Dunlichity House

Last night saw the first snow of the winter, with the drop in temperature causing a thin layer of ice to form on the lochans making them unfishable again.

We will provide a further update as soon as the fishery is open and fishable again.

The lochans finally thawed, and the fishery has re-opened for business this morning.

Minus 5 down on the lochans last night has left a thin crust of ice across both lochans making them unfishable today. Given that it is a thin crust, we are hopeful that it will thaw reasonably quickly.

Keep an eye on this blog and we will let you know as soon as the lochans are fishable again.

David Skinner with the Dunlichity Cup

Throughout the course of the seven heats, over twenty anglers competed and took over 260lbs of fish. The atmosphere throughout the heats was excellent and the dates for next year's heats will be published shortly.

Heat 7 provided a fine climax to the competition. The heat was won by Liam Skinner, with a fish caught in the last five minutes of the last peg. In second place was Gary Patience and in third place was overall tournament winner David Skinner. Robin Scott won the bottle for the largest fish outside the top three.

Heat 7 winners - Robin Scott, David Skinner, Gary Patience and Liam Skinner

We woke up to the first ice of the winter on the bottom lochan today.

The ice was on the shallower, bothy-side of the lochan and didn't inhibit fishing. It does, however emphasise the importance of checking the blog for fishery conditions as the winter progresses. We will ensure that the blog fully reflects current fishing and access conditions.

The day started off with thick fog which quickly burned off to leave very calm and sunny conditions - not conducive for large bags! As a consequence of the conditions, only 13 fish were caught.

In first place was Garry Patience with a bag of 4lb 8oz, second was Will Jack, only 1oz behind with 4lb 7oz and in third place was Bob Matheson with 4lb 5oz. It was reported that Garry had been so confident at the start of the day, he had a shave for the photos!

Largest fish outside of the top three was John McFeeley.

With the final heat to go (Saturday 6 November), David Skinner remains out in front but Will Jack and George Skinner have both moved closer. Robin Scott's absence meant he fell back two places. The current standings going into the final heat are:

Fishery Conditions and Stocking
There have been nationwide problems getting fish for stocking, with most suppliers struggling to meet demand. Fortunately, we were able to secure a stocking of 233 fish to go with the good numbers of fish already in the lochans. We do, however plan to get a further stocking at the end of this week prior to the next Dunlichity Cup competition on 6 November. We have had our first frosts over the past few days and advise all anglers to check the fishery status on this blog as the weather changes.


Catches
Since the last update, some large bags have been recorde in single sessions - John MacDonald and Stevie Wright (21 each), George Skinner - 18 and Gary Patience - 15. The number of fish caught during their various visits for the following anglers were:
Darren Mackay - 43
George Skinner - 39
Ron Maslin - 34
Gary Patience - 33
Bill Greig - 30
George Swanson - 28
Bob Matheson - 24
Alan Urquhart - 24


Big Fish
We continue to get large fish caught, with the September Troutmaster winners being:
1st - K. Gordon (Munlochy) 9lb 12oz
2nd - L. Skinner (Avoch) 6lb 10oz
3rd - A. MacDonald (Fort Augustus) 5lb 8oz
October's Troutmaster has only been going for a few days and already we have an 8lb 0oz (Darren Mackay) and a 7lb 0oz (Dean Geddes).


Other News
We have installed a number of new signs to the fishery. Designed to prevent the non-fishing passer-by for getting an unwanted piercing, we hope that the signs will lead to greater interuption-free fishing!

The next heat of the Dunlichity Cup is tomorrow, Saturday 9 October at 09.00. To enter, either call the house on 01808 521442, email us on dunlichityhouse1@btinternet.com or turn up at 09.00.

A day of very varied weather conditions met those who participated in the fifth heat of this year's Dunlichity Cup. Competitors arrived to a torrential downpour which only occasionally let up during the day.

The majority of entrants did catch fish, with weights up to double figures. Winner for the day was David Skinner, who landed top spot with a magnificent fish of 10lb 4oz. Second place was Martin Patience with a bag of 6lb 7oz and third was James Gray with a bag of 6lb 4oz, after catching a fish in the last 10 minutes of the last peg using a hire rod after he broke his own rod!

Winner of the bottle for the biggest fish outside of the top three went to Will Jack.

