'A Touch of  Awe'.     Fishing on Loch Awe. County Argyll
This booklet was published in March 1989 - some of the information is out of date and an update is planned at the end of the final chapter. Copyright remains with Michael Roberts &  fishinginuk.co.uk. You are welcome to print & view this for your own private use. 

INTRODUCTION

Newcomers to Loch Awe have difficulty finding the best places and using the best techniques on such an expanse of water. After all, the loch has an area of 9,505 acres! This book is written specifically for the angler who does not know the loch and who may not be familiar with some of our local techniques.
I have often felt saddened at the sight of a luckless angler coming off the loch, shrugging his shoulders and saying there were no fish to be caught when other have had plenty of success on the same day. Very often the reason for the hapless angler's blank day is lack of knowledge this booklet provides.
There is never any shortage of free advice after you have had such a day and there are plenty of experts  who will tell you what you should have done just as you are about to head home! This booklet is an attempt to help you before you begin fishing.
Some methods of fishing have been deliberately omitted because, although they may be widely used, they are of dubious ethical merit or they may be too complicated to be of practical use. All anglers have their own favourite fly patterns and spinners and I am no exception. I plead the cause of brevity for any omissions in this area.
I hope that this brief introduction to the loch helps the reader find success when fishing on such an excellent water.
                                         Michael Roberts           March 1989

FORWARD
               Omitted   (written by the late James Gulliver)

CHAPTER 1 - THE LOCH

Physical parameters
                                     At 25.27 miles, Loch Awe is the longest loch in Britain. Compared with other lochs in Scotland it is particularly narrow for its size, averaging only half a mile across. The water was only one of two surveyed by the Navy in 1861 (Loch Lomond being the other) and there are copies of these charts in the Hotel (this is the former Portsonachan Hotel)
The depths have changed since the erection of the barrage at the Pass of Brander when the loch became part of a hydro-electric scheme. More than half of the loch is less than 100 feet deep and there are plenty of shallow expanses. This is undoubtedly one of the factors which accounts for the quantity and quality of trout present.
A more detailed account of fishing areas and places to visit is given later in the booklet.
Protection order
                             Proposals for a protection order have been on the table for some time. If such an order is granted, a number of new regulations will come into force and anglers should ensure that they are familiar with these if and when they come into effect.
Legal Seasons for fishing and Fishing Rules
Brown trout season: March 15 - October 6. Salmon & Sea trout: February 11 - October 15.
In the interests of conservation, any brown trout less than nine inches should be returned. There is no close season for pike. Written permission is required for salmon and sea trout and this permission can only be given by proprietors or establishments who have such rights to confer on visitors.
Boat Etiquette
When boar fishing, give fly fishermen a wide berth of around 100 yards. Do not motor or fish in front of a drifting fly-fishing boat. When approaching a boat which is heading towards you, pass port side to port side (that's left-hand side to left-hand side to you landlubbers!)
Beware of a boat which may be trolling . The boat may have 40 or 50 yards of line trailing behind.
Shore anglers should similarly be given a wide berth. 
Quarry Species Available
It is hardly surprising that such a large area of water holds not only a considerable number of trout - the species for which the loch is famous - but also a good variety of other species worth fishing for. The loch hold the following quarry fish: salmon , brown trout, rainbow trout (escapees from fish farms), sea trout, char, pike and perch.
Big Fish
Loch Awe has produced plenty of mammoth fish in the past and will undoubtedly do so in the future. The loch has as good a  prospect of producing a record brown or rainbow trout as any of the Scottish waters.
A brown trout of 39 lb was caught in 1866 by W. Campbell Muir, who lived at Inistrynich. Unfortunately , the preserved fish was destroyed by fire at hayfield House some year ago. Never reknowned for its salmon fishing, the loch nevertheless produced two salmon of 56 lb during the 1800s.
We always read of great fish which where caught aeons ago , yet large fish are still caught each year. Each month during the season, the whisky company Ballantines sponsors a competition for the heaviest fly-caught fish in Scottish waters. Their records show that  out of 72 winning fish in the brown trout category during 1987 and 1988, four came from Loch Awe. The heaviest , caught in July 1988, weighed 7lb. 12 oz.
During the same two years in the rainbow trout category, 13 fish were winners out of a possible 72. One of the heaviest weighed 14 1/2 lb and was caught near Ford in May 1988. If this is not enough to encourage you, a splendid rainbow, weighing 17 1/2 lb was caught by Allan Neil in 1986. 
The most recent large fish was caught in August 1987 on the Bloody Butcher fly by Derek Graham. This monster weighed 21lb 4 oz.

