Loch Tay
It was the beginning of May and our good friend Grant Tigwell, proprietor of the Loch Tay Fish ‘n’ Trips Company, had invited us for a day’s trolling on the loch. My husband was working, so I thought it would be good for one of our friends (to make things confusing also called Grant) to join me and experience some of the delights this mighty loch had to offer. My husband I think, was a bit disgruntled as he would much rather have been fishing than working but that’s life I suppose!
I had never fished on this legendary loch before but driven around it a number of times in the past. It truly is a magnificent place and the scenery can only be described as out of this world. The weather was set to be fair, so I was really looking forward to my day’s fishing. We were due to meet Grant Tigwell at the Killin Hotel and from there we would set off for our days fishing.
We drove up the A9 and then turned off at Ballinluig heading towards Kenmore. It was a beautiful day and as I looked west towards Strathtay, I could still see some patches of snow glistening, high on the mountain tops. My friend Grant was also looking forward to fishing the loch for the first time and experiencing the sheer beauty and solitude at first hand. We arrived at the hotel a little late. Unfortunately, I had managed to get lost, which I blamed on a dodgy sat nav and not on my poor sense of direction! Grant was waiting for us as enthusiastic as ever, raring to go.
A beautiful view across the mighty loch
Grant’s boats are moored on the pretty River Lochay (a good salmon river in its own right, which flows into Loch Tay). We all got into the sixteen-foot Orkney boat, including Grant’s beautiful dog Isla, and set off down the river towards the loch. As soon as we entered the loch, I was astounded by its encapsulating beauty. I looked down the loch and to the north; I could see the mighty Ben Lawers. I had never seen this iconic mountain from the water and it looked truly stunning.
Grant felt that the best chance of catching a fish would be to troll close to the bank and head east towards Kenmore. He decided to troll with three rods. The rods on either side of the boat were traditional fifteen-foot trolling fly rods. He also used an eleven-foot spinning rod, which was set on a shorter line, fished from the back of the boat.
Grant covering the likely lies
Grant explained that orange rapalas had been working well for him and so he was keen to fish these lures in tandem. This sounded good to me. In the water, they had a terrific action and looked highly visible. It was great chatting with Grant about how his season had gone so far, while we gently trolled close to the shore. Grant explained that his clients had caught almost fifty springers up to twenty-eight pounds and many of these were sea liced. As the spring season was now almost at an end, Grant was looking forward to taking some of his clients out to fish for Arctic Char. I was surprised to learn that there was a healthy population of char in the loch. Indeed, Grant’s clients have caught char up to almost three pounds in the past.
A cracking Loch Tay springer caught by one of Grant's clients earlier this season
Grant and I were having a great time just relaxing and chatting to Grant when without warning one of the outside rods suddenly buckled over. We were into a fish! Grant and I got the other lines in while my friend Grant played the fish. Unfortunately, after a short fight, we very quickly realised this was not a salmon. After one decent run, the fish came towards the boat without putting up much of a fight. It was a beautiful, fin perfect wild Brown trout. The fish was unhooked carefully and released unharmed. It was good to get off the mark and the trout definitely gave us a heart-stopping moment.
Grant’s dog Isla was just amazing. She had her eyes either transfixed on the rods while we were trolling or peering at the fish finder with Grant. You could see Grant trolling around the different bays in the loch covering well-known salmon lies. Grant explained that he had uncovered some new lies in the loch during his fifteen year’s experience. He also relies on knowledge passed down to him from experienced ghillies that have fished the loch for decades.
Isla the dog!
We decided to come ashore on the north side of the loch to stretch our legs. It was now almost lunchtime and I could not believe how quickly time had passed. We had almost trolled seven miles. With the breeze freshening, there was now a decent wave on the loch and Grant felt optimistic about the afternoons prospects. We set sail again and continued trolling. Grant decided to cross the loch and troll up the other side back towards Killin. The shoreline on the south side of the loch was quite different in nature. It was less mountainous but beautiful nonetheless. I saw numerous buzzards flying overhead, Osprey nesting high up in the trees on the shore line and high up in the hills you could just make out some deer grazing. This was a truly an inspiring place.
We had been trolling for around forty minutes after lunch when one of the side rods suddenly bent over. We had hooked another fish and this time it looked as if it was the real deal. The fish stayed deep and fought hard. At on one point, it must have ran thirty yards down the loch but Grant played it well. We were all surprised to see after a good tussle that the fish was another brown trout around two and a half pounds in weight. It was a stunning fish which had beautiful red speckles on it as if an artist had painted the spots on with watercolours. The trout was in excellent condition and released unharmed.
A beautiful Loch Tay wild Brown Trout
We started trolling again, heading back towards Killin, hoping that we would be third time lucky. Grant explained that his guests catch a lot of wild Brown trout on the loch. During the summer months fly fishing for trout, using traditionally drift fishing tactics is becoming more popular with his clients. As well as trout fishing, Grant has also started fly fishing on the loch for pike, which has proved to be a great hit. A number of his clients have caught pike on the fly, weighing well into the teens of pounds.
Looking up the loch, I could see us approaching Killin. I was just hoping that one of the rods would buckle for a third time and it would be a salmon. Unfortunately, this was not to be but it did not detract from a wonderful day.
It was fantastic to spend a day with Grant. It was clear that his knowledge of the loch is second to none and he was an excellent host. It was fascinating to see how Grant worked in his beautiful office, all the time concentrating on the lures and looking at his fish finder to make sure we were trolling at the desired depths. It made me realise how much knowledge and skill is required when fishing for salmon on the loch.
Hopefully next time!
On our way home, we reflected on what had been a lovely day. We did not catch that elusive Loch Tay salmon but we felt that with Grant as a guide, it would only have been a matter of time. His attention to detail when trolling was exceptional and his catches this season have proven that the tactics he uses work to great effect. I am looking forward to fishing with Grant again on Loch Tay, when I am confident that we will make contact with the silver Tay tourist. Who knows, I might even take my hubby next time!
Loch Tay Fish ‘n’ Trips specialises in trolling for salmon but can also accommodate fly fishing for trout, pike and char, as well as providing casting tuition. There are also a number of boats available for hire on Loch Tay. Click on the link below for more information.
