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Salmon Fishing - River Spey

Scotland

O. S. Map 29, 36

The River Spey is probably the most famous salmon river in the World. The Spey rises in the Monadhliath mountains to the south of Loch Ness and flows 100 miles northwards to enter the Moray Firth at Spey bay. In its lower course, downstream of Grantown, it is a fast flowing river, providing miles of perfect, and highly sought after, fly fishing water.

It is on the lower half of the Spey that we find the famous beats - Castle Grant, Tulchan, Balindalloch, Knockando, Carron, Elchies, Arndilly, Rothes, Delfur and many more, where the cream of Scottish salmon fly fishing is to be had, by those fortunate enough to have access to them, in the months of April, May and June.

The annual salmon catch on the river in recent years has been just short of 10,000 fish. The Spey is also one of the best sea trout rivers in the country, although the sea trout catch had dipped in recent seasons to around 2000. The best salmon fly fishing is to be found in the middle and lower beats, where only those with the ability to wade deeply and handle a fifteen foot rod effectively will make the most of their opportunities. The best of the sea trout fishing is to be found in the upper middle river, upstream of Grantown. The sea trout fishing can also be excellent on many of the lower beats but, perhaps understandably, the angler's sights are firmly fixed on the salmon, while the sea trout are largely overlooked.

There is a very high demand for rods on the Spey and long term tenants generally keep a tenacious grip on the best of the fishing. Fortunately, there are several angling associations on the Spey, who control some excellent beats, many of them available to the visiting angler. The best known of these are the Strathspey Angling Improvement Association, based in Grantown, the Abernethy Angling Association, centred on Boat of Garten, and the Aberlour Angling Association.

Sea Trout Fishing

View some of the sea trout and salmon pools on the Abernethy Angling Association beats

Abernethy Angling Association

Spey Sea Trout Fishing

The Spey sea trout run normally begins in late May, with stocks increasing throughout June and into July. The best night fishing is to be had on the upper middle part of the river, from Grantown on Spey upstream to Boat of Garten, where the two main Associations on that part of the river, The Strathspey Angling Improvement Association and The Abernethy Angling Association, offer between them thirteen miles of prime sea trout fishing, with daily and weekly permits available to all.

Grantown Angling Association

Sea trout are normally present on the Grantown Association beats in worthwhile numbers from early June. The best of the night fishing is normally from mid June to mid July, when we might expect reasonably mild nights with the river having settled to a good night fishing height, i.e. below six inches on the gauge at the new bridge. Weekly permit holders may fish all beats throughout the night (except on Sunday). For more information on the Association permits and regulations, see Strathspey Angling Improvement Association .

Below are two maps showing some suggested night fishing pools on both the upper beat (from Dulnain Mouth to Inverallan) and the lower beat (Upper Castle Grant) of the Strathspey Angling Improvement Association water at Grantown on Spey. Sea trout may be caught at night on other pools, of course, but these maps provide a good starting point, showing many of the more productive night fishing pools, most with fairly easy access and good car parking no more than a mile from the fishing, in some cases only yards from the river.

Grantown Salmon and Sea Trout Catches

 

Grantown Angling Association Sea Trout Night Fishing Pools click on a map to enlarge
Upper Beat	Lower Beat

For map and photographs of all the Grantown Association Pools see:

Grantown Angling Association Pool Photographs

Angling Clubs and Associations

Strathspey Angling Improvement Association - Information from:

Mortimers of Speyside, 3 High Street, Grantown on Spey.

For articles on Spey sea trout fishing, see Spey Sea Trout and Sea Trout Fishing 

Abernethy Angling Association - Information:

Joan Jeffers (Secretary)
Tel: 01479 821803
Email: salmonpools@googlemail.com

Aberlour Angling Association - Information from:

J A Munroe, 93-95 High Street, Aberlour

For information and photographs of the Spey at Aberlour, see  Spey Salmon Fishing

Speymouth Angling Association

The association provide fishing for members and visitors. Visitor permits available from £5 (sea trout) to £60 per day.

Contact the secretary, Mrs Moira Brown, The Wedges, Tugnet, Spey Bay, IV32 7PJ
Telephone: 01343 820703

Brown Trout Fishing

We should not forget that the river Spey has excellent brown trout fishing throughout its length and, while salmon take precedence in the lower river, permits for trout fishing are readily available in the upper reaches (See O.S. Map 35). The upper 13 miles of the Spey, between Loch Inch and Spey Dam, are managed by the Badenoch Angling Association. For more information see:

Badenoch Angling Association

Scottish Angling Clubs and Associations

River Spey Fishing Maps

click on maps to select an area to enlarge

Lower River Spey

Middle River Spey

Upper River Spey

River Spey Source

The maps on this website have been reproduced with the permission of Collins Bartholomew. Please note that these maps may date back several decades. Much of the human detail will have changed but the character of the rivers and lochs, and the trout and salmon in them, will be much the same as they have always been.

In addition to the information provided here, I would recommend that anyone planning a fishing or walking trip in Scotland should equip themselves with a compass and the appropriate Ordnance Survey map. The most useful of the O.S. maps for the fisherman is the Landranger series, scale 1:50,000. For each of the lochs and rivers listed here, I have given the relevant O.S. Map number. 

See Ordnance Survey Maps

Interactive Map / Satellite View of the River Spey

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