CHAPTER 2 .  Boat Fishing - Trolling 

Safety and clothing

Drowning accidents occur every year and Loch Awe is not immune to such tragedy. As a lifeboat man, I have all too often had to deal with the consequences of inadequate precautions taken by those using the water for pleasure or work. Lifejackets are cumbersome but no one has an excuse for not wearing the vest type of bouyancy aid.
A lot of people stand up in a boat when fly casting and of course there is great excitement and moving about when a fish is being landed. This is one of the times when someone is most likely to go overboard. I make my plea for you to wear a BOUYANCY AID OR A LIFEJACKET AT ALL TIMES.
Clothing is important for safety too. If occupants in a boat become cold and wet they also become inefficient and careless - just the time when accidents could happen. Always take plenty of extra clothing in a plastic bag.
During high summer it is extremely easy to get sunstroke and heatstroke even in this part of the world! Some form of head protection and a long-sleeved shirt is important. I always try to take plenty of non-alcoholic drink with me when boar fishing in the Summer. Sunglasses are useful to protect you from the strong glare off the water.
Before setting out ensure you have a spare shear pin if your engine uses one, as well as the tools for replacing it, and that you have enough fuel.
Watch out for foul weather. If it blows up suddenly, make for the lee side of an island or shoreline. Avoid travelling sideways on large waves. You should not come to harm if you do not hurry, steer nose on to the waves, and if the occupants sit sensibly to balance the boat both fore and aft so that the boat rides the waves. In really rough weather it helps if the occupants sit in the bottom of the boat, so lowering the centre of gravity and the windage . If you do have the misfortune to fall overboard , do not panic! It is better to swim gently to avoid shipping lungfulls of water. Always climb back into the boat at the stern, if possible, using the outboard engine as a step (which your worried companions should have stopped for you). A wet person becomes extremely heavy and the temptation is for the remaining occupants to move to the side and pull you in. This courts disaster. In some conditions if the person overboard cannot climb back in, it may be better to hold onto him and head back for the shore.

Trolling

People often regard trolling as boring and unskillful because the boat rather than those handling the rods is doing the actual fishing. However, the boat handler needs all his concentration and skill to work the likely spots, and because you are travelling along the loch there is plenty of wildlife to see as well as the constantly changing scenery.
Up to three rods can be usefully trolled from one boat at a time with only a little chance of getting tangled. If you are new to this form of angling, then begin with two rods and use three only after you have caught a couple of fish.

The side rods need to be quite long - preferably 10 to 12 feet. Rods longer than this become unwieldy when trying to net a fish. I prefer to use soft spinning rods which are built as double handed rods. An 11 ft. grilse or sea trout spinning rod is ideal. Make sure the rod has a screw-locking reel seat. The ideal trolling reel is a multiplier because of its smooth drag control and large line capacity. A fixed spool reel is very much a second choice but it is vital the reel has a good drag control. The centre or poker rod can be much shorter if you wish. A rod of six feet is quite adequate. For all trolling, I use a good quality 10 lb. monofilament line. One benefit of trolling is that if you connect with a monster fish you have plenty of room in which to play it. As long as you have enough line on the reel you can afford to allow a large fish to run.
Always tie in a good quality swivel about three feet above the lure. The ball bearing type swivels are best. If you are using any spinning lure (such as a mepps - type lure) it is vital that you use some form of anti kink device such as a wye weight: this is tied in place of the single swivel about three feet above the lure. See diagram below:

