Fishing in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs

The Trossachs and Loch Lomond are the perfect place for a good fishing experience. There are lots of Lochs and Rivers with a range of different fish such as trout, salmon, pike perch and more. You can choose between some of the most beautiful lochs and rent a boat or do fishing from shore. Some fishing locations are easy accessible and have great facilities such as the Lake of Menteith near Aberfoyle, others are more isolated. There are also tackle shops in some towns and villages where you can purchase the equipment you need. For fishing beginners it is wise to look for a Ghillie, a Scottish fishing guide who can explain all the fishing techniques. In general the season for trout fishing is from 15th March to 6th October. Salmon season is usually from the 1st February 31st October but can also be from 15th January to 15th October depending on the loch or river.

Fishing permits are available to everyone and can be purchased in fishing tackle shops, post offices, and some other shops. For more information on fishing permits and where to purchase one, please have a look at our fishing permit provider list. Many of the places that offer permits for game fishing (e.g. brown trout) have also permits for coarse fishing (such as pike perch). However, there is usually no permit fee for coarse fishing. For all waters there are different regulations and permit prices. Some lochs allow fishing from shore, others don’t. On some lochs fishing is possible throughout the whole week while other lochs don’t allow fishing on Sundays.

Besides the large variety of lochs, there are also many rivers that are interesting for fishing. Those include River Allan, River Balvaig, River Dochart, River Earn, River Endrick, River Forth and River Tay. The rivers are of interest for the salmon but also for sea and brown trout, pike perch, and roach.

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs area offers everything for a great fishing experience. There is no better way to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The National Park has more than 20 lochs and we have included further information on the lochs pages.

Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond is the largest expanse of fresh water in the UK and has the largest variety of fish in the National Park. The loch has also a very good reputation for coarse fishing. Loch Lomond has been rated as one of the hardest lochs for pike fishing. The variety of fish reaches from sea trout to chub. Loch Lomond is also home to a protected fish species: the powan (a white fish). If caught, the fish should be returned quickly to the water.

Boats can be hired from different companies around the loch such as Balmaha Boat Yard for fishing on east Loch Lomond and from Loch Lomond Boat Hire at Balloch for fishing on the south of the loch. Contact information can be found on the permits page.

The Trossachs

There are many other lochs as well as rivers in more tranquil areas of the National Park and offer different fishing experiences. The Trossachs have many larger lochs close together such as Loch Ard, Loch Achray, Loch Venachar and many more. There are possibilities to park the car and fishing permits are sold in many different places. The David Marshall Lodge in Aberfoyle and Aberfoyle Post office offer fishing permits for a number of lochs in the Trossachs. However, there are also hotels and fishing tackle shops where permits can be purchased.

Loch Ard is an interesting loch for large pike and also holds the current record of perch caught in Scotland. The record perch was 4lb 14oz (2.21kg) in weight. You can choose between fishing from a boat as well as fishing from the shore. Boats can be hired at Forest Hills Resort and there are a number of accommodations in Aberfoyle and Kinlochard. At the north-west of Loch Ard is Loch Chon where fishing from bank is allowed. This Loch has brown trout, pike and perch.

Scotland’s only lake, the Lake of Menteith is adjacent to the village of The Port of Menteith near Aberfoyle. It is a stocked and very popular loch for fishing and offers excellent facilities. For this reason it can become quite busy in the peak season. There is free parking, equipment hire, tuition and coaching plus fishing permits can be purchased from the Lake of Menteith Fisheries on site. For more detail of fishing permits go to this page. The Lake of Menteith has pike, brown trout and rainbow trout.

For those who like to try catching some salmon, Loch Venachar and Loch Achray nearby the village of Brig o’ Turk are good lochs. Loch Achray is situated in the heart of the Trossachs just next to Ben A’an and Ben Venue. The loch is popular for its brown trout and can become well-visited in the peak season. Its neighbour Loch Venachar is situated between Brig o’ Turk and Callander. Boats equipped with engines can be rented and offer the best fishing results. Even though the loch offers great fishing for brown trout fishing, also the number of salmon and sea trout caught during recent years has increased. The Loch is situated south of Ben Ledi and has excellent facilities for fishing. Some effective methods in this loch are spinning and dead bail fishing. South of Loch Venachar is the smaller Loch Drunkie which is a bit more isolated and suitable for bank fishing for brown trout.

The best known loch among tourists visiting the Trossachs is Loch Katrine. Fishing was not allowed in the past and after 10 years the loch has become open for fishing again. Loch Katrine is mainly known for its brown trout but also pike can be caught. At Loch Katrine Fisheries you can rent boats with electric engines. The loch is quite deep (120m) and has some fantastic fish. The wild brown trout fights hard and can be up to 4lb. The pike is up to 30 lb and even possible on the fly. Only fishing from boat is allowed. West of Loch Katrine is the much smaller Loch Arklet which has brown trout and also allows fishing from the boat only. Loch Arklet is much more tranquil than Loch Katrine, especially during peak season.

More to the north of the Trossachs is Glen Finglas Reservoir which has its own fishing club. The reservoir has brown trout. What makes Glen Finglas reservoir interesting is the remoteness. Fishing is possible from the boats that can be hired from the Glen Finglas Fishing Club.

Loch Lubnaig is another loch a bit further north in the Trossachs and situated near the villages of Callander to the South and Strathyre to the north. There you can fish for brown trout, sea trout, char, salmon and perch. However, Sunday fishing is not permitted. Fishing is allowed from the bank with bait, fly and spinning. There are some picnic areas where you can prepare a barbecue and during 2013 these location are being vastly improved as part of a National Park initiative.

Breadalbane

Breadalbane is in the northern part of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park and has a few larger lochs such as Loch Earn and Loch Tay. Loch Earn has good brown and rainbow trout spots throughout the whole loch. Fishing is permitted from boat and bank and all methods from bait to spinner can lead to good results. The biggest fish caught was heavier than 26 lbs. Loch Earn is regularly stocked with trout. Loch Voil is another loch in the Breadalbane area and has a variety of fish such as salmon, brown trout, sea trout and arctic char. Loch Voil lies just next to the village Balquhidder, the location of Rob Roy Macgregor’s Grave. The loch and its neighbour Loch Doine, are connected by a stream and on both lochs fishing is possible from the shore.

Further north of Loch Voil and Doine are two other lochs: Loch Lubhair and Loch Dochart. Both lochs are connected to the River Dochart and have salmon and brown trout. On Loch Dochart and Loch Lubhair only fly fishing from shore is possible. Both Lochs are situated north of Ben More and east of the village Crianlarich. A much larger and more visited loch is next to Killin further east on the National Park boundary you will arrive at Loch Tay. The loch has salmon, trout and char. Best approach is fishing by boat. Fly and bait fishing are allowed and boats can be hired. Even though bank fishing is not forbidden around the entire loch, fishing from boat will lead to much better results. Rivers Tay and Dochart run through the loch. River Tay is one of the best rivers for salmon in the UK. However, River Dochart and Earn which belong to the same river system offer fantastic fishing as well.

Argyll

The western part of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park is known for its sea lochs. Fishing in this part of the National Park is for free throughout the whole year and possible from boat and bank. Loch Long is a fjord-like loch and has a finger off-shoot leading to Loch Goil where a large range of fish such as cod, whiting, plaice, mackerel, skate, wrasse,  and pollack can be caught. There is also salmon and trout in Loch Long but it is not permitted to fish for these.  Boats can be hired from Loch Goil Cruisers or LGC Boat Hire. Both lochs are not only interesting for their fish species, but also for the popoises and seals which can be viewed throughout the year.