The river Mourne beats of the Baronscourt Estates near Newtonstewart in Northern Ireland have been fishing well and prospects for August are looking good. Here is the latest report of Monday 2 August

The Upper Mourne benefited from decent water height in July making for good fishing, a total of 26 salmon were landed, with a further 10 lost. Connor Moran from Londonderry landed his first ever salmon, 4 lbs on the Snaa pool, with his father catching a similar sized fish. The largest fish for the month was caught by I Gordon an experienced local angler at 10lb, that day he also caught two further fish at 5lb and 2lb. Mid July saw guest fishermen from Spain watching the reigning world spey casting champion Gerard Downey on the Snaa pool. The Mourne had at least two good floods which both brought fresh fish into the system. Prospects for August are looking good, we have had a decent amount of rain over the first weekend of August which has brought fresh fish up. A fish was caught on the Derg Hole yesterday morning and another lost in the Half Water.

The Mourne is a lovely river to fish, the Snaa pool being probably the most prolific on the river. Short breaks are available with or without accommodation on the estate

Game Fairs & Shows

The Scottish GWCT Game Fair at Scone was a great success once again, and it was a pleasure to see friends and clients. Friday was as busy as ever with near record attendance.

Scotland’s most prestigious angling trophy is relaunched.
Click here for more information

We look forward to receiving entries for the prestigious Savills Malloch Trophy, which will be awarded to the captor of the largest wild Atlantic salmon caught on the fly in a Scottish river, and safely released.

The trophy was previously awarded between 1972 and 1999, and we are hoping to compile a record of the capture of all those fish. If you were one of the winners, or know someone who was, we would be very interested to receive a short story detailing its capture including the beat it was caught on, the tackle used and any other interesting information of the day. Any information would be gratefully received.

The Syre beats of the river Naver continue to fish exceptionally well, with a total of 17 fish last week, including two fish to Spring regular Keith Webster, and two fish to local fisher young Lewis O’Brien, who caught his first and second ever salmon from Beats 1 and 3, weighing 11 and 12 pounds. There are still good runs of salmon coming into the river on every tide, and prospects continue to look good for the coming weeks, as the run of salmon will start to be augmented by increasing numbers of grilse.

We still have a vacancy for two rods for Wed – Saturday next week (23-26 June), the price being £250 per rod per day.

The river Dee had good water last week and brought in a lot of sea-trout. These are fantastic fish in the two to four pound bracket, and in very good condition. Woodend enjoyed some excellent sport, with a first sea trout for Malcolm Macrae from Orkney, who was delighted with his three pounder from the Moral

As the salmon fishing season is about to get underway on the River Mourne I wanted to remind you what fabulous salmon fishing can be had in Northern Ireland, particularly on the River Mourne at Baronscourt

The Loughs Agency have banned the licensed nets from operating on the Foyle system this season, with The River Finn and River Foyle now becoming catch and release fisheries only. This is a major step forward for the Province, and should result in a lot more fish about this season. Local anglers and various private fisheries, including Baronscourt have lobbied for many years to have a total ban on licensed nets. The Baronscourt fishing on the River Mourne is not covered by the total catch & release policy because the returning salmon population on this system is still deemed to be healthy. Baronscourt, however, do encourage anglers to carefully return their fish where possible.

There has been little rain this season with the result that there has been no salmon fishing or catches to date. As soon as rain comes there are large volumes of fish waiting to enter the system, and we currently have good availability for the next few months. With the low water conditions local anglers have enjoyed very good quality wild brown trout fishing with specimen fish of 1.5 – 2.5lb being caught.

A 33.5 lb salmon was caught in the Foyle area, near Lifford Bridge a few weeks ago. This fully challenges the perception that the region has small fish! This record breaking salmon took the happy angler around 45 minutes to land.

Uig Lodge has two peak seasons to rent this September

Saturday 4th to 11th September 2010 at £6385
Saturday 11th to 18th September 2010 at £6385

Come and enjoy a Hebridean week of fantastic salmon fishing, incredible views, delicious food, unbeatable walks and glorious beaches. Arguably the most beautiful location in Scotland. Uig Lodge is based on the stunning west coast of the Isle of Lewis, overlooking the spectacular Uig Bay. The lodge sleeps 15 and is let with a highly experienced cook.

