Good afternoon all
Well this is the penultimate report for the 2026 season, with next Sunday being the last and my sign off for a break.
A sunny, breezy day here in Elgin but that kind of sums up the week that has just gone, except for the torrential rain that fell at the start of the week. The rain would certainly have helped water tables but that is all, it certainly upset the fishing thats for sure.
I am sure we will all have our memories of the season which has nealry slipped by, some will be good, some bad but as long as we anglers have been out there enjoying ourselves on the river, fish or no fish, that is what matters. I think it will be safe to say that the run in to the close has been tough yet again, with the fish dictating the play.
Autumn colours are really starting to set in now, with leaf fall beginning. It will soosn be time for the horse chestnuts to be dropping thier precious cargo and for us humans to maybe collect a few to crack of somoene else’s knuckles in a mistimed shot. There is still harvest to be finished in some areas, with spells of dry weather not being long enough to get going in some cases.
On the Board front it is broodstock capturing time and the Board are commencing this tomorrow, the 21st, so if any rods would liek to assit in the capture then please speak to your respective ghillies if you are lucky enought to hook inot a fish. The Board afre also hosting their end of year BBQ at Easter Elchies Fishing hut on the 1st of October form 1-3pm. All ghillies are most welcome to join them and if you are planning to go then please contact Duncan Ferguson via Whatsapp by Friday 25th September.
Board biologist Atticus Albright has sent me the field report for the Reasearch team around their activities this season, his report infiull is below:-
Research Team Update Summer 2026
Introduction
It will be of no surprise to anyone that the SFB research team, frequently aided by
the enforcement team, has been extremely busy this summer. I would like to express
my sincere gratitude to all members of the team who have gone above and beyond
to achieve a large amount of fieldwork and improvements to our quality of work in
difficult conditions. The following is an overview of what the team has been up to
since the start of the field season.
Figure 1 : SFB (And SISI) staff at outreach event
Electrofishing
Mainstem surveys have been completed for the field season. I am very pleased to
announce that this year has seen an increase in both fry and parr counts over 2025.
The increase in fry has been rather dramatic at 59% whilst parr counts are up a
respectable 14%. This may be due to reduced winter spates last winter or a
concentration effect of juveniles as the area of suitable habitat reduces in water
scarcity. In addition, we have nearly completed a fully quantitative survey of the
Fiddich aiming to recreate a 2018 study, conducted by my predecessor Brian Shaw,
to investigate the impact of thermal discharges on juvenile salmonid demographics.
Once complete, the board intends to publish the report on the website.
Figure 2 : Electrofishing the Fiddich system
Following the pollution incident on the Knockando burn, SFB have conducted
monthly surveys around the area of impact to assess the ecological damage. When
compared to modelled benchmark densities and similar burns nearby, it is clear that
the juvenile salmonid population within the Knockando burn has been severely
impacted. Moreover, recovery has been extremely limited after the incident. As such,
SFB understand that it will be many years before the Knockando burn recovers
without mitigation action.
Finally, the adoption of new equipment must be raised. The new toughpads have
been utilised to great effect mapping our planned electrofishing sites, aiding our
navigation and reducing admin time. SFB are immensely grateful to Marine
Directorate, who’s grant application made the purchase of these tablets possible.
Beavers
Beavers have continued to spread throughout the catchment with signs of activity
becoming ever more frequent. SFB recently discovered a beaver dam in initial
construction on the outflow of Loch Morlich. Loch Morlich feeds the Luineag, a vital
upper tributary for Atlantic salmon and FWPM. SFB are highly concerned about the
potential impact on fish habitat in the Luineag and passage to the Allt Mor above
Loch Morlich. Communication with CNPA and FLS has kept us up to date regarding
ongoing developments in the area.
Figure 3 : Initial dam construction at Morlich
As of the last count, there are 72 beavers within the Spey catchment, 40 released
and 30 wildborn. These numbers will only increase with time. Although SFB is
concerned about the dam at Loch Morlich, it is important to note that understanding
the long-term impact of beavers within the catchment is vital. As shown on Loch
Alvie, dams will store water and slow flow peaks, potentially reducing the severity
and likelihood of water scarcity. Monitoring the impacts of dams on flow and juvenile
salmonid distribution in non-critical areas could be of great value to the Spey.
