Another perfect fishing day but with the low water the Spey has had for weeks and weeks. Lots of stale fish in Pollwick and just the odd stale grilse jumping elsewhere if you put a fly over it. With fantastic encouragement by Simon, we put big flies, micro flies, skated flies and anything else we […]
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River Spey, Castle Grant 3. 5th September 2025
The Spey, like all Scottish rivers is still desperate for water. SEPA have even stopped all extraction because of the drought! None the less it was a joy to come to Castle Grant 3 and meet Simon Crozier again after nearly 30 years, on this magical beat. As ever this year, tales of stale fish […]
River Shin, 3rd September 2025
The much promised heavy rain today turned out to be a quick shower. Typical. Nothing this morning from lower beat but this afternoon I managed to suitably annoy a stale grilse of about 5lbs in Cottages 4. At least it was one more for the book in a very tough season. I don’t know if […]
River Shin, 2nd September 2025
Still none of the promised rain. I really wonder if the Met Office do little more than look out of the window and post the current conditions. So still hard work and no sign of any new fish reaching us. Despite that, I did manage to winkle out a hen fish of about 11lbs from […]
River Shin, 1st September 2025
Nice day, overcast with occasional sun but none of the promised rain, just an irritating strong upstream wind. A few stale grilse seen in the river but none showed the slightest real interest in anything. We really need rain and lots of it to bring up some new fish.
31st August 2025 Lairg Lodge, River Shin
Just arrived at Lairg. Reports of spates in rivers on the west coast over the weekend, but no serious rain has reached this catchment all summer, as yet. Fortunately the Shin has compensation water from the dam and so is still fishable but it badly needs fresh water to bring the fish up. Alec reports […]
7th September 2024 River Shin, Sutherland.
Salmon fishing can be a great leveler! Just when you think you have pretty much nailed it, it can come back to bite you. Saturday on the lovely little river Shin, dawned with a heavy mist lifting off the loch and the inevitable midge hatch. But they were soon blown away along with the clouds […]
6th September 2024 River Shin, Sutherland.
Another day of damp misty conditions in the morning and blazing sun not helping all afternoon – thankful for my Russian mosquito net as midges very irritating on a couple of the pools! But I managed a very angry old 15lb cock fish off the top water in the morning and lost a smaller fish […]
5th September 2024 River Shin, Sutherland
Fished the lower beats in the morning. Weather over cast but dry. A 5lb grilse for Alan W and a 5lb grilse for me. I also lost two other fish. Pm on the upper water where blazing sunshine didn’t assist our cause but once the sun was off the water, I managed a reasonably fresh […]
4th September 2024 River Shin, Sutherland.
Up on the delightful river Shin in Sutherland with Desmond A. The Shin is dam controlled, so regular releases give a fairly constant water height through fast flowing rocky pools and runs. Quite a few fish showing on my first evening, two of which fell to my rod. 13lbs and 5lbs both slightly coloured. A […]