• Fantastic salmon, sea trout and brown trout fishing
• Endless white sandy beaches for walking, kite surfing and power kiting
• Your own private 9 hole golf course overlooking the Bay
• Spectacular views of unspoilt scenery brimming with wildlife
• Delicious food using fresh local ingredients from lobster to venison

If you would be interested in taking either one of these weeks in September, please call Betty Robertson on 01738 451600 or email her at betty.robertson@ckdgalbraith.co.uk

Stop Press

The North Coast of Scotland is fishing extremely well at the moment, and with a good rise of water over the weekend, both the river Naver and the river Thurso have been having an excellent week (31 May to 5 June)

Syre Estate - The 6 rod team on the Naver, fishing the three Syre beats have had 23 fish up to lunch on Wednesday, for two and a half days fishing, and nearly all these fish were fresh multi sea winter salmon, not grilse, of between 8 and 18 pounds with long tailed sealice.

We still have fishing available on the Naver for the next three weeks as follows as at today’s date - Thursday 3 June

3 beats next week (7-12 June) @ £1500 plus vat per beat (2 rods per beat)

14-19 June – 1 beat @ £1500 plus vat per beat

21-26 June – 1 beat @ £2500 plus vat for the beat

The River Naver has 6 beats, and each pair of rods rotates over the whole river in the course of a week.

These beats are offered without ghillies or accommodation, and are offered on a first come first served basis. A fantastic opportunity to have a cast on the Naver.

River Thurso – The Thurso has also been fishing well with 44 fish so far this week over the 12 beats. Salmon fishing and accommodation in the Ulbster Arms Hotel is available for the next three weeks from £450 pp (4 nights accommodation and 3 days salmon fishing), or £795 pp (7 nights accommodation and 6 days fishing).

First fish off the RIVER INVER Monday 24th May 2010 - I’m pleased to report the first fish off the Inver was caught by George Comb, who caught his fish in the Ladder Pool on a size 4 double Cascade, weighing 11.5 pounds.

Stop Press

A further 4 fish caught yesterday, Wednesday, 26th May, on the Naver to the 4 Syre rods, bringing the week’s tally up to 16 fish for the first 3 days, with lots of fish seen, fish risen & lost

RIVER NAVER – to re-iterate Andrew Graham-Stewart’s comments in the latest Trout & Salmon magazine, The Naver has been fishing as well as any river in the North, and by all accounts there are lots of fish about. Despite the low water and bright conditions this week, the Syre rods have had 12 fish in the first two days of fishing, with almost all the fish between 8 and 13 pounds, and long tailed sealice.

The Naver is usually fully booked each season, but this year, uniquely, we are offering fishing on a per beat basis for a period in June. The Naver is split into 6 beats, each of 2 rods, and each 2 rod party rotates over all 6 beats during the week. This means that two of you can fish the whole river over the course of the week. The fishing can be booked with or without lodge accommodation. If you have ever had an ambition to have a cast on the Naver, THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY! See our Late Availability page for details, or ring the office on 01738 451600

A big salmon was caught from the Woodend beat of the river Dee on Monday 19 April. The lucky man was Harry Williamson. This was his first Scottish salmon and first spring fish, although he has caught salmon on the Irish Blackwater previously. The fish was 44" and was hooked at 6.45pm and landed at 7.20pm in the Moral pool, on a size 8 cascade. Estimated at 32 pounds, the fish was safely returned.

Woodend is a classic middle Dee beat, and lies just upstream of Cairnton of A.H.E Wood fame. The Moral pool is reputedly one of the prettiest on the river, and is a favourite of big fish.

Woodend is usually in big demand, but we have a cancellation for the week of 12-19 September to include Garden Cottage and the beat’s two rods. This is a rare opportunity to fish this lovely beat. Please let us know if you are interested.

Inaccurate and alarmist reports have appeared in the shooting press and on email concerning BASC's position on lead ammunition. They misrepresent BASC’s position and the current situation.

BASC would like to take the opportunity to put the record straight.

