Just been reading an ebook on my iPad "Scotch Loch Fishing" written in 1882.
There's a section about Loch Leven which mentions some of the methods used in those days.
Each boat had 2 boatmen and some anglers employed them both to fish for them in order to catch as many trout as possible.
Some of them also used to troll a couple of minnows while they were moving to another part of the loch.
Another section talks about Loch Awe where 2 of them took 57lb of fish in a day !!!
The ebook is free if anyone else wants to read it and it's a bit of chuckle reading about some of the gear they used back then but I was a bit shocked to read about some of the stuff that went on in those days.

Loch Leven went down the pan because of poor water quality.
These huge bags of trout from history did little or nothing to affect the trout on lochs like Awe. These waters are huge, and in Vivtorian times virtually unfished.
No way would I advocate that level of explotation today, but you have to look at them in context.
ATB
Graham

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It is in truth not glory,nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting,but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with his life.(Declaration of Arbroath, 1320)

Agreed, water quality has had a big impact but the book states there were 20+ boats on Leven at that time and there were over 18000 trout killed in one season alone.
This must have decimated wild stocks if they were taking that amount ever year.

If they were catching that amount of fish they must have been there to catch. Angling is a relatively ineffective way to clear out a water.

__________________
It is in truth not glory,nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting,but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with his life.(Declaration of Arbroath, 1320)

I fished Loch Leven twice in competitions in October. Won both, first with one RB and then the following year with two. Worst fishing I ever came across on a Scottish Loch.on both occasions thirty odd anglers agreed with me.

BK

I've only fished it the once and we only managed one rainbow between two of us that day.
Though I've heard it's improved since they stopped putting in rainbows and reduced the number of boats.

Lets not judge the Loch on the fruits of one or two trips eh guys....FFS.

I should add that my day on Leven was several years ago when pretty much everyone agreed that it was fishing poorly.
We just went to say we had fished it to be honest.
I'm keen to give it another go though as recent reports seem to be much better.

LOL
THATS TWO OR THREE PELLET PIGS ON AVINGTON OR SIMILLAR!
(or one and threequarters of the record wild brown from same loch awe!)
Try that on a wild trout water anywhere, and is a red letter day.
Once had 26lbs of wild browns on a wild loch, intentionally killed,all smoked, and eaten by familly.
Was a great meal, and was the reason for the kill.
Just got lucky on the day.
The numbers i removed would definately not have been detrimental to the population!

regards
bert

My best haul was 41bs worth of rainbows, evey fish on a camasunary killer in a stocked pond, caught me 4 bag limit then went onto C&R. 15 fish altogether