Welcome to Annandale and the Scottish Borders!
Annandale is the gateway to Scotland. Motorway links
make the journey from north or south remarkably easy. London is an
afternoon's drive away. If you are looking for good fishing in South
West Scotland or fishing in Dumfries and Galloway in particular, then
Annandale is an ideal location.
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The river Annan flows south from just north of
Moffat towards the Solway Firth. The mighty Tweed and Clyde also
commence their journeys from the very same hills. In the upper reaches
the river is just another Scottish burn. At Three Waters Meet the
change begins. The river increases in flow due to the tributaries, the Moffat and Evan.
The Annan can be divided into three sections. Lower
reaches from Annan to Dormont. Middle; from Dormont to the principle
tributary the Kinnel and the higher reaches from the Kinnel to Moffat.
These three boundaries reflect the flow and gradient of the river.
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The higher and lower sections are shallow and faster
flowing than the middle section. The middle section is slower and
deeper and meanders through the valley flood plain. The large number
of significant tributaries throughout the length of the river
effectively stops the fish running to the top in spates.
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From an upland torrent the river evolves into a
stately glide and flows south through pastoral grazing land, the
principal economy in Annandale, then increases in speed as the
gradient increases until it meets the Solway at
Watersmeet?. The vast
majority of the river is eminently suitable for fly fishing whether
your target is the superb quality brown trout or grayling, sea trout
fresh off the tide or the mighty salmon. Dry fly fishing for truly
wild brown trout costs a fraction of the southern chalk streams.
Unlike the southern chalkstreams you are unlikely to see another
fisher all day, the cost will be significantly less and the ambience
and tranquillity will surprise you. |
If you fish with us we insist that you practice C &
R and return the following year when the fish will be bigger but
wilier.
For a serious change of tactics try dry fly for sea
trout. The Annan is possibly the only river in Scotland where dry fly
for sea trout is practised almost everyday. May will see the bigger
fish arrive followed in June and July with the bulk of the runs. The
main runs of salmon will start to enter the river in August given
rainfall. Salmon fishing on the Annan can be phenomenal and is easily
on a par with several of the more well known rivers. The Annan is tiny
compared to the Dee, Spey, Tweed and Tay but she has the ability to
more than punch her weight. A week on the Annan at the back end will
cost less than a day on the Tweed and may well result in more sport
than you dreamed possible. Falkus described a salmon river as a smolt
factory. Due to the work of the Annan Fisheries Board the Annan should
be listed in the FTSE top five smolt factories.
You may well see roe deer, otters and Kingfishers as
you fish down the pool. Herons and buzzards are plentiful. If you are
really lucky you may see a Spotted Flycatcher. Red squirrels are
common in this part of Scotland. Time your visit for autumn and the
colours of the forest are amazing, ochre, yellow, amber and olives of
every hue possible to imagine.
Due to the work of the Fisheries Board the river
thrives and supports species other than the recognised game fish. A
total of twenty five different species of fish have been recorded.
Chub grow particularly well in the river as do bream and yes, they do
take a well presented fly.
Fishing on the Annan can be excellent particularly
given rain fall. The river is fairly short by Scottish standards and
given the correct conditions fish can be distributed throughout the
entire length of the river in a very short space of time. The sea
trout fishing is probably unsurpassed in the UK. The salmon fishing
must rate as possibly the best value for money in the universe. Beats
on the Annan regularly out catch comparable beats on the Spey but the
cost to you the fisher is far from comparable.
Access to the beats is easy. We have access to
almost every beat on the river including tributaries. If the water is
too high for the fly on the lower beats we can arrange to fish the top
or middle which drop and clear quicker. If you are seeking quality
brown trout on dry fly we can arrange to fish a suitable beat. If you
want to fish for grayling in January we can arrange to fish a really
beautiful beat. If you only wish to use the fly then we can also
arrange a suitable beat. We are here to help; it is after all what we
do. We are professional full time qualified Instructors and Registered
Guides.
We can arrange your booking, accommodation, tackle,
even waders. We maintain a good stock of the accessories fishers
require. If you are worried about wading then tell us and we will
arrange a beat where the wading suits you. If your knees are like mine
let us know when you book and we will ensure easy walking from pool to
pool. Tell us what you want and we will arrange it for you.
We also have access to the Rivers Nith, Cree,
Bladnoch, Esk, Tweed and Eden.
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