Lochaber
Lochaber is the area to the south of Wester Ross, once part of Inverness-shire. It extends down the coast to include the peninsulas of Knoydart, Morar, Moidart, Ardnamurchan and Morvern, and inland to Fort William, its largest town, and the area around Loch Linnhe including Ben Nevis and Glencoe.
Its rugged and often remote landscape of mountains, sea lochs and rocky shorelines have made it a favourite destination for winter sports, climbing, hiking and water sports, and Fort William is promoted as the 'Outdoor Capital of the UK'. Despite these credentials, the game fishing opportunities are not as rich as other areas of the Highlands.
Along the coast from Knoydart to Loch Linnhe, a dozen or more spate salmon rivers pour into the sea, amongst them the Inverie, Carnach, Morar, Ailort, Moidart, Shiel, Strontian, Carnoch and Aline.
Sadly, only the Morar (which is just 200m long) and the Shiel, have any kind of salmon run today. Annual catches on the other rivers are typically less than 10 fish, and in some cases, zero!
The mighty River Lochy, known as the “Queen of Scottish Rivers” flows into Loch Linnhe from the Great Glen at Fort William. Its catchment includes the River Spean and Roy. It is still a productive river system, but a shadow of its former self.
Just south of the Fort William is the River Nevis, which has good access for visiting anglers. Reported catches in recent years have been very low, but it would be worth consideration when in spate.
Trout fishing opportunities in Lochaber are also limited compared to Wester Ross and West Sutherland. Due to the geology and topography, there are far fewer lochs than in other areas in the Northern Highlands, and they tend to be oligotrophic. Estates offering visitor access to their trout lochs include Morar, Ardnamurchan and Ardtonish.
As in North Inverness-shire, there are some large lochs that are famed for their ferox trout, notably Arkaig and Lochy in the Great Glen, but also Shiel and Morar on the west coast, which also offer the chance of migratory fish.
Visiting anglers willing to adapt to the opportunities could be well rewarded.
All slide show images © Colin Riach
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