Thank you for the feedback!
Trip Planning for Summer England / Scotland / Ireland in July
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You bet! I made the mistake of spending two full weeks in Ireland a few summers back without a fly rod or a plan. It was torturous. I bet you’ll have a blast!
Rolf's stuff got me so hyped for Pike.
I was in Scotland last summer and did some fishing with a couple different outfits. I also spent time on Shetland and fished the island with a local who took pity on me. Absolutely great people there and the scenery was to die for.
1. Edinburgh area: Mik at https://www.gofishingedinburgh.com/
2. Inverness area: https://youfishscotland.com/
1. Edinburgh area: Mik at https://www.gofishingedinburgh.com/
2. Inverness area: https://youfishscotland.com/
Many thanks!
Thought I'd circle back and let folks know how things are shaping up. Two factors that changed travel plans 1) We decided to cut back some countries a bit ... RIP Scandinavia and 2) We couldn't find any lodging on Isle of Skye (whoops to booking this portion a bit late).
Scotland:
Day one: As I was researching Scotland options, I started seeing some Pike listings on the outfitter sites. I agree with everyone here that Salmon fishing probably isn't going to be quite as riveting, though it is traditional and tweedy. I've tinkered with Pike fishing in Montana and thought it might get me off the beaten path and head to something that's a little less hammered.
I found one guide that fishes a "rugged, scenic hill loch" for Pike near a town called Aberfeldy, which is about an hour away from where I'll be staying during the allotted fishing day. So that's day one. I was given other options including Lake of Menteith, which is a trout fishery, but the Pike eat them readily and are reportedly huge. It sounded busy though, so I opted for the "rugged" option.
Day two: There are a number of pay to play ponds that charge roughly 20 pound entrance fee for the day or a set allotment time. This looks like pellethead fishing, but it will help my buddy get on some fish in a traditional fishing club type environment. In searching about an hour's drive from where we'll be staying, I'm zeroing in on "Ledcrieff" pond as it has the best scenery. https://ledcrieff.co.uk/gallery/ Have a couple of backups in case these guys can't provide gear and/or are booked. I'll only have about a half day at one of these ponds as I want to watch the kids do their ridiculous activities for the day like falconry.
Ireland:
Day one / two: I found a guide in County Clare that has a two-day fishing package option and was very affordable compared to the states. We are going to hit a traditional stream on day one for wild browns and depending on how things are fishing, we will either target sea trout on day two or hit up a lough. Appears that there are plenty of options within an hour's drive of where we'll be staying.
A couple of follow up questions.
1) How is tipping culture for guides? Trying to determine how much extra currency to bring.
2) I was considering biting the yuppie bullet and purchasing a Tenkera setup to bring along in case of small stream opportunity. In particular, the idea of fishing in Edinburgh (as posted here) is very appealing and I'm not planning to pack any real gear. Is this a terrible idea? Will I be banned from this site?
Really appreciate all the feedback provided in this thread. I've bookmarked a ton of places for the next trip.
- Troy
Scotland:
Day one: As I was researching Scotland options, I started seeing some Pike listings on the outfitter sites. I agree with everyone here that Salmon fishing probably isn't going to be quite as riveting, though it is traditional and tweedy. I've tinkered with Pike fishing in Montana and thought it might get me off the beaten path and head to something that's a little less hammered.
I found one guide that fishes a "rugged, scenic hill loch" for Pike near a town called Aberfeldy, which is about an hour away from where I'll be staying during the allotted fishing day. So that's day one. I was given other options including Lake of Menteith, which is a trout fishery, but the Pike eat them readily and are reportedly huge. It sounded busy though, so I opted for the "rugged" option.
Day two: There are a number of pay to play ponds that charge roughly 20 pound entrance fee for the day or a set allotment time. This looks like pellethead fishing, but it will help my buddy get on some fish in a traditional fishing club type environment. In searching about an hour's drive from where we'll be staying, I'm zeroing in on "Ledcrieff" pond as it has the best scenery. https://ledcrieff.co.uk/gallery/ Have a couple of backups in case these guys can't provide gear and/or are booked. I'll only have about a half day at one of these ponds as I want to watch the kids do their ridiculous activities for the day like falconry.
Ireland:
Day one / two: I found a guide in County Clare that has a two-day fishing package option and was very affordable compared to the states. We are going to hit a traditional stream on day one for wild browns and depending on how things are fishing, we will either target sea trout on day two or hit up a lough. Appears that there are plenty of options within an hour's drive of where we'll be staying.
A couple of follow up questions.
1) How is tipping culture for guides? Trying to determine how much extra currency to bring.
2) I was considering biting the yuppie bullet and purchasing a Tenkera setup to bring along in case of small stream opportunity. In particular, the idea of fishing in Edinburgh (as posted here) is very appealing and I'm not planning to pack any real gear. Is this a terrible idea? Will I be banned from this site?
Really appreciate all the feedback provided in this thread. I've bookmarked a ton of places for the next trip.
- Troy