"Jim Wallis" wrote in message
news:8ms8gb.se1.ln@Eskdale...
Mike has barely explained it - Lake of Menteith is a BIG fishery
(Trout
presumably) and whenever I've passed there have been loads of angling
boats out on it. I'm sure if you are in season and you pay to use one
of
their boats you've got a chance, but I think you might get hassle
trying
to bimble around on your own coarse fishing or something.

!!

Once the Loch Leven positino is clarified, perhaps Lake of Menteith and
Carron Valley Reservoir should be targetted as well! Good paddling /
sailing waters preserntly subject to unreasonable and selfish control by
the vested interests of a small minorty group.


Loch Ard is kind of nice, as are other lochs around there. I think
there
may be restrictions on Loch Katrine because it's reservoir, never sure
why some reservoirs have restrictions, the water is treated and there
is
a steamboat on it.....

Katrine is one of those situations where officialdom get officioius and
try and refuse that which they have no right to refuse. Apparantly. IIRC
there was some debate here a while back - a Google Groups search would
get it.

You are wise to avoid Loch Lomond, it can be too busy with power boats
and thoughtless idiots, but getting on from Balmaha, or Rowardennan or
even Inversnaid would probably be nice too! There have been problems
at
Balmaha, I think if you launch without using the slipway you're OK!

Something on the SCA site re this - check out the Touring section.
Plenty of places to launch and paddle, but as Jim says, you need to
watch out for the cretins in the speed boats. Then again, experience
tells me that you need to watch out for ALL other water-users,
especially ANYTHING bigger than you and capaable of going fast.

In general terms, the ability to reach high speed will be inversly
linked to the operators aility to think and reason in anything
resembling a cogent fashion, so treat accordingly.

Mike.