Caught a healthy amount of trout. Probably 15-20. Most were small but a couple were up near the 12" mark, healthy fish. The action was concentrated wherever there was moving, channeled water. Out at the east end in the narrows and in the outlet. Black wet flies were the trick. The made body of the lake was slow. Mostly cloudy and relatively windy
- If you want a bit of walk, relatively short distances (Beannach on AAG; Loch Lexy near Clachtoll or down the Stoer Peat track on ACT lochs) - or head right into the hills (up from Inchnadamph has some great fishing but maybe better later?).
On the ACT lochs head down the Clachtoll or Stoer peat tracks and there's a multitude of smaller lochs and lochans.
The Shieling loch has fished OK early season in the past
Hi there, we have never fished before - but this looks like a fabulous detour from our N500 journey that is coming up over May half-term. Do you need to know how to fish to fish here or is this a good place for adults (and children - 9 years old) to learn/try out? Thanks
Some of the fishing can be challenging, even for experienced anglers and most of the freshwater fishing is fly fishing only, which is a more technical form of fishing. However, the following may help:
Children are usually allowed to fish with a worm and bubble float, using a basic spinning rod, which is much more straightforward.
There are people who can take you out and give tuition - Stewart Yates who runs Assynt Flyshing is qualified coach and does take families out. See the 'Assynt Fly Fishing' link at the bottom of the home page and ask him.
Fishing in the sea - spinning or bait fishing - can be a good entry point for fishing. You can do that from the shore, or there are sea fishing trips (see the Sea Angling page for some contacts).
If you need tackle - starter kits etc - then chek out Mackays Hardware in Lochinver as I think they sell them.
Hope that helps, but others may want to make suggestions...
I had heard that this loch can be dour and difficult but was on holiday 5 minutes away so thought I would give it an end of September go. Overcast skies with light south westerly winds, I started on the south shore at about 2pm. The water is deep around most of the shoreline and wading is not needed or safe by all accounts. I had fished around the loch with not a single pull. Eventually, I put a small black nymph on point and a muddler hopper on the dropper. At 5pm as I approached the north-west shore (facing the boat beach), I had my first little brownie. A gloriously dark speckled but lean fish. And then with almost every other cast, I had a pull or fish to the pound. The north shore into the wind around the shallows and sparse reeds produced fish on the top and below the waterline. I found the north end shallows and small headlands at that end of the loch to be productive especially using a floating line and figure of eight retrieve.
Leave your car at the entrance to the track and don't have leaky wellies (as I do) as the land around the loch is boggy. I stayed away from the private area of the lake that is demarcated by broken wire fences down to the waters edge. This is a truly wild place, not too big (a boat is available), but easy to get to and you are likely to be the only one there.
I'll be canoeing on Loch Assynt next week and a little fly fishing for trout. Is there anywhere I can buy the permit online rather than having to visit Mackays?
The Assynt Angling Group don't do online permits unfortunately. You could try ringing Mackays and see if they can do over the phone or you'll have to pick one up. Also, I think you need their permission if you're intending to fish from your canoe rather than the shore - the AAG rules are on their website: https://assyntangling.com/fishing-rules
15. No launching or use of boats other than those provided by the Assynt Angling Group.
I'm not a rep of the AAG, so I'm just passing on what's there!
I was casting a sand eel savage gear 19g off of the rocks down from the salmon Bothy and cause a decent size sea trout!!! It had some sea lice so decided to help the little guy out. Absolutley stoked.
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