We were pleased to welcome a number of the touring cast of the Calendar Girls to stay at the house this week, during their sell-out appearances at Eden Court. The group, which included Joe McGann, Jennifer Ellison and her husband Rob (and baby Bobby), Rachel Lumberg, Sue Bovell, Bruce MacGregor and Jan Shepherd took the Tordarroch self catering wing and a couple of the B&B rooms.

By Friday, we were able to persuade a group of them to take a little flyfishing instruction and have a go at fishing on the lochans. We were also joined by Bob Morton, Elaine C Smith's husband and very keen flyfisher.

We had probably picked the windiest day of the month for the session, but Sue, Jan, Jen, Rob and Bruce persevered and ended up with some great casting.


Star of the proceedings was Jen, who caught her first rainbow trout using a flyrod.

The next heat of the Dunlichity Cup is tomorrow, Saturday 11 September at 09.00. Normal prizes (see earlier blog). Anyone wishing to enter but who has not signed the entry sheet in the bothy should call us on 01808 521442 or send us an email at dunlichityhouse1@btinternet.com


The top lochan will be closed for non-competition fishing until 14.00.

This update covers the ten days up to 5 September.

Fishery Conditions and Stocking
After a month of slow conditions, the fishery has fished really well over the last week, with at least seven bags of 10+ fish. 160 more fish went in on 1st September, with a mix of fish weights.

Catches
During the ten days, the number of fish caught during their various visits for the following anglers were:
Bill Grieg - 22
Liam Skinner - 18
Darren Mackay - 15
Stevie Wright - 15
John Vickers - 14
Sean Cowan - 11
Dean Geddes - 11
Ron Maslin - 10
I. Hopkins - 10

Big Fish
A number of big fish have been caught during the period, and weights that would have easily made the Troutmaster Board in other months, have been too small to get in the top three. Top recorded weights are:
Mark Rafferty - 16lb 7oz
Magnus Macdonald - 8lb 4oz
George Swanson - 8lb
Scott Robertson - 7lb 13oz
Dean Geddes - 7lb and 5lb 7oz
Bill Dawson - 6lb

Successful Flies
According to the Catch Register, the following flies were successful:
"Dries" - 12
"Buzzers" - 8
Gold Heads - 6
Cat's Whisker - 6
Black Flash, Daddies, Orange Fritz, Sedge, Damsel, WSW CDC , all registered 2+

Other News
The next heat of the Dunlichity Cup is next Saturday, 11 September.

We reported in an earlier blog that Mark Rafferty had caught a 10lb fish with one of the first casts of a new rod. Mark's "super-rod" has now gone one better, hooking this magnificent 16lb 7oz fish, a new record for the current fishery management.

Mark caught the fish on an orange fritz, and this great fighting fish took over half an hour to land.

As a result of various travelling commitment and holidays, this is the first update for 6 weeks! Quite a lot has happened during that time, with some big fish caught, a further two heats of the Dunlichity Cup and the Fishery joining the Salmon and Trout Association (see previous blogs). Other highlights include:

Fishery Conditions and Stocking
A dry period followed by a lot of wet and windy weather has provided a lot of varied fishing conditions. Generally, anglers have had to work hard for their fish - this seems to be a common theme across all of the fisheries in the area. At Dunlichity, everyone has been seeing fish in abundance!
There has been two stockings during the period - 190 fish on 14 July and 110 fish on 4 August. Because the Fishery had been quite lightly fished after the first stocking, we decided to put fewer larger fish in for the second stocking. As a consequence, the average weight of fish that went in at the second stocking was 5lbs!

Catches
During this period, the number of fish caught during their various visits for the following anglers were:
Ron Maslin - 68
Sean Cowan - 35
Bill Grieg - 33
Denis Strange - 28
S. Richie - 22
John Vickers - 18
Darren Mackay - 15
T. Lochhead - 15
George Skinner - 14
Mike Marshall - 14
George Swanson - 14

Big Fish
In addition to the big fish that have been taken and are on the Troutmaster board, many others were caught and returned. These included:
S. Nicol - 5lbs
Louis Andreas - 7 1/2 lbs
Andy Jarvis - 8lbs
John Vickers - 7lbs
Robert Anthony - 5lbs

Successful Flies
According to the Catch Register, the following flies were successful:
"Dries" - 36
"Buzzers" - 27
CDC's - 13
Damsels - 11
Daddies - 10
Various Fritz - 9
Diawl Bach - 9
Yellow Dancer - 7
WSW - 5
Klinkhammer - 6
Black Flash - 4
"Nymph" - 4
Sedge - 4
Black Spiders - 4
Others with more than one entry include Kate McLaren, Montana, Tadpole, Damsel, Hares Ear, Olive Dawson, Cat's Whisker, Okie Dokie, and Ace of Spades.

