Boats & Where to Fish

South Uist Angling Club – Boat Map & Where to fish

South Uist Angling Club – Boat Map & Where to fish. The following shows the areas that SUAC members are entitled to fish.

BENBECULA: All lochs, except Loch Dun Mhurchaidh.

NORTH FORD SEA POOLS: South Bank only

SOUTH FORD SEA POOLS: North and South Banks

IN SOUTH UIST: All lochs Except the Following:

Stòras Uibhist Waters available to Members & Visitors ONLY by Arrangement. Note all Storas boats are Grey
Loch Name Grid Ref Loch Name Grid Ref
Grogarry 763395 Castle 765372
Stilligarry 758384 School House 764366
Ali’s Loch 768352 Howmore River 755363
Altabrug 751354 Roag 756357
West Ollay 745324 Upper Roag 792353
Mid Ollay 760313 Lower Kildonan 735276
Bornish 731296 Fada 754348
Upper Bornish 745295 Bharp 780210
Upper Kildonan 735277 Crocabhat 759227
Mill 744272 Coragrimsaig 796224
Sgairbh 731267 Stulabhal 795224
Hallan 740219 Snigiscleit 297250

Please note – all Stòras Uibhist boats are Grey -To book Estate boats please ring +44 (0)1878 700101 or click here for further information.

SUAC BOAT LOCATIONS

 

 

A valid SUAC permit and booking is required to use any of the below club boats – Permit prices are listed here
Boat Location Grid Ref Area using what 3 words click on the blue name.
North Olabhat Two Boats 806546 Uachdar  Green Lomond Boats
Caravan 804547 Uachdar Green Lomond Boats
East Olabhat 802085 Torlum Green Lomond Boat
West Olabhat 802508

Torlum Green Lomond Boat

Langabhat 845482

Kilerivagh Green Lomond Boat

Caslub 833418 Loch Carnan Green Lomond Boat
East Bee 783432 East Gerinish Green Lomond Boat
An Duin Mhoir 778417 W Gerinish Green Lomond Boat
Druidibeg 795385 Skipport Green Lomond Boat
Frazers 770355 Howmore Green Lomond Boat
Toronish  736307 Bornish Green Lomond Boat
Eilean an Stoir 735248 Milton Green Lomond Boat
Bayhead 764304 Bornish Green Lomond Boat
 A Chlachain 756296 Bornish Green Lomond Boat
Dun na Cille Two Boats 742192 Kilpheder Green Lomond Boats
Shnathaid 830425 LochCarnan Green Lomond Boat
Na Duchasaich 743313 Ormiclate
A Choire 765145 East Kilbride

 

Please note – The majority of SUAC boats are Green Lomond Boats except for and 

 

BOAT LOCATION MAP

East Bee

East Bee

Dun na Cille

Dun na Cille

 

 

Loch Druidibeg

Loch Druidibeg

North Olabhat

North Olabhat

East Olabhat

East Olabhat

West Olabhat

West Olabhat

L. a Chlachain

L. a Chlachain

West Bee

West Bee

Toronish

Toronish

Langavat

Loch Langavat

Duin Mhoir

Loch Duin Mhoir , West Gerenish

Frazers

Frazers

BOOKING OF BOATS

If you wish to book a boat, please visit or contact Stòras Uibhist, Oifis Stòras, Daliburgh, South Uist. HS8 5SS (01878 700 101) or fishing@storasuibhist.com). Bookings can be made in advance from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm: Monday to Friday. When the Stòras Uibhist office is closed, as on Saturdays and Sunday, boat bookings can be made in advance on Friday. Anglers will be limited to the advanced booking of one day’s boat fishing per loch per week. This will not apply to any bookings made within 48 hours of the proposed boat use.
Club Members must quote their membership number when making a booking. Similarly, visitors must quote their boat permit number. Members can contact Stòras Uibhist, ( 01878 700 101) for availability of hill loch boats (free to members). When booking a boat, anglers should be aware that SUAC policy prohibits the occupation of a boat by more than three persons at any time.

DAMAGE TO BOATS

Any damage to boats or broken oars should be reported immediately  to the Booking Agent, Stòras Uibhist. Tel. 01878 700101 or Gary Bateman, the club boat officer, on 07525050891 Any damage arising from misuse of the boat, or failure to secure it properly after use, may result in a claim being lodged by the Club against the persons responsible. Each season, a number of our boats are damaged, often extensively, as a result of not being properly secured or pulled high enough out of the water.

CARE OF BOATS

After use, please return the boat to the correct location, irrespective of where it may have been found: also, please pull the boat well clear of the water and secure it to the mooring post. (Some lochs may rise or fall significantly as a result of tides or rainfall). Please leave the boat in a clean and tidy condition and store the oars safely and securely under a boat seat.

SAFETY IN BOATS 

WARNING Many accidental drownings occur due to a number of factors including:

  • lack of a life jacket,
  • disregard or misjudgement of the conditions,
  • failure to follow good boating practice,
  • lack of supervision, especially of the young,
  • inability to cope once a problem occurs.

LIFE JACKETS

All persons using the South Uist Angling Club’s boats are required to:

WEAR A LIFE JACKET

 A life jacket is a personal safety device which, when fully inflated, will provide sufficient buoyancy to turn and support even an unconscious person face upwards within five seconds.  It will support the person’s head, with the mouth and nose well clear of the water.  Please note SUAC no longer provide life jackets.

