You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
River Sliddery (Isle of Arran)
- Thread starter Editor
- Start date
deepdiver1
New member
On the Google map fish on the sharp bend on the river. This is a deep tidal pool with loads of wild brownies to about 1/2 lb or so. Walk down the bank towards the beach and there are a couple of flats which in July and September contain good sized Sea Trout to 2lb. They will take anything flashy and worming is allowed and productive especially in a spate when water is dirty. Occasional Salmon will come into the river mouth but rare. Day ticket (£20) from Sliddery Supplies or Seal Shore Campsite at Kildonan. If fishing for a few days or more join Arran Angling Association (£35). Covers 8/9 rivers plus stocked Loch Garbard ( boat available). Apply for membership in person only at Bay News, Whiting Bay, Sliddery Supplies, Lamlash PO or Seal Shore Campsite.
Please note in North Ayrshire a catch & release policy is in place for Sea Trout because of diminishing wild stocks, not just here but all over the UK. It is only a policy and not enforceable but for the sake of all of our continued enjoyment of the sport - take a photo and put it back to reproduce - please don't take it home.
Please note in North Ayrshire a catch & release policy is in place for Sea Trout because of diminishing wild stocks, not just here but all over the UK. It is only a policy and not enforceable but for the sake of all of our continued enjoyment of the sport - take a photo and put it back to reproduce - please don't take it home.
Just a quick note to say that I have been received a joint letter from the Secretary of the Arran Angling Association and the Chairman of the Blackwater Foot Angling Association penning their justifiable concern over the targeting and taking of small brownies from rivers.
They also brought to my attention an important A.A.A bye-law that states:
“No salmon or sea trout under 9 inches in length shall be retained, and all such fish, parr, smolts or fry inadvertently caught shall be returned carefully and immediately to the water”.
Can anyone tell me what the legal size limit for keeping brown trout is?
I hope it is also above 9in – because it is VERY easy to miss-identify small brownies as they look so similar to sea trout and salmon parr (which normally grow to between 5in to 7in).
In short, what people may think are tasty small brownies are in fact the precious salmon and sea trout of the future.
Land-locked lochs are a different matter of course and may actually be over populated so thining of stocks may be good management.
They also brought to my attention an important A.A.A bye-law that states:
“No salmon or sea trout under 9 inches in length shall be retained, and all such fish, parr, smolts or fry inadvertently caught shall be returned carefully and immediately to the water”.
Can anyone tell me what the legal size limit for keeping brown trout is?
I hope it is also above 9in – because it is VERY easy to miss-identify small brownies as they look so similar to sea trout and salmon parr (which normally grow to between 5in to 7in).
In short, what people may think are tasty small brownies are in fact the precious salmon and sea trout of the future.
Land-locked lochs are a different matter of course and may actually be over populated so thining of stocks may be good management.
deepdiver1
New member
There is no legal size restrictions on wild brown trout in the UK although a lot of angling societies set their own policies - anything between 9 and 12 inches.
I was interested in the comments from Arran about "targeting and taking" of brownies in the rivers. Personally I don't take any fish of any sort unless it is stocked and of permissable size but as most of the streams on Arran contain nothing else but brownies you cannot avoid catching them. Returning any fish to the water unharmed is not a problem for the serious angler so stocks should not suffer.
Without wishing to generalise I have found that it's the once a year "holiday" fisherman that will take anything and everything from our waters to "show off to friends" and even more annoying, will leave unwelcome items of rubbish on the banks and in the water - but that's probably a topic for another thread ! All the best.
I was interested in the comments from Arran about "targeting and taking" of brownies in the rivers. Personally I don't take any fish of any sort unless it is stocked and of permissable size but as most of the streams on Arran contain nothing else but brownies you cannot avoid catching them. Returning any fish to the water unharmed is not a problem for the serious angler so stocks should not suffer.
Without wishing to generalise I have found that it's the once a year "holiday" fisherman that will take anything and everything from our waters to "show off to friends" and even more annoying, will leave unwelcome items of rubbish on the banks and in the water - but that's probably a topic for another thread ! All the best.
There is no legal size restrictions on wild brown trout in the UK
There certainly is a minimum size in England and Wales - controlled by the Environment Agency. Every area/river has its own minimum - with some upland streams going down to about 7in.
but as most of the streams on Arran contain nothing else but brownies you cannot avoid catching them
But the Sliddery has a run of sea trout and perhaps salmon doesn't it?
Certainly, if I were a Club secretary or riparian owner I would introduce a minimum size for brown trout (of at least 9 inches) on any river that also has a breeding population of salmon and/or sea trout. The offspring are too easily confused.
Cheers
Colin
deepdiver1
New member
Hi Colin,
Yes I stand corrected, there are byelaws throughout the UK governing size limits on brownies. However if one looks very closely at the small print & addendums the rights of the riparian owner supercede those of the EA. So one must assume that far from being absolute law, the limits are to be treated as recommendations, which is a good thing to a certain degree but I also have serious misgivings about any standards laid down by government agencies most of whom are now seriously understaffed and on the whole comprise administrators and statisticans working with supplied data. Pretty much like the commercial sea fishing laws which result in thousands of tons of dead fish having to be thrown back every week!
