North Uist
Uist, or The Uists, is the collective name for the islands of Berneray, North Uist, Grimsay, Benbecula, South Uist and Eriskay, which today are all connected to each other via causeways. North Uist is one of the larger two islands, and in common with the rest of the Western Isles, is formed from Lewisian gneiss.
Except for the south-east, the island is very flat, and covered with a patchwork of peat bogs, low hills and lochans, with more than half the land covered by water. Much of the western coastline consists of fertile machair grassland.
North Uist is a famous destination for brown trout and sea trout fishing. A mosaic of lochs extends across the undulating rocky landscape covering most of the island, providing excellent brown trout fishing on some large lochs such as Scadavay, Obisary and Strumore.
Where lochs are connected to saltwater there are often sea trout, and occasionally salmon, notably on the Skealtar and Geireann Mill systems.
What makes North Uist so special though, is the combination of machair lochs offering superb wild brown trout fishing such as Lochs Hosta, Eaval & Grogary, and both freshwater lochs and extensive saltwater fishing around the island, offering the best sea trout fishing to be found in the UK.
Many anglers visit North Uist exclusively to fish for sea trout which can be found all season in the estuaries and tidal pools, but the fishing peaks in September when they start to gather prior to spawning.
Sea pools include Vallay and Geireann Mill at the north of the island and Kyles, Kirkibost and Baleshare on the east coast, which are inter-connected estuarine channels into which the Horisary system flows.
Land ownership is shared between just a few estates, with the North Uist Estate by far the largest, owning more than 50,000 acres. Along with the North Uist Angling Club, they control most of the fishing on North Uist.
The fishing is largely administered through the Lochmaddy Hotel and Langass Lodge, both owned/controlled by North Uist Estate, with priority given to guests staying there.
North Uist Angling Club have fishing on the lochs of Newton and Balranald Estates and Loch Scolpaig. All North Uist AC lochs can be fished from the bank on a single roving permit. The Trout Zone layer on the HiFly map shows the full extent of fishing available.
Religion on Lewis, Harris and North Uist is predominantly Protestant while on Benbecula and South Uist it is mainly Catholic. Sabbath Day observance is practised in the Presbyterian northern islands, and as a result, in North Uist, most shops and cafes are closed on Sundays, and no fishing is permitted.
More Intel for North Uist (HiFly Fishing members only)
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