An EPIC day fly fishing on the Storr Lochs | Brown trout & rainbow trout | PART 1

#flyfishing #browntroutfishing #rainbowtroutfishing #fishing
The final video I have to make from 2023, ahead of the start of the new fishing season and hopefully I'll get chance to make some more videos following the highs and lows of my 2024 fishing on the Isle of Skye.
This is a record of my best ever day on Loch Leathan where I had a superb day catching some resident wild brown trout and a good number of rainbow trout. I think in total I had 6 browns and 18 rainbows, across different methods - wet flies/floating line, sink tip/nymphs, snatchers & crunchers as well as towards the end of the day where I got most fish on a variety of single dry flies. My best ever previous was in a All Nighter competition when the loch was brownies only. I fished the competition three days after this video and that was another great day, every angler got their brace limit of rainbows and I think I had about a dozen rainbows and finished fourth. Great fishing when there are some mayfly about!
So I hope you enjoy this video which is part 1 as I have a fair bit of footage from the day, up until my batteries ran out. Thank you for watching, I hope you enjoy the video. Feel free to leave me a comment if you like, I always respond to the comments received.
INFO ON FISHING AND DAY TICKETS
portreeanglingassociation.wil...
Tackle used:
- 9ft 5 wt - 5 wt ghost tip fly line using more imitative patterns like snatchers, nymphs & crunchers
- 9' 6" 6/7 wt - floating fly line, two wet flies - example patterns - loch ordie, blue & silver bumble, red arsed green peter, fiery claret bumble
MUSIC USED (KZbin audio library)
Artist - Lauren Duski
Track - Jinupe

[@mikdin1]

Great stuff. Spectacular surroundings. Protect it best you can.

[@highlandfishingdiary8818]

As an Angling Association, we do and are lucky to control these lochs and our other lochs and spate rivers. We finished a project of planting 200 trees last season on the big loch and no doubt will have more plans in the future. We hope to try to encourage more juniors and women to the club, though as everything relies on volunteers, things take time but we’ll get there. Thanks for the support and all the best for your season 👍

[@anotherangleUK]

Lovely video, looking forward to watch more this year, thanks.

[@highlandfishingdiary8818]

That’s very kind, glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the support. How’s your recuperation going after the fall? I’ve been impressed with your boat vids. Mine’s tucked up in the barn, contemplating a new outboard but it is still a bit down the priority list, good thing is it stored away out of the weather and hopefully we’ll get out for a short inshore trip in the summer. All the best 👍

[@anotherangleUK]

@@highlandfishingdiary8818 Thanks for asking about the shoulder. I've not managed to get out fishing so I've been 'climbing walls' indoors. Another boat in a barn. If you do go for a new outboard, take a good look at the Tohatsu brand. I'm very pleased with mine. Tight lines Phil.

[@theanglingfront]

Great watch mate 🤘🏻🎣

[@highlandfishingdiary8818]

Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it & really appreciate the positive feedback. I had a quick cast on there tonight, I could hardly bloody stand up in the gale! But it was either that or sit in the car for an hr or so waiting for my daughter. Best of luck if you’re out this weekend.

[@theanglingfront]

@@highlandfishingdiary8818 The westerly winds got the better of me this weekend mate, absolutely dreadful conditions 😭 Hopefully the winds decide to calm down a bit soon

[@FinLineFly]

Nice work!! Enjoyed that!

[@highlandfishingdiary8818]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it much appreciated 👍

[@soultrader57fishingandmusi25]

Great spot to fish matt! Envious as ever 😂 Was I mistaken or did you have the outboard running continuously? Great viewing 👍

[@highlandfishingdiary8818]

Yes, it was my second trip out with it and previously it had been a bit temperamental starting on occasion and not had chance to look at it. It really was quite wild that day luckily the north wind meant I could get out in the lee but I decided to keep it ticking over as I didn’t fancy getting caught drifting down the loch faffing about with the engine. So not ideal and i feel it is bareable on the audio but in future I’d want to switch it off anyway regardless of that. Sometimes when it is quite wild you need it on if you are drifting hugging the shore and need to keep giving it a wee push out when the wind is pushing you onshore, normally I have the outboard shore side to make it easier, as opposed to reversing!. I need a drogue as I don’t have one but they can be a pain too. A fair few of the club members have electric outboards as well as conventional, it’s quire a big loch. Cheers as ever Dave, hoping to have a quick cast on the 15th probably on the Storr Lochs.

