Fishing

Fishing in Scotland

Sea Fishing trips on the Hebridean Warrior are available from Scrabster Harbour which is located just the other side of Thurso. You can book by calling Kevin Imlach on 07453 209 680, visit their Facebook page Big Game Fishing Thurso or email him at hebrideanwarrior@gmail.com 

St John’s Loch is one of the best lochs for brown trout fishing in Caithness and is 2.8 miles from Celtic Holiday Lodges. This is a fly only loch like most lochs in Caithness with the exception of Loch Calder which is located 18.7 miles away. 

Visitors to St John’s Loch can get permits for trout fishing and there are also boats for hire. For information on permits and boat hire see the St John’s Loch page on the Dounreay Fly Fishing Association website who have a number of boats on the loch.

St John’s Loch is a relatively shallow, marl bottom loch with an average depth of only 1.5m. The average size for trout that you can expect is between the 1lb-3lb bracket.

The postcode for St Johns Loch is: KW14 8XD. 

Loch Calder is the largest and the deepest loch in Caithness with a varied landscape and shallow bays. It’s also a main source of water for Scotland. The most obliging trout seem to be in the ½ to ¾ lbs range, although much larger fish of up to 6lbs have taken the fly. Along with brown trout, this loch is home to Arctic char and ferox trout but these are rarely caught on the fly. This one is definitely worth a cast!

For information on permits and boat hire see the Loch Calder page on the Dounreay Fly Fishing Association website. 

The postcode for Calder Loch is: KW14 7QR. 

Dounreay Fly Fishing Association Fees

Day Permits – (up to 6pm) can be booked for a fee of £20 per boat, with an additional charge of £10 per boat for continuing the session into the evening on the same boat. A maximum of three persons per boat is allowed.

Boats cannot be booked in advance but only from 10am on the required day of fishing. Sunday fishing on Calder or Stemster may be booked after 3pm on the prior Saturday afternoon.

Evening Permits – (from 6pm) can be booked for a fee of £20 per boat
Booking must be made after 3pm.

Weekly Permits – are available for a fee of £80 per week. Booking requirements are that of day and evening permits. Payment and booking may be made through Harper’s Fly Fishing Services, 57 High Street, Thurso. Telephone: 01847 893179, (Opening times are 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday).

See the Dounreay Fly Fishing Association website for full pricing details

Tackle and Permits can also be sourced from C H Haygarth & Sons which is located on the NC500 only 3.1 miles from Celtic Holiday Lodges. The address is: Dunnet, Thurso, KW14 8XQ. Telephone: 01847 851 602.