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River Spey and Avon
The River
Spey rises in the Monadhliath Mountains to the west of Laggan in Highland
Council Area and flows 100 miles (160 km) east and northeast into Moray
where it joins the sea at Spey Bay. It has a catchment area of 3367 sq.
km (1300 sq. miles) and on its route to the Moray Firth it passes the
towns of Newtonmore, Kingussie, Aviemore, Grantown-on-Spey, Charlestown
of Aberlour, Craigellachie, Rothes and Fochabers. The River
Spey is the second longest river in Scotland and the seventh longest in
the UK. Both the upper and lower reaches of the river are fast flowing
with steep gradients. In its middle reaches, the river passes through
the wide alluvial plain of Strathspey. Here the gradient flattens out
and the river has a slow and meandering form. The mouth of the river has
always been subject to change with the formation of shingle spits and
the cutting of new outlets. Relatively
free from pollution and obstruction, the River Spey supports a major spawning
population of the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and is one of the most
important salmon fishing rivers in the north of Scotland. The inaccessible
deep water areas sustain one of the largest populations of fresh water
pearl mussel in Scotland. The principal
tributaries of the River Spey in its upper reaches are the Truim, from
Loch Ericht, and the Calder. After widening into Loch Insh, the Spey is
joined by the Feshie and the Nethy which flow down from the Cairngorms
and the Dulnain which flows down from the Monadhliath Mountains west of
Carrbridge. Below Grantown-on-Spey the river is joined by right bank tributaries
that include the Avon (A'an), Livet, Aberlour, Rinnes and Fiddich. The River Spey has an excellent stock of native Brown trout, which will rise to a dry fly if you discover a hatch between April and September. The sea trout runs on the River Spey are second to none in the UK despite recent trends in numbers of fish running our rivers.
The River Spey is traditionally known for it's Spring Salmon, which are deep and firm and fight tenaciously in the fast streams of this challenging river. The Grilse runs can also be excellent; a day in June, fishing with small flies on floating line on a mid river beat, can be a day to remember. The Autumn shows large numbers of fish which on the whole tend to be coloured, though a let on a lower beat can produce bright silver fish up to the last day of the season. The River Spey is a great fly fishing river. It is broad, but not generally deep and there is always a good push of water across its whole width. In fact, in high water conditions, it can be difficult to slow the fly in order to attract a fish sheltering from the main stream. The water is generally clear though peat tinged and it flows at consistent good fishing levels throughout Spring and into Summer, having benefit of snowmelt from the high mountains above.
The River Avon (pronounced A'an) is possibly the most beautiful river in Britain. It rises at Loch Avon, a wild and beautiful place, home to Golden Eagles and Ptarmigan, nestling behind Cairngorm mountain.
The water of River Avon is as clear as Tanquerey. Every pebble appears visible, but he who treads clumsily will never see it's fish. Believe me, the fish are there from April onward; you should always imagine there is a fish under your rod tip and they are easily disturbed. Often they are gone before you have your fly in the water. Men are said to have gone into it's water thinking it was shallow and been drowned. "The
water o Aan, it rins sae clear
The River Avon, being the major tributary of the River Spey, attracts about one third of all fish entering the River Spey system. It's water tends to be colder than that of the River Spey and hence the fish tend to run a little later (April as compared to February). Once they enter, fish can run fast and be scattered throughout the system, up to Tomintoul, from May onward. Go and give it a try; the River Avon fish are long and lean and give a great account of themselves after turning on your fly. Admire your prize, take a picture and return her to its wild waters. Go
to the Fishing on Speyside page ~
Photo Albums ~ >>To view images of our growing online photo library which covers the prime beats we fish on the River Findhorn, River Dee, River Spey, River Avon, and Ponoi River, please click here |
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