FISHING ON DURNESS LIMESTONE LOCHS Contact martin@durnesslimestonelochs.co.uk Telephone 01971511255 Accommodation |
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In the far north west of Scotland the turning point of the road network is Durness Village where set amongst breathtaking scenery are some of the most wonderful limestone lochs where Brown Trout fishing is available. Durness in North West Sutherland is a crofting village set on a limestone outcrop. As a result its green fields contrast with the surrounding heather covered peatlands and mountains. This gives a rich diversity of plant, bird and wildlife with numerous fine sandy beaches, dunes and cliffs, an endless source of interest and beauty. There is evidence of very long term occupation in this fertile area dating back to the Bronze Age. Set amongst this spectacular environment are four of the most famous limestone lochs legendary for their fishing. |
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The lochs here,
Borralaidh, Caladail, Lanlish and Croispol
are classic challenging waters; anglers need dexterity here for success.
The call of these lochs is powerful and gripping with anglers returning to
them every year in their quest. The trout are smooth, extremely well fed
(the caddis alone can be 2 inches long never mind the shrimps and
snails!), and they grow to excellent average weights of 1.5lb and are
caught as big as 5lb plus. They can be exceedingly difficult to attract
and you need every bit of an armoury of wet, dry and nymph flies. Small
flies seem to work much better than large. Anything from a Sedge Pupae to
a Teal and Green will catch but the weather has to be just right.
As the average size of fish increases, the numbers reduce
and the fishing generally gets harder. Tactics for the lochs usually
depend on the weather conditions. In calm conditions or light winds
surface dry fly (buzzers) or nymphs will likely be most successful, in
medium winds and a light to medium wave traditional Scottish wet fly
tactics will probably be best.
To reach these distinctive parts of the world take the A9 north from Inverness to the Tore roundabout. From here there is a choice of the east coast or the west coast route to continue the journey, both are through stunning scenery but the east coast route is about 30 minutes shorter. The shortest route follows the A9 to its junction with the B9176 over Struie Hill to Bonar Bridge and then follows the A836 through Lairg. At a point about 2 miles north of Lairg turn west on to the A838 and from here, the stunning scenery guides you pass Loch Shin, the mountains of Ben Stack, Arkle and Fionaven, before reaching Laxford Bridge. Turn north once more and head for Durness The west coast route, although longer, also passes through superb scenery. From Tore go west on the A835 towards Garve and then on to Ullapool and remain on the A835 until you reach Ledmore Junction. There you turn north on to the A837 driving via Scourie to Laxford Bridge and on to Durness the most north westerly point on British mainland and the turning point of the road network. Rules and records of the lochs
The lochs can be found on OS Map 9 "Cape Wrath" 1:50,000 series. |