South Uist Angling Club – Boat Map & Where to fish

Members of SUAC, and visitors who have valid SUAC permits, are entitled to fish all the Club
waters including on Sundays in the following locations. (Brown trout only on Sundays).
Bank fishing on any of the Club’s waters does not need to be booked, but Club boats must
be booked in advance. See below.

BENBECULA: All lochs, except Loch Dun Mhurchaidh (Caravan) SUAC members only

NORTH FORD SEA POOLS: South Bank only

SOUTH FORD SEA POOLS: North and South Banks

IN SOUTH UIST: All lochs Except the Following:

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

BOAT LOCATION MAP

BOOKING OF BOATS

If you wish to book a SUAC boat, please use the South Uist Estates website:
www.southuistestates.com or alternatively,visit or contact Stòras Uibhist, Oifis Stòras,
Daliburgh, South Uist. HS8 5SS (01878 700 101) or
email: info@southuistestates.com quoting your membership or visitor’s boat permit
number.
Bookings can be made in advance from 9-5 Monday to Friday. When the Stòras Uibhist
office is closed, as on Saturdays and Sundays, boat bookings can be made in advance on
Friday. To ensure fairness, anglers cannot book the same boat/loch more than once in a 7
day period. This will not apply to any bookings made within 48 hours of the proposed boat
use.
When booking a boat, please be aware of the maximum number of anglers permitted i.e. 2
persons in a Standard boat and 3 in a Lomond or Sheelin boat.
Junior members/visitors (under 18 years of age) may not book boats and must be
accompanied (in the boat) by an adult member or permit holder, who will be responsible for
their safety and behaviour.
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. Make sure there is a bailer. 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 a Club boat officer. If in the North, Gary Bateman, on 07525 050 891 or in the South,
Charlie Nicholas, on 07960 522896.
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 one of the Boat Officers. Also, please pull the boat well up the
bank 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 or 7pm does not mean that it is available – not everyone
is free to fish from 10 till 6.
7. Storas Uibhist does not allow float tubes on any of its waters including those of the club.
8. No salmon may be kept. This is the law for our Fisheries Board area. Please carefully
return any salmon. There is no fishing for salmon or seatrout on Sundays in Scotland.
9. Fishing on SUAC waters is fly only apart from on the seapools where spinning and bait
fishing is also allowed.
10. Please complete a catch return. All members and visitors are required to complete a
catch return which is available on this website. Please send it to Sheena MacMillan as
soon as possible, especially if you have caught any salmon or seatrout or had a notable
day or week, but in any case no later than 14 November.
Sheena.MacMillan@StorasUibhist.com or by post to: Fishing Returns, Storas Uibhist,
Daliburgh. HS8 5SS. These returns are needed to comply with legal requirements.
ADVICE TO ANGLERS:
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
many visiting anglers are used to.
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 about conditions, don’t go out in a boat. We do not recommend going out in
winds in excess of 25mph unless in the company of an experienced local ghillie. Do not
use a drogue to try and slow the speed of a drift. It will almost certainly catch on a rock
and possibly capsize the boat.
2. Take suitable clothing for expected and unexpected weather conditions.
3. 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.
4. Make sure your own equipment is fit for purpose. Eg lifejacket is tested and in date and
if using an outboard, that it is running properly.
5. 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.

6. 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.
7. In a boat always proceed with caution, particularly if the loch is unfamiliar. Consider
hiring a local ghillie to show you where the unseen hazards are and where the fish tend
to lie.
8. Further advice on fishing in Uist can be found on the club’s website.
(https://www.southuistanglingclub.co.uk)
9.
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 wading staff or walking pole to
check. Some boats are moored a few hundred yards from the nearest parking location.
Given the list of hazards above, don’t try to carry too much gear to the boat in one go.
2. Animals. Uist has a high incidence of Lyme Disease, carried by ticks. It is advisable to
wear insect repellent, and when resting to sit on rocks, not in heather where the ticks
live. 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, quicksands 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.
There are quicksands in the vicinity of the seapools. Use a wading staff or walking pole to
test your route. If you do sink up to your hips or higher, bend backwards to get on your back
and "swim." The more you spread out your weight, the harder it will be to sink. Float on
your back while you slowly and carefully extricate your legs.