The facts of the matter are:

1. BASC is firmly opposed to any unwarranted attempts to further restrict lead shot.
2. All other shooting organisations support this position.
3. BASC and all other shooting organisations agree that the shooting community must be involved in discussions on the future of lead ammunition. Not to be involved is to lose our voice and influence.
4. All the shooting organisations have been discussing the latest evidence on lead shot for some time.
5. All the shooting organisations agree that shooting should be involved in the lead ammunition advisory group being established by DEFRA to examine scientific evidence on the use of lead ammunition in the UK.
6. All the main shooting organisations are supportive of John Swift, the CEO of BASC, taking the Chair.
7. The shooting organisations form the largest group on the lead ammunition advisory group. They include BASC, the Game and Wildlife Conservation
8. Trust, the Gun Trade Association and the Countryside Alliance. Other organisations will be asked to contribute in specialist areas.
9. The natural conclusion from this is that shooting is well represented and is united on this issue.

What does this mean for the future of lead ammunition in the UK?

Defra has chosen the lowest level of committee, unofficial and industry-driven, to give advice.

1. No political party in the UK has any plans to further restrict lead shot
2. The current position of the Food Standards Agency is that the consumption of shot game is not sufficient in the UK to become a public health issue.
3. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that some birds can be poisoned by feeding on shot animals or taking up lead shot as grit.
4. The group has been asked to assess the relevance of research for the UK.
5. Nothing will happen in the UK for the foreseeable future.

Rods are currently available at Bywell on a daily basis from £70 plus vat per rod per day – a great beat to get that early springer!

A lovely 20 pounder from Bywell caught on Thursday 8 April by Angus Oughtred with ghille Garry Hillary from the Pipeline Pool on a Cascade Tube

Another cracking fish for Bywell!
This one is a fifteen pounder caught by Peter Austin from Millers (left bank) last Friday – 16 April, on a Wee Annie fly

I’ve just had this picture in from Keith Webster, who fished at Syre last week, and here’s what he had to say :-

"Just back from my Naver week and just wanted to say thank you for your help.

It certainly makes all the hard work worthwhile to see a solid chromer of a Springer being landed and safely returned from the Long Stream on Beat 5 and as you can see by the photograph he most certainly was having some good feeding prior to entry into the River which hopefully bodes well for the seasons ahead?

I have to say it ranks at the top end of all the Rivers I have fished but not a River for the faint hearted as I covered all the pools and by the end of the week found myself absolutely shattered.

Also I would like to thank the Ghillie (Davie Horsburgh) for all his help, it was a joy to tap into his wealth of knowledge about the River and I also thoroughly enjoyed his company"

Week Commencing 22 March -  This week got off to a great start for Jim Rennie’s party at Syre and the river Naver, with 7 fish on Monday, 6 from beat 6, and 1 from beat 1, and a further fish this morning - wednesday, making 8 so far for the week

Spring seems at last to be on the horizon, and much of the snow has now gone.

At Syre, the thaw came in earnest about a week ago, after nearly 90 days of continuous snow cover, and fish are starting to be caught as we start the prime spring fishing period. There is still snow on the tops and this should bode well for the late spring and early summer fishing, which can be excellent if there is good water. We still have some prime weeks in June, and this may well be the year to be there. Tommy Shaw, well known as one of the Syre ghillies for over 20 years, and on Loch Maree before that, is now flytying in Thurso, and I can’t recommend highly enough the quality of his flies. He has been the subject of a number of features in Trout and Salmon, and has developed some very effective patterns, making use of modern materials and techniques. His Cone Bellied Pigs can be highly effective, and have a very loyal following! He can be contacted on 01847 891485, (but no email or website), or ask us for his latest list.

Talking of craftsmen, Ronnie Irvine, the maker of without doubt the best wooden floating devons, lives near us here in Perth. Last week he showed me some of his latest creations, and I have to say they are real works of art. Each minnow is hand turned from mahogany, primed and then painted with no less than 9 coats of paint in some amazing colours, to produce the perfect fish and fisherman catching minnow. His minnows have been featured in Trout and Salmon recently (March 2010), and if you are a floating devon fisher, you need look no further. Ronnie can be contacted on minnowman@hotmail.co.uk

Bywell is heading the catch list on the Tyne, with a total of ten fish so far this season out of a total of 34 fish from the river. The latest from Bywell has been a 12 pound sealiced fish caught by Garry Hillary from Fish Pass. Day rods are available at £70 plus vat. Please enquire for availability.

