Afternoon everyone
Another week in, Bank Holiday weekend half way through, I must be getting old.
Its a bright but pretty chilly day in Elgin, had planned to do some gardening but too cold on the fingers, we could really do with a bit of warmth.
Out and about the one thing I have noticed this year is the broom and gorse. Both are in full bloom and looking stunning this year, I do not think I have seen it so vivid for a few years.
I saw one of the resident roe bucks out at Orton this week, what a majestic animal he was, as he created mayhem in the low lying branches of a tree by thrashing away with his antlers. He is definitely has a medal winning head on him. A mother mallard and her brood of 7 ducklings surprised me on Friday when I was out with the dog, they seemed to be well grown and thriving.
The weather last week continued to play havoc with the fishing as we saw temperatures at both ends of the spectrum, with the lower end being very chilly indeed. None of this helped the river in nay shape or form as we continue to await a good downpour to boost the watwer levels as they continue to drop away.
Before we see how the fishing has been I have been sent the following update on the Spey Board and what has been happening since the AGM in February. this brief report was prepared and sent by Phil Williams, Interim Director and Peter Graham, Board Chair:-
Weekly fishing update: recent changes to the Spey Fishery Board and its direction, April 2025
Hello everyone.
The Spey Fishery Board wants to take an early opportunity to connect with all of the ghillies and our wider readership here in this week’s fishing update. We appreciate you are keen to see how the fishing went this week across the River, so it’s intended only to be a brief update and to let you know of recent changes to the Board, its Members and our general direction of travel as we move into fresh pastures with exciting new strategies.
We particularly want to let you know that following the AGM in late February, where our three-yearly elections also concluded, we now have a new and energetic Board with some new faces bringing welcome, and much appreciated insights and experience. In particular, during March, Peter Graham was elected by the new Board to become its new Chairman. Many of you locally will know Peter. He brings a wealth of experience both with the Board itself and within the region too with day-to-day engagement with many stakeholders across the Spey Catchment and beyond. Crucially, Peter brings leadership impetus, energy and a focus on getting things done in a timely way.
The Board is working itself through a period of important and – as so many of you have told us – necessary change. As a new and forward-looking Board, its emphasis is on understanding and implementing quickly where best it can make its own measurable difference. It’s a pragmatic approach built on a healthy look at itself with a critical eye to what is feasible – operationally, financially, and in delivering better value for money.
These broad aims are embodied in both the initiatives the Board is now leading, and the roles of each Board Member, as it redefines its Scope of activities. Here we only want to summarise for you our general direction of travel, as we work through the challenges of making the Board an effective contributor in driving the recovery of the Spey Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout.
A visual summary of our initial Scope is below where you’ll hopefully also get a flavour of the crucial roles others have and how the Board will begin to interact afresh within its smaller footprint and its new emphasis on funded, core activities. The principal focus of these activities is strong science and technology to understand the health of the Spey and fish populations, and of course our continued deterrence and protection roles undertaken by our determined and valued Bailiffs.
The Board’s strategic initiatives are practical examples of the real activities it is now engaging in, and which underpin a refreshed organisational purpose: the Protection, Conservation and Enhancement of the Spey Fishery – helping to drive the recovery of Salmon and Sea Trout numbers within shorter timeframes.
This purpose is underpinned by Statute, but we don’t just rely on that: we know the Board needs to be seen, and to be accountable for its activities. And we also appreciate that while many people around the community may feel the Board as an organisation has endless duties and Scope, we are realistic and pragmatic enough to focus on where best we can make our contribution, within our means.
We know this spells a change both within, and also outwardly, with all of you who we gladly work with every day: the essential services of the ghillies, the estates and beats, and their customers and local communities, as well as the amazing local industries for which the Spey region is world famous.
