What single thing would you change about Scottish fishing if you could?

[hopper]

To an earlier reply about free fishing for youngsters, our association already offer free fishing for under 16s with little uptake. A couple have linked it up with the D of E award scheme.

I would give all youngsters under 16s free fishing on all waters because without them clubs are finished.

[Wildfisher]

I would give all youngsters under 16s free fishing on all waters because without them clubs are finished.

Me too Eric.

[Robbie]

I have rarely had an issue gaining access to waters I wanted to fish and only been refused access on one occasion in the last 15-20 years. So for me access is not really an issue. When it is not possible to find someone to ask for permission to fish a "Dod" permit usually does the job in any case.

Took me a little while to think of one thing that I would change about Scottish fishing, this was probably because I first approached this thinking about the fishing I enjoy most: Hill loch fishing for wild brown trout. I love the variety of lochs and fishing out there, the spectacular scenery and the solitude. Unless fishing with someone else of as part of a party I think there are only a couple of occasion I have met anyone else fishing.

Any changes to access or introduction of licensing may only highlight to the rabble what the chosen few know is waiting out there to those willing to get off their arses and get out there. This may just be an imagined risk but potentially a risk too far.

Then it came to me that I have never really fished any of the great west coast sea trout lochs and now probably never will. I suspect it would have been fairly special to fish those waters in their heyday. So the one thing I would change would be to get rid of all salmon farming, then perhaps these west coast fisheries would still be worth visiting.

[Bobfly]

Too much ScotGov capital and too much Norwegian capital locked in to shift salmon farming in a hurry. But maybe onshore at some distant time ....... ?

[sagecirca]

Have a single rod licence which allows access to all and any waters. That is the case in New Zealand  (although there are are occasìonal problems with other anglers and individual land owners) and that is a major factor in why I go there to fish.
You decide on the day where you want to fish. If it is in spate, just move to another river. No problem.

Alex

Headshot! Totally agree.

There are some rivers that you just can't get on for trout unless you're mates with a ghillie or a landowner.  In a few years once the Salmon runs decline past the point of being marketable, these rivers will open the doors to trout anglers and these same landowners will be tripping over themselves to get trout anglers on their water.  I have seen it happen on other rivers in which their Salmon runs have become almost non-existent and they fall over themselves trying to entice the hordes of Grayling anglers to come in and try and recuperate some revenue.

I would also like to see youngsters being allowed to fish anywhere free of charge.  They are the future of the sport and will be the new guardians of the rivers and lochs.  I rarely see anyone younger than me when out and I am in my thirties. 

[Wildfisher]

There are some rivers that you just can't get on for trout unless you're mates with a ghillie or a landowner.

Yes this is a huge problem. Locally the North Esk is a very good trout river but apart from very limited access on the upper reaches you cannot get near it to fish for trout. Many trout anglers would be happy to see the back of salmon truth be told.

[sagecirca]

Yes this is a huge problem. Locally the North Esk is a very good trout river but apart from very limited access on the upper reaches you cannot get near it to fish for trout. Many trout anglers would be happy to see the back of salmon truth be told.

I don't think it will be too long Fred.  I got speaking to the owner of one of the Deveron beats this year.  He reckons at the current rate of decline there will be no viable Salmon fishing in Scotland in 10 years.

[Wildfisher]

He reckons at the current rate of decline there will be no viable Salmon fishing in Scotland in 10 years.

Many ordinary anglers while being sad to see the disappearance of any wild creature won't miss salmon and the ridiculous, petty nonsense that goes along with them.

[Laxdale]

 
It is a shame you did not as "What single achievable thing".
I am sure the bus loads of Glasgow neds would buy in to some of your Utopian dreams.

[Wildfisher]

It is a shame you did not as "What single achievable thing".

It's not meant to be taken seriously, Scotland will never be like the young countries of the world, feudalism runs too deeply and you cannot in any case remove people's property rights. Not even that Muppet Corbyn would try that and the SNP most certainly wont!   Of course none of that changes the catastrophic decline in migratory fish, and not just in the west. Changes are already happening with rivers like the Deveron opening up to and welcoming trout fishers. This was pretty much unheard of even 20 years ago. Change is coming albeit slowly, but Scotland will never be an angling utopia in the New Zealand sense.  Those owners with foresight will probably do well enough  but the glory days are over.  Not sure about the Glasgow neds, they are a minor problem right now and there seems to be more issues with migrant workers who "no understand the inglish" and they don't get prosecuted anyway.