Loch lomond

[Ian]

Rags Lomond roach,sorry the pic is blurred but I had to take a photo of a photo.doesn't look a 12ozr but it had a good girth and a nice first Lomond roach for him.the one I got was a bit deeper but not as thick.theres thousands of fish like that and a lot bigger.i fished balmaha pier about 6yrs ago in a scorching hot day in the middle of summer and easily caught 30 roach that size.i was there with the good lady camping and gave it a bash for a couple of hours before we went home.i was gutted when we had to leave and I reckon if I had another 3 or 4hrs I would have caught a fish a chuck non stop.thats the sort of bags Lomond can yield at the right time.

[SeanM]

With a boat and a little time to find them, how big are the roach on the Endrick and how good can it get?

Roach like the one Iain is showing are around the average. I can remember one day up the Endrick when a mate and I had well over 40lb between us in about 4 hours. The biggest was around 1 1/4 lbs. This isn't a typical catch though, but catches of around a dozen fish in a few hours are typical.

Access to the river by boat from the loch is difficult especially if you're using a heavy hire boat. Unless the loch is high you'll have to drag the boat and even if it is high if you don't know the channel you'll have to drag it anyway.

I think one of the farms along the Drymen-Balloch road sell tickets and access is possible on foot here.

[Scott]

With a boat and a little time to find them, how big are the roach on the Endrick and how good can it get?

Roach like the one Iain is showing are around the average. I can remember one day up the Endrick when a mate and I had well over 40lb between us in about 4 hours. The biggest was around 1 1/4 lbs. This isn't a typical catch though, but catches of around a dozen fish in a few hours are typical.

Access to the river by boat from the loch is difficult especially if you're using a heavy hire boat. Unless the loch is high you'll have to drag the boat and even if it is high if you don't know the channel you'll have to drag it anyway.

I think one of the farms along the Drymen-Balloch road sell tickets and access is possible on foot here.

I'm following this with interest, what about a canoe?

[SeanM]

You could certainly get up there with a canoe. All craft using the Loch have to be registered but I don't think it's very expensive.

[Tengisgol]

With a boat and a little time to find them, how big are the roach on the Endrick and how good can it get?

Roach like the one Iain is showing are around the average. I can remember one day up the Endrick when a mate and I had well over 40lb between us in about 4 hours. The biggest was around 1 1/4 lbs. This isn't a typical catch though, but catches of around a dozen fish in a few hours are typical.

Access to the river by boat from the loch is difficult especially if you're using a heavy hire boat. Unless the loch is high you'll have to drag the boat and even if it is high if you don't know the channel you'll have to drag it anyway.

I think one of the farms along the Drymen-Balloch road sell tickets and access is possible on foot here.

I'm following this with interest, what about a canoe?

Like minds Mr Winstanley!

[Ian]

Like you say Sean,that is the average stamp,I haven't fished the river myself.the farmer has sold up his land now,so I think its a bit more difficult to go to the river via the fields.there are so many pike about that I think it would be hard to hold a shoal in the actual river.he was there in early June and had a phenomenal day.he said his fish were averaging 1-2lb.obviously that was a day everything was right.I will be back on Sunday to see how the fishing is progressing.warming up here so they will be thinking about it.i will keep you'se posted

[Paul D]

With a boat and a little time to find them, how big are the roach on the Endrick and how good can it get?

Roach like the one Iain is showing are around the average. I can remember one day up the Endrick when a mate and I had well over 40lb between us in about 4 hours. The biggest was around 1 1/4 lbs. This isn't a typical catch though, but catches of around a dozen fish in a few hours are typical.

Access to the river by boat from the loch is difficult especially if you're using a heavy hire boat. Unless the loch is high you'll have to drag the boat and even if it is high if you don't know the channel you'll have to drag it anyway.

I think one of the farms along the Drymen-Balloch road sell tickets and access is possible on foot here.

I'm following this with interest, what about a canoe?

Like minds Mr Winstanley!

This sounds like the beginning of a plan, if you guys ever fancy a trip let me know please, huge drive for me but I've always fancied fishing a loch.

[George387]

Used to fish the endrick years ago during matches, an excellent roach river and had some whopping bream from the river too. The access to the old match stretches are much more restricted since the farm changed hands however you can still access from other places further upstream at Drymen or you can join the bunch of almost permanent bivi guys after the pike at the meetings when the river enters the loch. Plenty of places for boat hire from balloch all the way up to balmaha. If you don't want to fish the endrick then try the leven above balloch bridge, thinks it's around £7 a day ticket and again loads of lovely big river roach, if I can find my old photo cd I will post some pictures from the endrick, the loch & the Leven, I'm fortunate that I married a lass from balloch so fish all around this area when we visit family

[SeanM]

Ah, I'd forgotten about the Leven. As George says access is a lot easier on that river. Camping on the banks of the loch is now mostly forbidden as a by-law was passed forbidding rough camping due to complaints.

[Scott]

Ah, I'd forgotten about the Leven. As George says access is a lot easier on that river. Camping on the banks of the loch is now mostly forbidden as a by-law was passed forbidding rough camping due to complaints.

Good! I've seen it in some shocking states, some of those beaches on your way up towards Ardlui, disgusting...