Another week of a little of everything, sun, rain clouds. The river rose a little but carried a lot of colour, which seemed to put the fish off. The coming week is more of the same, Monday will be the brightest and Tuesday the wettest but nothing really startling. Temperatures might just reach the seasonable normal. The tides peak on Tuesday.

Catches: Gordon Castle continued to catch fish again finishing around the fifty mark. Delfur also finished close to fifty. I am not convinced I would describe 5 rods as plenty of anglers but I see others do! Mark and Rory as usual were kind enough to send me some pictures.

Rory getting artistic!

Rory with close up mode working!

Mark with Oliver Burge’s fish

John Braithwaite Delfur

Rothes had twenty-four for the week and Mike tells me it was the first week when grilse outnumbered the salmon. Mark reckoned he was close to 50%.

As I predicted last week Craigellachie had a good week and I was surprised to see they still had some availability. Having finished with almost twenty for the week I am amazed to see there is still availability for next week.

I hear Kinermony had a productive week but have no details.

Wester Elchies was lightly fished but still managed eleven; those who took advantage of the availability were rewarded.

Laggan had a great week; Phil Burton had six to his own rod on Monday. They finished with around twenty, the best being an eighteen-pound fish from Pol Dornie.

Phil Burton Laggan

Over the water things were a little quieter at Carron. I was forced to try and get a photograph myself. These “selfies” are not that easy and when the camera eventually fired up I had the look of a startled rabbit, marginally better than the feet and fish shot I hope?

Selfie or startled rabbit!

Brian Shaw, head biologist, had a day at Castle Grant and managed a salmon and a grilse, he was kind enough to send me a picture of his fish going back. Brian tells me he was pleased to see plenty of fish in the pools.

Rogie, Castle Grant

Grantown, my well-travelled correspondent has returned and tells me that there are still plenty of sea trout being taken, the best this week around the 8lb mark! I also hear rather disappointingly that visitor numbers are low, but I suppose on the flip side this means there is plenty of room in the pools; every cloud has a silver lining. I am a little baffled why visitor numbers are down the catches this year are respectable 218 so far with two months left. This compares well with last year, perhaps not a year to dwell too long on but around thirty fish better than 2013, 50 better than 2012 and a few more than 2011.

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Spey Fishery Board

You can tell when the fishing gets slow when the weekly report reads more like the Births Deaths and Marriages of the local paper; good news this week. Lisa and Blair Banks announced the arrival of their daughter, Emily Catherine Banks on Friday 1^st August at 16.22. A very healthy nine pound twelve ounces! Congratulations to the Banks’ family.

Whilst out this morning checking on the river height and walking the dogs I came across this vehicle “parked” beside Carron Bridge. I wonder just what sets this canoeist apart from the rest of the population so he can park in front of a No Parking Sign, perhaps I misunderstood and the council spent all this money so canoeists did not have to walk after they had come down the river!

Ignorant, illiterate or just irresponsible?

Anyway at long last we were promised rain and it actually arrived, the river is up and is coloured but I am sure anglers will be happy to lose some or all of Monday to clean up the river and get rid of the slime and weed. The forecast for the coming week is mainly dry and sunny except for Wednesday when there will be another spell of heavy rain. Tides there is no new water till Wednesday then the tides start to build again.

The turbidity is not looking good for Monday morning.

Catches, again the Spey continues to hold its own of course it is disappointing but I would rather be on the Spey than just about any other river in Scotland.

Gordon Castle picked away. Delfur continued to fish reasonably well; without going into details another few and they would have out fished the entire Tweed on Fish Tweed. Mark, Grant and Rory continue to supply me with photographs, perhaps that is Delfur’s secret, salmon like to appear on the Internet! The rest of the river continued to catch small numbers of fish most beats recording twos or threes.Rothes started the week and finished with a flourish but the middle is probably best forgotten. I see Grantown were continuing to catch decent sized seatrout, hopefully this rise of water should increase their salmon count.

Tom Mountain with Grant Delfur

Jack Campbell with Rory Delfur

Marina Gibson’s fish Delfur

Rory nets another fish.

Henry Mountain Delfur

Georgiana Baker 1st Salmon Two Stones Delfur

Obligatory Chocolate cocker shot

A late evening fish

Spey Fishery Board

Another week goes by, still the river remains low and there is no rain in the forecast for next week. Temperatures are predicted to reach the mid twenties towards the end of the week. The tides are building all week. I would suggest the parties that are prepared to be anti-social will catch more fish; the afternoons will not be productive.

Catches: I thought the Spey was looking poor till I looked at some of the other rivers and the Spey is looking quite good in comparison! Gordon Castle got close to forty, the week started well but slowed a little. Willie Mair was kind enough to send me a couple of pictures.

Willie Mair’s fish Beat 2

Another for Willie.

Delfur were into the twenties Mark, Rory and Mr Henry Mountain were kind enough to supply me with the usual selection of photographs. As can be seen there are a number of residents starting to be tempted.

Mark Melville Delfur

Sir Edward Mountain Delfur

Nathalie Mountain Delfur

Henry Mountain Hollenbush

Mrs Mills Mountain Otter.

Mills again Collie

Davie Macintosh Broom

Rory Paterson with Bill Govett’s fish Collie.

Wester Elchies had a better week than of late with six landed rather than the usual five. I was lucky enough to be assisting Carol Simmonds when she expertly played this fish in Pol Shuan, making netting it very easy.

Carol Simmonds Pol Shuan Wester Elchies

Safely netted.

Carron I hear had a couple both caught late in the evening.

Again Grantown are crying out for water to help the salmon anglers but I understand the seatrout anglers are not complaing too much.

Spey Fishery Board