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Loch Mhoalach-coire (‘Loch Gillaroo’)

book-cover This is one of the lochs featured in a book - Trout Fishing in Assynt: A Guide to 30 lochs - which gives you the best, local expert advice there is about fishing this loch. The booklet, which helps fund local angling, is available from Inverbank Newsagents, Lochinver.

Taking about an hour and a half to reach from the Inchnadamph car park and once known as The Gilaroo Loch, this is a relatively small loch with limestone bed. Historical catches of big fish over 5lbs are recorded and shown locally in glass cases in hotels and although the average is much more modest today you never know when the next big one could strike!

Details
OS Grid: NC278195
Decimal: 58.130785, -4.926090
Degrees: 58° 7' 50.826'' N, 4° 55' 33.924'' W
Fishing details: Assynt Angling Group, Eastern Zone
Permit details: £7.50/day, £40/week from from these outlets
Categories
Angling Groups: Assynt Angling Group, Eastern Zone; Assynt Angling Group;

Comments

Please tell us about your experience of fishing at this loch. This will help other anglers as well as local angling groups.

Your feedback is important so please tell us:

  • Where you fished, when, what conditions were like.
  • What you caught, when and on what (be a little vague if you don't want to give it all away!)
  • Anything other anglers should be aware of - access, reeded up waters, difficulties etc.

Got photos? Email them to us: adam4rj@gmail.com

Scenic beauty with a cracking fish thrown in (back safely)...
10 months ago
Graeme said

Really enjoyable walk into the Bone Cave area with views all around - worth stopping every so often just to appreciate how wonderful this part of our world is ... wind was a bit mischeivous but despite its attempts to spoli the fun managed to tempt 4 to the surface before landing my best fish so far prob 1 to 1n half mark  - the trout here really do look different- despite there no longer being Gilaroo - either that or this one was heading towards ferox. It gave a tremendous fight and returned safely to add a few more ounces in the summer! Caught on an Alexandra.

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Had an interesting few hours
7 years ago
Anonymous said
Had an interesting few hours fishing on the loch. The wind from the SW changed from putting a nice ripple on the water to gale force in the 3 hours I was there. Still managed 2 fish around the half pound mark on a Black Gnat dry and the other a Bibio. Surroundings are stunning and an enjoyable walk in. Look forward to going back on a calmer evening next year.
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Gilaroo June
9 years ago
Anonymous said
Fished this early June. Started off very warm and almost completely still - hard work in the clear water. A breath of breeze and change to a tiny sparse nymph fly brought a few catches but nothing of any real size. Beautiful trout though. Then the heavens opened - it was like someone had dumped a giant bucket of bullets on the loch. The Trailigill was a raging brown torrent by the time I got down.
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Gillaroo
13 years ago
Anonymous said
A friend and I had a wonderful day on this loch back in June. We lost count somewhere around the 30 fish each mark. The trout on this water are extremely obliging and although none are massive there are plenty of good eating sized fish to be had. The two we kept were pink-fleshed and delicious - no doubt because the loch sits on limestone and supports freshwater shrimps. We found that the trout were feeding right up to the bank but also in and around the weed beds. Great fun to be had tempting them on the surface with emergers and deer hair sedges.

There is a good walk in which makes it all seems a bit of an adventure. A highly recommended water for getting a child or beginner enthused about fly fishing. Stunning surroundings too.
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Loch Mhoalach-coire (‘Loch Gillaroo’)
13 years ago
Anonymous said
Had a nice afternoon's fishing on this loch. A SWS wind favoured fishing a large area of the loch and the trout were to be found all around. With an average of about 6 or 7 ounces I had 15 in total the best two being about half a pound each. The trout seemed fairly catholic in their tastes and I caught them on a variety of flies. Due to the clear and very shallow nature of the water it really is necessary to approach this water quietly. Many of the fish are to be found close to the edge, but spook easily. I fished very light weight, 4/5 wt rod with a DT3 floating line. I also kept it to one fly on a 12ft leader for the most part, which seemd to go well with the water. Most fish were caught on size 12s from claret buzzers fished static to slow, traditional wets and deer hair based dries. A really nice loch to fish as the setting is stunning.

Tight lines

Matt
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