LOCH O'LINDORES - Location: OS 59/259160

In medieval times this loch, one of the few natural ones in Fife, supplied the local monastery with Friday meals of pike, perch and eels, but nowadays it produces rainbow trout which will "pull your string a bit" on their way to your bass, and the odd monster brown that will keep you in free beer for a lifetime!

One of the oldest rainbow trout fisheries in the country, Lindores sits right on the B937 roadside, in rolling, agricultural countryside and is a prime venue for boat anglers throughout Fife. Andy Mitchell has a traditional outlook on fishing practice, and to this end wishes to restrict the modern fad of anchoring up as a first option. Lindores is a shallow water throughout and is therefore perfect for drift fishing, and the management believe that this should be encouraged for the benefit of all.

Lindores is a productive and fertile water which abounds in all forms of aquatic life forms. However, algal problems have created a few headaches for the management. They are endeavouring to solve these by the application of straw bales strategically located. A word to the wise, turn this to your benefit - the straw bales attract fish fry and insect larvae by the thousand, and the hungry trout regularly patrol them.

Other likely spots include drifts around the island, drifting from the island to the bird hide, the island to the railway shore, and from the pier to the big willow. Management staff on duty will help any newcomer identify these areas.

A Swan among the reeds of the Loch O' Lindores

The limit is five fish per rod, and they generally average out at about 2lb. But there are some big, over-wintereds always hanging about at the reedbeds in the far western corner. 1999's heaviest fish by September was an admirable 7lb 6ozs, but there are rumours that someone slipped back an 8lb plus monster without weighing it in. Takes some believing, but you never know!