Getting the willies whilst fishing!
So I decided to do a spot of loch fishing as The Kelvin and its tributaries are completely out of action. I took a walk (a hike?) up into the Old Kilpatrick hills where there is a loch not owned by any club but has some small trout in it.
There was a small burn coming out of the loch that looked quite tasty actually but I decided to head up to the loch as that was my primary purpose. I was using my 10 foot rod with an intermediate 7 weight line
I had a few casts from the dam wall and got some interest from a couple of fish, I would swear one of them was a rather large Perch, both fish swirled at my fly but did not take it. The loch is quite small and knowing that there was a small inlet with a burn around the other side of the loch I headed over.
At this time of year I would expect there to be fish there as they will be thinking about spawning. I had to jump over the burn which was in spate and was rewarded with two small trout that fought hard!
Lovely looking trout, nice color but I thought they looked a bit thin?
I also gave myself the willies as when I was walking through some bushes suddenly the bushes in front of started to shake….I heard a low “Grrrrrrrr†and I hurriedly moved away….I then spent the next hour constantly looking over my shoulder for some kind of monster that would tear my head off and quite possibly eat me!!
I think it was a sheep!
October 2nd, 2005 at 12:51 am
hi alistair, is that loch humphrey by any chance?
October 2nd, 2005 at 9:09 am
Hi Mick,
No the Humphrey is run by the Bearsden Angling club and is a bugger to get to. This is the Greenside!
Alistair
October 2nd, 2005 at 11:56 am
The burn is the Duntocher Burn. It runs into the Clyde at Dalmuir. There are trout all the way down, but its not particularly nice to fish. Very urban as it enters the town. There are many other lochs you can fish in the OK hills that arent part of any angling club.
October 2nd, 2005 at 3:50 pm
I thought they were mostly taken up by clubs ? In fact I was speaking to a guy today who told me that Greenside used to have a club on it as well……what other lochs dont have clubs ?
October 2nd, 2005 at 5:40 pm
there are a good few lochs in the OK hills that are not owned by clubs. Some of them hold cracking size trout. Get yourself an ordanance survey map of the area and try the black loch and kilmannen reservior.
October 2nd, 2005 at 6:37 pm
Yup, check out a map. You can go up the path near Milton services. Fish 3 wee lochs up there, head over past the Humphrey, head north (ish) there and theres another wee loch. Over to the greenie too. The Jaw and the Cochno are probably the two best lochs up there. permit required, but probably worth it. If any1 has a contact no for a permit there id be interested to find out how to go about it.
Any salmon off the Kelvin yet?
cheers
October 2nd, 2005 at 9:29 pm
Ah, now the Kilmannan is still under the wing of the Queen Elizabeth along with its main loch the Burncrooks. The Jaw and the Cochno are fairly easy to get permits for, I think it is around 30 quid for the year…..it is the Hardgate Angling club (i think) that supplies permits.
I will have a gander around for a number…..OR you could contact http://www.bearsdenanglingclub.net/ who have the rights for the Humphrey….just found that site today.
Salmon are in the Kelvin I believe, not a big fan of Salmon fishing though although I keep threatening to do some
I have heard good things about the black loch!
October 25th, 2005 at 11:05 pm
dear alistair the current fees for the jaw and cochno are for 2005 =joining fee of £25 and an annual subscription of £50 the club web address is http://www.fishinghut.co.uk
November 2nd, 2005 at 11:13 am
FOR LOCH HUMPHREY PERMITS SEE :
JANIS McCLYMONT- 0141 952 1372
Mclymont2@btinternet.com
November 2nd, 2005 at 6:48 pm
FOR FREE ???
ps. Left a link for Bearsden Angling Club further up !
Alistair
December 1st, 2005 at 9:03 pm
hi there, i have fished the greeny quite a lot and find the whole of the back bay of the greeny to be the best, ie opposite the damn but broonies can be caught anywhere on the loch.good flies are the usual traditionals and i find butcher to be the best.
