Conditions throughout the month have been generally good, aside from a constant easterly wind which have not only kept things quite cool, but also at times, made casting quite difficult. The dry spell has seen river levels dropping to now summer level, which in turn favour beats that fish well in low water.

Rods fishing the Grantown Association Water had a fairly good month, with weeks of around twenty fish. I feel, as do others, that this would have been better had the beat seen more anglers. It would seem that visiting anglers are not as abundant as they once were, thus leaving the beat lightly fished, nice for the anglers who come but somewhat worrying for the town which was once the main focus of day ticket fishing. Guesthouses in the town which once brimmed with fishing clients are now finding canoeists, back packers and other outdoor groups making up the numbers. All this would seem a little strange, when over the past few years, figures at least suggest, the river is in good health and is performing reasonably well.

River levels and temperatures, it would seem, have not suited both Castle Grant and the upper Tulchan beats, where fishing has been sporadic, and at times dour given what would seem like a reasonable spring run. This said, having spent so much time on the river myself, I know it takes a big run of fish for every beat to perform well, height and temperature being the all important factors at this time.

Further downstream things have been a whole lot better than last year, fishing particularly well this year has been Lower Pitchroy, Knockando, Carron and Laggan and Wester Elchies. All of which have doubles up on this time last year. Interestingly these beats, because of the nature of their pools, shallow runs with deep holding pools, suit conditions which have been prevalent throughout the month. 

Rods fishing Craigellachie have had mixed fortunes, with rods fishing during the first half, when levels were a little higher, doing better than those at the end. The first week saw both Mr Ian Henderson and Alan Robinson with 20lb plus fish. Mr Henderson landing a fine 23lb fish in the Tunnel Pool, whilst Mr Robinson managed one better, by landing one of 23 followed by another of 25lbs in the Garden Pool, testimony to the fact that as that time there seemed, as it was on the Tay, to be a slight increase in the number of 3SW fish. Another success at Craigellachie, was that of Mr Dan Albone, who emulated last year’s success of his son by also landing his first ever fish on the beat.

I have been asked by many people why I never report on the next part of the river? The answer is - Their owners do not like any publicity, which is a shame, but at the same time, also very much their prerogative.

Rods fishing the Brae Water have had a very good month. Visiting anglers have benefited greatly from river levels being perfect for the time of year. Although relatively lightly fished, all beats, including the Caste Water have produced good numbers of fish and also a large quantity of first fish. To name but a few – Mr Stuart and Mrs Christine Padfield both landed their first, Mr Padfield with a nice 8lb fish from Lord March, with a 10.5lb fish from Upper Dipple. Mrs Kate Howie also had her first, this time a 9 pounder from the Lower Ewe. The best success story of the month however must be that of 11 year old, Master James Mear, who along with his father, Brian, both broke their duck on the Junction Pool, father landing a 11.5lb fish whilst his son’s debut tipped the scales at 9lb. Both were taken on very sparkly dressed Cascade.  Further downstream, rods fishing the Fochabers Association were also amongst the fish, with a higher than average catch here also. All in all a very good month in the first part of the river.

July Prospects,

Last year saw very low water in the spring, followed by higher than average water heights during July. This year has been somewhat different, in that, only during the past few weeks has the river dropped to summer level. Until today’s date [5^th June], I have heard of very few Grilse being caught, which would suggest, as t has in recent years, the main run will appear not at the beginning of, but nearer the end of July and into August. Water levels do not affect this run the same, as grilse will run the river in very low water, using the hours of darkness to shoot through even the shallowest of pools. Flies for low water in July include – Blue Charm, Hairy Mary, Executioner, Munro Killer, Stoat’s Tail. So many grilse are lost when almost landed. The main reason is that people use rods which are way too long and stiff for this size of fish. Increase your chances of landing more by fishing a 12 or 13 foot rod. Also, never be afraid to fish single hooks for Grilse, when they go in, they tend to stay!

Ian Gordon
Speycaster