Can anyone refer me to a respectable fly shop in Edinburgh, Scotland? My wife and I may be going there in the near future and trying to get a handle on the landscape. Thank you in advance.
Mark
<()))>< Edinburgh, Scotland
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Hellmtflies
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Hellmtflies
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Hellmtflies
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Re: <()))>< Edinburgh, Scotland
#5It's possible but for the most part I'll be taking our two granddaughters fishing.
But the thought of flying over an ocean in the middle of the night may keep me home. My wife has been there a dozen times. This would be my first. I like it so much better when the kids come to Mt. 
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creakycane
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Re: <()))>< Edinburgh, Scotland
#7Gamefish on Howe Street, a short walk from the surprisingly beautiful waters of the Leith. Worth walking along even if you are not fishing. The stretch by Dean village is quite beautiful water, in season, for an inside city limits stretch.
The Orvis Shop in Edinburgh is no more.
There are more than a few good used bookshops with angling books: ask at Edinburgh Books on West Port for current shops. My info is too dated!
The Orvis Shop in Edinburgh is no more.
There are more than a few good used bookshops with angling books: ask at Edinburgh Books on West Port for current shops. My info is too dated!
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adrien schnee
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Hellmtflies
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Re: <()))>< Edinburgh, Scotland
#11I Know, I know. I absolutely hate it. Flying makes me catatonic. I'd rather face a grizzly creekside than fly. But my granddaughters that live there are pulling at my heart strings. The cost is becoming another factor. $4,500. per person round trip for first class. $9,000. for the two of us. That's a lot of fly rods.
The other issue that is becoming a factor is that my passport has expired and the renewal is over 10 weeks from being returned. (?)Re: <()))>< Edinburgh, Scotland
#12I don't mind flying, but I hate all the BS involved with it: airports, TSA, etc. Always wanted to visit Ireland, but that's now out of the question, as I believe that you can't rent a car there or in the UK if you're 70 or older. Probably a good thing, with driving on the wrong side of very narrow roads.
Re: <()))>< Edinburgh, Scotland
#13the best resource I found for Scotland generally was a book, Rivers and Lochs of Scotland by Bruce Sandison. My edition is 2011 and it was accurate everywhere we went in 2017. There was a new edition in 2014. It's probably out of print but available as Kindle on Amazon or ebook from Google Play.
Finding fishing in Scotland is a trap for the unwary. They have laws of open access, also known by the charmingly evocative term 'freedom to roam', which allow you to walk about nearly anywhere. There is no fishing license required. This sounded like glorious freedom to fish, until the discovery that all fishing is by permission only. So you have to track down the owner and get permission before fishing. The Sandison book gives all the details of where to get permits when sold, etc. Fishing on a Sunday used to be agin the law, and is still frowned upon in the remoter locations. On the isle of Mull it is not possible to get a permit to fish on a Sunday, except in a stocked pond.
The Edinburgh Orvis shop is where I went to get my Leith permit.. they weren't much use otherwise, mostly a clothing shop with a few bits of fishing tackle in the back.
Finding fishing in Scotland is a trap for the unwary. They have laws of open access, also known by the charmingly evocative term 'freedom to roam', which allow you to walk about nearly anywhere. There is no fishing license required. This sounded like glorious freedom to fish, until the discovery that all fishing is by permission only. So you have to track down the owner and get permission before fishing. The Sandison book gives all the details of where to get permits when sold, etc. Fishing on a Sunday used to be agin the law, and is still frowned upon in the remoter locations. On the isle of Mull it is not possible to get a permit to fish on a Sunday, except in a stocked pond.
The Edinburgh Orvis shop is where I went to get my Leith permit.. they weren't much use otherwise, mostly a clothing shop with a few bits of fishing tackle in the back.
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Lewis Chessman
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Re: <()))>< Edinburgh, Scotland
#14I can't help much on specific local fisheries but you might like to research Loch Leven if trout fishing is your bag? It's a historic fishery which at one time supplied much of the world with eggs and fry.
For salmon fishing you might look at the FishPal website for ideas, but make sure your river has a decent annual catch rate for the time of year you are here as runs can vary.
As Doug K says, no rod licence is required in Scotland but most waters require a permit. Good as Sanderson's books are, much of the permit details will be long out of date but nowadays most will be available via the web. Sunday fishing for migratory fish is still illegal but not for trout, though that's still heavily frowned upon in certain areas of the Highlands and Islands. You'll be fine in the Central Belt.