Forthcoming Events
The current Troutmaster month began on 21 August and there are already 4 names on the board. There is still lots of time to post a "big fish".
We will be carrying out another stocking over the next week or so.
The next heat of the Dunlichity Cup will be on Saturday 11 September.

We are pleased to have taken out Corporate membership of the Salmon & Trout Association.

Although holidays prevented a few of the regular competitors from attending, some new faces joined the competition including Robert Anthony, Richard Franklin, Gary Patience and Martin Schouten. Robin Scott's absence meant that his place at the top of the leaderboard was vulnerable!

In keeping with the last few weeks, fishing was hard and competitors had to work for their fish. That said, some good fish were caught, with George Swanson's 7lb 8oz, George Skinner's 6lb 7oz and James Watson's 5lb 10oz being the pick of the bunch.

In terms of the overall Cup, David Skinner has taken over first place with Robin Scott dropping to second. The full current placings are as follows:

Another good turnout for the third heat of the Dunlichity Cup. Almost everyone caught fish, with a few competitors returning a reasonable number of fish without finally getting one "on the board".

Leader after two heats, Robin Scott left it until the final hooter was about to sound before landing a 2lb fish. However, honours for the day went to John Vickers, with a bag of 6lb 9oz. George Swanson was second with 5lb 15oz and John McFeeley was third with 5lb 13oz. George Skinner won the bottle for the biggest fish outside of the top three, a fish weighing 3lb 8oz.

George Skinner, John McFeeley, John Vickers and George Swanson

The league table after three heats is:

1. Robin Scott - 14lb 2oz

2. David Skinner - 11lb 8oz

3. John McFeeley - 10lb 7oz

4. Ian Young - 8lb 12oz

5. John Vickers - 8lb 6oz

6. Will Jack - 6lb 5oz

7. George Swanson - 5lb 15oz

8. James Gary - 4lb 6oz

9. George Skinner - 3lb 8oz

10. Denis Strange - 3lb 2oz

11. Tim Watson - 2lb 12oz

12. James Watson - 2lb 2oz

Since we took over the Fishery in 2007, a number of double figure fish have been caught and released, but the record for a legitimately "caught and kept" fish was James Gray's 9lb 8oz fish on 1 May this year.

And then came Thursday 8 July ........

It was a really windy day when Ruaridh Macaskill and David Beaumont arrived to fish all day. They were both on a 2 fish ticket, and David, from Brora, opened the scoring with a 2lb+ fish. Then, fishing a black nymph he hooked and landed a superb 10lb 9oz fish.

David Beaumont with his 10lb 9oz fish

The later in the day, Drew Jarvis and Owen Condon arrived to fish. Not to be outdone by Drew catching a 5lb+ fish, Owen, from Dingwall proceeded to smash our current record by landing an 11lb 8oz fish. Owen Condon with his 11lb 8oz fish

Two records in the space of a few hours!

It feels like a broken record - "Changeable weather conditions"!

After drought conditions earlier in the week, we have had strong winds and showers today that have made casting a lottery!

The dry conditions have caused oxygen depletion and on Thursday, we lost 4 fish including a 12lb+. As a result, we have decided to buy an aerator for the top lochan. The increased oxygen levels should improve the fishing generally and the water circulation may give us a few extra days fishing in the winter!

Significant catches this week include:

• Sean Cowan - 16
• Robin Scott - 15
• Ron Maslin - 11

Success has mainly been on buzzers, albeit that Muddlers have had results in the drier weather.

Next heat of the Dunlichity Cup on Saturday 17 July.

1. Jason Macaskill - 6lb 3oz

2. James Watson - 5lb 15oz

This update covers the two weeks up to and including 20 June.

The interim stocking, which was intended to reduce the number of tadpoles that the fish are feeding on, was largely successful. Tadpole numbers have been significantly reduced, particularly on the top lochan. The last stocking was over two weeks ago and the fish are now becoming a little fussy - the next stocking is planned for this week and there will be a further stocking before the next Dunlichity Cup heat.