To underpin these things, our new Board and its Members are each leading one or more initiatives. Again, we look for your continued support as we strive for ‘progress rather than perfection’ within the essential shorter timescales that must reflect the plight of Salmon and Sea Trout populations:
- Focusing on our local industry relationships, resources and safety we have Chas Jamieson, Estate Manager at Macallan: Chas understands how the Distilleries Industry works, its importance and its impact within the catchment;
- David Greer chairs our ghillies committee and has a particular interest in the middle and upper reaches of the River. David will bring new leadership and fresh emphasis to the importance we place on the extensive knowledge and expertise of the ghillies;
- Leading our broader industry relationships with other Fishery Boards, Fisheries Management Scotland and with the Scottish Government is Edward Mountain – Edward brings invaluable experience and connections with key decision makers and shapers of policy at the national and regional level;
- Christian Marr and Mark Taylor both bring a uniquely fresh and highly experienced perspective of the international fisheries climate – as well as being totally committed and passionate local Proprietors on the River. Our aim is to build on their insights of how the challenges of the high seas impact on the future success of our local Salmon and Sea Trout populations;
- George Wills is our youngest Board Member and brings welcome new ideas and innovations to the Board. Connecting with the current and future generation of Proprietors and their customers, George will also lead our efforts to drive renewed and more meaningful charitable contributions to our Spey Research Foundation, hopefully building a larger pool of committed and generous donors for this wonderful River and its future health;
- Angus Gordon-Lennox brings great balance and insights to the role of the Board: he is focusing particularly on the relationship with the separately managed and distinct Spey Fishing Trust, where riparian owners along the River can make their contribution to the wellbeing of the Fishery and local ecology. We are looking to rebuild that relationship anew in a modern, repurposed Trust that specifically focuses on Proprietor-led initiatives;
- Guy MacPherson-Grant works closely with me and our interim Director on the financial direction of the Board. Guy has been key in supporting the simplification and modernisation of what are modest but still important financial operations. These, alongside some of the more difficult aspects of assuring the future financial viability of the Board given the downward pressures on Assessments and our improvements in delivering value for money;
- Toby Metcalfe leads the Board’s nominations committee – the Board sub-group that oversees key appointments and more generally sets the tone for leadership and culture in the organisation;
- Finally, and of course not least is Callum Robertson: Callum brings a great emphasis on ‘doing’. He’s responsible for our ‘Water Quality & Quantity’ initiative that among things addresses the crucial relationship with the owners of the Spey Dam and current, urgent initiatives such as the Board’s strong objection to the planned Storegga Hydrogen Plant proposal.Along with Edward Mountain, and key team members such as our biologist Atti Albright and specialist Water Consultant Michael Taylor, we’re looking to address the complex realities and interplay of difficult issues that can bring about step changes in the health of the Spey. We’re realistic and understand better our limitations but are equally ambitious and focused on working out new ways to succeed with others who bring their contributions towards increasing fish numbers in the River.
It’s early days and we hope this gives you a feel for our direction of travel. We’ll look to bring you more updates over the coming months as we strive to engage you all better and as we progress the implementation of our fresh initiatives
Peter also sent me a note regarding the closure of the Sandeel Fishings around Scotland and the legal challenge to this brought by the EU under the terms oif the EU-UK Trade agreement. The challenge has failed and the Sandeel Fisheries around Scotland will remain closed.
Now lets head down the river to see what has been happening in the week gone by.
At Castle Grant, Simon Crozier reports The week started well ,2 fish were landed on Monday, Dutch angler Hein Boer had a 7lb sealiced fish licer from Pollowick. Peter Angus had a 9lb fish from Craigroy. Despite good numbers of both Salmon and sea trout being seen across the beats and a few brief encounters! No more fish came to hand.
Down at Knockando, Archie Baillie advises that they managed this fine fish on Tuesday. As you can see we have a very happy angler with her prize. Other than that we were a bit on the quiet side.
From Knockando down to Delagyle was quite but David Smillie at Delagyle reports two seatrout from the week. The lucky captor being Sam Thomson with a fine 5lber from Dalbrand and one of 2lbs from Gean Tree.
David Brand at Kinermony reports with incredulity that they managed to land a fish. Angus Rutherford being the lucky rod in Little Turn with a fine fish.
No surprise that things are quiet as we head down the river to Macallan where Richard Whyte reports a very quiet week on the beat, with not all days filled and the river here seeing relatively light fishing pressure. Fish were seen every day but mostly in the evenings.
