I've booked online for a weekend in June at the Altnacealgach Motel, paid deposit and received confirmation etc.
However I tried calling the Motel, on the number given on their website "01854 666260" and got a" number not recognised" message - does anyone know if the Motel is still open and if so what the telephone number is?
That's certainly the correct number. Perhaps there is a temporary problem. Try again tomorrow if not you could try the Assynt Angling group - they might know what's gong on. http://www.assyntangling.co.uk/ (http://www.assyntangling.co.uk/)
Thanks, will update on progress etc.
Have had a reply via email from the Alt. They say they are updating their website and have confirmed my booking in June.
Hi
I dont know if you know that The Altna Motel changed hands last year. The place doesn't really come alive till end of May, and they are still probably trying to get organised for the new season.
The wee wifey that used to own it, and give out the permits for the Loch Boralan will be sadly missed.
Where are you planning to fish?
Probably Camm and or Veyatie, but any suggestions would be welcome. We are going over the weekend of 6th to 9th June if everything works out.
I stayed & fished there a few years ago and had a great time despite the weather. Fished Borralan early morning and evening after dinner this from the bank, made a great start & finish to the day.
Duncan
Hi
Elphin is something special that not many people realise as they pass through to Scourie. We go there two or three times a year.
We have a campervan (me, my wife, and my wee dug) and usually park with the owners permission in the motel car park , or along at the old quarry.
Borralan is full of wee trout and should have mayfly starting to come off when you are there, a bit over fished but good at both ends (try around the crannog). Try a big black fly like a Katie, or soldier palmer greased up and pulled. Or if you are into it size 20 wee black dries around the weed beds.
The cam is my favourite, especially with the mayfly on it It has lots of good hot spots, and the burn is worth a go.
Veyatie doesn't have limestone except at the jetty end , so not much if any mayfly. The very top end of veyatie is worth a try where the burn runs out.
Have you tried urigill? Its really good up beside the bothy where the burns converge.
Let me know if you need any specific details.
Thanks for the info, very useful. Last time I was there we had mayflies coming off on Camm, and had great fun, especially using light weight #4 rods that let the trout give a good account of themselves.
I tend to fish dries a lot, my favourite method on lochs and rivers.
Seeing what you are saying about Urigill this could be on the agenda rather than Veyatie, the size of which is a bit daunting, on my last visit it was far too windy to fish Veyatie.
As I said Borralan is very convenient for a cast the afternoon we arrive, the morning we leave, after dinner etc, just gives us an alternative for a few hours, I don't think we would fish it for a full day, though we did have some nice trout amongst the wee ones and it's nice to have a cast from the bank rather than sitting in a boat all the time, provided the midges aren't too bad.
Thanks for the info and yes I'll probably be back in touch nearer the time.
Tight lines
Duncan
How did things go Nacnud?
We'll be heading up tomorrow, I've got boats booked on Cam and Urigal with a planned walk into Fada and wee Borrallan whenever I choose so really looking forward to reuniting my soul with Suilven.
Deer hair sedges and emergers in place and Whisky packed :D
How was the Alt?
Cheers
Hi
I was up at the ult two weeks ago (take food if you are arriving on Friday, as there is no dinner served then). The mayflies had just started to appear. The good news is the average size has increased. I was getting 2 and 3 to the pound with three or four close to the pound mark on the Cam. James (the lad with the permits) said Urigill was doing well but I didn't get a chance to fish it as I was up the hills. Interstingly there was a film crew up in Elphin filming fishing on Veyatie, so bang goes another wee secret place (not so wee but secret enough)
I'm hoping to go back up in a couple of weeks, so let me know how you get on.
Tell James I was asking for him, tight lines.
p.s take a grey wolf (or green if you have it) and a soldier palmer .
Cheers
Thanks for the update- car is packed and we're off in the morning
Will give a wee report on return
The four of us enjoyed our trip apart from getting blown off Veyatie!
Some mayfly about but I don't think the trout were really "on them" yet.
Fished Borralan on Friday off the bank and caught the usual basket of trout, biggest 12oz, they were taking claret hopper fished wet plus damsel nymph and claret sedgehog.
Veyatie on Saturday and got blown off, high wind plus really bright sunshine, good for sunbathing in a sheltered bay but not for fishing, there was a club out bank fishing, a bus load of them, so really busy, not what your expecting in Assynt.
Cam on Sunday, great day with lots of fish, though nothing big, again about 12oz, they were on Kate Mc, Grouse and Claret, sedgehog and again the damsel, then fish started to move & we had great fun on dries, claret hopper, black CDC shuttlecock and CDC hopper, we lost count of the number of fish we took between the two boats 40+. There was a guy on Cam paddling around in a canoe who claimed to have take a 6lb fish the previous day in the bay below the cemetery where the boats are anchored, taken on a claret dabbler.
Monday we fished the morning on Urigill off the bank, 15+ fish between us, better average size but nothing over 12oz, though I did have a trout of well over 1lb come up to the dry fly. While there were lots of mayfly shucks in the water and some coming off the fish were again on the dries that worked on Cam.
We stayed in the Alt motel, which was clean and comfortable, however the meals served in the Alt bar left a lot to be desired, the bar was virtually empty. I only saw three other customers in over the weekend - hardly surprising as they only had lager on draft and very little bottled or canned beer. While the owners were very nice and helpful I can't see the place surviving, which would be a real shame.
I would suggest that anyone fishing in the area book their boats in advance if they want to fish specific lochs as there were few boats available.
Thanks Nacnud
Fishing sounds as encouraging as ever - even the nemes if the lochs will mean I won't sleep much tonight :D
I will have a pint in he Alt - cos it's the only show in town - it takes a 'personality' to run the show there and there hasn't been since Eric (RIP) and Christine - used to be full of locals ( there are more people around than you might think) and when you add the Anglers, Hillwalkers and Geologists/Fossil hunters staying around Elphin then it can work - soup and sandwiches in afternoon would work on that road
Anyway I hope they survive
Cheers
TIGHT LINES WITH YOUR TRIP, LET ME KNOW HOW YOU GET ON AND I DO HOPE YOUR RIGHT ABOUT THE INN.