I must be one of the few people delighted to see the rain! The regulars will know that the water level is exceptionally low for this time of year.  Of course the Pike anglers were also happy for the bright sunshine to end and more favourable angling conditions are here.

 There were however several good Pipe catches recently:

 Paul Brown from Newcastle caught a 10lb, 12lb and a massive 17lb Pike from the north bank using smelt.

 Michael Simpson from Glasgow caught a 16.5 fish from the the boat.

Tony McTaggart from Glasgow caught a 17lb Pike with a super shadrap gold.

 The best fish year year possibly was Robert Rowan from Coatbridge - a magnificant 25lb Pike from the bank(near the farm).

The Trout fishing is progressing through the season and we are seing an influx of fly rods from the boats.  Catches have been reasonable, a  recent example was George Johnston from Callander caught 3 lovely brown trout - 1lb - 1.5lb from the boat.

 All in all the Venachar Lochside has been an enjoyable place during this spell of good weather.

Thanks for this are due to the work of the National Park Rangers and the local police in patrolling the banks and deep anti-social behaviour in check.  The families and anglers who come are most welcome.

Please enjoy our National Park.

The last week has seen some glorious weather on the Lochside- the conditions have been perfect for bank and boat fishing. The weekend saw every boat out on Saturday and 70% out on Sunday, if you can then please book for the weekend.

The best of the reported catches are as follows;

Lewis White from Dumbarton on the 18th May- 1.5lb brown trout on a worm from the East bank, near the Dam.

Mr Elliot from Cumbernauld-Thursday 20th May two sea trout between 1.5lb and2lb  using a damsil fly and incredibly he also caught a 12lb Pike.

George Elmslie from Valleyfield caught a perfect specimen of a brown  trout  2lb(it looked about 1.5lb) but he insisted it was more. Using a worm from the North bank.

Stewart beggs from Dumbarton caught 3 nice brownies again using worm.

Chris Smith from Killearn caught 2 beautiful brownies with a black spider fly

The best of the Pike- which was as expected quite slow due to the brilliant sunshine-

21st May Alan Thomson from Grangemouth caught an 18lb pike in sunny conditions using a comrad jointed lure and on Saturday 23rd  May P. McGlone from Coatbridge caught a 15lb and 12lb pike.  His lure/baite and location is keeping to himself!

Once again it was a pleasure on the banks this weekend and the national park rangers and local police are regularly patrolling the loch to ensure no anti- social behaviour and fortunately for us the anglers and families on the banks were a pleasure to speak to, you will always be welcome here.

With the improvement in the weather, the catches have improved and Fly fishing is becoming more succesful on the Loch. On Sunday we had the Welsh Firemans Association on the Loch. They are competing in the National Fire Service competition on Lake of Mentieth (Tuesday 18th). Their catches were;

Phil Hooper 1 - 2.5lb and one 1.5lb brownie caught with a fly -gold nymph

Karl Pugh  - 2lb and one1lb on a green dialbach

Clive Pugh - 2lb on a gold head daddy  floating line

We wish them good luck in the competition and as we all know the rainbows are easier to catch!!

Talking of Rainbows there was a 2.5lb  rainbow caught from the banks on Saturday, South bank near the East Lodge, we think it may be an escapee from the Lochan  above. The Sea trout are also making their way into the Loch via the Dam access.  David Mcstay from Carluke caught a 2lb 12oz sea trout from the boat using a dry fly, and a 1lb brown trout with the same fly. Most of the other catches have been between 1lb and 2lb brown trout, from the banks using a maggot and from the boat the fly seems to be the best.

As you would guess the Pike catches have not been so many with the sunshine, however there have been a few smaller,9lbto 12lb reported but we refuse to document anything less than 15lb just now!!

We are still working to keep our banks clean and free of litter and we thank the majority of our anglers for their assistance it is greatly appreciated. We are also trying to assist the Police and the National Park Rangers to prevent and report any anti-social behaviour,again your help and co-operation is much appreciated. We can only ask everyone to Respect our Loch and Environment.

As stated before we have been woking towards having our own Fishing strategy and Stocking Policy, we are almost there and we will be reporting on this shortly. However can I say that since we have been logging returns and catches the signs are goodthe brown trout are difficult to catch but they are here in good numbers and in very good condition, exactly what is required on a sports fishing Loch. We will never stock Rainbows and make this another farmed fish outlet. Just for the record on a day like today (Tuesday) the Loch is  absolutely spectacular!            

The last ten days have given us some really good catches- both brown trout and pike.I will start with the best of the brownies;  Greig Thomson from Dundee caught a good bag on Saturday 8th May - 5 fish in total the best of them was a 3lb specimen.

