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River Spey Salmon Fishing

The River Spey is probably the most famous salmon & sea trout fishing river in the entire world and is located in the North East of Scotland. It measures 107 miles in length from its source 1000ft up at Loch Spey in the Corrieyairack Forest which is located 10 miles South of Fort Augustus on Loch Ness. The River Spey enters the North sea in the Moray Firth and drains 1850 square miles of North East Scotland. The Spey has many tributaries such as the rivers Truim, Tromie, Feshie, Druie, Nethy, Dulnain, Avon & Fiddich that all increase the Spey's speed as the river advances towards the North sea making it the fastest flowing river in Scotland. Many lovely towns are located in the Spey valley such as Newtonmore, Kingussie, Aviemore, Granton on Spey, Aberlour & Focabers.

River Spey Fishing Season

The River Spey salmon & sea trout fishing season opens on the 11th of February and runs through to the 30th of September each year. The Spey is fly fishing only and the home of the much used traditional Speycast which is one of the most widely used casts in salmon fishing around the world. The Spey has around 30 famous salmon fishing beats and the vast majority of these are carefully cared for by professional River Spey ghillies. The fast flowing River Spey is a delight to fish a salmon fly through with its perfect fly fishing pools and its mainly gravel riverbanks and riverbed which are due to the movement of its gravel substrate base which is constantly on the move during high water levels.

River Spey Seasonal Salmon Runs

Spring salmon in February can like most river be a little thin on the ground but there's always a chance if you brave the elements. In March good runs of Spring fish start to enter the river and can be caught in the lower & middle Spey salmon fishing beats. With the arrival of April & May bigger runs of Spey Spring salmon appear and fresh run salmon can be found right up in the Upper Spey during the late Spring weeks due to the warmer water temperatures usually found at this time. Salmon in the 20lbs class are frequently caught from May onwards each season with the earlier Spring salmon usually weighing between the 8lbs & 11lbs class. The Summer brings continual runs of salmon into the river along with many sea trout which can also be present in the earlier Spring months. Autumn salmon fishing on the Spey can be superb as fresh run salmon will still be arriving in the Spey right up until the the river closes at the end of September along with many many resident salmon that will have been in the river by this time for months. These resident salmon can be mesmerising as they splash about all around you while you're fishing down through the River Spey salmon pools.

River Spey Salmon Flies

Effective salmon fly patterns for the River spey are the Gold Bodied Willie Gunn, Cascade, Posh Tosh, Orange Flamethrower, Sunray Shadow, Arndilly Fancy, Dee Monkey, Copperass, Blue Charm & the Stinchar Stoat. Typically a 14ft or 15ft salmon fly rod is perfect and floating lines with or without an additional sink tip are normally the order of the day. In really high Spring or Autumn water conditions an intermediate sinking line could be of use. Waders with studded soles are useful along with a wadding stick as the Spey is deceptively fast even though it has generally shallower water than many other Scottish rivers. It often amazes just how much water pressure there is on your shins when wading in the Spey in only a foot of water so don't fish without a wading stick & life jacket.

The Traditional Spey

This magical home of the Speycast river who's water is the life source to many high quality Spey malt whiskies is a 'must do' to fish. The sheer tradition & stature of the River Spey on the world's salmon fishing looking glass is enough to keep your mind captivated with her outstanding salmon fishing quality that this famous river offers.

Catch A River Spey Salmon

Can you think of anything more desirable than playing a hard fighting Spey salmon on this fast flowing Scottish river with the scream of your fly reel and your racing pulse eventually culminating in the ghillie netting your first River Spey salmon and within seconds has poured you the perfect Spey dram to calm your nerves and celebrate your membership of this super special Scottish salmon fishing river.

River Spey Salmon Fishing Guides

To maximise your chances of catching salmon on the River Spey it is always advisable to hire the professional services of an expert. Follow this link for detailed information on hiring a professional River Spey salmon fishing guide.

 

Jock Monteith Professional Scottish Salmon Fishing Guide & Provider

Professional Scottish Salmon Fishing Services Provider