RED BANK

A difficult pool the fly comes round slowly It might fish better with a sinking tip or sinking line Terrible wading and spey casting only at the end of the cast coming round work the fly slowly.

STEPPING STONES

A lovely pool .You need to spey cast at the top but you can overhead cast at the bottom. Always fish the bottom of the pool in the rough water for grilse and sea trout. Floating line is best in this pool.

ERRACHT

My favorite pool in this beat .wade to the middle as fish lie under the Taynuilt bank make sure your fly goes over the big stone on the other side at the bottom of the pool.

CRUIVE

I find this pool very difficult to fish the fly tends to race across the top for (sinking line or keep dressing the line?). Really expert anglers love this pool. Fish lie right at the tail just above the rough water.

WARNING: This pool is loved by all local people to swim in as superb swimming. Your chance of sighting a MERMAID from INVERAWE is high especially at DAWN.

CLAY

A lovely pool fishes all the way down lies all the way down but best position just below the salmon trap. Do not wade too deep as salmon lie close in. Spey cast only at the bottom.

GREY

An easy pool to fish but water is thin in the middle good for grilse.

LORN BEAT

Known as the Ardchattan and Muckairn Beat. This beat is much easier to fish and the wading is easier. The beat consists of both banks.and is 3/4 mile long.

NICK'S RUN

A wee burn flows in at the top and the pool starts here it is tiny but yields good results especially when the grilse start. Lengthen your line as you fish through the pool.

DALVARCH/LONG POOL

The pool fishes well at top just above and below bridge . The middle I find dour but the bottom has good lies. Lots of people fish this pool right through with great results.

RACEWALL/ST. JOHNS

Fish at top and bottom. The water is thin here and it therefore fishes better when the grilse start running.

CREWBEG AND HYDRO

Fast water and fishes better when the tide is coming in. Lies all the way down these two pools but concentrate on the top and bottom of the pools.

TIPS

FLIES: We always used to use tube flies and our favorite was the hair of a Collie dog making sure there was black and white. Double and treble flies do well the shrimp fly is the favorite, but again Black and bit of colour red or green often does the trick.

The mouth of the salmon are soft so give them time to hook keep the tip down initially.

Try and fish the lower beats 1 hour before high and 2 hours after high tide. Dr Bain a local G.P. and a brilliant angler told me this.

All these small tips were given to me by the older generaration Johnnie Collie, Woody Speirs, Alistair Macfarlane, Bill Huntington and of course my uncle and father. The river though keeps changing due to the floods and the modern generation especially Shuggie, Jackie and Rory seem to do the trick.

Finally I hope you learn to love this river as much as I do.

Tight lines...

ROBERT CP.