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Scotland's Trout Angling
Out with the old and in with the new

Our February 2000 contribution from Lesley Crawford

`To the angler the common yellow trout is by far the most important fish that swims' PD Malloch 1909

INTRODUCTION

The first anglers to write seriously on Scottish trout angling (as opposed to salmon fishing) were probably Tom Stoddart 1810 1880 closely followed by WC Stewart 1832 - 1872. Both based themselves on Border rivers like the Tweed and its tributaries, learning their trouting crafts there. Though they espoused theories based on fishing experiences in their own locale, nationally their writings were to influence many generations well beyond their own. The two doyens, who did not always see eye to eye, were to have an immense long term impact on the wild trout scene right across Scotland. Rather oddly, these past masters were given to decrying angling in Scottish areas where the trout were most plentiful - Stoddart was extremely anti highland and thought northern trout 'stupid' while Stewart was equally nonplussed about highland loch fishing declaring it to have 'a tiresome monotony'. However despite this parochial bias, their ideas on trout fishing have now become universally accepted as the foundations for Scotland's angling skills.

Stoddart and Stewart were staunch devotees of river trout angling and it was only when Black Palmer, P D Malloch, Fernie and RC Bridgett amongst others, began expounding on the joys of both river and loch angling in highland and lowland regions (circa late 1800`s to mid 1900`s) that trout techniques became more rounded. Post World War II, McDonald Robertson, Colonel Oatts, Lamond and Adamson to name but a few, enthusiastically took on the Scottish trout mantle and so we move forward to the modern writers of today.

As the sport is at its most interesting in its early stages of development I`d like to concentrate more on these aspects. Not surprisingly you will soon discover that, apart from more sophisticated tackle design, there's nothing new under the sun in trout angling! There is much we can glean from past emerging skills and tactics so lets first look at past fly patterns for these were (and still are!) very contentious issues ..

TROUT FLIES OLD & NEW

`Fish are allured not on account of the close resemblance which the artificial hook has to particular insects but from other causes of a different nature These are size, motion, form and colour' So wrote Stoddart in 1847 when discussing loch flies for trout. The great man also seems to have had similar theories on river trout flies in that he reckoned fish appeared to be attracted to patterns more by their colour and general allure rather than because the pattern exactly represented a local hatching insect. Interestingly Stoddart classified his taking patterns by the materials used rather than by designated names. These were broadly thought of as hackled or winged flies and Stoddart recommended (amongst others) March Browns with black, red, dun, partridge or grouse hackles, and fur, silk or peacock tail bodied flies with woodcock, starling, mallard or landrail wings. Most of these dressings, apart from those made with feathers from protected bird species, are still in common everyday use, albeit with appropriate designations.

When WC Stewart came on the scene in 1857 he laid claim to a range of flies for river trout broadly known as `Spiders'. These were soft hackled sparsely dressed flies often little more than a twist of silk and feather. Stoddart was immediately unimpressed griping that Stewarts patterns were `simply revivals of old Lothian persuaders '. - This was a bit much considering such sparsely dressed patterns were around for several centuries prior to both Stoddart and Stewart! - Despite Stoddarts snub, `spiders' have become standard patterns and their use is still widespread today. Stewart was also a very keen `match the hatch' man while Stoddart was not, and this led to further exchanges between the two. Not surprisingly many years later, the pros and cons of imitative fishing are still being debated with dry fly men berating lure bashers and so on!

Regarding `loch' flies as opposed to `river' patterns of the mid 1800`s, by 1850 there were already a number of popular flies in use which remain standards today. These included the Black or Red Palmer, Butcher, Teal & Green, Peter Ross, Grouse & Claret and Zulu. Sadly, whoever first introduced these flies to the Far North is not clear. Both Stoddart and Stewart were contemptuous of the `gaudy flies' of the highlands. Stewart sniffed that `The prevailing opinion, that ..to be successful the artificial fly must be an imitation of one of the natural flies on the water at the time, will when applied to loch fishing, be found absurd.' . In other words `match the hatch' had no place on the loch a bias which was to prevail for many years after Stewarts demise!

Though it can be seen that most Scottish trout flies are adapted from original concepts, and often some very old ones 15th - 17th century ones at that, it is worthwhile noting the thoughts of two other anglers of the 1920`s/30`s namely loch doyen RC Bridgett and a Henry Lamond who wrote `Days & Ways of a Scottish Angler' in 1932. By then fly patterns were becoming more defined between `River flies' and `Loch flies' and/or `Natural flies' and `Fancies'. Bridgett, an expert loch fisher, was a considerable fan of the imitative fly and recommended olive, green and black nymphs as tail flies and medium and rough olives, Blae & Black and Greenwells on droppers. However he also gave hearty recommendation to the Butcher, Peter Ross and Teal & Green so he was not averse to the use of `Fancies'.