August 5th, 2006 at 12:36 am
Fished the back of the Greenside for a few hours on Sunday there, and took a beautiful wee Perch out on a fly.
Tried the dam later on, with not much in the way of bites, but there was evidence of some brownies taking nearby.
If you get the weather its well worth it just for the walk and the views, even if you dont catch a biggie!
Pity about the litter though.
August 1st, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Had a couple of hours on the greenie in late june caught a couple of of wee brownies on my home made flies.Walked straight up from the erskine bridge past the site of the Burnbrae or the TESS as it was commonly known.Anyone remember that? rumour was it was drained due to a couple of wee gifts left by the luftwaffe in march 41 but cant be sure.This wee loch used to fish quite well with the schoolboy worm and maggot but alas is no more.Anyhoo i digress, the walk up the hill nearly killed me and to think as a boy i could do it in 15 minutes.The second trout was beautifully marked and i took a couple of photos.Perhaps you can advise how to attach them.STEWART FERGUSON,ERSKINE.
August 1st, 2007 at 6:43 pm
P.S Be careful if you fish the western side,its bloody steep and i nearly ended up in the drink a few times.
August 1st, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Thanks for that Stewart,
I keep meaning to take a wee trip up there at some point this season - probably will go up at the end of the season.
Saying that - did you have to walk past the humphrey on your way up ?
August 1st, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Alistair,the Humphrey and the Greenside are fairly close together as you know. I went straight up the old Ks from the erskine bridge,the gate at the gas sub station gives access.If your fit youll be at the Greenside in 40 minutes or so.I ve just applied to join the Bearsden club to get access to the humphrey but as you no doubt know theres a plethora of lochs up them that hills worthy of attention.
Is it possible to add a photo or two to these posts?
Any wild renfrewshire locations in your site?
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:11 am
Hey Stewart,
You should be able to put an image between these tags :
If that fails send me th epictures via email , I would live to see them !
Alistair
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:11 am
Hey Stewart,
You should be able to put an image between these tags :
//
//
If that fails send me th epictures via email , I would live to see them !
Alistair
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:12 am
Hey Stewart,
You should be able to put an image between these tags :
//
//
If that fails send me th epictures via email , I would live to see them !
Alistair
edit: it has not worked - I will send you my email addy
March 6th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I used to Fish Kilmannan a lot. I was a member of QEAC and they do not have the rights for Kilmannan.They havent had them for quite some years now although they maytell you they have just to keep you away LOL. The local land tenant walks his dogs up there at 5am in the morning and I would regularly meet him and we would talk. My biggest from Kilmannan was 5lbs and regularly landed fish up to 1 1/2. Mostly on a soldier palmer bob fly of black zulu. Sadly it is becoming overrun with Perch since they put that new pipe in at the dam(n) wall.
I live in the USA now where the trout are big and burns are wider than the TAY!!LOL
March 7th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Hey BIlly, thanks for commenting - 5lb is a big trout - i am seriously thinking of getting a ticket this year
March 7th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
You probably won’t need a ticket for Kilmannan as long as you stick to the fly. When I was a member of QEAC I actually spent most of my days at Kilmannan due to the fact that I prefer solitary fishing. In fact my whole reasoning for getting the ticket was so that I could get my car further up into the hills to save the walk. You might also try the lily loch which is further up in the hills but the trout are notoriously difficult to catch. Theres another wee loch further up past Duncolm called fyn loch. I saw a big trout cruising the weed beds whilst walking up there. Must have been 4 or 5lbs. I spent a few days lashing it with every fly in my box to no avail. I never even saw a rise but if theres one there must be more!
May 5th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
hi ,
im fairly new to the world of fishing and want to fish the OK lochs , which are permited and how much will it cost? im interested in the kilmannan dam.
thanx m
May 5th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Hi Mark, as far as I am aware you do not need a permit to fish the kilmannan dam.
Go over to
http://www.wild-fishing-scotland.co.uk/smf/index.php
I know there is someone there who fishes it regulary!