BOAT FISHING - Fly  Fishing
Fly fishing is by the traditional method where the boat drifts slowly downwind while lying sideways to the waves.
Tackle and Techniques: 
Use a rod of between 10 and 11 feet. The longer the rod the better - but remember, it has to be light enough for you to cast single handed all day! My own favourite fly rod is a carbon rod of 11½ feet. The rod should have quite a soft action.
The reel should be a standard fly reel with room for at least 35 yards of backing. It is a good idea to use a reel which has .its side plate exposed - this means you can use your hand pressing gently against the exposed rim as a brake when a fish makes a powerful run. I tend to use a slow-sinking line for most of the season but many people use a floating line for their wet fly fishing. A fast-sinking line can be useful for the first six weeks of the season and for back-end fishing.
Use good quality monofilament for the fly cast; 61b line is about right. A 4 lb line can certainly be used but it is rather light for boistrous fish on a windy day. Use three flies, two flies on short droppers and a tail fly. See diagram below. Cast out enough line, hardly more than twice the length of the rod, so that when you retrieve the cast, the first dropper - the bob fly - skips through the waves towards you. To increase the time the flies stay in the water for each cast, most anglers shoot about a yard or so of line. This means that after casting, about a yard of line is slowly drawn in by hand and the rest of the retrieve is finished by continuing to draw the rod upwards to the vertical.

False casting and standing up in the boat to try to hurl your flies ever greater distances results only in the fish being scared yet further away from the boat. In all conditions other than a flat calm, fish are surprisingly unalarmed when close to a boat and will enthusiastically snap at your proffered fly even when alongside the hull. The only time it is worth considering casting a greater distance from the boat is on a flat calm day or if you want your flies to swim a bit deeper. Many anglers are unaware that every bump and knock with their feet or tackle scares away fish. The best tactic is to sit quietly in the boat and cast gently.
The dry fly is certainly worth trying but because conditions are less likely to be suitable for this form of fishing, I shall not go into greater detail on it. Fishing with a single lure fly also demands casting reasonably far from the boat so that you can allow the lure to sink a little and vary the speed of your retrieve. For lure fishing, use a cast of 61b or 81b monofilament about two metres long.
Wet Flies for Trout
Size 10 and size 12 flies are most popular. If there is a big wave on the water, you should try a size 8 fly on the bob.
Black Pennel, Grouse and Claret, Kingfisher Butcher - are the best known patterns for Loch Awe. At least one of these patterns should always be on your cast.
Peter Ross - an ideal tail fly.
Bibio - a good bushy pattern to fish on the bob in a good wave.
Invicta - best from July onwards.
Sam Slick - similar to the Invicta, best from July on. 
Greenwell's Glory - a good pattern from late April to June.
Macleod's Olive - another green fly like the Greenwells. 
Bloody Butcher - a good all round fly.
March Brown - a super fly useful for the whole season despite its name.
Black Zulu - another good fly for the bob.
Red Palmer - fishes well from July on. 
Wickham's Fancy, Ke-He, Black and Peacock - can be good when trout are spider feeding on snails.

Fly Lures for Trout: All Size 8 Longshank
Green Awesome - good for rainbows and brown trout alike.
Fiery Brown Awesome -best for rainbows.
Jersey Herd - good for both rainbows and brown trout.
Alexandra - good for bright sunny days.
Ace of Spades - any black lure is worth a try.

