Wild Hebridean Brown Trout

The Hebrides is a perfect paradise for trout fishing, with over two thousand fresh water lochs containing the splendid wild brown trout. Many of the lochs and small streams are surrounded by dramatic scenery and wildlife, so is it any wonder that so many fishermen return time and time again in pursuit of the wild Hebridean brown trout. While trout fishing can be enjoyed throughout the Hebrides it is to the machair lochs of the Uists that the keen trout fisherman heads in search of the machair trout. These low-lying fertile machair lochs on the West coast of the Uists provide some of the best wild brown trout fishing in Scotland and the chance of a record trout.

The Life Cycle Of The Trout

All brown trout in the Hebrides are born in freshwater, usually in a flowing burn or in a loch that is close to a feeder burn. Trout eggs need a continuous flow of oxygenated water flowing over them so that they can develop and hatch, usually after a period of thirty or more days. The hatching of the trout eggs depends mainly on water temperature. Once the eggs have hatched they become alevins. These are small embryonic fish that retain the remains of the yolk sac and continue to live deep in the gravel redd until the yolk sac has been exhausted. It is at this stage that the alevin becomes a fry, and swims up through the gravel and starts to feed.

The tiny fry grows quickly and soon begins to take on the appearance of a trout, but with what is known as ovoid markings down its sides. These markings, commonly known as parr-markings are what identify the young trout at this early stage in its life cycle. The word parr comes from the Old English word-meaning finger. The amount of time a trout remains as a parr depends largely on the amount of food that is available in the lochs or streams. If the food source is scarce it can remain a parr from one year to four years. It is at this stage, sea-going varieties of trout assume silver coats and head downstream to the sea and will eventually return as seatrout. They are then known as 'smolts'. Trout that spend their entire lives in freshwater assume adult coloration without going through the smolt stage and are in general a dark brown with small red spots. The peatier the water the darker the trout's colour will be.

The machair lochs of the Uists are the crème de la crème of trout fishing in the Hebrides. Regular catches on these lochs account for trout up to and over the three-pound mark in comparison to many of the other brackish lochs where the average trout is between 8 ounces and 14 ounces. The reason the trout in the Uist machair lochs reach such large size is because of the abundance of feeding available from fly hatches and small grubs and beetles in these shallow fertile waters.

Over the past few years some fantastic trout have been landed on the fly in the Uists with record trout weighing in at twelve pounds, nine pounds and seven pounds to name a few.

Trout fishing in the Uists provides some of the best trout fishing in the Hebrides. The trout on some days take freely and on others can be very dour. Even a trout of eight ounces will give a good fight on a light line and when a beautiful three pound machair trout is landed you will not help but be amazed at is beautiful yellow gold colour and large red spots. Trout fishing in the Hebrides is special, an experience not to be missed. Days of twenty fish are commonplace throughout the Hebrides so wherever you find yourself fishing for the wild brown trout, you can be assured that you are in for some great sport.

Where: Lewis, Harris, mainly the Uists

When: May to September