East Lothian Angling Association (ELAA)

The East Lothian Angling Association water on the Tyne is a gentle flowing section of some 15 miles of water on the 30 mile river and two main tributaries. It is a low relief valley and altitude river meaning that everything is elongated, making for slower and more character rich runs, easier access for the angler, and great habitat for invertebrates and essentially everything that feeds off them, including the beautiful Brown Trout that the Tyne is well known for. We’re not trying to say this is the best Brown Trout river in the world. It’s a wild fishery now, it’s not stocked, it has challenges, being dour one day and then fantastic the next. It’s a river to think on, not a fantastically difficult river to fish, but nice active dynamic seams and riffles to figure out where fish may sit.

The Lothian Tyne, Scottish Tyne, flows from the Moorfoot Hills to Belhaven in a northeasterly direction. It flows through Pencaitland, Haddington and East Linton before it meets the North Sea at Belhaven Bay. 30 minutes drive from the Whiteadder and Edinburgh, and within an hour from Berwick upon Tweed.

The upper limit of the ELAA fishing is west of Pencaitland at Ormiston Bridge on the main river. On the tributary called the Humbie Water, the upper reaches are the Humbie Mill Bridge. The fishing is double bank all the way down to Mosshouse Point, however most anglers stop at The Knowes or Tyninghame Bridge.

The river can be slow in the early season, therefore late April to July the fish are much easier to find and great fun in varied water and miles of it. There are plenty of smaller fish of 6-8” and the odd much larger fish and in general it is not a difficult river, but it does ask you to think. September is when everything is mostly over unless there is an unseasonably warm spell. Night anglers for Sea Trout will fish through to 3-4am in the summer months and generally stick to the lower parts of the river. Some Sea Trout can be of a good size, the average is up to 3lb. You will rarely bump into other anglers because there is so much water and it is lightly fished. Both banks are available the length of the river for the anglers, however there are better sides to fish, the current, access, and the landscape in general can determine where you fish. The river is wadable in many places but you don’t need chest waders. Some pools may be deeper than 5ft, but you would never cross these, you simply find a better place to cross. The riparian undergrowth is allowed to grow for the benefit of invertebrates, and there is no stocking of the river, so the river is as wild as it can be at the moment and improving with the excellent efforts of the ELAA in partnership with the Forth Rivers Trust. Catch returns are so important to the fishery and it is really appreciated if you can return them as detailed as possible. The biggest request is to treat the fish with the greatest of respect. They are wild fish in the Tyne and because of this it is requested that everything be released.

Car parking is indicated on the maps and it is usually in public parking areas with simple access to the river. Best not to leave fishing equipment visible in your car or valuables. Paths and access are great most of the time along the river, the last few meters can be tricky in the thicket in high season from the path to the river. There is coffee and food outlets in Haddington, a charming town. B&Bs can be found throughout Haddington also. Get to know the ELAA and the fishing on their Facebook page which is very active. The Haddington show open day is a great event to meet and learn about the work on the river, and chat about fishing with the locals too.