Loch Cul Fraioch

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.

Hope this helps

 

Great day on this loch, had lots of really hard fighting fish mostly in the half pound mark but a couple of a pound all on the 'cow dung fly' and every one cast to a rising trout.

Had a woman telling me I wasn't allowed to fish the South West of the loch as she was the land owner, no signs to back this up, left me a bit puzzled to be honest and put a slight dampner on the day.

Have fished this many times over the last 10 yrs or so with numerous blanks.
Have had some success but quite what brought about the success is hard to pinpoint. Afternoons seem to have been better and I’ve had luck with flies with a bit of green on them .
It is a imo a really beautiful atmospheric loch and I’ll always give it ago.
Back up May 2019.

I went several times in september following the worst of the heatwave, i was surprised to see everything so dry! I can only assume that the heat affected the fishing, as i went here several times and blanked!

Couple of hours in cold, windy and bright conditions, which are far from ideal for this loch. Absolutely nothing showing and not so much as a take (two of us fishing). Dour!

Followed advice that this loch fishes best morning and evening, and fished here from 9pm to 11pm. Caught a nice trout of around half a pound on an Invicta retrieved quickly, from the peninsula near the north shore. The fish jumped out of the water 6 times during the fight!

Shot over to Cul Fraoich on Stoer for 5th day, midges hatching and fish on top in light wind. Went to upwind southerly bank and had three fish up to half a pound. Decided to look over to Drum Beg, different kind of water an three boats out, plenty of small fish activity. Headed back to Cul Fraoich for the afternoon evening rise ! Very little wind now....walked around the furthermost bay to the westerly shore and got amongst some lovely 1 - 2lb fish close in at margins.....one offer on black gnat which I missed and got in a right tangle, by which time fish had passed me by. Dead calm now and several good fish topping 35 yards out. Magical Loch !

And that was it... Definitely going back !

Posted on behalf of Mike A

A cold wind which then died suddenly didn't help. One small trout to show for 3 hours in the evening.

Friday 16th Sept. Tonight proved that sometimes it's just worth a punt even in the most unlikely conditions. Had a couple of hours from about 6pm and nearly didn't bother as the wind and rain lashed against the car windscreen. Wandered up to Cul Fraioch from the Raffin side and fished the south shore. Tricky casting in strong gusty winds, cold and darkening skies. But a belting two hours fishing!

6 caught all around the pound mark (kept one for the table as these trout taste great and clearly a very healthy population in here). Five caught on a small bibio-like muddler on the point wobbled through the waves on a figure of 8. Moved every few casts and nothing for the first half hour... then regular powerful takes. Probably just as well as it pretty tricky to see the fly in the gloom - one fish appeared to jump right out of the water and dive down onto the fly. Sometimes they do give you a hand!

It was a bit of a tatty fly anyway and was really coming to bits after 5 fish had chewed it but this may have helped - it looked more like a hopper by the end the amount of 'legs' trailing a wake. One on middle dropper claret bumble.

Given how tricky this loch can be to fish, this was probably the most productive two hours ever had here. A great way to end the season.

Two 3/4lb trout from the boat, but very close in to shore. Rose couple of others but pretty dour for this time of year, not helped by dropping temperatures. Several float tubers out tonight who may have done better?