Drew Jamieson, one time Honorary Secretary of the Scottish Anglers’ National Association (SANA), and a Fellow of the Institute of Fisheries Management, has spent his life enjoying, managing and promoting Scotland’s trout and salmon fisheries, and has recently published two books – “The Tartan Trout – Scotland’s Trout Fishing Heritage”, and hot off the press, “Salmon of Wisdom – Essays on Scotland’s king of fish”. Both are available on CD format from anglerscompanions@btinternet.com

We still have a number of prime salmon fishing weeks still available – please look at www.sportinglets.co.uk/late.htm or give us a ring

Ruantallain Estate, Isle of Jura

From time to time, we have a unique opportunity to offer long weekends of wild brown trout fishing in May and June on the Ruantallain Estate Island of Jura for parties of 6 to 10. In 2010, we are able to offer 20-24 May and between 23 June and 1 July 2010. A typical party comprises up to ten people with a minimum party size of six, who travel daily from the lodge down to Loch Tarbert (5 mins) where they transfer to the estate seaboat WALLASEA from which they land out on the West coast where there are two hill machines which convey the party to a choice of about twenty five trout lochs varying from twenty five acres ( the largest is 200 acres) and over a three/four day period in May they may expect to catch up to 300/400 fish. There are two ghillies in attendance to help the inexpert fishermen. Sizes vary from three pounds to about one third of a pound and three to a pound isn’t a bad expectation. At the end of the day the party re board the WALLASEA and after a spectacular trip down the loch they then find tea and scones waiting for them plus a three course dinner. The fish are totally wild and it is a wonderful experience fishing completely unspoilt lochs amid wonderful scenery with views of Mull and Colonsay across the sea. Read the article in Trout & Salmon - In Glorious Isolation pdf format.

Prices from £140 per person per day (min party size 6) to include full board accommodation (exc drink) and trout fishing

Bywell opened the River Tyne season with the first fish off the system on 1 Feb (opening day). Nigel Arthur caught this fresh run springer of 18 pounds from the Fish Pass Pool on the Upper Bywell beat on Thursday 11 Feb, on a Tosh

The First fish from the River Thurso was caught by Don Mackay on 2 February.

The fish was caught on Tuesday 2nd February on the Hoy Pool on beat four. It weighed in at nine pounds and was taken on a three inch fly of Don’s own creation which he calls a D.C.M. The river height was seventeen inches and the grue had stopped going through about two hours before he caught it.

A second fish was caught from the same pool earlier today – Thursday 4 February. The First Fish from the River Tyne was caught at Bywell on opening day on 1 February – more details and photo to follow

Wild Sport in the Outer Hebrides - 2009 season report

Shooting Gazette - The Review, Award Winning Scottish Estate (1) Lochindorb Estate

Shooting Gazette - The Review, Award Winning Scottish Estate (2)

Thinking ahead to the salmon fishing season in Scotland, which if not already under way, will be by mid February at the latest, we look forward to some exciting fishing. If you haven’t already secured your fishing for this season, please have a look at our fishing late availability which is updated every Friday throughout the season. We still have prime fishing to let on the River Naver at Syre, the River Ness at Ness Castle, the River Helmsdale at Achentoul, as well as the famous Bywell Fishings on the River Tyne. In addition we have been pleased to add the River Kirkaig and River Inver in North West Sutherland and the Downie Park and Cortachy fishings on the River South Esk to our portfolio

The river South Esk is gearing up for opening day on 16 February, and we are pleased to report that the river is now ice free.

Firstly Happy New Year, and wishing you the best of sport in 2010.

The unseasonably cold weather has done its best to disrupt sport over the Christmas and New Year period. A statutory suspension of the shooting of ducks, geese and waders in Scotland, put into force in early January, is to be lifted at midnight on Monday 18 January. BASC has advised the Scottish Government that the expected thaw should be enough to allow birds to recover from the cold spell.

Pheasant shooting has continued where possible, and although there were some cancellations due to heavy snowfalls in and around the New Year, since early January, most shoots have been able to continue as normal, and our parties have experienced some wonderful shooting in the snow.

The salmon fishing season opened on a number of Highland rivers on the 11 January, including the Thurso, Helmsdale and Kyle rivers. The North was still in the throes of ice and snow, and few pools were even visible let alone fishable. A few hardy souls ventured out, but nothing was reported to be caught.

The river Tay opened amidst much fanfare on 15 January, and there was a very well attended ceremony in Birnam and Dunkeld to celebrate the start of the season.