Conditions remain tough, with water levels worryingly low and rain sorely needed. Still, the river offered a brief thrill on Saturday evening when a big fish was hooked in the tunnel. After a determined 10-minute scrap, the fish managed to throw the hook — a painful but memorable moment.
On a more uplifting note, signs of spring are all around: the first clutch of young mallard ducklings was spotted this week, and the distinctive call of a cuckoo was heard — the first of the season.
Let’s hope next week brings a rise in the river and a few fish for everyone.
The weather and river conditions are certainly playing a huge part in the drastic reduction in the number of fish being landed but the encouraging note is that fish are being seen at times during the day.
Down at Easter Elchies they were very pleased to welcome the Macdonald and Gordon fishing parties this week. Unseasonal low water conditions continued this week, making fishing conditions tough. Water level -6, water temperature 50. Highlight of the week Paul Kelly with a cracking 10lb fish from Red Craigs. Hopefully weather changing over the next week or so.
At Arndilly, Euan Reid reports that they we welcomed Will Daniel and his team of wonderful Icelanders. Low water to us on the Spey differs from low water on some Iceland rivers so although we, as ghillies were frustrated by the low water, these guys loved the flow and the volume of water we are lucky enough to have on this river.
We began the week again at -4 on our guage, and Sigurjon Ragnar caught a lovely 9lb fish from the Cobble Pot on Monday morning.
We very nearly had a second with Arnor breaking on a fish in Gilmour just before lunch. After a bit of foot stamping, the flourocarbon went in the bin!
Rain in the west gave us an inch rise, and Ingo Asgiersson had a 10lb fish from the tail of the Long Pool on Tuesday.
Will Daniel had a lovely 15lb hen fish from the neck of Cobble Pot on Wednesday, and this fish had been in for quite some time.
We saw fish all week in most of the pools, and we have some sitting with us. On Saturday, we saw quite a few new fish too, and I was surprised we didn’t add to the weeks total.
We thought we had added to the salmon total when Egill Kristinsson hooked a good fish on the left side of the Arns on Saturday afternoon, which turned out to be a lovely 6lb sea trout.
So it was a tough week interspersed with bits of action, lots of fun and laughter, and even a bit of ballet(thank you Dagmar).
We had 23°c on Wednesday, and today there is snow on Ben Rinnes.
Down the river at Rothes and Aikenway, Robbie Stronach reports of a quiet week, with just 2 fish in the book. Richard Thomas and Scott Jopling the two lukcy rods. Well done guys
Delfur ghillie, Mark Melville confirms the same story as the last few weeks here, seeing some fish including some stale residents!
The weather was very mixed with Costa Del-fur the first half and Baltic conditions towards the end of the week.
We even had a half inch rise midweek probably from what little snow is left in the Cairngorms and Monadhliaths.
The river is at summer level but at least on the Spey we can still fish our great pools and runs unlike some of the Highland rivers who are on their bones!
An odd fish pulled and lost most days with just the one landed by the dream team of Sam Elkington and Davie McIntosh was our grand total!
Beaufort was the pool on the hottest,brightest day of the week!
It was nice to see the Swifts home yesterday (3 weeks earlier than last year)and also some newly hatched Mallard ducklings.
You wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but Speyside just now, it’s stunning!
Continuing down river my penultimate stop is Orton when Andy Gunn advises that they landed just a single fish for the week. Angler, Zac Ludgrove landed his 1st ever Springer, an 8lb fish with sea lice from Cooperee on Saturday morning.
Finally at Gordon Castle/Brae Water, Lewis Webb concludes this weeks report advising that they we welcomed a wide range of guests both home grown and international from Hong Kong, Italy, Switzerland, Tukey and the USA. It really is great to see so much global interest in salmon fishing and enjoying everything Speyside has to offer.
We started the week off well, landing a fish in the first hour of fishing but sadly that was all that was landed until Saturday, with plenty sightings and “offers” in between the general feeling was the fish are running hard and appeared to have their blinkers on!
New week with new tides ahead so let’s see what we can do!
Next week looks like a warmer week, with no rain the forecast again, so fishign efforts maybe curtailed to either end of day, especially if the sun is shining on the water.
Tight lines if you are out and about.
Sandy