Some decent catches have been achieved:
George Skinner - 14
Ron Maslin - 12
Gordon Mey - 11
Bob Matheson, "A.Manile", Sean Cowan - 10
Bill Greig - 9
James Gray, Thom Railer, John McFeeley - 8

Successful flies (according to the catch register) are:
Buzzers - x17
Dry Flies - x17
Sedge - x5
CDC - x4
Tadpole, Yellow Dancer, Damsels, Montana - x3
Hares Ear, Kate MacLaren, - x2
Others incluse Black Dawson, Bloodworm, Cat's Whisker, Klinkhammer, Orange Snatcher, Daddy, Black Fritz.

Troutmaster winners for the month ended 20 June were:
1. Martyn Petrie - 7lb 13oz
2. George Noble - 7lb 2oz
3. James Law - 7lb 0oz
No juniors entered fish this month!

The weather has now brightened up, and it is anticipated that the top-of-the-water sport will flourish over the coming weeks.

George Noble caught this beautiful 7lb 2oz Rainbow on the top lochan on Sunday morning, 20th June. Fishing on a Grey's intermediate line using a Black Fritz, it took George over 15 minutes to land the fish, having been taken to the backing twice!

The second heat of the Dunlichity Cup was held on Saturday.

The day turned out to be quite hard work, with many fish showing early on, but catch sizes and numbers proving a little disappointing. Those who did catch fish tended to return those caught after the first fish was on the bank, hoping for a big fish. As a consequence, the only competitor to take two fish, Robin Scott was the eventual winner and recipient of the first prize of £60. In second place, winning £40 was Will Jack and third place, with a prize of £20 was John McFeeley. James Watson won the bottle for the largest fish outside of the first three winners.

Tomorrow sees the next heat in the Dunlichity Cup. Details of the competition are available in a previous blog below, and anyone interested in competing should call us on 01808 521442 and be at the Fishery by 09.00 tomorrow.

As a result of he Competition, the top lochan will be closed until approx 14.30.

The Fishery was pleased to welcome four new guests over the past few days.

Andy, Pierre, Ash and Neale, who travelled up from the Nuneaton and Hinckley area stayed in the B&B in what was their first group fly-fishing trip. Whilst Pierre had some fly-fishing experience, Ash had only course fishing experience and Andy and Neale were complete beginners.

Andy, Neale, Pierre and Ash on the Top Lochan

Another changeable week weather-wise has brought varied conditions ranging from heatwave to torrential downpour! Consequently, the fish do not know whether they are "coming or going"! In fact, 199 did arrive on Wednesday when we re-stocked.


Although there were plenty of fish in the lochans, after a few taken fish were spooned, it was clear that they were feeding mainly off tadpoles. The logic of this interim stocking is to provide more mouths to mop up the remaining tadpoles!


Between 31 May and 6 June, there were a number of notable bags achieved:

• Ron Maslin - 21
• George Noble - 20
• John Vickers - 18 and 11
• Sid Rowe, a guest in the Self-Catering from Lydd - 17
• Sean Cowan - 14
• Mr Park from Beauly - 12
• Sean Wright - 12
• Jim McFeeley - 9
• Jim Gray - 8 and 9
• Liam Bennett from London on his first visit - 8
• George Swanson - 8

Successful flies for the week were:

• "Buzzers" - 15
• "Dry" - 7
• "Small black / brown" - 6
• Olive - 6
• Sedge - 4
• "Dancer" - 4
• Cats Whisker - 3
• Hopper - 3
• Fritz - 2
• Tadpole - 2
• CDC/ Invicta / Ace of Spades / Grey Duster / Grey Wulff
• Hares Ear - 2

The next heat of the Dunlichity Cup is on Saturday 19 June - deals on previous blogs and the entry form is in the bothy.

From next week, we will be introducing discounted catch-and-release rates for Senior Citizens. The rates will be £2 off the normal catch-and-release rates on Monday to Friday. We will update the website rates accordingly.

We have had many new visitors to the Fishery over recent weeks and a number have asked how they can leave their comments and observations on the Fishery Blog.

Anyone wishing to share their thoughts for others should leave a comment at the end of this Post.

Thanks in anticipation.

A challenging week for the lochans as the copious amounts of tadpoles have ensured that the trout have had no shortage of natural feeding. That said, there have been some great fish caught, with Bill Greig returning a double figure fish in the top lochan and a number of 7lb+ fish caught and returned throughout the week.

According to the catch register, at least 12 anglers caught 5+ fish and most people have had sport.

