Beauly Angling Club

The Club was founded around 1940 by the late Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, a most distinguished commando war-time hero who was also a member of the Lovat Scouts. The Club was then called the Kilmorack Ex-Servicemen's Angling Association Committee and was open to residents of the Old Aird District. It fished much the same water as we do now in addition to a stretch of the Beauly between Aigas and Kilmorack, but was restricted to fishing on a Thursday and Saturday only.

At a later date the excellent Piles Pool just above the Lovat Bridge was added to our water and pools 1 - 3 at the Lovat caravan site were excluded. We also acquired permission to fish the Western portion of the Beauly Firth from Bunchrew Burn on the South shore to Coulmore Bay on the North shore, all as part of our season ticket permit. Around 1986 the Club was renamed Beauly Angling Club.

In 1989 the Club acquired both its first formal constitution and found a change in the waters available to it. Our fly only water now runs all the way down the river from Lovat Bridge to Wester Lovat. Although we can no longer fish the Piles Pool or the beat between the Dams, we are fortunate in being permitted to fish our current water on any day of the week apart from Sundays.

The demand for BAC membership has grown to such an extent over the last few years that a membership limit of 115 has had to be imposed. Any members renewing their membership by 31st March will have had a permit held for them. Thereafter, those prospective members on our waiting list will be accommodated to make the full membership number up to 115.

Fishers were accustomed to taking big bags of sea trout in the early years of the Club. However, salmon and particularly sea trout catches gradually dropped over the years. The serious decline in the sea trout numbers appears to have slowed although the 2010 season was not as good as 2009. Steps are being taken to improve salmon and sea trout catches on the BAC water. The feeder burns are being cleared to give ease of passage for spawning and the returning of smolts to the sea. The club will aim to have clearing parties to assess the burns, clearing debris and fallen trees etc. to aid the passage of fish going up to spawn.