In my experience (& I'm pretty long in the tooth now) byelaws are enforced on certain waters purely for the sake of profiteering with no actual thought or benefit to the environment. One typical case I came across just this year was on the river Bladnoch in Galloway where the byelaw states that all Pike caught must be killed to protect the indigenous and migratory trout. Why ? According to the farmer from whom I purchased a day ticket, "the less trout caught, the fewer permits would be sold". Ridiculous! I actually caught two superb jack pike that day of about a pound and a half. I also caught seven lovely brownies to about a three quarters of a pound which I had to return to the water because according to the local byelaw were undersize but far exceeded the size limitations of other waters close by. The Pike, I did actually dispatch because they are good eating but I would have returned them to the water if Pike weren't to my taste.
I am a great believer in nature. One shouldn't interfere with what is going on in our waters unless it's man made. Nature finds it's own equilibrium. In recent times the damage to our trout streams has been brought about by greed and indiscriminate netting of our estuaries.
For thousands of years man has fished in order to eat and survive and it wasn't until mid 1900's that the government and landowners found out they could make an extremely good living from imposing laws and fees to enable one to fish.
The rod licence fees throughout the UK is an absolute disgrace. If this licence fee had been imposed in the 18th or 19th centuries there would have been an uprising.
But like everything else these days, if it's popular then it's a simple way of raising tax. I'm just waiting for the law requiring me to have a licence to fish off the rocks in the sea when I'm on holiday!
Pretty soon there will be a law preventing us from taking any fish home to eat - regardless of size.
We need to start getting things in perspective. Anglers with rod and line have very little impact on a waterway most of them paying a fortune and going home disappointed.
There are very few pleasures these days, and fishing is mine and yes I do sometimes get extremely emotional about the subject but feel it is the right of everyman to go and catch a fish to feed his family without restriction. Our rivers and our seas are God given, - not to make someone even richer!
Yes I stand corrected, there are byelaws throughout the UK governing size limits on brownies. However if one looks very closely at the small print & addendums the rights of the riparian owner supercede those of the EA. So one must assume that far from being absolute law, the limits are to be treated as recommendations, which is a good thing to a certain degree but I also have serious misgivings about any standards laid down by government agencies most of whom are now seriously understaffed and on the whole comprise administrators and statisticans working with supplied data. Pretty much like the commercial sea fishing laws which result in thousands of tons of dead fish having to be thrown back every week!
In my experience (& I'm pretty long in the tooth now) byelaws are enforced on certain waters purely for the sake of profiteering with no actual thought or benefit to the environment. One typical case I came across just this year was on the river Bladnoch in Galloway where the byelaw states that all Pike caught must be killed to protect the indigenous and migratory trout. Why ? According to the farmer from whom I purchased a day ticket, "the less trout caught, the fewer permits would be sold". Ridiculous! I actually caught two superb jack pike that day of about a pound and a half. I also caught seven lovely brownies to about a three quarters of a pound which I had to return to the water because according to the local byelaw were undersize but far exceeded the size limitations of other waters close by. The Pike, I did actually dispatch because they are good eating but I would have returned them to the water if Pike weren't to my taste.
I am a great believer in nature. One shouldn't interfere with what is going on in our waters unless it's man made. Nature finds it's own equilibrium. In recent times the damage to our trout streams has been brought about by greed and indiscriminate netting of our estuaries.
For thousands of years man has fished in order to eat and survive and it wasn't until mid 1900's that the government and landowners found out they could make an extremely good living from imposing laws and fees to enable one to fish.
The rod licence fees throughout the UK is an absolute disgrace. If this licence fee had been imposed in the 18th or 19th centuries there would have been an uprising.
But like everything else these days, if it's popular then it's a simple way of raising tax. I'm just waiting for the law requiring me to have a licence to fish off the rocks in the sea when I'm on holiday!
Pretty soon there will be a law preventing us from taking any fish home to eat - regardless of size.
We need to start getting things in perspective. Anglers with rod and line have very little impact on a waterway most of them paying a fortune and going home disappointed.
There are very few pleasures these days, and fishing is mine and yes I do sometimes get extremely emotional about the subject but feel it is the right of everyman to go and catch a fish to feed his family without restriction. Our rivers and our seas are God given, - not to make someone even richer!
Thanks for that Deepdiver and I can see where you are coming from but alas whenever humans are involved rules are needed - and especially so near urban populations. You may be less affected on Arran but near where I live the rivers would be empty if it were not for anglers and their rules. One for the pot does not work when millions live on the doorstep.
In the north east of England - people are catch & releasing sea fish because there are so few left to be caught! (actually - this year its been better I hear).
Anyway, thanks for the info, I look forward to visiting Arran again one day.
Colin
In the north east of England - people are catch & releasing sea fish because there are so few left to be caught! (actually - this year its been better I hear).
Anyway, thanks for the info, I look forward to visiting Arran again one day.
Colin