Fishing Mill Dam

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johndo
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Fishing Mill Dam

Post by johndo »

Hi
Does anybody know if you still require a permit to fish the Mill Dam as does not appear to part of the Eglington angling club anymore which is now fly fishing only at the Busby?I will be down latter in the month and fancy a change from sea fishing as last two visits did not even get a bite!
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Richard

Re: Fishing Mill Dam

Post by Richard »

John, I don't think you need one but I'm not 100% sure.
Here is the general enquiries number for North Ayrshire Council: 0845 603 0590.
They should be able to tell you for certain.
Meanwhile, here is something to whet your appetite until you get what your looking for.
I know it's not 'local waters', but Archie Smith & David Blair, both from Ardrossan,
get several mentions throughout these records within this link:
http://www.swanswater-fishery.co.uk/achive1.html

BTW: Be aware of the 0845 number. Sometimes they are extortionate. It depends on what phone company
you are with and/or what contract you are on etc. Some contract deals have them cheap, others will rip you off.
You are also likely to go through an automated system which will likely result in you being put on hold due to
"all their advisor's being buisy" - all the more important to make sure your 0845 rates are cheap cheap.
Good luck.
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little plum
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Re: Fishing Mill Dam

Post by little plum »

John, I think you will find that the Ardrossan club has control of the fishing at the Mill Dam, it's just been neglected in favour of the Busbie. The Mill Dam for the most part is quite shallow and as the season progresses it becomes almost unfishable due to the profusion of aquatic weed growth. To maintain this for fishing by club members and those prepared to purchase a day ticket would require a monumental task of weed extraction on a regular basis, who's up for it, no one, you get my drift.
If you want to try Brown Trout fishing for free, the Stanley burn or is it the Galloway burn in Ardrossan ( I'm from Stevenston so not sure) has some fine specimens at the bottom of Hunter Ave and the bridge into the park. I also noticed a gentleman fishing under the road bridge at South Beach Rd, o k it was a few years back, but if you get the right conditions you never know.
The only other venue that I'm aware of which is free is Loch Doon at Dalmellington, it has brown trout, char and perch.
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johndo
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Re: Fishing Mill Dam

Post by johndo »

little Plum
I know all about the weed in the fished it a lot when I was younger.
Never thought about fishing the burn.
I will take tackle for sea fishing may try Portencross as didnt get anything at Ardrossan last visit.
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Hughie
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Re: Fishing Mill Dam

Post by Hughie »

little plum wrote:If you want to try Brown Trout fishing for free, the Stanley burn or is it the Galloway burn in Ardrossan ( I'm from Stevenston so not sure) has some fine specimens at the bottom of Hunter Ave
Neil, that's the exact spot I recall as a kid with my mates trying to tickle trout out of the burn - but mostly it was a jeely jar and sticklebacks. :wink:
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bobnetau
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Re: Fishing Mill Dam

Post by bobnetau »

I used to catch Baggyminnows with a jeely jar at Hunter Avenue burn.
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brian f
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Re: Fishing Mill Dam

Post by brian f »

johndo wrote:little Plum
I know all about the weed in the fished it a lot when I was younger.
Never thought about fishing the burn.
I will take tackle for sea fishing may try Portencross as didnt get anything at Ardrossan last visit.


Not to far away from fairlie pier ,where am sure i used to fish for the illusive red mullet ? witnessed one poor angler who fell off the pier after his rod got a bite , Never seen his tackle again :lol:
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little plum
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Re: Fishing Mill Dam

Post by little plum »

Hughie wrote:Neil, that's the exact spot I recall as a kid with my mates trying to tickle trout out of the burn :wink:
Hughie, it's many a year since I've heard of this form of fishing, obviously a long lost art. My dad would tell me stories of catching trout by this method, although I'm sure he referred to it as " guddlin for troot". Were you successful in your pursuit of trout using this method, it would be great to hear the ins and outs of this technique and who/how it was passed on to you.

johndo, I'll send you a P.M.
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Hughie
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Re: Fishing Mill Dam

Post by Hughie »

Jeezo Neil, we're going back all of sixty years. :wink: I can only recall being there when others tried it. As far as I remember the fish would be more or less stationary facing upstream waiting for food to come down the burn, so they had to be approached from the rear - Never saw it successfully done though.
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Re: Fishing Mill Dam

Post by Penny Tray »

I distinctly remember guddling for trout, by my way of it, in the Mill Glen Burn in the 50s. As for how you became aware of this technique - "big boys told you". My recollection is that for some reason the fish lay still on the shadowy side of the burn or below overhangs where the bank had eroded. You would then lie on the ground, placing your hands as far apart as you could in the water, before gently bringing them together under or against the fish before suddenly flipping it out of the water to your right or left. My success rate with this technique was "zero" and I never saw any other boy land a fish this way either. I'm not even sure I succeeded in touching a fish, and I actually think you were somehow supposed to insert fingers into its gills to assist with flipping it out of the water but that was an action I wouldn't even have contemplated.

We were just boys messing about but quite clearly there must have been people who were skilled "guddlers" but I don't know who they were.
Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.
johndo
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Re: Fishing Mill Dam

Post by johndo »

little plum wrote:John, I think you will find that the Ardrossan club has control of the fishing at the Mill Dam, it's just been neglected in favour of the Busbie. The Mill Dam for the most part is quite shallow and as the season progresses it becomes almost unfishable due to the profusion of aquatic weed growth. To maintain this for fishing by club members and those prepared to purchase a day ticket would require a monumental task of weed extraction on a regular basis, who's up for it, no one, you get my drift.
If you want to try Brown Trout fishing for free, the Stanley burn or is it the Galloway burn in Ardrossan ( I'm from Stevenston so not sure) has some fine specimens at the bottom of Hunter Ave and the bridge into the park. I also noticed a gentleman fishing under the road bridge at South Beach Rd, o k it was a few years back, but if you get the right conditions you never know.
The only other venue that I'm aware of which is free is Loch Doon at Dalmellington, it has brown trout, char and perch.
I have never thought of fishing the burn, I can remember playing on the swings in the park at the bottom of Hunter avenue before the houses were built!
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Re: Fishing Mill Dam

Post by 0802 »

little plum wrote: Wed Mar 13, 2013 12:23 am John, I think you will find that the Ardrossan club has control of the fishing at the Mill Dam, it's just been neglected in favour of the Busbie. The Mill Dam for the most part is quite shallow and as the season progresses it becomes almost unfishable due to the profusion of aquatic weed growth. To maintain this for fishing by club members and those prepared to purchase a day ticket would require a monumental task of weed extraction on a regular basis, who's up for it, no one, you get my drift.
If you want to try Brown Trout fishing for free, the Stanley burn or is it the Galloway burn in Ardrossan ( I'm from Stevenston so not sure) has some fine specimens at the bottom of Hunter Ave and the bridge into the park. I also noticed a gentleman fishing under the road bridge at South Beach Rd, o k it was a few years back, but if you get the right conditions you never know.
The only other venue that I'm aware of which is free is Loch Doon at Dalmellington, it has brown trout, char and perch.
Meadowhead pit in Irvine and Eglinton loch At Kilwinning can be fished for free. Technically you need a permit for Eglinton but the rangers don’t seem to care.
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