Walk, cycle or drive two miles up the Fintry Road and just before the Firs plantation you come face to face with one of the most idyllic sights in the district – Loch Laggan.
Nestling in a shallow basin and surrounded on three sides by established conifers, Loch Laggan, which formerly supplied water power to the Broich Mill, now has a purely recreational function, and is the base for Loch Laggan Fly Fishing Club.
Part of Garden Estate, the fishing’s were first leased from Martimas 1974 and stocked with 200 Rainbow trout in the spring of 1975, of which 150 had been accounted for when the first AGM was held in the Fintry Inn on 7th October 1975, and in the presence of 20 members, Mr. Ian Cooper was elected as the first President.
In subsequent years a mixture of Rainbow and Brown trout were stocked to join a resident population of perch; the latter being kept in check by intermittent trapping or fishing. The practice of mixing Rainbow and Brown Trout in the same loch was deemed to be disadvantageous and for a period only Brown Trout were stocked, 500 in 1978 plus 20,000 snails to provide feeding; an exercise not repeated since the loch was operated on a put and take basis and the residence time of the fish was relatively short.
In 1980 membership was increased to 50, and 1,000 Rainbow trout were stocked in a phased manner to even out catch records over the season.
During the 1980s, the club tended to be based in Kippen with a good number of Kippen residents as members and committee members. A new boathouse was commissioned and built, the number of boats increased to 4 and the membership to 60 and remains so.
Today some 1,800 Rainbow Trout at an average weight of 2lb. are introduced over the season which extends from 1st April to 31st October, with a catch limit of 3 fish per rod.
The number of members from the village has declined in recent years, and the membership is widespread including a good contingent from Helensburgh. A sign of the health of the club is the long waiting list for membership.
In addition the fishing, a visit to Loch Laggan can be rewarded by sightings of a variety of wildlife which includes duck, geese, swans and ospreys in season, plus roe deer, buzzards, heron and even an occasional otter and the inevitable cormorants.
As custodians of this facility the members of the club maintain high standards of conduct, and can introduce guests on a one for one basis, but there is no facility for the issue of day tickets to unaccompanied visitors.
Bob Mitchell
The Wee Vine 