Successful flies recorded in the Register this week include:

• "Buzzers" x11
• "Dries" x8
• Sedge x4
• Bloodworm x3
• Klinkhammer x3
• Yellow / Green Dancer x3
• Cat's Whisker x2
• Others include Olive Mayfly, CDC, White Muddler, Daddy,

Latest position in the senior Troutmaster competition (ends 20 June) is:

1. Martyn Petrie - 7lb 13oz
2. James Law - 7lb 0oz
3. Robin Scott - 6lb 1oz

A number of juniors have caught and taken fish but not completed Troutmaster forms. A "first 3" place for juniors would result in the award of a Troutmaster badge and entry into next years fish-off so get those forms filled out!

Finally, the next competition in this year's Dunlichity Cup will be on Saturday 19 June. The entry form is in the Bothy and further information is detailed in previous blogs.

James Law from Inverness has moved into the lead in this month's Troutmaster Competition with this beautiful 7lb Rainbow caught today on the top lochan.

The first heat of the 2010 Dunlichity Cup was held today - heat was an appropriate description!
In sweltering temperatures, competitors fished 7 pegs for the highest two fish bag.

Hi

Fishery Conditions

The fishery was stocked last week and there have been some large bags and large fish caught. I will be trying to provide a weekly update with conditions, significant catches and maybe a few photos!

Website

As you will have seen, our new website is now up and running. We added this blog to the fishery pages so that up-to-date information can be posted (particularly at times over the winter when the weather prevents us from opening). We would welcome feedback on the site.

Competition – The Dunlichity Cup

After receiving a lot of positive feedback following the Troutmaster fish-off, we have decided to run a series of monthly competitions. Starting tomorrow, Saturday 22 May at 09.00, we will be running a 7 peg, two fish competition. The cost of entering is £25, only £1 more than the price of a 4 hour, 2 fish Troutmaster ticket. Prizes of £60, £40, £20 and a bottle will be awarded at the end of each heat, and competitors will be able to continue fishing after the competition on a catch-and-release basis for no extra charge.

At the end of the seventh individual heat, the person who has achieved the largest total bag over the seven heats will be awarded the Dunlichity Cup and a prize of £100.

Due to holidays, there are a number of places available for tomorrow's heat - if you are not able to pre-register in the bothy, then just call us on 01808 521442 and we will reserve you a place.

The entry form is in the Bothy and the rules for the competition are below:

2010 Dunlichity Cup Rules

Heat 1 - Saturday 22 May - 09.00

Heat 2 - Saturday 19 June- 09.00

Heat 3 - Saturday 17 July - 09.00

Heat 4 - Saturday 14 August - 09.00

Heat 5 - Saturday 11 September - 09.00

Heat 6 - Saturday 9 October - 09.00

Heat 7 - Saturday 6 November - 09.00

1. Entry Fee: £25 (£1 more than the 4 hr 2 fish Troutmaster price). Maximum 30 competitors.

2. Register on form in Bothy. Non-returnable fee payable in advance. 20 places reserved for Loyalty Scheme members.

3. Seven 30 minute pegs are fished, with the draw for pegs occurring at the beginning of the day.

4. Pegs will move three places to the right at the end of each 30 minute session.

5. 30 minute refreshment break after 4th peg is fished.

6. Barbless hooks to be fished at all times. Inspection of hooks will occur regularly and any unbarbed hooks found will result in disqualification. Traditional fly patterns, no poppers or boobies. A maximum of two flies may be fished on a line at any time i.e. no "washing lines".

7. Competitors may have two rods on the bank but only a single rod to be fished at all times, 6 lb minimum breaking strain line (8lb preferred).

8. All anglers must be in possession of a priest. Returned fish must be subjected to the minimum of handling. All Brown Trout to be returned.

9. Competitors may fish on after the competition on a "catch and release" basis at no extra cost.

10. Non-competitors will not be able to walk around the lochans during the competition.

11. Heat winner will be the angler with the largest two fish bag taken throughout the seven peg session. Prizes are £60, £40 and £20 for Ist, 2nd and 3rd places respectively and a bottle for the largest fish caught by an angler placed 4th and below.

12. Dunlichity Cup winner will be the angler who has the largest total bag over all of the qualifying dates. Winner will hold the Dunlichity Cup for one year, receive a personal trophy and a prize of £100.

13. In the event of two equally-sized bags, the angler with the largest single fish in the bag will be the winner.

14. Mike will be officiating and his decision on the day is final.

Hopefully see you all soon.

Best wishes

Mike