Kirkaig?

[Jon]

I thought I should honor my parents and use my real name (yep, it's not Kirkaig!)

A good excuse to post a pic in the "dead" of winter.

So here it is, the beautiful river Kirkaig in the far north-west Highlands of Scotland. A salmon river (no trout) that relies heavily on a good spate to bring the fish in. When it does rain the grilse can be thick and fast. [But prepare to part with $500 a day for the pleasure!]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c85/Kirkaig/2959781764_4391fbaac0_b.jpg

[The Fisherman]

You can go fishing with me for just five bucks. ;-)

It sure is pretty. Make that bonny.

[flyrodder]

When I said your bill for that keeper bass was in the mail, I wasn't kidding.

[BRK TRT]

At 500.00 a day, does it get much pressure?

[southpaw526]

$500/day to fish and $8-$10/gal for gasoline.....Sounds like Scotland doesn't want any immigration....LOL...Is it such hard fishing that you couldn't just go and do some self exploration to locate fish? Is it all running through private land? Is there only 1 guide that's got the market cornered? Why so much money for a day of fishing? I'm very curious. I can go to Ireland and stay in a private cabin in Cork w/ private access to salmon water for much cheaper than staying at a Holiday Inn here in the states.

[Z Fisher]

On many rivers in England and Scotland, the best fishing is deeded to all them fancy fops and rich folk who own the lands. They let the little people fish for outrageous fees.


"....The fishing on the Kirkaig is owned by Assynt Estate....."

http://www.trout-salmon-fishing.com/scotland-river-kirkaig.htm

Apparently, the Assynt Estate was sold to a variety of groups in the past few years but started out as being owned by one of the wealthiest families in the U.K. (who happen to have a few Lords and such connected with them).

Jon can probably fill in the details..

[Jon]

Glad you liked the pic.

Flyrodder - double or quits if you find me another big bass next month?? (On a serious note, the cost of salmon fishing in the UK puts the value of our local bass fishing into REAL perspective!)

southpaw526 - we get round the gasoline issue by using petroleum ;-) I'm sure the rivers of Ireland are beautiful, but I'd be surprised if you are getting on prime water at prime time for the price of a Holiday Inn! (And if you are, please send details via PM!)

Brk Trt - Good question. Very little of the salmon fishing in the UK is free (some "town" water is more reasonably priced, but it tends to be in the lower reaches of rivers, where the salmon don't hang around). The fishing is privately owned for the most part - self exploration is poaching, pure and simple - and is organized on a system of beats, with usually only a few rods to each beat. Guides are rare, but most beats come with a ghillie, whose job is to rotate the beats and (if he's good) show the anglers where the likely taking places are, advise on flies etc. He is tipped, but not paid (he's usually an employee of the estate). So no, the pressure isn't really an issue. But one must have fairly deep pockets....

On a more positive note, getting onto the prime Scottish rivers (whose salmon runs are much improved in recent years thanks to the buy out of netting stations at sea) is no longer a case of filling dead mens' shoes, with The Dee, Spey and Tweed (to name my favorites) all with their own websites advertising availability (have a look at fishdee.co.uk if you're interested). You can get a rod on the Dee in Spring for $150 a day, which I used to consider reasonable value prior to moving here! That said, to fish a floating line for the spring run and actually see these great fish take is worth every penny!

Being a small spate river, The Kirkaig is a totally different proposition, but is also privately owned and run by a local high-end hotel, which you have to stay in to be able to fish. Being a small and (rain dependent) productive river, it is a fairly exclusive river, hence higher cost. Ironically, because it is a "spate river", it is a complete gamble: if you turn up and it's dry, no dice and no refunds! Then you must turn to the 1000 odd wild brown trout lochs surrounding you.....and that ain't a bad second, believe me


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c85/Kirkaig/484295507_a62b13aa17_o.jpg


Jon

[Jon]

Z - just caught your post. You’re spot on. The North Assynt Estate (the foreground in the above pic) was bought out maybe 10 years ago by a consortium of local crofters (basically subsistence farmers - if you look at the pic above, you'll get a basic idea as to why farming is kinda tough up there!)

The Assynt Crofters buy out was an historic case, not least because it challenged the notion that rich folk can just buy up swathes of land and leave it idle, with little investment in local communities (including managing the angling resource etc).

Alas, the Kirkaig is not in the region of Assynt, and as far as I know, one must still pay the king's ransom to fish it.

If any of you were ever thinking of a trip to Scotland, I would strongly suggest you go to Assynt. It's a true wilderness and you're more than likely to catch bag loads of wild brown trout most days (June is best). Unlike the salmon fishing, the trout fishing is largely free. And there is no better setting on this earth in which to extract wild trout with a fly.

Jon

[The Fisherman]

For now, I'll have to settle for Church Pool. Leaving in 5 minutes! :-)

[Z Fisher]

For now, I'll have to settle for Church Pool. Leaving in 5 minutes! :-)

Grrrrrrrrr!

[paddy]

$500/day to fish and $8-$10/gal for gasoline.....Sounds like Scotland doesn't want any immigration....LOL...Is it such hard fishing that you couldn't just go and do some self exploration to locate fish? Is it all running through private land? Is there only 1 guide that's got the market cornered? Why so much money for a day of fishing? I'm very curious. I can go to Ireland and stay in a private cabin in Cork w/ private access to salmon water for much cheaper than staying at a Holiday Inn here in the states.

Southpaw:

I went to Ireland several times and when some of my family members go golfing, some of my relatives there and I go fishing instead. My family is from county Cork. Spectacular trout and salmon fishing.

Paddy