Edinburgh tackle shops include:
Gamefish: https://gamefishltd.co.uk/ A traditional hunting and fishing shop.
The Edinburgh Angling Centre: https://www.fishingmegastore.com/feature-edinburgh.html A fishing supermarket covering coarse, game and sea fishing.
Fishing Republic: https://www.fishingrepublic.co.uk/stores/edinburgh Not fly-orientated.
Hope you have a great trip.
For salmon fishing you might look at the FishPal website for ideas, but make sure your river has a decent annual catch rate for the time of year you are here as runs can vary.
As Doug K says, no rod licence is required in Scotland but most waters require a permit. Good as Sanderson's books are, much of the permit details will be long out of date but nowadays most will be available via the web. Sunday fishing for migratory fish is still illegal but not for trout, though that's still heavily frowned upon in certain areas of the Highlands and Islands. You'll be fine in the Central Belt.
Edinburgh tackle shops include:
Gamefish: https://gamefishltd.co.uk/ A traditional hunting and fishing shop.
The Edinburgh Angling Centre: https://www.fishingmegastore.com/feature-edinburgh.html A fishing supermarket covering coarse, game and sea fishing.
Fishing Republic: https://www.fishingrepublic.co.uk/stores/edinburgh Not fly-orientated.
Hope you have a great trip.
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Hellmtflies
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Re: <()))>< Edinburgh, Scotland
#15Thank you. Not very promising or welcoming. Sad. One more thing to make me want to stay right here in Montana and simply skype with the kids. Perhaps I should wait for them to come here next summer.Doug K wrote: ↑02/07/23 17:07the best resource I found for Scotland generally was a book, Rivers and Lochs of Scotland by Bruce Sandison. My edition is 2011 and it was accurate everywhere we went in 2017. There was a new edition in 2014. It's probably out of print but available as Kindle on Amazon or ebook from Google Play.
Finding fishing in Scotland is a trap for the unwary. They have laws of open access, also known by the charmingly evocative term 'freedom to roam', which allow you to walk about nearly anywhere. There is no fishing license required. This sounded like glorious freedom to fish, until the discovery that all fishing is by permission only. So you have to track down the owner and get permission before fishing. The Sandison book gives all the details of where to get permits when sold, etc. Fishing on a Sunday used to be agin the law, and is still frowned upon in the remoter locations. On the isle of Mull it is not possible to get a permit to fish on a Sunday, except in a stocked pond.
The Edinburgh Orvis shop is where I went to get my Leith permit.. they weren't much use otherwise, mostly a clothing shop with a few bits of fishing tackle in the back.
Re: <()))>< Edinburgh, Scotland
#16The Forum should start a new feature called "It's All Right" to help old people get a grip. Of course you can rent a car in Ireland, or elsewhere in the UK, if you are over 70.
Car Rental in Ireland - 70 is a Myth
Car Rental in the rest of the UK
The big worry for UK car rental companies is that the client is too young, not too old. It is true that after age 75, you may have to prove that you're not dead, at least not on the outside.
Please visit and bookmark the Paul H. Young Rod Database
Other rod databases: Dickerson , Orvis , Powell
Other rod databases: Dickerson , Orvis , Powell
Re: <()))>< Edinburgh, Scotland
#17Quash is correct.
Last year I rented a car in the UK at Heathrow and drove around for a number of days. Age - 77. Still alive to write about it.
Charlie
Last year I rented a car in the UK at Heathrow and drove around for a number of days. Age - 77. Still alive to write about it.
Charlie
Re: <()))>< Edinburgh, Scotland
#18Thats 1.5 Brandin, 167 Orvis, 8 Blackburns, ….Hellmtflies wrote:$9,000. for the two of us.
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twistedtippet
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Re: <()))>< Edinburgh, Scotland
#19Or a few dozen of Jay's Humpys.
tt
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Even the blind squirrel gets an occasional nut.
Even the blind squirrel gets an occasional nut.
Re: <()))>< Edinburgh, Scotland
#20Thank you very much for your kind correction. I have been under the impression for quite a while that you couldn't. Don't know where I first got that impression. I used to have many friends and a few in-laws from Ireland, but most are gone now, one way or another. I recently had a conversation with a sister's ex-husband, an American, who had been going to Scotland annually for years until Covid. He told me that he would not be returning, as he could no longer rent a car. I'll have to let him know.
Thanks again.