                   Mr. Black from Skinfats,who fishes here regularly, caught a 2lb and a 3lb trout onMonday 10th May. Both in prime condition. The catches in general have been of sizeable fish. This gives us an indication that our brown trout population is surviving and thriving, a 2.5lb fish is around 4 years old, so when we are catching a lot of fish in this bracket and in such excellent condition this indicates a strong, healthy brown trout population in Loch Venachar.  The catches and records we have kept are now influencing our stocking policy for the Loch. Whereas at one time we were considering stocking with some large specimen fish we are now considering Pre-Yearlings and Yearlings. We are also looking at ways to protect these fish and maximise the survival rate to establish  a good number of 1.5lb  fish over the next 12 months. Be assured that our target will always be to have locally reared brown trout that have been reared on Venachar and maintain the Quality of Fishing that Loch Venachar is associated with.

Pike catches have been fairly impressive of late; Colin Smith from Coatbridge caught a 13lb fish onSaturday 8th May,  Thomas Devine from Salsbury nr Shotts landed a14lb 8oz fish on the 10th May using a lampray and his best of the Month was a 17.5 monster from the same location on the banks.

So all in all a good start to the season.    

The loch is fully open and fishing well, although so far the loch has been comparitively quiet, we are now seeing some serious fly fishing on the banks. We have been encouraging anglers to report all catches but there is still a reluctance to do this. Best trout fishing catch this week was a 2.5lb brown trout caught by Kenny Mcallister from Shotts using a maggot. Other  trout catches have been smaller but regular.

I am still in discussion with the angling associations regarding season ticket prices and any ways we can work together to improve the Loch. It may be the end of May before we can formulate and publish our plans however.

The loch is fully open again for pike  and the best catch of the week was a 17.5lb caught from the banks, I cannot say where or by whom as he says he does not boast about a fish so small!!

We are still trying to encourage anglers to take their litter home with them,  however  there is still a fair amount left behind so please feel free to encourage other Loch users to take their litter away, in the nicest possible way.

We look as though we will have a few boats out this weekend so please phone in your reservation as early as possible.

Good fishing and remember to report your catches.     

The trout fishing has now began in earnest with some good catches being reported, I will just run through a few of them;

Kenny McAllister from Shotts - 2.5lb Brown Trout 17th April using a maggot.

John Needs from Perth-              2.5lb Brown Trout 17th April (fish returned unharmed)

Greg Devlin and Kirsty from First Group-1.5 Brown Trout 16th April (from the boat)

Mr Black from Skinflats( a regular) 1lb Brown Tout from the east bank using a maggot.

That is a cross section of the last few days trout fishing, so the signs are good for the season.

The Pike fishing is back to normal with all banks open and as usual there have been a few big fish caught, but also as usual there is a reluctance to tell anyone of the good spots etc!! George L. from Perth showed me photographs of his best catches this year_ 22lb and 23lb fish all returned unharmed. The signs are good for the year ahead.

I have been in talks with the Pike associations, and hope to arrange a few meetings with the commitees etc We are working towards improving all aspects of Loch Venachar The fishing environment, the catches and the general condtion of the banks. We are working closely with the National Park Rangers and the Police to discourage anti social behaviour and our aim is to promote and encourage good fishing practice on the loch. We hope to make fishing on Loch Venachar an enjoyable experience and we are working towards that ambition- watch this space!! 

The rain kept the number of anglers down although  the hardy ones who braved the weather were rewarded with some good catches. A 4lb brown trout remains the best of the early season- caught from the North bank. A 2lb trout was the best of the Easter Weekend - caught from a boat.

Pike Fishing has slowed down slightly with several catches but no record breakers!

The water level has risen considerably along with the water temperature so this should kick start the season, and with abit of luck we should have some sunshine.

There was a small rush of trout anglers keen to start the season, the water although a bit cold did not deter the sport anglers. Pike fishing as normal but we will close the West end of the loch to boat and bank fishing as from 28 March.  This will only last for a few weeks then we will return to normal . There is a new regime at Vennachar lochside and we are keen to encourage all sport  anglers and promote a healthy and enjoyable environment.  

Great to see the water open and also fishing very well. Some examples of excellent fish all photographed and verified. 14.2lb on 10th March. 16.5lb Pike by George L. on 14th March. A great 15.2lb by Roy W. on 15th March.

Welcome to all brown trout anglers for the start of the new season today.

It comes and it goes. Right now, there are many areas free from ice for bank fishing - although not all. The harbour is still frozen so no boats available yet. The thaw is progressing so if you are planning to come here, call us on 01877 330011 - 10am to 5pm any day for an update.