £5.00 per adult / £2.00 per junior & concession
Weekly Permit: £25.00 per adult

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