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IMPORTANT
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Fish & Fly at fishandfly.com
Caithness
- Land of Limestone lochs
Our August 2000 contribution from Lesley Crawford
Lesley Crawford does a bit of flag waving for her home county of Caithness ...
THE LOWLANDS BEYOND THE HIGHLANDS
If you overheard an anglers conversation about lochs littered with mayfly,
limestone waters where crustaceans thrive and where the trout make your
eyes water, you might be forgiven for thinking your fellow fishers were
describing angling in Ireland or on a southern chalkstream.
Actually you would be wrong for they have probably just paid a visit to
that rich and fertile 'lowlands beyond the highlands' Caithness. While
those who like exploring northward for wild trout will often head first
for the superb fishing in the well known wilds of Sutherland, Caithness
often remains a second choice with perhaps only Loch Watten being considered
by visiting fishermen.
Why
this should be so has always remained something of a mystery to me for
the quality of trout angling in this most northerly of Scottish mainland
counties is quite outstanding. - Could it be perhaps that Caithness wants
to keep its pristine waters a little bit sacred, a secret only a few privileged
anglers can indulge in? - Absolutely not, for while we take an undoubted
pride in the clear unpolluted waters which bedeck our land, public access
to the trout lochs is very reasonably priced and easily obtained.
THE LOCHS
From one end of this small county to the other there are around 30 fishing
lochs with the best known of these being Watten (3 miles of prolific transparent
water with silvery trout of 3/4lb plus), Calder (2 miles of alkaline purity
with supreme fighting trout of all sizes), St Johns (mayfly heaven with
marl shoreline and butter fat trout), Heilan (shallow and extremely rich
with enormous but canny trout) and Yarrows (clear demanding loch with
a wide range of trout from 1/2lb to 3lb plus). Heilan is particularly
noted for its exquisite large trout which regularly come in at around
the 3 - 5lb mark but all the aforementioned lochs are well capable of
producing fish in the 2lb plus range.
Smaller and perhaps not so weil kent lochs of equally productive nature
are amongst others Stemster, Sarclet, Reay lochs, Olginey, Cherigal, Toftingall
and Watten's sister loch, Loch Scarmclate. All of these can produce fabulous
brown trout ranging anything from 1/2lb to 3lb plus with a goodly number
coming in at around the pound which is a very healthy `average' for wild
trout . There are also a number of hidden gems tucked away in the `Flow
Country' where chalybeate (mineral rich) springs supplement the waters
and trout are seldom fished for from one year to the next. Virtually all
Caithness trout lochs are alkaline in nature even when they appear surrounded
by bog pools and peat hags, and they hold copious amounts of rich feeding
for the resident trout.
TROUT
HABITAT
So what is it that sets this land of magnificent lochs apart from other
highland areas? - Apart from the distinctively beautiful rolling moorland
landscape capped with vast horizons, the answer lies in the environment
which is quite unique in terms of its geology. Virtually all Caithness
waters are underlain with limestone which makes for exceptional trout
habitat. Here and there this limestone makes it appearance on the surface
of the land where it is known locally as marl (a pale clay-like lime bearing
mud). In the past this marl was extracted from lochs to provide fertiliser
for the surrounding agricultural land and though this practise is not
undertaken now, care must be taken here and there when wading for there
are deep soft holes in some though not all of the lochs.
The presence of such quantities of marl provides an ideal habitat for
profuse mayfly or Green Drakes, indeed very few Caithness waters are without
mayfly. The marl provides excellent conditions for the mayfly nymphs to
make a stable burrow in which they dwell for approximately 2 years. On
emerging in vast number the nymphs appear translucent with the dark wing
cases clearly visible on their back. Measuring as long as 4cm they float
down the lochs in a veritable cascade providing a sudden very welcome
new banquet for the trout. Those nymphs which are not engulfed by feeding
fish emerge from their shucks to stutter ashore where they dry their wings
for perhaps a couple of days before the mating egg laying ritual and eventual
death. Forget 'duffers fortnights' here however, for the mayfly hatch
begins in early June and can last as long as the middle of August.
NATURAL FEEDING
And if abundant green drakes are not enough to tempt you or the trout
then there are still huge hatches of just about every insect known to
man. Olives, midge and sedge are copious plus plentiful Gammarus shrimp,
caddis larvae, snails and pea mussels litter the predominantly shallow
loch floors. One thing you should remember though is that because of this
luxurious feeding on the loch base, it can sometimes take a deal of surface
action to get the trout to sustain a rise. Productive times therefore
vary but the first profuse midge hatches (April, May), the appearance
of mayfly (June to early August), major sedge hatches (June to August)
and the Bibio hatches of late Aug/September time are generally offer the
best chance of good fish.
The only variable which can affect the timing of your angling is the volatile
weather particularly gales! Caithness sits atop the north of Britain and
winds rush in from across the Pentland Firth. Anything above 20mph wind
speed (it can go as high as 40 60 plus mph!) is significant here as there
is little or no shelter from the blast. Rainfall is however average and
we do occasionally get some very hot still days when trout have an absolute
field day though watch out for the midges for they too are prolific in
calm
high summer conditions!
TACTICS
Tactics on the Caithness trout lochs are generally traditional with 10ft
rod, floating line, 4lb nylon and traditional flies like the Soldier Palmer,
Zulu, Invicta, Kate Mclaren, Greenwells and Ke He (size 10 to 14) doing
the business. Be flexible though and add in a selection of more modern
tyings like Silver Sedge, Hoppers, Mini Muddlers and specialist flies
like Green Drakes, Black Gnats, Elk Hair Sedges and the like and away
you go. Loch style is normally practised with 2 4 flies fished in teams
but adapt according to the conditions, remember tangled droppers are common
in high winds! Good presentation of fly so it is not scary but life like
is essential on these mainly gin clear waters. Use a light touch and cover
as much new water as possible, standing too long in the one spot achieves
little. You must be the hunter gatherer and go to the fish, they do not
come to you.
Further general advice on loch trout is available in my January Fish &
Fly article `Fishing for Trout on Highland Lochs'
which should give you all the necessary preliminary help you will need.
`CONVERT TO CAITHNESS'
Anglers who do make a first visit to Caithness often find themselves returning
year in year out to tempt the beautiful hard fighting fish which reside
within our excellent lochs. Our trout have excellent growth rates in lush
habitats, day tickets are available on most fly waters and provided you
fish without excessive greed and by prescribed method (which I am sure
you will do anyway) you are assured of a very warm welcome...
Now, when can we expect you?
Also within Fish & Fly...
July 2000: The more I fish for wild trout the more I realise just how unpredictable their behaviour can be... Lesley Crawford on wild trout behaviour
June 2000: If you are a traditional wet or dry fly fisher, first attempts at nymph fishing often meet with mixed success... Lesley Crawford on Fishing the Nymph for Wild Browns
May 2000: We all know fishing is a relaxing yet challenging country pursuit enjoyed throughout Britain and that there are few finer escapes from an over stressed world. It would be great if our children could follow in our footsteps. Lesley Crawford looks at how we can encourage youngsters to take up the sport
April 2000: Lesley Crawford looks at how both the trout and angler react to weather conditions - Wild Weather
March 2000: Lesley Crawford takes a light-hearted look at how to get the most out of your wild trout fishing holiday in Scotland. A Survivor's Guide to Trout Fishing in Scotland.
February 2000: Lesley Crawford takes a seasoned look at various tactics employed by past masters in Scottish trout fishing and ponders how best we can apply old skills in the new millennium. Out with the old and in with the new.
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.