Loch Haluim
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 04 January 2011 09:13
- Written by Bruce Sandison
Anglers dream of discovering a loch so beautiful that they will never want to leave. A loch full of wild brown trout that rise readily to the well presented fly almost regardless of weather conditions. A loch where boat and bank fishing bring equally excellent results. A loch that is for their exclusive use and where the only companions will be red deer, golden eagle and otter. A loch guarded by majestic mountains amidst moorlands scattered with an astonish array of wild flowers. A loch where they will find peace, solitude and splendid sport.
I have found such a loch, and it more that adequately full-fills all of these angling dreams: Loch Haluim, on the South West slopes of Ben Loyal (765m), the Queen of Scottish Mountains, in North Sutherland. The loch lies like a silver and blue butterfly on the moor and gathers in the flow from an area of more than two square miles. It is 96 acres in extent, three quarters of a mile long and by up to half a mile wide. The average depth is 8ft and the shoreline meanders in and out around a wonderful succession bays and points and fishy corners for a distance of nearly three miles.
Apart from Haluim, there are a further five, smaller, named lochs, centred on Creag nan Eulachon (244m), all of which also contain wild brown trout: Loch a’Mhadaidh-ruaidh, Loch an Aon-bhric, Loch nan Ealachan, An Caol-loch and Loch Sgeireach. These waters have their own satellite, unnamed lochans, eight in number, and there is more than enough fishing here to keep you busy and happy for a lifetime, let alone for a few days.
Do not expect to catch one-for-the-glass case on Haluim. The trout average 8oz/10oz in weight and I have only once taken a trout of over 1lb. But these fish fight magnificently, and you will think that you have hooked a trout of double the average size. However, there are seriously large fish in some of the surrounding waters, although they are a lot harder to tempt than the trout in Haluim. Apart from Haluim, all the other lochs and lochans are fished from the bank and they will test your skill and patience to the uttermost before giving up their treasures.
I first discovered Loch Haluim in the 1980’s when staying at the Altnaharra Hotel. The loch was not generally available to fishing guests, being mainly preserved by the owner, but my wife, Ann, and I obtained permission to fish it and instantly fell in love with Haluim. The walk out is ‘invigorating’, a distance of approximately 3 miles from Inchkinloch at the south end of Loch Loyal on the A838 Lairg/Tongue road. We tramped west along the north shore of Loch Coulside before turning north west over rising ground to head directly for the loch. 
Find Loch Haluim on OS Map 10 at Grid reference 557456. The boat is moored half way up the east shore and this bay is perhaps one of the most productive fishing areas on the loch. Begin by rowing to the north end of the bay, to the left of the inlet stream, and set up a drift back to the mooring bay. You will encounter fish all the way, particularly in the middle of the bay. Remember, the loch is shallow so cast with confidence. The trout are there. The deepest part of the loch (30ft) is in the south bay and when fishing there you should keep the boat closer to the shore.
There is one substantial island in the loch and the narrow channel that leads to it from the east bay is known as Blue Zulu Channel because that famous pattern always produces results in this area. Keep a note of salient points as you progress round the loch. It is such a scatter of bays and corners that it is easy to get lost. Most standard patterns of Scottish loch flies work well on Loch Haluim, but, personally, I invariably fish a bushy pattern - Ke-He, Soldier Palmer, Blue or Black Zulu - on the ‘bob’, Woodcock & Hare-lug, Greenwell’s Glory or Invicta in the middle, and a Silver Butcher, Dunkeld or Silver Invicta on the tail.
But in all honesty, the trout are not fussy eaters and I think that the size and shape of the fly and how it is fished, rather than the specific pattern, is the key element in persuading the trout to rise. All of which makes Loch Haluim the ideal place to introduce a beginner to the art of fly fishing. It is almost assured that they will catch trout and, in doing so, will themselves be hooked for life on our well-loved pastime. We have had some glorious days on Haluim with members of Clan Sandison, young and not quite so young; memorable picnics when we cooked the trout that we had caught on a loch side fire and enjoyed a family day out together.
Further details about fishing Loch Haluim and other waters on the Loyal Estate, contact: Loyal Estate, Estate Office, Tongue, by Lairg, Sutherland IV27 4AF, tel: 01847 611291. The estate can also arrange to take you out to the loch by argo-cat and pick you up again at the end of the day. For me, the jewel in this angling crown will always be Loch Haluim. On a warm June afternoon with an eagle soaring overhead, there is nowhere else on Planet Earth that I would rather be.
Bruce Sandison is a writer and journalist and author of nine books, including the definite anglers' guide, 'The Rivers and Lochs of Scotland' which is being revised and updated prior to republishing.
He contributed to 'Trout & Salmon' for 25 years and was angling correspondent for 'The Scotsman' for 20 years. Sandison writes for the magazine 'Fly Fishing and Fly Tying' and provides a weekly angling column in the 'Aberdeen Press & Journal'.
His work, on angling, Scottish history and environmental subjects, has appeared in most UK national papers, including 'The Sunday Times', 'The Telegraph', 'The Daily Mail', 'The Herald', 'Private Eye', 'The Field' and in a number of USA publications.
Sandison has worked extensively on BBC Radio. His series 'Tales of the Loch' ran for 5 years on Radio Scotland and was also broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and on BBC World Service. His series, 'The Sporting Gentleman's Gentleman' and his programme 'The River of a Thousand Tears', about Strathnaver, established his reputation as a broadcaster.
Sandison has had extensive coverage on television. He wrote and presented two series for the BBC TV Landward programme and has given a number of interviews over the years on factory-forestry, peat extraction, wild fish conservation and fish farming.
Sandison is founding chairman of 'The Salmon Farm Protest Group', an organisation that campaigns for the removal of fish farms from Scottish coastal and freshwater lochs where disease and pollution from these farms is driving wild salmonid populations to extinction.
Bruce won 'Feature Writer of the Year' in the Highlands and Islands Press Awards in 2000 and in 2002, and was highly commended in 2005. Bruce lives near Tongue in Sutherland with his wife Ann.