Earlier this week we had the pleasure of hosting one of our favourite UAE based clients for a brilliant wingshooting day in Perthshire. Despite being early December, the forecast was for a beautiful sunny day with not a cloud in the sky which mean that invariably, (this is Scotland after all), it was hovering around freezing […]
We are often asked, “can I have a fishing vacation in Edinburgh?” The answer is an emphatic YES, it is most certainly possible to base yourself in Edinburgh and still enjoy fly-fishing for Atlantic salmon, wild brown trout, rainbow trout, grayling or pike. Scotland’s beautiful and historic capital city of Edinburgh, is perfectly situated for […]
Wing shooting in Scotland is one of the most frequent requests we get from our international clients and one which we are always delighted to assist with. There are various different types of wing shooting in Scotland, from wood pigeon shooting to driven grouse shooting, there is something to fit all budgets and preferences. Below are the available options, their seasons and locations etc. (in descending order based on price)
New for 2019, we are offering the ultimate fishing tour of Scotland. This is a very special offer which combines an exploration of Scotland with all major types of fishing over 12 days.
Scotland’s Hogmanay 2019 Hogmanay is one of the most famous celebrations in the world and is well known as one of the most memorable ways to bring in the new year. Hogmanay 2019 is set to be one of the best ever in Edinburgh, space in the city is at a premium and unfortunately so […]
When planning a fishing holiday in Scotland the top priority for many of our clients is to stay in a riverside hotel. Proximity to the salmon fishing or to the brown trout fishing is important to them, not just for convenience, but also because many visitors from Europe or the US are used to driving on the right-hand side of the road and are uncomfortable about driving on the opposite side.
So here are the 5 best riverside hotels in Scotland from which you can walk to the fishing;
Now that the red deer stag season is over, our thoughts now turn to other opportunities for winter hunting in Scotland.
The two main types of traditional winter hunting in Scotland are red deer hind stalking and walked up or driven pheasant and partridge shooting. The two hunts are very different and tend to happen in different locations (with a few exceptions) but both have a lot to offer for the visiting international hunter.
As the season slowly draws to its conclusion its once again time to review the Scottish salmon fishing season for 2018.
Although the River Tweed salmon fishing still has several weeks yet to run and sport can still be had on the southern rivers such as the Nith, Annan, Bladnoch and Border Esk, most other rivers, including the Tay, Spey and Dee have either closed already or have only up until the 15th October.
As providers of activity holidays in Scotland, specialising in fishing, hunting and golf, we are often asked for suggestions of what to do during a Scottish vacation in the fall. So here are our top 10 picks of sportsmen’s activities in Scotland this Fall;
Summer vacations in Scotland are not normally promoted alongside warnings about maintaining hydration and the importance of liberal applications of factor 30 sunscreen, but 2018 has not been a normal year. Following on from a very hard, persistent and late-arriving winter, spring was relatively short-lived. Then arrived summer.
The spring run, which has been improving on several of our rivers, is facilitated by the tail-end of the winter bringing fresh rain and usually quite consistently high river levels. As the temperatures slowly rise, the levels are further augmented by snow melt in the Highlands. As a result, the Scottish Atlantic salmon fishing is good from mid-March into May.
Similarly, the autumn run of Scottish salmon is initiated by low pressure cells sweeping in from the west, bringing with them the cooler temperatures, wind and rain. With the seasons seeming to come later than in the past, this autumn run is manifest by increasing numbers of fish entering the Scottish river systems from mid-September, through to the end of the season.
So what then of the summer? In the usual course of things, the Scottish summer can best be described as generally frustrating. Just as three consecutive days of relative warmth prompt us to declare that summer has finally arrived, the rain moves in, the wind picks up and the jackets are retrieved from the back of the wardrobe. However, it is this very pattern of unpredictability with the weather that gives cause to celebrate Scottish salmon fishing in the summer months.
Sadly, 2018 has seen the hottest temperatures and driest conditions in over 50 years. This has resulted in abnormally low river levels across the country. On the Spey in particular, we are seeing parts of the riverbed which haven’t been previously exposed in perhaps a hundred years! And the effect on the fishing has been significant.
Without freshets of water pushing into the estuaries, the salmon are not induced to leave the sea. Instead, they will follow in on the incoming tide, test the estuarine conditions and then fall back as the tide ebbs, unconvinced that the river is capable of providing safe passage to the redds. This daily prevarication provides a bonanza for the legions of seals lying in wait. The urgent need to control seal numbers has never been made more obvious than by the experience of this summer of 2018.