Alistair
May 12th, 2008 at 7:18 am
Cheers Alister,
Went to Kilmannan dam for a few hrs, i fished the noth shore with the mepps and caught nothing but perch(bout 30 ish) so felt it was my duty to clonk them on the head,
moved to the dam side about 2pm and caught 4 nice brownies , the heaviest being 1.1/2lbs all good condition all returned healthy.
thanks again M
May 12th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Hi Mark.
Why did you feel it necessary to kill the perch?They have as much right to be there as the trout.Did you eat them or were they just wasted?
Cheers
Paul
May 12th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Thanks for the comment Paul,
In my opinion there too many perch within a loch of that size, and i beleive that they will harm the natural trout stocks in the loch.
I am not aware of people taking perch from that loch, however i am aware of trout being taken, many of them large in size.
Thus i beleive the natural balance of the water to be off kilter as we speek.
Like gray squirrels, or american cray fish overpopulating our natural ecology we must administer some maintinance or we will all suffer and lose what we have.
If i had caught 30 trout i would have taken some home for my family to eat, however i dont know anyone who would have eaten the perch or i would have passed them on.
If you could suggest some good recipies i would be more than gratfull.
Thanks Mark.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Hi Mark,
I totally understand where you are coming from,however if you believe there to be a decline in the trout stocks it sounds like it may be more as a result of people removing too many than because of the perch population.Im sure the perch will eat a fair amount of small trout,but then so do larger trout.Im sure the trout eat plenty of perch fry too.There are thousands of lochs in Scotland where trout and perch co-exist in a natural balance.
I totally agree with you about the need to cull invaders like the crayfish and squirrels,but perch are indigenous to scotland.
I mainly fish for trout,but i think perch are bonny wee fish and enjoy catching them too.I take the odd trout for the table,but i suppose i just dont like the idea of thirty innocent wee perch being killed and just left to rot.I’ve heard they are good eating but a bit boney.
Sounds like you had a fun days fishing though,trout up to 1 1/2lb is good going from any loch.Ive been meaning to fish some of the OK lochs for a while now,hopefully get up there this season.
All the best
Paul
May 12th, 2008 at 11:56 am
I do know that if you kill Pike (another toothy predator which is often killed) you are messing with the eco system….have a read through this..
http://www.pffa.co.uk/thecaseforpike.htm
Unlike grey squirrels or american crayfish, perch are local to our rivers and lochs - I would assume that those Perch have not been stocked - if they were I do not know why. I do know that the trout were stocked a number of years ago though.
I have been led to believe that Perch are good to eat (worthwhile) when they get to around 1.5lbs and I would love to try one on the BBQ.
Here are some recipes….
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes/perch
http://www.activeangler.com/resources/cooking/recipes/perch/perch_index.asp
You could go up with a fly rod and have a ball with the Perch - it would be great fun
May 12th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
cheers ,
Will give the fly rod a bash, i was using a size 2 silver mepps spinner with a light spinning rod and the perch did give a good account of themselves, especially the initial clatter.
Thanks for the refrences il give them a read.
Mark.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
hey alistair was away pike fishing the other day (sun) @ the bishop loch (easterhouse) and i caught my first pike not large by pike standards around 4lb but still my first one also caught around 8 perch which are in the freezer for deadbait as i`m going up to loch awe next week for an all nighter.
I`m intrigued by this Kilmannan Dam and all its Perch where is it and how do i get there from Glasgow .
May 12th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
The Perch first appeared in Kilmannan when they put that new pipe in at the road end near the dam wall they probably got washed down from further up the system. Ever since that pipe went in the water levels dropped consistently too and trout became harder to catch because they went further out. Before the pippe went in I never caught any Perch and I fished it for years on end.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
I finally gave up on Kilmannan when almost every 9th or 10th caste would produce a Perch. Sometimes two on at the same time!
May 13th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Thanks for the info Billy, i was about 3casts on average fun enough to start but gets a bit same same, whare is the pipe? must have walked past it.