OTHER SAFETY ADVICE

  • Don’t stand up in the boat. It is not only potentially dangerous: it is likely to scare the fish.
  • Ensure that you take a baler with you in the boat.
  • Don’t under-estimate the elements: if in doubt, don’t go out.
  • Carefully supervise and give good example to the young.
  • Don’t panic if a problem arises: calmly make for the shore.
  • Report to us any dangerous occurrence or incident.

CHECK BOATS BEFORE USE

Boats are used entirely at the user’s risk. The Club accepts no responsibility for any accident or loss arising from the use of a Club boat, nor can the Club guarantee the condition of any boat. Persons using boats should ensure that the boat is in a “seaworthy” condition prior to use. Any shortcomings, or damage, should be reported as soon as possible, to the Chairman, Booking Agent or other Club Officials.

SAFETY IN BOATS 

Angling is generally a very safe sport but it does have the potential for a bad accident if hazards are

ignored. The lists below are the result of risk assessments carried out by the club but there is no

guarantee that we have thought of everything. To experienced locals much in the following lists will

seem obvious, but fishing in Uist is very different to what most visiting anglers are used to.

A few things the club insists on:

1. LIFE JACKETS MUST BE WORN IN BOATS.

2. No standing up while fishing from boats. Most of the lochs have many hidden rocks and skerries,

sometimes far out from the shore, and water levels can vary greatly over a few days bringing

new hazards where previously there were none. Hitting a rock while standing up in a boat will

probably mean you fall over, but it could result in you falling overboard with potentially much

more serious results. Standing up also means the fish can see you from much further away

which will greatly reduce your chances of catching them.

3. Check the boat before use. The club is entirely voluntary and cannot physically inspect each boat

every day. Any damage to boats or broken oars should be reported immediately to the Booking

Agent, Stòras Uibhist tel. 01878 700101 , or Gary Bateman, the club boat officer, on 07525 050 891.

Make sure there is a bailer.

4. After use, please return the boat to the correct location, irrespective of where it may have been

found. If you are unable to return the boat to its correct position, please inform Stòras Uibhist or

the Boat Officer. Also, please pull the boat well clear of the water and secure it to the mooring

post. (Some lochs may rise or fall significantly as a result of tides or rainfall). Please leave the

boat in a clean and tidy condition and store the oars and bailer safely and securely under a boat

seat.

5. Any damage arising from misuse of the boat, or failure to secure it properly after use, may result in a

claim being lodged by the Club against the persons responsible. Each season, a number of our boats

are damaged, often extensively, as a result of not being properly secured or pulled high enough out

of the water.

6. Do not take a boat if you do not have a confirmed booking. Bookings are for 24 hours. Seeing a

boat tied up at 11am does not mean that it is available – not everyone is free to fish from 10 till

6.

7. No salmon may be kept. This is the law for our Fisheries Board area.

8. No landing on islands in Loch Druidibeg as it is a nature reserve.

9. Fishing on SUAC waters is fly only apart from on the seapools where spinning is also allowed.

10. Please complete a catch return. All members and visitors are required to complete a catch

return which is available here. (Web link) Please send it to Sheena MacMillan as soon as

possible, especially if you have had a notable day or week, but in any case no later than 14

November.

Sheena.MacMillan@StorasUibhist.com or by post Storas Uibhist, Daliburgh. HS8 5SS).

These returns are needed to comply with legal requirements.

Further advice to anglers:

1. Check the weather forecast before fishing but be aware that conditions can change rapidly.

Don’t fish in or near thunderstorms. If the weather is poor and you are in any doubt aboutconditions, don’t go out. Take suitable clothing for expected and unexpected weather

conditions.

2. Take suitable equipment for the day you have planned, eg sun and windburn protection,

sunglasses and a peaked cap (which will also protect you against miscast flies), mobile phone

(which can also be a torch if needed) with What3Words or OS app for navigation – note that

mobile phone coverage is poor/non-existent in some parts of the islands, but these navigation

apps will still work.

3. If bank fishing away from public roads be aware that there are few paths so progress may be

slower than you expect. Visibility can reduce to a few yards if a mist descends – take a map and

compass and know how to use them.

4. If fishing alone, from the bank or a boat, leave details and expected time of return with someone

or visible in your car before you set off.

5. In a boat always proceed with caution particularly if the loch is unfamiliar. Consider hiring a local

ghillie to show you the unseen hazards, and where the fish tend to lie.

Other hazards:

1. Terrain. Be aware that rocks and grassy banks may be slippery, and lochs may have steep drop-

offs into deep water. Some lochs have very soft bottoms, others deep sink holes – use a wading

staff to check. Peat bogs and peat cuttings can have deep unseen holes, and heather often

conceals holes – again use a staff or walking pole to check.

2. Animals. Uist has a high incidence of Lyme Disease, carried by ticks, so it is advisable to wear

insect repellent, check for ticks regularly and carry a tick removal tool. Weils disease is water-

borne and carried in rat and cow urine. Both animals are common on the islands. Practising good

hand hygiene should reduce the risk of infection. Cows and swans are both generally non-

aggressive to humans, but this can change if they have young or feel threatened. Give both a

wide berth.

3. Powerlines. There are many overhead powerlines on the Estate. Carbon fibre rods are excellent

conductors of electricity, so keep your rod low when walking near such cables and do not cast

anywhere near them.

4. Seapools. There are seapool maps on the club website which contain important information.

However some locations are indicative and not necessarily accurate. The position of sandbanks

and tidal channels alter over time.

Check the tide times and be aware the tide may come in behind you. If you do get cut off, do not

panic – any island with grass on it should be above high tide. Make sure you take a mobile phone

with you