A Typical May Brown Trout

Two Trout From Loch Stack

Scourie Trout fishers had a reasonable May - considering that the weather conditions were generally inauspicious. With no rain (and an east wind) for the first half of the month and a consequent lack of oxygenation of the hill lochs, fish became dour. There then followed a windless mini-heatwave. When the rains did arrive later in the month, air temperatures markedly. Neverless, 297 Brown Trout were taken for the month (the majority returned) in the hotel's fishing book.

Highlights were as follows : On May 12, John Gregory had a nine fish bag (heaviest 1lb 5oz) from Loch Eileanach. On the 21st, Colin Munro took a trout of 1lb 5oz from Mid Chain. Six days later he took a fish of the same weight from Loch Ishbel.

Hotel proprietor, Patrick Price, landed the hill loch trout of a lifetime on the 21st, immediately following the mini-heatwave. Fishing Loch Garbet Mor he tempted the heavy trout on a size 10 Heather Moth fly. He played the fish during a violent hail shower and arrived back at the car to find the thermometer giving an air temperature of 4 deg C ! The trout tipped the scales at 5lb 2 oz and was in superb condition - small headed and 23 inches long.