Mark
May 13th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Mark
The pipe is on the bend just before the pump house.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Billy
OK , got you ,
TA
May 15th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Hi one and all,
Can anyone direct me to a page or book that shows you how to fish with live minnow.
thanks Mark. =)
May 15th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Mark
Have a scroll through these links .Some of them mention Archer tackle but I can’t remeber what that it …might be a couple of trebles linked together by wire but I’m not sure
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=fishing+with+live+minnow&meta=
Stuart
May 15th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Stuart,
Thanks for the info, it was what i was looking for, it also offerd a snazzy minnow trap, but i think il sitck to the good old iron bru bottle with maggots in =).
Mark
May 20th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Greetings all,
Has anyone been fishing recently, wheres going well and where isn’t ?
cheers.
Mark.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Googles for “Learning Rain Dancing”
May 20th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
All toghther now!
http://www.learningtodanceintherain.com/
=)
May 21st, 2008 at 3:32 pm
well i am from the faifley area and i have fished the ok lochs for years all hold nice trout my fav being killmannan as for free lochs to fish in the ok hills u have greeny black loch black loch the spital greenland1 2 and 3 black lynn lilley loch and fyn loch am sure theres more but they must b hide away cause i dont no of many more and i have fished these lochs for the last 15 years my biggest fish in that time was a 3lb browwnie taken from the spital fishing the botton with a small polly ball 2 lift the maggotts any quistions about this area just contact me cheers
May 21st, 2008 at 4:24 pm
ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIED TO READ ABOUT THE MURDER OF INNOCENT PERCH BUT ITS WHAT IVE COME TO EXPECT FROM TROUT ANGLERS DONT BELIEVE FOR A MOMENT THAT YOU CAUGHT 4 TROUT WITH A MEPPS SPINNER AND NO HARM CAME TO THE FISH YOU LET GO. AS A COARSE ANGLER I CATCH MANY SPECIES OF FISH ALWAYS ON BARBLESS HOOKS SINGLE MAGGOT & FEW LOOSE OFFERINGS DO YOU WANT ME TO KILL EVERY TROUT I CATCH. I HAVE A PERMIT FOR THE RIVER KELVIN WHERE IFISH FOR ROACH DACE AND I ALWAYS CATCH TROUT WHEN IM FISHING FOR ROACH YOU MAY SEE ME WHEN IM FISHING THE KELVIN USUALLY BELOW THE WIER AT THE BBC. JUST CANT UNDERSTAND WHY ITS YOUR DUTY!!!!!! TO CLONK THEM ON THE HEAD. PISSED OFF RESPONSIBLE ANGLER.
May 21st, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Calm down coarsescally and please stop SHOUTING ..the button you want is called “caps lock”
May 21st, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Whenever I killed a Kilmannan perch I always left it on the bank. On a few occasions I would return to the spot to find the carcass gone. Which meant that the perch didn’t die in vain. All part of the great circle of life.
May 21st, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Rossco
Did you ever get anything from Fyn loch?I saw a nice trout cruising the weed beds one summer whilst out walking,and subseqquently spent a few days there but caught nothing. I never even saw a rise!
May 21st, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Hey COARSECALLY thanks for stopping by and commenting at Stuart B mentioned using caps lock means you are shouting - it is hard to read and just looks funny.
You are the first person to tell me they catch roach and dace in the Kelvin - are you sure about that? I am pretty sure if there as Dace in the Kelvin we would all be catching them on dry flies…where abouts do you catch them ?
Alistair
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:09 pm
cap lock gets your attention then to me its worth it, i dont normally leave comments and really liked browsing the web page, being local to the kelvin i would have a late afternoon/evening session with either fly rod or match rod trotting a stick float downstream of the wier at the bbc, the roach are of beautiful condition, the dace i have caught have been small in size and few in numbers but they are there, one time last summer i was fishing the pole 14m when there was fly anglers commenting on the size of my rod so maybe one of them might remember seeing me catch roach and dace. finally before i go the perch are as valueable to me as the brown/ seatrout/salmon are to the game angler lets respect each other.
