Fishing The Caledonian Canal Scotland

Having Great Fun Fishing for Pike and Trout in the Caledonian Canal.
This area is free fishing and has easy assess and good parking.
A Bit Of History History provided by wikipedia.org
The Caledonian Canal is a canal in Scotland that connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William. It was constructed in the early nineteenth century by engineer Thomas Telford, and is a sister canal of the Göta Canal in Sweden, also constructed by Telford.
The canal was conceived as a way of providing much-needed employment to the Highland region. The area was depressed as a result of the Highland Clearances, which had deprived many of their homes and jobs, and faced with laws which sought to eradicate their culture, including the right to wear tartan, to play bagpipes, and to speak Gaelic, many were emigrating to Canada or to the Scottish lowlands.[2] The canal would also provide a safer passage for wooden sailing ships from the north east of Scotland to the south west, avoiding the route around the north coast via Cape Wrath and the Pentland Firth.[3]
The first survey for a canal was carried out by James Watt in 1773, but it was the Caledonian Canal Commission that paved the way for the actual construction.[2] On 27 July 1803, an Act of Parliament was passed to authorise the project,[4] and the canal engineer Thomas Telford was asked to survey, design and build the waterway. Telford worked with William Jessop on the survey, and the two men oversaw the construction until Jessop died in 1814.[3] The design was expected to take seven years to complete, and to cost £474,000, to be funded by the Government, but both estimates were inadequate.[2]
Because of the remoteness of the location, construction was started at both ends, so that completed sections could be used to bring in the materials for the middle sections. At Corpach, near Fort William, the entrance lock was built on rock, but at the other end, there was 56 feet (17 m) of mud below the proposed site of the sea lock. Rock was tipped on top of the mud and was allowed to settle for six months before construction could begin. The ground through which the canal was cut was variable, and further difficulties were experienced with the construction of the locks, the largest ever built at the time. There were also problems with the labour force, with high levels of absence, particularly during and after the potato harvest and the peat cutting season. This led to Telford bringing in Irish navvies, to manage the shortfall, which led to further criticism, since one of the main aims of the project was to reduce unemployment in the Highlands.[2] The canal finally opened in 1822, having taken an extra 12 years to complete, and cost £910,000. Over 3,000 local people had been employed in its construction,[5] but the draught had been reduced from 20 feet (6.1 m) to 15 feet (4.6 m), in an effort to save costs. In the meantime, shipbuilding had advanced, with the introduction of steam-powered iron-hulled ships, many of which were now too big to use the canal. The navy did not need to use the canal either, as Napoleon had been defeated at Waterloo in 1815, and the perceived threat to shipping when the canal was started was now gone.[2]

[@donbbk]

Thanks for you comments and tips Ali Mack, you live in a fantastic part of the world. We loved fishing here and will be back in the near future. Kind Regards Don

[@AliMackMechanical]

I am a local too inverness i have fished the canal and caught nice brown trout from 8inchs right up too about a 3pound you get some relay nice pike it so when fishing i would advise using a wire trace.I have also fished the river Ness but not with much luck But that does not mean there are no fish in it lol Loch Ness is good from the bank and is free nice brown trout

[@anthonyigoe8573]

Is there any good rigs for fishing loch ness

[@AliMackMechanical]

I fished loch Ness with worm. silver Tobys maggots if you are close to the wood I find work well the wife got a 5 pound sea trout on the maggots. For pike normally use brown trout cut up on the wire trace.👍

[@anthonyigoe8573]

Ali Mack- Mechanical have you ever fished fort Augustus because I have fished there from the bank a lot and never caught anything.

[@AliMackMechanical]

@@anthonyigoe8573 Fished there a few year's ago with a mate he got on to a couple of salmon but I only ever caught some trout there.👍

[@anthonyigoe8573]

Ali Mack- Mechanical where abouts where you fishing.

[@Alan-io2ew]

Not the greatest of fish handling techniques in my opinion.

[@donbbk]

Yes I agree, considering he is a Welsh International Angler you would think he should know better.

[@donbbk]

LOL Phone or fly fishing ?

[@FishingHighland]

What part of the canal were you fishing at do you know?

[@donbbk]

Hi Sorry I have no idea what part of the canal that was. I will try and find out as we are meeting up next weekend to go fishing again.

[@nameplumb9267]

donbbk What a shame to see fishing represented so badly. The obvious use of a barbed hook, along with inept unhooking, and to cap it all, the fish is thrown back in instead of being placed back in the water with a bit of care. One step, or two at the most, would have been sufficient to take you to the water`s edge. Thankfully, not all of us fisherman are so inconsiderate to our quarry, but it does fishing no favours posting videos like this.

[@FishingHighland]

@Ali Mack I come to Inverness often and I enjoy doing so. I enjoy fishing here aswell. Fishing in places such as The Caledonian Canal, Loch Ness, and some other lochs in the Highlands. I am in Inverness right now and will be spending a lot of time on the Canal so would you recommend any specific spots on the Canal within reasonable walking distance of Tomnahurich Bridge? Regards, Gordon.

[@donbbk]

Hi and thanks for your comment. Sadly for me I was on holiday here my self and do not have any local knowledge. Sorry

[@BigCrawf1]

I fish the canal every day during the season. The best spots are around the golf course right where the caledonian cruises depart. I've had some nice fish upto 2lb but I must admit I've went days and days on the canal without a single bite even know the fish are talking flies etc literally inches from my bait. I now have more luck since I've went down to 3lb line and maximum of size 12 hook. Some great sport to be had particularly on wind free days.

[@donbbk]

Thanks for the advice

[@AaronF199]

Fly Fishing.... lol