Fishing is inclusive when you book a holiday cottage at Briar Cottages in Lochearnhead. You don't need a permit to fish from our loch garden when you stay here. The season for trout fishing in Scotland starts again on March 15th 2011. The loch will come alive with people, vehicles, wild life, birds and sea planes. First the keen fishing folk will wild camp or stay in a caravan on the south side or book up cottages, lodges and B&B's on the North side. Some will bring their own gear and others will hire tackle from the Lochearnhead Post Office, the Store in St Fillans or from Drummond Estates boat hire and fishery a couple of miles along the road. You can hire gear and a fishing boat there.
Guests can fish from our jetty, slipway and along the 250ft length of our loch garden without a permit. The local shops keep maggots and floats. If you want to fish out on the loch in a boat you will need to buy a permit from the village shop or post office. Guests can bring their own small boat, launch it and use the moorings whether staying in Little Briar Cottage or our new luxury cottage Briar Steading. There is plenty of room here for a small boat trailer and a couple of cars to be parked. Gradually the loch will have a variety of would-be fish catchers including men, women and children as well as otters, herons and returning pairs of Osprey. According to Drummond Estates you don't need fancy flies to catch trout around here.
Maggots and a float with a rod positioned around the edge of the loch seems to work well. Fishermen are often accused of exaggerating but it is well documented that 5-20lb trout have been caught in Loch Earn and I have seen brown and rainbow trout, salmon, arctic char and an eel being hooked and landed in my garden.
If you are keen on fishing get booked up now and look out for accommodation with fishing facilities. If you have never tried fishing and would like to have a go just ask to borrow Fraser's rod and try it. The season ends October 6th 2011 so there is plenty of time to book up. Happy fishing.
