Sea Fishing
Venues
Loch
Etive
Loch
Fyne
Looking at times more like a Norwegian fjord than a
scottish loch, Loch Etive is nearly landlocked, but a narrow neck not far from
Oban permits its outlet to the Atlantic making Etive officially a sea loch, it
also can be upto 300-400 feet deep in parts. Etive can be reached from the A85
Tyndrum to Oban road. Fish that can be taken from this loch are Thornback rays,
spurdog, dogfish, cod, whiting, pollack .
Areas we have fished ourself are the stone jetty in the
village of Taynuilt on the A85 just follw the signs for loch cruises. Also the
Bonawe area, follow the A85 and cross the Connel bridge then take the first
right and follow the signs for Bonawe any of the shingle beaches along this road
can be productive, follow the road till you get to the quarry, this area can be
good for Pollack using a float rig at high tide. Baits are mackerell, sqid and
sand eel.
Please as with all areas you fish take away your
rubbish and any other anglers rubbish you come across this area is getting realy
bad with discarded line and bait packets
INVERARAY PIER
Fishing from the pier at Inverari is best 2 hours either side of high tide
and a bit better if it coinsides with darkness
Best fished in the winter as this mark can get very crowded in the summer
with tourists fishing for mackerel and you can
littrelly have people casting over your heads and you spend most of you
angling time untangling lines and getting tackle
boxes kicked over.
Doggies, the odd thornback, codling, coalies and small pollack will fall to
mackerel strips, squid and rag.
THE QUARRY
About eight miles south of Inveraray, Furnace and its quarry offers
excellent fishing for an abundance of speices. Head
towards the quarry and park up in the car park just before it, a short walk
will take you down onto the rocky foreshore.
One of the first notable things at this venue is the clarity of the water,
its clear and deep - very deep. use a size 4/0
hook with fish baits for conger. A rotten bottom is a good bet, you might
lose the lead but you should get the fish.
THE JETTY
Over to the left is the jetty, built up over massive
rock foundations, this area is the place you want to head for if you
like light tackle spinning or lure fishing. Ten to 15lb
line straight through is ample with either a spinner or frozen
sandeel casy and retrieved. An alternative is float
fished rag worm. Target species are pollck and coalfish with a massive
invasion of mackerel during the warmer months. Congers
grow big among the submerged rocks and come readily to fish baits
THE POINT
Further south still and you come to the point. Here you
can expect good numbers of dogfish and the odd gonger. A cast of
at least 70 yards is needed at high water because this
mark is shallow untill you get out past the drop-off. Once hooked
you'll need to pump the fish to the surface as quickly
as possible and keep winding to get it over the shelf - a pully rig
should help.
THE BISTRO SPIT
Couple of miles further south from Furnace you come
across a car patrk with a restaurant on the left, this car park offers
safe parking with your car in sight at all times. Hot
meals and drinks are available 11am-5pm Wed - Sun from the parking
area. The spit can be seen in front and to the right of
the cafe. This uncovers about two hours into the ebb making access
easy. Anglers enjoy a good six or sevenhours fishing
before the flooding tides force them back.
RIGHT OF THE SPIT
Towards the right side of the spit you will find float
fishing and spinning will produce pollack to 5lb an coalfish in the
two to 3lb range right under your feet from the deep
water. Try using a small spinner or even frozen sandeels, especially
under a float.
THE SALMON FARM
From the spit, looking over to the left, you find
yourself facing onto a salmon farm, cast towards the yellow buoy sitting
about 200 yards. The method here is very much the same
as the quarry but over low water conger feature heavily here as
well. Rumour has it a porbeagle shark within
casting range was spotted here a few years ago
Luce Bay
Ardwell Bay
The best baits are lug in winter for the Whiting and codling, lug and rag
in tne summer for the flatties and fish baits for bass an dogfish.
A sloping beach offering a reasonable depth of water over high tide
gives a good oppertunity to spin for bass. Flounder and dab will be close in the
doggies further out
Chapel Rossan Bay
Continuing along the A716, the next bay is Chapel
Rossan, unlike ardwell the main feature here is the rougher ground, much the
same species here but over towards the right of the bay at the point th ground
offers refuge to the likes of conger and bull huss. The best baits here are
fresh mackerel fillet or sandeel.
New England Bay
Quite a large, open bay, New England offers comfortable
fishing with good solid footing and a sloping beach offering much the same as
Ardwell. The big bass tend to start showing along this beach and can be taken
throughout the summer to spinning, lures tactics or fish baits.
Codling and whiting are the target with lug baits in
the winter.
Kilstay Bay
Launching ramps and slipways
The rock, pebble and shingle crescent is the jewel in
the crown as you head south towards Drummore. One of the deeper beaches, the
choice here is exciting. At the start of the bay you will see a rocky point, a
cast slightly to the left will put you into rough ground with a good covering of
kelp.Tope turn up here regulary all through the summer. Try achoring an onion
bag filled with rubby dubby at the rocks at low tide this will surely bring in
more tope.
Drummore Bay
Within sight sight of Drummore Harbour, the bay offers
good light tackle oppertunities for spinning. Quality bass into double figures
are reported on a regular basis but this area is a little more exposed. Fishing
takes place from the beach BUT BECOMES DANGEROUS
DURING AN ONSHORE BLOW AT THE TOP OF THE TIDE. A
gentle southwesterly blowing force 4 to 5 is said to be ideal conditions to
fish
Drummore Harbour
A good refuge in any weather, the harbour offers some great
sport, inside the jetty, mullet patrol the walls and can be persuaded to feed
with rubby dubby or bread. Flounders and dabs will also come from between the
moored boats but a bait cast underneath one of the boats will just about
guarantee a take. Casting seawards from the jetty will find dogfish, bass and
coalfish
More Sea Fishing Venues to come soon