galloway

There are numerous venues to try. If you like wild and natural places try Loch Ken for roach, bream and perch, Woodhall Loch for roach and perch, Loch Rutton for bream, roach and perch. There is a good commercial fishery at Annan (Broom Fisheries), and other places worth trying are Cowans Farm near Dalbeattie and Kelhead Quarry near Annan. I have a loch of my own but not ready to fish yet unfortunately! If you would like more info about permits and access to these and other venues give me a ring on 01556 650122. If you are looking for accommodation visit our web site at www.greenhousegallery.co.uk.

Don't think there is a repellant that works against midges. Try a salt / water solution and apply to face, hands etc. It does seem to reduce the number of bites, and if you can resist scratching the ones you get you might just cope with fishing!

I was actually refering to coarse fisheries when making the point about high charges and little or no management or stocking. You are absolutely right that there is brilliant wild trout fishing in Scotland at a very reasonable cost.

What anglers coming to Scotland require more than anything is information about fishing venues, permits, prices and availability of bait. Here in Galloway we have some great coarse and trout (and sea) fishing but information for visitors is not good. Many places are charging exorbitant prices for permits for coarse fishing because they don't really care. As an example £5.00 - £10.00 a day to fish waters which are unmanaged and not maintained and probably have a head of wild fish (limited species) and never been stocked. In comparison I can fish on a commecial water in England which is well maintained and has been well stocked for £6.00 day. It also has facilities such as toilets. Access is another problem. There are many places where there is no access for coarse fishing as it is controlled by trout and salmon interests. I know of one spot on the River Dee near Castle Douglas whch is perfect for access and full of coarse fish such as Roach, Dace and Bream. However it is exclusively salmon fishing controlled by The national Trust for Scotland. This particular location would not hold any salmon and would never be fished by any salmon angler. Carlingwark Loch in Castle Douglas is another venue perfect for development and would benefit the local economy tremendously. At the moment it is fished primarily by 'holiday anglers' with inadequate equipment, is not controlled, and many fish are subjected to poor treatment. The loch could be stocked, platforms built and I believe the depth could even be increased which would help the blue algae problem and subsequent smell! This would benefit everyone. Many anglers travel through Galloway to get on the ferry to go to Ireland to fish, particularly coarse anglers. Here we have better scenery and potentially better fishing and there are no ferry costs involved. I have just started an organisation called the Coarse Angling Development Group whose primary aim is to lobby for access to coarse fishing venues and provide advice to land owners. I can be contacted on 01556 650122 or through my web site www.greenhousegallery.co.uk

The loch was originally a flight pond and I had it enlarged about two years ago. There were some wild Brown Trout in and some Rainbows but only a few. I stocked it with 150 brownies between threequarter pound and one and a quarter. There are now some decent sized fish in it. I have stockrd with a limited number of small coarse fish up to now as I believe it is the best policy for fish achieving decent weights eventually. I intend to continue with this process over the next few years. The fishery has never featured in any articles and it is located just outside Springholm on the A75 heading for Cstle Douglas. I have a guest house and holiday cottage (the Green House). There are no Pike or Perch that I know of!!

Hi McFudge, Good to hear from you. I have a small loch on my land near Springholm. Stocked with brown trout at the moment and a few Grass Carp and Mirrors. Just added 50 Common Carp, 50 Crucian Carp and about 20 Roach and Tench. I intend to run it as a coarse fishery from next year.

I have a coarse and trout fishery in Galloway and I have had a male and two female Goosanders on the loch for some time. They do eat fish and regularly dive for their prey. They are not uncommon on inland waterways in certain areas and they generally nest in trees. They are also quite shy and difficult to get close to.

I wouldn't bother with Badger. I had ordered a seat box system and trolley from them but five weeks later was still waiting delivery and told it would be another week. I cancelled the order. It's the worst service I have evr had from the tackle trade who are usually so good and anxious to help.

Can anyone help me with a replacement top section for my favourite fly rod. It"s quite old but casts beautifully. The rod is a Shimano Powerloop Fly 10068, length 10ft. AFTMA 6- 7. Thanks.

why bother going to Ireland? South West Scotland iseasier to get to, has better scenery and great coarse fishing.

I have just ordered a system w box from Badger. They didn't tell me at the time that it would take weeks to deliver. Don't know about the box quality but not impressed with the service.