2008 season round-up

2008 was a good season for Port Ellen Angling Club in many ways. The size and quality of the fish caught were good all round but there was, again, a great improvement on loch Kinnabus, as per previous years, this loch just keeps getting better and better!

Our other lochs also stood up well, with the School Loch presenting a 1 1/4lb trout to visiting angler Jim Campbell. Glenastle as usual was always reliable for some good fish and in one evening I hooked 10 fish over the lb while float tubing, all returned healthy on a great nights fishing.

The weather too was kind over the course of the season, the usual start, cold and a bit of rain but from the start of May and for a 9 week period we had no rainfall and glorious summer weather which took the lochs levels down a fair bit but had no adverse affect on the fishing. The season ended well enough too and there was very few days lost to bad weather.

Club days and competitions were well attended with the usual suspects all in with a shout for the club championship. Kevin Morrison, Dod Dunbar, Colin Tocher, Callum MacAffer and David Morris all doing well throughout the season. Young Adam Morrison made the effort too, keeping up the juniors contribution.

Kevin, Callum, Donnie and David travelled to the Scottish Championships and although not having much luck on the day, they had a good time.

The trips to Jura were also well attended but with maybe less catches than years before, but still good days and great hospitality from our Jura hosts.

So, all in all, a good season and looking forward to the next one! Anyone wishing to add to the season round-up, please do not hesitate to send any additions or thoughts through the contact link or click here

Have a look at our new link on the right.....Rural Sports....its a good site!

** Commonwealth Championships Update

The Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships will take place on Islay on the week 15th-21st of June 2009 !

Around 25 teams will compete in the event which is completely catch and release format with the actual competition being over 3 days both bank fishing and drifting boat fishing.

Club members will be helping by acting as controllers for the event so any time off can be organised now that the dates are finalised, more info' on this will be given to members nearer the time but anyone definetly able to help can let us know.

Updates will appear on this page as and when they are available. 

Go to club news for more on 2009 Lake of Menteith qualifiers

Dod ends season with win at Kinnabus

Gordon "Dod" Dunbar took the silverware in the final competition and 3rd Club Championship meeting of the season at Loch Kinnabus to bring the season to a successful end for him.

David Morris was runner-up on the day which should make it very interesting when the final weight are added up to find the overall champion for the season!

*Donnie takes top rod at Kinnabus

Top rod at the Club Championship meeting at Kinnabus on Saturday 9th August was Donnie McNicol.

The day provided good weather and looked ideal for fishing with overcast skies and just enough wind but some struggled to get the fish to take their flies with many saying they had plenty following but just not taking the fly.

*** Check the Club News page for updates on competitions and outings

Here we hope to provide you with helpful information to help you enjoy your fishing experience or just encourage and assist you in coming to this beautiful island that hosts so many lochs holding truly wild brown trout. Please have a good look around and look in all the links at the top of the pages and at the side of the "Club news and lochs" page for info on our lochs, and some reports from members from their days out on the lochs to give you an idea of whats happening.

P.E.A.C. has been going now for 30 years and is continuing to grow over the years, attracting members from all age groups and backgrounds who enjoy getting together on our lochs and others around Islay and Jura where several day outings are held throughout the season which runs from 15th March to the end of September. We have 4 lochs at our disposal, Kinnabus, Glenastle (lower and upper), School loch and Ghillie loch. All our lochs are admissible to the public for a small fee and boats are also available on Kinnabus and Glenastle, the boats are fully kitted out with oars and lifejackets and again a small fee is charged. There are no engines on the boats and only electric outboards are allowed if anglers wish to bring their own. Float tubes are also allowed on our lochs. All permits for boat and bank fishing on our lochs can be obtained at Iain Laurie's of Islay shop in Charlotte St, Port Ellen.

Unlike a lot of lochs, our lochs are more often fished from the bank as opposed to boat fishing, although the latter would probably be more productive. All the usual Scottish wet flies will give you a sporting chance of a take, bibio, Kate Mclaren, claret bumble and red tag being amongst the favourites. Winds on Islay are most commonly from the west and only now and again would it prevent you from using a boat, and if the wind was to increase while you are out on a loch, you should never be too far from dry land to take shelter.

P.E.A.C. holds several club competitions throughout the year so it is important that we let you know about our position with regard to the matter. Our lochs, as is the case with most islands lochs, are naturally overstocked due to many reasons and, unlike a lot of mainland lochs, are never in need of re-stocking. Due to the numbers of fish in the lochs we are actually improving both the health and quality of the fish by removing the fish caught during competition. This has not been based on our own opinions but indeed that of many large angling organisations otherwise we would have a different policy and we continue to monitor the situation and will change accordingly. Other islands such as Orkney, www.orkneytroutfishing.co.uk, also have similar policies for the same reasons.

P.E.A.C. is a member of S.A.N.A. and is represented by a team in the Scottish Championships at Lake of Mentieth every year. In 2003 Islay hosted the European Fly Fishing Championships which was greatly assisted by P.E.A.C. and testament to the quality of the club that we provided, the 2009 Commonwealth Championships are to be held on Islay, again assisted mainly by P.E.A.C. This also tells its own story about the quality of lochs available !

If you are wanting a website that offers a wide range of knowledge and fishing experiences, including posts from anglers who have visited Islay then you should visit  http://www.wild-fishing-scotland.co.uk/

Port Ellen Angling Club is sponsored by Diageo www.diageo.com

We are a member of S.A.N.A.