Afternoon all
The run in has begun to the end of the 2025 Season with a little over 2 weeks left.
A cooler day in Elgin, ahead of the band of wet weather which we are due to get in the next 24 hours. This will be a welcome relief as we will hopefully see the fish stirred up and a few more hitting the books.
There is a distinct autumn feel to things now with colder mornings a feature of the week gone by, the trees are starting to take on a change in colour in their foliage and their crops start to ripen and fall. There has been some crop of acorns this year and they are big too, along with a sizeable show of conkers on the horse chestnut tree near my office.
The pheasant poults are now running about on the estate, causing chaos when you are trying to drive down the roads. The ones I have seen are in really good condition and are well fed, probably from all the spilt barley that is lying around from this years harvest either that or the loving attention their “keeper” is giving them.
As I mentioned last week the Spey Foundation will be running the annual auction in a couple of months time, date still to be confirmed but funds raised this year will be utilised to undertake water monitoring on the Spey and its catchment. Spey Foundation Director, George Wills sent me the following narrative as to the purpose of the auction:_
The Spey Foundation is raising money through an auction to undertake a two-phase research initiative to assess and mitigate threats to water quality and stability within the River Spey catchment.
Phase 1 will comprise the systematic measurement of water temperature at 12-14 points throughout the catchment. This will enable the identification of thermal “pressure points” where ecological communities are most susceptible to environmental stress.
Phase 2 will focus on those identified sites, conducting detailed analyses – including measurements of oxygen, pH, nutrient concentrations, and other relevant parameters – to develop a comprehensive assessment of the catchment’s ecological condition.
The overarching objective is to use these results alongside other available resources produce a scientifically robust and transferable monitoring framework that can shape actions to then be taken by the Foundation and other stakeholders as well as serve as a blueprint for other catchments across the United Kingdom, thereby advancing the restoration and long-term protection of national freshwater ecosystems.
The River Spey and its tributaries constitute a keystone component of the ecological network of northeast Scotland, supporting numerous red-listed species and providing a vital water resource for the Cairngorms National Park. However, rising water temperatures, diminished flow, and deteriorating water quality pose substantial and long-term risks to the cold-water ecosystems upon which much of this biodiversity depends. Without targeted, evidence-based mitigation, these pressures are likely to precipitate significant declines in the ecological integrity of the Spey catchment.
As always they will be looking for suitable donations for the auction and if you feel you can help out, then please email George, his email address is as follows – george.wills@lpff.net
Lets head to the river and see what the week produced.
Starting up river at Castle Grant where Simon Crozier reports a quiet week with the rise in water not stirring up the residents as we had hoped.
We saw plenty fish in our pools as is the norm at this stage of the season.
We managed a few to hand , Highlight of the week was a fine old Croc for Peter Mackenzie from Pollowick 40 yrs after his last one!
It was a week tinged with sadness as Friday saw us say farewell to Grant Mortimer, owner of Mortimers of Speyside, he will be missed.
Slipping down river to Knockando where Archie Baillie reports a single fish with others having lost interest, nothing out the ordinary with this as it is a trend we see each and every year.
Things remain quiet across the beats as we head down the river to Kinermony where David Brand reports a single fish for their week to rod, Rosemary Mason.
At Macallan, Richard Whyte advises that they had a quieter spell on the beat with just a couple of days for beginners, and the river kept us waiting before the action arrived. One fish was lost earlier in the week, then on Saturday, an 8lb salmon landed in Doos Nest pool, and another slipped the hook after charging upstream in the Slabs. Saturday also brought good numbers of fish seen at last, a welcome lift after a slow start. Conditions were mostly low and bright, but a small rise in water and cooler weather towards the end of the week gave us a bit of encouragement. Great company, and plenty of laughs made the week all the more worthwhile.
With just a fortnight of the season left, every cast feels that bit more valuable.
Things stay quiet down to Arndilly where Euan Reid advises that they welcomed Frederic Andre and his team to Arndilly. Given the tough conditions we were happy to get 10 and only have Wednesday as a blank day. We ended with a 3-3 draw between France and Spain for top scorers of the week, Frederic and Lino Vasquez. Didier Thevenin had his 2nd and 3rd ever Salmon and Gerard Pichot and Francoise Truffander had 1 apiece.
I’ve not gone through the details of which pool because most were from the Cobble Pot. We have been saved by this pool this season in the low water.
The rise of water on Friday opened up pools which we hadn’t fished for weeks and miraculously the fish found their normal lies. We began the week at minus 6, we came up to 0 and dropped to minus 2 yesterday. The water temperature dropped to 50f yesterday which, as much as the rise, contributed to us catching 4 yesterday.
The forecast is wet, tonight and tomorrow so with luck and water and a following wind we’ll catch a few this week.
Robbie Stronach at Rothes and Aikenway reports that they added a single fish to the seasons tally with Charlie Phillips getting one in Creeky.
Stopping in by Mark Melville at Delfur to see how their week went, he advises that it was a much quieter week at Delfur but still sport most days with Saturday being our best day.
It was great to have Henry and Camilla Mountain fishing here with their friends, some who had never fished Delfur before.
The start of the week was met with sunshine yet again so we fished sensible hours and were rewarded with a couple of fish each day.
The fish were definitely playing hard to catch and we had quite a number of pulls and losses. Maybe we all just remember the pulls/lost fish more when it’s a little bit quiet!
There was a decent 6” rise Friday and some more rain forecast this week which will hopefully give everyone on the river a wee bit of sport before the end of the season.
No big crocs landed and nothing fresh either to report.
Orton had a quiet week according to Andy Gunn with just a handful of fish added to the seasons tally.
Down river at Gordon Castle/Brae Water, David Buley reports another week closer to the end! Low water and sunshine continued to be a pain for the first half of the week. In the second half of the week, we had an extra 7″ of water, transforming the beats, bringing flow back, and one or two fish as well. We did see a few fresh fish showing this week, but most, as expected, were showing their autumnal colours. One of our long-standing parties welcomed a new daughter in law to fishing, and she took to it in great style, landing her first fish only hours after being in the water. Well done Lucy!!!
My final stop off this week is with Andy Milne of Fochabers Angling Association who advises of about 8 caught, all on Friday and Saturday and a mixture of salmon and grilse, with fresh fish still being seen entering the river.
The week ahead is starting with a bit of rain and the remainder is mixed so we can only but hope that a few more will be wakened up and take a hold of a fly dangled under their nose.
Tight lines if you are out and about
Sandy