                                                                                      Dapping
Anyone who has not tried dapping has not lived! This is one of the most exciting forms of fishing and because no casting skills are required, it is easy for beginners to try. There is one huge snag, however: although you may see many fish rising to your fly, hooking and landing the fish is more difficult than with most other methods of fishing.
You can dap with your ordinary fly rod if it is long enough, but most people prefer to use a rod designed specifically for the purpose. The rod should be between 12 and 17 feet. Telescopic rods are best, to overcome the problem of storing such a long rod in the boat. Your standard fly reel should have plenty of backing and the main line consists of 25 yards or so of dapping floss. The cast consists of a yard or two of 61b or 81b monofilament to which the dapping fly is attached.
Many people advocate knotting the floss every few feet or so to prevent the floss catching and fraying on anything it comes into contact with. My advice is not to bother as knotting only impairs the sail-like function of the floss.
If the line becomes frayed, chop off the offending piece and continue fishing - you actually use only the last six or seven yards of floss when fishing anyway.
The technique works only when there is a reasonable breeze and the weather is warm. The best months for dapping are from June onwards. Strip off a rod length of line and allow the wind to catch the fly and the floss. The fly is blown ahead of the sideways drifting boat in such a way that it bounces enticingly on the waves. You work the dapping fly over the surface of the waves from left to right across the water in front of you. If the wind blows the fly too far ahead, let out more line until you can control the fly, representing an insect struggling to break free of the water.
The softer the wind, the shorter your nylon cast, and vice versa: a longer cast for breezier conditions. If it is really windy, use a two-yard cast with a dropper of about five inches. Tie a slim, fairly heavy wet fly size 6 or 8 on the tail and your dapping fly on the dropper. The wet fly acts as an anchor and will also catch fish. When using this method, ignore the wet fly and just work your dapping fly on the dropper as described.
When a fish rises to your fly you must not tighten your line too quickly. Count to five and only then tighten into the fish. As you can imagine, timing this pause while the fish turn with the fly is extremely difficult. Some fish will leap clean out of the water without touching the fly, turn under water and pick up the drowned lure.
You need nerves of steel to resist the temptation of striking as soon as you see a rise.
If two people are fishing, it is a good idea for one to dap and the other to fish with the traditional wet fly method. The sight of a large bushy lure often excites the trout to take the wet fly and the wet fly may help draw fish to the dapping fly.
Flies for Dapping
Flies in sizes 6 or 8 tied on low-water salmon hooks are best. Use Black Palmer, Loch Ordie, Black and White Palmer. It is always worth experimenting with different flies. I found a yellow and black fly worked well one day but was hopeless the next. I have tried dapping the artificial and natural daddy longlegs with little success but this does not mean you shouldn't give it a try.

                                                                                       PIKE FISHING
Tackle and Techniques
Loch Awe has plenty of good-sized pike. The best months are from mid-February to April when the fish move into the shallows for spawning.
Spinning with plugs and using a deadbait with or without a float are the most productive methods. Tackle requirements are quite straightforward. You need a reasonably strong spinning rod of seven to eight feet, with a fixed spool reel loaded with 81b monofilament. Use a wire trace for spinning and on your deadbait cast. There are plenty of different ways of setting up a deadbait rig and the most common is to use a Jardine snap tackle with size 6 or 8 trebles.
The head of the bait should be mounted so that it is at the very end of the cast. Small trout make the best deadbait and you can get them from local fish farms - the nearest is near Inveraray. See diagram over page.
There are a few "hotspots" for pike on the loch but an often neglected area is the point of any bay. I have found that pike dislike being in the centre of a small bay, except when basking in hot weather, but they frequently lie in ambush at either end in water which is anything from two to 10 feet deep.
Pike are often taken when trolling and can certainly put up a respectable fight if the water is reasonably warm.
You can sometimes have fun on a warm calm day by trailing a floating plug or rapala 20 yards or so behind the boat. Allow the plug to lie on the surface and then take a couple of strokes with the oars. Allow the boat to drift to a standstill, when the floating lure will be visible popping up to the surface. When everything is stationary, repeat the process. This often induces a pike to smash at the lure as it dives under the surface and can be quite effective in open water away from the shallows.
Lures for Pike 
Any colour of plug.
Toby-type lures. Best colours: silver and blue/silver. Rapala, floating type. Dark or bright colours.

SHORE FISHING

Spinning from the shore is not very productive, but the fly fisherman can do well, particularly early in the season and in any month at late evening, by wading quietly along the shore
line. A few years ago, I watched one angler do particularly well along the shore because, unusually, he was wearing chest waders. His stealthy approach and ability to cast his team of small wet flies those extra few yards paid dividends and he enjoyed some good sport for a few hours.
A word of warning to the shore-based fly fisherman: beware of sudden drop-offs, particularly at the mouths of burns entering the loch. This hazard can take you by surprise and the bottom of the loch can plummet in the distance between taking one pace and the next.

WHERE TO FISH ON LOCH AWE

Map of Loch Awe

For fishing pictures, wildlife, countryside, dogs, cats, farm animals. Click on the above picture

If demand or interest is sufficient, I would be glad to add any updates relevant to the above text.   

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