Lamond, who fished both loch and stream in the early 1900`s recommended a 9ft cast on either type of water with 3 flies. These should be on the small side and `lightly and not heavily dressed' and include the Clyde style of fly as well as Stewarts Spider patterns. Clyde style flies were specially designed patterns with a prominent upright wing. They had the head hackle tied in above rather than below the wing and this made the wing stand out. Clyde flies appear to have grown up independently of other popular Border patterns with origins going back to pre 1900`s. Lamond shies away from lists of successful patterns but does mention Cinnamon Sedge, Blae & Black, Heckham Peckham and the Todd Fly. He directly contradicts Stewart, whom he seemed to consider something of a past mentor, by stating his firm belief that loch flies were `descended from patterns which in the past tried to be exact imitations of natural creatures' . - I bet Stewart spun in his grave!!

EARLY METHODS OF FISHING

If flies and fly design were always controversial, how to fish them was even more so! During the 1800`s Scottish river trout angling was according to Stoddart, a wet fly, across and down affair. Stewart too prescribed the wet fly but differed vehemently from the Stoddart camp in that he thought flies should be fished upstream wet on a short line. Stewart based his arguments for upstream wet on the premise that many more big trout were caught by this apparently more stealthy approach. Creeping up on the trout from behind he argued was much more productive than showing trout `an apparition in the shape of an angler with rod and line upon the bank.' . He also thought the upstream approach offered more chance of hooking larger fish, did not disturb the water as much and made the fly appear more like a natural insect. Stewarts arguments became further enforced by the growing English fad of upstream dry fly which appears to emanate from (depending on whom you believe) the southern chalkstreams around the mid 19th century.

Despite obvious disdain for loch angling the early pioneers did fish the big waters, probably more than was admitted in print, and Stewart actually gave sensible advice on fishing a team of larger flies (about 4) from either boat or bank. The great object in loch angling he said was `to cover ground quickly and thoroughly' and bring the flies within range of as many trout as possible. He advocated casting and retrieving flies back in a gentle `slight jerking motion' . These theories are just as apt today as they were 150 years ago.

It's interesting that the use of dry fly on Scottish trout waters was not much expounded until the mid 1920`s. Fernie wrote in glowing terms of its use in 1912 claiming `the capture of fish with a dry fly is all through the result of applied skill' and that it was `far more interesting than wet fly fishing'. However, whether he was just jumping on the chalkstream dry fly band wagon is not clear. In loch fishing it was practically unheard of to use a dry fly however RC Bridgett changed that somewhat with some excellent writing in the 1920`s defending loch fishing skills (which still seemed to be thought of as inferior) and extolling the practical application of a dry fly to all freshwater situations.

INTO THE 20th CENTURY

Given the upstream/downstream debates, the bias against loch angling, dry or wet fly arguments and the natural V gaudy fly dispute, it is little wonder the ordinary fisher got a little confused as to what tactics to employ! - One heck of a successful all round angler in the early 1900`s was PD Malloch, but sadly he did not always record his technique of fly fishing for trout (perhaps because of his predilection for competitive angling!). Malloch did absolve himself however when he wrote the ground breaking book `Life History & Habits of the Salmon' c. 1909, which contained a goodly amount of innovative thought on brown trout.

Expert Scottish anglers who did write some worthy notes on trout tactics in the first half of the century included the already mentioned Bridgett and Lamond and also McDonald Robertson. For lochs according to McDonald Robertson, repeated casting, retrieving and a lift to dibble the top dropper became the most common technique with a team of flies (3 4) in size 8 to 14. We now call this `loch style' though the former exponents simply called it `loch fishing'. In river angling, equipment became more sophisticated but techniques remained `wet fly across and down' a la Stoddart, dry fly upstream according to English purists, or upstream wet according to Stewart. In part, this may be due to the increasing post war popularity of easily available loch fishing while the limited access to river trout angling remained constant.

2000 AND BEYOND

From this brief potted history we see not only how styles and tactics first developed but also how many apparently separate techniques have now come together under the one banner of Scottish trout angling. If there is one salient piece I can offer, It's to avoid the dogmatic approach of some of the old pioneers. Trout are not unbending creatures stuck in one mode of behaviour. They constantly adapt and alter their actions according to the availability of food and the prevailing conditions and so must we...

About Lesley Crawford

Lesley has fished for brown trout and sea trout from a very early age and her enthusiasm for these beautiful Scottish fish shows no signs of diminishing. She is well known as a leading angling writer and photographer with prodigious articles in a wide range of publications including Salmon Trout & Sea Trout and the Scotsman.

Lesley is a REFFIS qualified fishing guide and arranges bespoke wild trout angling holidays in the Northern Highlands. Her first major book `Fishing for Wild Trout in Scottish Lochs' (Swan Hill 1996) was a runaway success and the long awaited follow up `Scotlands Classic Wild Trout Waters' (Swan Hill) will be published in May 2000. Order your copy now.
Read more about Lesleyat www.wildtroutfisher.co.uk

Also within Fish & Fly...

 January 2000: Visiting the Highlands of Scotland for the first time you might be forgiven for thinking you have arrived in loch fishing paradise. An introduction to fishing for trout in Highland lochs from Lesley Crawford.