Venues.

Loch Ard: This Loch lies on the B829 from Aberfoyle, it contains Pike, Trout and some very large perch I  believe the Scottish record perch was taken here. The loch is well sheltered by the surrounding hills so it is quite a good loch to take kids fishing on without having to worry too much about the weather. I have launched my boat at the Forest hills water sports center who issue permits the launch fee is £5 a day and the staff there are very helpful.

Loch Arkaig: Lies on a single track road off the B8005 past Spean Bridge, the loch is approx 12 miles long and contains Pike ,Trout , Char ,Ferox trout and the very occasional Salmon. Permits are obtained by an Honesty box at Bunarkaig  where the river Arkaig enters Loch Lochy there is a list of charges on the wall and you can pay by cash or cheque , the cost for boat launching and  permit is £15 . There is a harbour and launch site at the eastern end of the loch although the slope on the ramp is quite steep so take care while putting your boat in. This is a wild lonely loch in beautiful surroundings and well worth a visit. Here is a pic of the boat ramp.

Loch Awe: Is on the A85 to Oban it is Scotland longest loch 26 miles it contains Pike, Perch  Char  salmon seatrout  rainbow trout  brown trout  and ferox trout (current  UK record 30lb 8oz)   Now broken again March 15th 2002 31lb12oz by Mr Brian Rutland. the ferox record has been held by loch Awe fish on the past 4 occasions. There are numerous launching sites around the loch but i have only used one and that is Ardbrecknish boats run by Donald Wilson he has excellent facilities and is always helpful, launch fee £5 per day and permits are available here as well. And nearby is Ardbrecknish house who do a good bar meal and a nice pint of Guinness it is also worth a visit to see the cast of Andrew Findlay's record ferox of 25lb 6oz.

Loch Earn: Lies along the A85 between Loch Earnhead and Comrie it contains Salmon ,Seatrout Brown trout Rainbows and Char. The loch is approx 7  miles long by approx 1 mile wide it is a "glacial" type loch with the side shelving steeply into deep water , on the occasions I  have trolled it we have stuck to following the  shoreline with a few trolling passes through and around the cages of the trout farm where there is always piles of fish showing on the screen of the fishfinder and usually at a depth of 60 to 80ft .On one occasion we had the downrigger down at that sort of depth and all we succeeded  in doing was catching the cannonball  on one of the cables anchoring the fishfarm cages, but a bit of luck managed to see us getting it free. I have launched my boat at the Lochearnhead water sports center the launch fee is £5 per day and they have a good but steep ramp they also issue permits, they  ask you to register your boat and give a contact phone no, this is done as a safety measure 

Loch Lomond: Loch Lomond is the largest freshwater loch/lake in  mainland Britain 5miles wide and 25miles long with a max depth of 660 ft. It contains Pike,Salmon, Seatrout, Trout, Perch, Roach, Powan and a few "alien" species as Ruffe Chub and Dace that have been imported by thoughtless English anglers in the past as bait for pike fishing. The best source for fishing info on  Loch Lomond is the Loch Lomond Angling Improvement Association as they have an up to date detailed map on fishing the Loch, it is mainly Salmon /Trout based but it has information on Pike fishing as well. To fish Loch Lomond with a powered boat it has to be registered with the park authority with this they supply you with a set of registration numbers that have to displayed on your boat. There are various launch sites around the loch at: Balloch, Balmaha, Millarochy bay and Ardlui at the top of the loch some are private launch slips that charge a fee and some are run by the park authority and are free or have a small launch fee. The Salmon season on the loch runs from 11th Feb to 31st of Oct, Pike fishing is available all year round.

Loch Lubnaig: Is part of the Forth-Teith system and lies on the A84 it contains Salmon, Seatrout Trout, Perch and Char. It must be one of the best value lochs in Scotland for fishing as a permit to launch your boat  and troll for Salmon is £8 a day or £60 a season and this is from the 1st of Feb to 31st of Oct. Permits are available from James Bayne in Callender.

Loch Tay: Is one of the top lochs for Salmon in Scotland, it contains Salmon, Seatrout, Browntrout, Ferox Pike and Char.I have only fished there a few times and I have launched at Milton Mornish outdoor center The cost was £5 to launch and £18 for a day permit for Salmon, in Loch Tay trolling is restricted to 3 rods max and the loch is divided into  the West, Central and East sections and your permit only allows you to fish one of the above sections, the boundary markers for the different sections are NOT clearly marked so ask before you go out where exactly the markers are, to avoid being hauled up by the Bailiffs!!