Boats, Moorings & Other Information
TroutQuest's boats are 15ft in length, constructed from fibreglass and feature a shallow draft and 3 keels, meaning they are extremely stable, very safe, and can access the shallowest of water.
|
Mooring Information When setting out or returning, from/to the jetty, please take care not to scrape your boat against any others, or the corners of the jetty, and do not take any items such as bailers or drogues from any other boat. NB: TroutQuest own more than the 2 boats named in the diagram opposite. We rotate them from time to time from/to other lochs, so their names may differ from those shown here. Just make sure that you take the boat named on your permit and return it to the same mooring. |
 |
|
Use of Electric Motors There are almost no hazards to be concerned about in open water. Generally the shallow areas are where you would expect them to be, and due care should be taken to avoid these; particularly along the bays and points on the south shore. There are a few other hazardous areas, that may not be so obvious where use of electric motors is not recommended. Avoid motoring over the area around the 'road' at the east end of the loch. This feature is an old submerged causeway (or similar) extending from the south shoreline (there is an exposed boulder next to the fence line) 200-250 metres north; its end marked by a buoy. This feature is 5-10m wide, and is typically only 20-40cm below the surface of the water. The area directly east of it is also shallow and hazardous. The point on the southern shoreline to the west of the 'road' extends further out into the loch than you might imagine, so be aware. At the west end of the loch, the point immediately south of the Loch Eye House jetty, also extends further out than you might expect, so do not use your motor within 60-70m of this shore. |
Hazards East End of Loch
Hazards West End of Loch |
Use of Drogues
Our boats drift very well in light-moderate winds, but you may benefit from the use of a drogue in very windy conditions. In such conditions avoid fishing the areas highlighted above as hazardous for electric motors as you are likely to snag the bottom. Please also ensure that you carry a knife to cut the drogue cord in an emergency.
For traditional 'loch-style' fishing we generally drift with the boat side on to the wind, fishing directly downwind, and the drogue if we are using one, at the rear of the boat. Drogues with single cords should generally be attached to the centre mooring rope on the upwind side of the boat, but changing to the bow or stern ropes will change the angle of drift relative to the wind direction.
Adjustable drogues with two lines will generally reduce 'yaw', offering easier coverage of the water, particularly with 2 anglers. You can adjust the direction of drift by attaching these lines to the carabiners on the mooring ropes depending on which way you want to drift (see diagrams below). The boats generally tend to drift towards the stern (dependant also on distribution of load), so attaching the drogue to centre and bow lines can compensate for this.
 |
 |
 |
| Drift Direction Downwind | Drift Left of Downwind | Drift Right of Downwind |
If you move the centre mooring line to the other side of the boat, please ensure you replace it before securing the boat at the jetty.
Anchors
Anchors are provided in our boats as a safety measure and to secure the boats on the shoreline if, for any reason, you need to go ashore somewhere else other than at our moorings. We generally would advise not to anchor to fish as this will be less productive, and under no circumstances should the anchors be used as makeshift 'drogues'.
