Loch Lee - A Profile
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 01 December 2009 18:47
- Written by Fred Carrie
As young lads, growing up in the Angus town of Arbroath, we always considered Glen Esk to be our home glen. Odd really as it's far closer to Brechin than it is to Arbroath. Still, when someone said they were going for a picnic up the glen, they did not have to elaborate, you knew exactly where they meant.
Perhaps it had something to do with Loch Lee, after all it is (or at least was) Arbroath's main water supply.
Up by Invermark (OS map 443805), where Glen Lee and Glen Mark meet to become Glen Esk, the famous salmon river, the North Esk is born. The Water of Mark runs down Glen Mark from the north west and it is the main spawning stream for the glen's many salmon. If you follow the other stream to the south west, 
soon you come to Loch Lee (from the Gaelic, Loch Lighe – the loch of the flood place), set in a deep glacial trench. 
As previously mentioned, the loch serves as a reservoir and has been enlarged by a dam at its north east end, close to the old church and grave yard.
There has been a church serving this remote upland area for nearly 1500 years. The first church was founded by St Drostan in the early 600s and has been replaced more than once on the same site; the most recent build being around 1600. Little now remains, although the kirk yard has some interesting gravestones. It is indeed a wondrously wild and peaceful setting for organised worship and must bring you closer to your God if that is your thing. If you celebrate your spirituality in less formalised ways, this glorious setting could hardly be bettered either.
Loch Lee is open for fishing from 1st May until late September provided estate tenants do not require it, strictly fly fishing only, no Sunday fishing allowed. Fishing is from boats only and it is very reasonably priced. The value for money here is so good you could
almost believe you were in Caithness, were it not for the fact the scenery in Glen Lee is far better.
Around £18 or so secures you a boat for up to three anglers for the day. There are only two boats available so advanced booking is essential. If you want an outboard motor you must take your own. Loch Lee can be a seriously wild place and there is no way I would venture out without a outboard motor and not an electric motor either; in my experience, these are worse than useless on big lochs in big winds. Also wearing a life jacket is recommended. Big winds sometimes roar down this loch, funnelled by the high hills on either side and lifting sheets of water over the weir. On such days it’s not hard to imagine where the old highland legend of the supernatural "Euch Uisge" or water kelpie came from.
On fine spring days it is a delight just to be there. Banks of wild primroses, peregrine falcons calling from the crags and the occasional golden eagle circling over head. Simply wonderful, fish or no fish. Even the boat house, old with a slate roof nestles into the landscape and looks as if it has always been there. It looks like it should be there.
Each year some monster trout are taken. Mr Angus Keith from Arbroath, has had 2 beauties here, 9lb and 9½ lb. Angus told me he caught his two big trout on an "Ace of Spades", fished deep on a sinking line. Fair to say though, that the more usual trout average 3 to the pound. Good top of the water sport when the weather is not too cold; as elsewhere an easterly wind tends to kill it stone dead. The most productive fishing 
is found in and around the weed beds at the shallow SW end or close in elsewhere, where the water is less deep. The loch falls to great depth and the old Scottish loch enigma is witnessed here as it is on other deep lochs. Whenever the loch falls flat calm, fish are to be seen rising all over, from margin to middle. When there is a good wave or ripple however, little if anything is caught over the deep water if fishing close to the surface. One day I hope to figure out why.
Loch Lee holds a good head of charr and they are sometimes taken in the shallows near the surface. If you get one, the chances are you will get more of these shoaling fish. If you really want charr though it's best to anchor up over deep water. Just off the boat house is good. Fish deep with a high density, fast sinking line and use something hideous, like a small, stockie basher’s, orange fritz. No kidding, I have seen it done to great effect. Be warned though, you will need seriously long anchor ropes and may have to wait a while until the shoals reach you. If you are desperate to catch your first charr on the fly Loch Lee is a good place to try, the chances here are good. By fishing deep, you may also tempt one of the big trout.
That's the beauty about fishing in really wild places. You just never know what will happen.
For bookings contact:
Mr Garry MacLennen (Head Keeper)
Loch Lee - Invermark
Edzel
Angus
Telephone : 01356 670208
Fred Carrie started fishing in the mid 1960's, hillwalking in the 1970's and has been combining the two on and off ever since.
Fred runs the successful Wildfisher and Wild Fishing Forum web sites and enjoys the hike up to the hill lochs as much as the fishing itself. The more uncharitable members of his family and friends say that is perhaps just as well.