The Etive is a spate river of crystal clear water and is fished with the fly only. It can be fished from either bank. The river has a number of deep rocky pools and small gorges, is fast moving and offers a considerable variety of different pools. As a result of its comparative isolation from the public road much of the river is wild and remote and a variety of wildlife can be seen. The Dalness beat has the fishing on both banks of the top pool (House Pool), which is immediately adjacent to Dalness House. This pool is one of the best on the river. Thereafter, the Dalness fishing is divided into two beats that are rotated on a daily basis with Glen Etive Lodge, owned by a cousin of the owner of Dalness. Each beat is approximately 2½ miles in length, providing double bank fishing.
Access to the top beat is by foot only. Access to the bottom beat is mainly by foot although the public road provides good access to the bottom four pools. The paths are good and well maintained but the rockier parts of the glen can be rough and more difficult to negotiate.
The Lodge is a sizeable, late 19th Century building of considerable old world charm, which can accommodate a maximum of 12 persons. It is well furnished and very comfortable. It comprises four reception rooms including a large dining room, a very large and modernised kitchen, with an Aga, gas cooker, freezer and dishwasher. There are 8 main bedrooms (sleeping 12), 4 main bathrooms, one secondary bathroom, 4 WC's, a drying room, gun room, and laundry with washing machine and tumble drier. Outside there is a fish and stag larder. No dogs are permitted.
The house is let fully furnished including all linen, cutlery and china, hot water, oil-fired Aga cooker, electricity and coal. The Stalker's wife, Teen Hunter, is responsible for looking after the lodge and is helped by seasonal house staff.
From the middle of June until the end of the season in mid-October, there will be a resident cook, although she will require one day off during the week.
While it is unlikely that guests will emulate the butler, who in 1902 caught a fish of 44lbs in the House Pool, the river does, nevertheless, contain sizeable salmon. In recent years a fish of 22½lbs was caught.
There is no limit to the number of rods who may fish at any one time and when the river is in spate there is room for up to 6 rods. Although the number of Salmon running the Etive have decreased in recent years, nonetheless it is still possible in a good week when the river is in spate to catch 8-10 Salmon in a week. As a result of the reduced catches in recent years, catch and release is now practiced although occasional fish may be kept at the discretion of the stalker or ghillie.
The river is some 6 or 7 miles in length from Dalness Lodge to the estuary and is jointly owned by the Dalness and Blackmount Estates, which are in the ownership of the same family. There is no netting at the mouth of the river or on Loch Etive. There has been a stocking policy in recent years of 100,000 fry which have been put in to the river each year since 1984. The Estate hatchery is also now three years into a programme of smolt stocking, which in 2001 saw the first tagged grilse caught in the river.
SEA TROUT FISHING AND SEA FISHING ON LOCH ETIVE
In addition to the sea trout in the river, a boat with an outboard engine taking between six and eight people is available for fishing on the sea loch, Loch Etive. Traditionally the Estate has not fished the loch seriously for sea trout so there are no records available, but a number of different types of sea fish can be caught.
N.B. The fishing season on the River Etive ends on 15th October.
BROWN TROUT FISHING
Brown trout fishing is available until 30th September on Loch Dochard and Loch Ba with a rowing boat (subject to supervision) available on each. Both lochs are some distance from Dalness being 50 minutes and 30 minutes respectively, however, Loch Dochard is in the most beautiful setting and abounds with lots of small free rising trout. Loch Ba, the nearer of the two, produces some quite respectable sized trout owing to the presence of freshwater shrimp, forming part of their diet.
The stalking at Dalness (Glen Etive) takes place over some 18,000 acres and marches with Blackmount. To the north lies the Royal Forest of Dalness (Glencoe) whilst Glenkinglass adjoins it in the south. The stalking ground has many steep corries and takes place on very high ground with the highest point 3600 ft. above sea level. The stalking is conducted in the traditional way with ponies used to take beasts off the hill. There is a first class stalker, Mr Alastair Hunter, who has been on the Estate for many years and who is assisted by seasonal ghillies.
A limited amount of hind stalking available during the months of December and January.
Dalness Lodge lies 6 miles south of the A82 Tyndrum/ Ballachulish road, turning off a mile west of the Kingshouse Hotel. It has easy access by car as well as rail and Bridge of Orchy is 30 minutes distance being the nearest station on the direct line from London. There are air links to London with Glasgow airport.