[@yakmueller]

Nice days fishing that. Myself and a friend shall be up on Skye fishing at the end of May...we'll be easy to spot with our southern accents and no real clue as to what we are doing.

[@highlandfishingdiary8818]

That’s great you are coming up, visitors are more than welcome and help our small club. I hope you both get some good conditions and a few offers from the fish, May and June are prime time on both the Storr Lochs as we usually have a reasonable mayfly hatch. As the season progresses the fishing can be tough, especially on Leathan. That day the fish really came on and came to different methods (in the description) with dry fly scoring best late in the afternoon using anything, elk hair caddis or mayfly imitation. The competition a few days later fished similar and then it got progressively tougher as time went on. Some big brownies in there if you are lucky (i’ll keep trying!). If i can help in any way let me know, all the best & appreciate your comments (and on other videos) and watching my attempts at making content 😆

[@thetattooedangler]

Is that your boat, or can you hire one on the day?

[@highlandfishingdiary8818]

Hi, these are club boats and available to hire by visiting anglers except sundays (or if there is a Saturday competition on Leathan), as well as day tickets for bank fishing our lochs and rivers. I’m currently Portree AA secretary so if you drop down the video description there is a link to our website. We hope to have boats out as normal this season despite our boat shed being destroyed in January gales, the boats were inside but look to have come out pretty unscathed, thankfully. There are also 3 boats on Fada, the upper smaller loch, Leathan is a bigger loch. Hope that helps & all the best for your season and your channel 👍

[@mattwright2964]

Lovely spot. But shouldn't be putting rainbows in natural brown trout waters. All the focus should be on protecting and enhancing our native fish of international importance (which would also be cheaper, more effective and sustainable).

[@thetattooedangler]

thanks for that. i do want to visit the island this year. tight lines@@highlandfishingdiary8818

[@highlandfishingdiary8818]

@@thetattooedangler thanks, hope you have a good trip if you make it up 👍

[@highlandfishingdiary8818]

@@mattwright2964 hi Matt, thanks for the comment. The limited stocking we do on this hydro loch has been in place for a fair few yrs now, probably 2018 something like that. It wasn’t a decision taken lightly by the club and we had several assessments by fishery biologists prior to going that route. The fishing had declined quite a lot on Leathan in particular and many club members have fished the lochs for a long time and it was clear something had changed. Previously competitions were all brown trout over 10 inch and it was a case of often one maybe two fish coming out. We decided to make brown trout fishing catch and release and stock a limited amount into the main loch. We are not alone in doing this and did seek advice, many of our members fish this loch most and the downturn in sport was clear to see - we are trying to encourage a range of members and especially youngsters. Funnily enough, the fishing appears to have improved for brown trout in numbers since the limited stocking, also a 9lb wild fish came off the big loch last season to a guide on the island as well as some other notable fish. Fada the upper loch is browns though occasional rainbow get in when the hydro allow the level to rise. In the past the dammed lower loch had fish cages in it, it has a mayfly hatch and as a club we have done a lot planting trees and bushes to try to encourage diversity of wildlife and bugs for trout to exploit. The stocking can be stopped at any time but it takes the pressure off the resident trout as only rainbows are taken (and in competitions). As I say, we hope to encourage youngsters to take up the sport and feel this is a way, when the fishing was rock hard for seasoned fly fishers, taking a kid out to blank is maybe not the ideal start. We are trying to do our best and manage the lochs in different ways, including the environment around the lochs and its banks, for our members that no longer can make it out as easily to rivers or hill lochs they are getting a good varied experience on the main loch now. We have lots of lochs that are left alone and have gone this direction as I say, having been given support in doing that by those familiar with the fishery. I understand your position too, I wasn’t sure myself at first but feedback has been good and as I say, catch returns for browns have improved.