Four Scottish Sea Trout Rivers

River Endrick

The Loch Lomond system, including the loch itself, which at twenty one miles long and covering an area of 17,500 acres, is Scotland's largest loch, the major tributaries Fruin and Endrick, and the River Leven which runs the short distance from Balloch to enter the Firth of Clyde at Dumbarton, can produce up to 1500 salmon and a similar number of sea trout. Most of the fishing on the system is managed by the Loch Lomond Angling Improvement Association, who issue day, week and season permits.

The main tributary, the River Endrick, rises in the Fintry hills to flow for twenty miles westwards via Fintry, Balfron and Killearn and over the Pots of Gartness before entering Loch Lomond near Balmaha. At one time one of the premier sea trout fisheries in Scotland, the runs of migratory fish on the Endrick have declined dramatically since the mid eighties. Much of the river can be fished by members of the Loch Lomond Angling Improvement Association, which is open to all (subject to a maximum membership limit) for the price of a yearly subscription. The Association is working hard to reverse the decline in stocks and applications for membership, which includes the fishing on Loch Lomond, the River Leven and the River Fruin, should be directed to tackle shops in the Glasgow area or online via the association website above.

River Spey

The River Spey is a world renowned salmon river. It is also one of the best sea trout rivers in the British Isles. The best of the salmon fishing, often expensive and much sought after, is to be found on the lower fifty miles of the river below Grantown on Spey. Understandably, the superb salmon fishing on the lower river takes priority over the sea trout fishing. Happily, the best of the sea trout fishing is to be had upstream of Grantown, on the twenty miles of the upper middle river between Grantown on Spey and Aviemore, where much of the best of the fishing is available to visiting anglers through two Spey Angling Associations, with an additional beat of about three miles in length available for private let at Kinchurdy, not far above Boat of Garten.

In past decades, this twenty miles of river would see an annual recorded catch of anything up to 2000 sea trout. Catches have declined in recent years, not least I suspect because of the apparent general loss of interest in night fishing and the consequent fall in the number of visiting sea trout anglers. The Spey, however, can still provide excellent sea trout sport for those prepared to fish through the short summer nights.

River Earn

The River Earn flows eastwards from Loch Earn to join the Tay estuary just south of Perth. It is joined by several tributaries on its way, most notably the Water of Ruchill, which is one of the few tributaries unaffected by either Hydro-electric schemes or water extraction. The Earn is an attractive medium sized river offering trout, grayling, sea trout and salmon fishing throughout its length, some through fishing clubs like those in Crieff, Comrie, Auchterarder and Dunning.

Access, however, to the salmon and sea trout fishing on the Earn is far from straightforward, with around 40 riparian owners throughout its length. The Earn has a late salmon run, mainly in September and October. Sea trout are worth pursuing from May onwards, although numbers have declined in recent seasons. A normal year would now see in the region of 600 sea trout caught throughout the river and a similar number of salmon. The graphs below, although not quite up to date, give an idea of expected catches.

Grayling fishing can be had throughout the river from November to January, on both club water and estate water. Permits are available to visitors for the stretches managed by the Comrie Angling Club and Crieff Angling Club.  Dupplin Estates at Forteviot issue trout and grayling permits. Permits are also available for trout salmon and grayling fishing at Kinkell Bridge, near Auchterarder.

Border Esk

The Border Esk is formed by the meeting of the Black Esk and White Esk near Bailiehill. On its way to Langholm, the Border Esk is joined by tributaries Meggat Water, Ewes and Wauchope and, just downstream of Langholm, by the Tarras Water. Just below Canonbie, the Esk is joined by its major tributary, the Liddel, a good salmon and sea trout river in its own right. At Scotsdyke, the Esk, hitherto a Scottish river, enters England and flows on past Longtown to meet the Solway Firth near Gretna. Renowned as one of the best sea trout rivers in the country, the Border Esk also has a good run of salmon through the latter part of the season.

The Esk and Liddel fishery beats were once among the most productive in the country, and might produce around 5000 sea trout in a season, many of them taken on the night fly during the short summer nights of June and July, with the added bonus, towards the end of the season, of up to 500 salmon. For reasons that are not clear, catches of sea trout on the Border Esk, like those of other Solway rivers, have declined in recent seasons, with the Buccleuch Estate beats now producing somewhere between 500 and 1000 sea trout per season and around 200 salmon. Given the right conditions, though, June and July can still provide some excellent night fishing. An impressive 2012 catch return of 198 salmon and 980 sea trout was the best in 10 years and if sustained,  bodes well for the future.

Much of the available fishing on the Border Esk and Liddel, known as the Esk and Liddel Fisheries, extending to some twenty miles of fishing, is owned, and was managed for many years, by the Buccleuch Estates, with day, weekly and season permits being made available to local and visiting anglers at reasonable cost. From the beginning of the 2012 season, the fishing is to be managed by a new local angling club, which has secured a ten year lease of the “association” waters from the estate. Permits will be made available to locals and to visiting anglers in much the same way as before.

Border Esk and Liddel Angling Club

The former Esk and Liddle Fisheries beats, now managed by the recently formed Border Esk and Liddel Angling Club, include some of the best fly fishing water on the middle Esk and the middle and lower Liddle. The Club is a not for profit association open to locals and visitors alike, the objects of which are to promote the sport of angling and in particular protect, improve and develop the Rivers Esk and Liddel from its confluence to its head waters and all the tributaries as a facility for fishing, to help to maintain these rivers and improve biodiversity for the benefit of the public and to promote enjoyment of the river by the general public and in particular to take specific action to promote the sport of angling amongst young people and people with disabilities. In addition the club recognise the contribution angling can make to the economy of local communities. To this end the club have engaged with a range of local businesses to discuss what the Club might do to encourage tourists and visitors to the area.

It is worth noting here the unresolved controversy over the recent actions by the English Environment Agency to impose an English rod licence on anglers fishing the Scottish beats of the Border Esk. In protest at this wholly inappropriate, and legally questionable, action by the Environment Agency, many Esk fishers, to their credit, refused to take permits on the river, much to the detriment of the river and the local economy. It is to be hoped that a reasonable compromise can be reached on the matter and that normality might soon be restored to this once great sea trout river.