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I am pretty sure you would have got our attention without resorting to other means - you should have a bit more confidence in what you have to say without resorting to fancy means.
Considering there are around 1000 anglers and a fair proprtion of fly anglers then I doubt that the guys you met happened to pass by here and noticed who you were
Anyway, WOW - Dace in the Kelvin that is mighty interesting - and below the weir at the BBC ?
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Perch inhabit lochs and slow-moving rivers from sea level to 1,000 metres. In the summer they are often found near weeds, lilies or other good ambush points. In the winter they become less active and move to deeper water. Perch are widely distributed throughout much of Eurasia, but are non-native to Scotland. Nonetheless, they have been introduced to many Scottish lochs and slower rivers where they have rapidly multiplied, in some cases becoming pests.
http://www.marlb.ac.uk
=)
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:13 pm
To all,
Try,
http://www.marlab.ac.uk
To the fox!
Cheers
M.
May 25th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Guys ,
Im looking to buy a book From the author Ron Greer called “The Aquatic Wolf From The Ice Age ”
I have drifted into alot of major websites and they dont seem to have heard of it .
Can any one directme to a retailer.
Oh myself and my permit are off to the kelvin this evening il keep you all posetd with my luck.
Tight lines .
Mark.
May 25th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Mark
Try these
http://www.fishyfilms.com/aboutwildtroutdvd.html
http://www.flyfishersrepublic.com/lochtales/ferox-aquatic-wolf/
May 26th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Thanks for the links billy i think i will be buying a few things from the sites.
I spent a few hrs on the kelvin and managed to tempt a single brownie on splitshot and maggot aprox 9oz, great fun.
The river is really showing its bones and i had to try a few pools before i got any joy.
Mind you seen a few people fishing it, however there seemed to be an increase in groups of drunk folks and strange people.(think il fish it with a buddy next time)
Thanks M
July 29th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Hi guys I am looking for some help if you please. I used to fish years ago but even then had no clue really what I was doing! I am planning on doing some fishing up the OK hills fairly soon could someone answer some questions for me please?
-Where is the easiest place to go?(ie minimal walking)
-I used to use spinners, are these still suitable?
-Will I be able to fish from the bank rather than a boat or waders?(because neither of which I have)
Any help for an amateur would be most appreciated!
Thanks
July 30th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Gerald,there is an earlier post re all the clubless lochs up the old k,s.Fill your boots.On the subject of perch,the Humphrey has produced a few to the fly so far this season.Never got a sniff of one last year.They are actually a very pretty fish but im put off by that nasty spiny dorsal which caused many a sore hand in my youth.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Oh i note you enquire about access.The humphrey is fairly straightforward if you have a 4×4 or an old wreck which you dont mind ripping the sump out of on occasion.You get a gate key when you join the club.£30 a year and the use of the boat.No spinning or bait however,at least thats what it says on the tin.I think you need to be prepared to hoof it to reach most of the other waters.
August 3rd, 2008 at 7:09 pm
hi stewart - thanks for the reply.
well i didnt bother with the OK hills as fly fishing is foreign to me.
we instead went to a place at rhu which seemed to be quite popular - although not with fish!!
next time i go back ill go armed with more than a few spinners!
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Where abouts at Rhu?
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
“we instead went to a place at rhu which seemed to be quite popular - although not with fish!!”
The mind boggles !!!! Was it a car park …?…LOL
August 7th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
right next to rosslea hall - nice guy at the marina pointed us in that direction. it looks like the narrowest point between rhu side of the water and rosneath.
would have been better in a car park!! other guys were having lots of luck but not me!!
August 7th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Rosslea Hall Hotel..a mere £109 a night for a single room ..FFS….yeah.That is The Narrows ..Should be a lighthouse nearby …
August 10th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
nearby isnt the word. we were leaning against it for a bit-till the tide moved then we had to leg it!