FWPM
This field season has seen a large expansion in FWPM work and surveys. Aided
again through the development of survey protocols and mapping tools on the Tough-
pads, SFB staff have begun to survey areas of suitable habitat, existing mussel beds
and finding new beds. Excitingly, the SFB, in conjunction with the CNPA, have
conducted the first encystment fieldwork conducted within the Spey catchment. We
hope that this will eventually lead to re-establishment of historically extirpated
populations.
Figure 4 : FWPM on the Spey Figure 5: FWPM Glochidia in early
development
SFB staff are in the process of obtaining FWPM licences to continue our work.
Efforts to identify the spatting date of Spey mussels have been fruitful, revealing the
true date is far later than previously believed.
Water Quality
Following successful funding through the 2025 auction, SFB have deployed three
water quality loggers across the catchment. These loggers are programmed to
record water parameters every 15 minutes and upload the results online daily. If a
critical water parameter is reached (i.e. 20 degrees or high pH), these units will issue
an alarm and switch to transmitting live readings on an hourly basis. Through this we
hope to alert beats and anglers to water quality incidents on the Spey. In time we
wish to expand the logger network on the Spey.
Water Scarcity
SFB had to halt fieldwork for an extended period this summer due to low flows and
water temperatures >20 degrees. The catchment nearly reached significant scarcity
with over 25 days below Q95 flow being recorded. As a result, SFB has been
attending fortnightly meetings with SEPA to discuss water scarcity.
Figure 6 : Butchers Burn in low water
2027 is likely to see the most severe El Nino since the invention of the printing press.
Water scarcity will be worse in the ongoing climate crisis. It is crucial to compare the
economic value of consumptive abstractions against the value of both salmon and
fishing. SEPA is aware of this issue and are looking for examples of the impact of
water scarcity on Scottish rivers. These can be submitted here.
Once again a prize is up for grabs this week from Loop Tackle. I cannot thank JIm Coates and the staff for their support each and every week in providing us with what is fair to say an awesome prize. Thsi penutlimate week one of the new Fltyt travel rods is up for grabs. An amazing and powerful piece of kit.
Ok lets get to the river to see what has been happening and its fair to say its been a struggle with big, dirty water and a bunch of fish that really do not want to play ball but understandably so as we approach the spawning season.
Starting up the river at Castle Grant where Simon Crozier reports that it was a quiet week, the long awaited rise in the water did not bring the sport we had hoped.
Some fish did come to hand however but not in the numbers we hoped for given the rise.
We hope next week may bring them on the take.
Slipping down to Andrew Hall at Lower Pitchroy next who advises that there isn’t an awful lot to report on from Lower Pitchroy. This week it was Gregg MacArthurs team the first half and Alan smith the second. The blank was saved this week by Gregg himself who got a nice fish on Wednesday of around 13lb. We had a good number of chances of fish throughout the week but sadly this was the only one that made it to the net.
At Carron, Neil Borthwoick advises that we had a bright start this week adding 3 fish to this season’s tally on Monday. I landed two, both from the Horseshoe & local angler Alan Grant landed one in Millionaire’s Corner.
Unfortunately that was the end of the action for the week until Alan Grant landed a couple of sea trout on Saturday evening.
The countdown towards the end of the season is on.
Delagyle also got on the scoresheet advises David Smillie with a 7lb salmon out of Pol Mac to the house rod and a 3 lb sea trout to Amy Astor, her first ever fish caught again in Pol Mac.
A fish too off Aberlour Angling Club water with a fish for Calum Davis, this is the first fish off here for a good number of weeks.
Things are then quiet until Easter Elchies where With Orn away this week, Ben Grundie reports from Easter Elchies
Unfortunately, it has been a slow week on the river. A rise in water levels on Tuesday curtailed fishing until Thursday, when we managed to land a sea trout, despite the river remaining very black.
Conditions continued to prove challenging on Friday, although we managed to land a sea trout and a report of a grilse from Warren Gain.
By Saturday, conditions were picture-perfect, but unfortunately the salmon remained elusive. We did, however, manage to land two sea trout from the Fiddich during the morning.
Next week promises much, and hopefully the fish will turn back on before the end of the season.
Popping into see Euan Reid at Arndilly nest who reports that this week we welcomed Jill Edwards and her team on Arndilly. Jill is in her 31st year on the beat at the age of 91 and we almost had a fairytale when a fish grabbed her fly on Saturday afternoon but unfortunately it let go. This would have been a fitting conclusion to her professional relationship with Keith who retires at the end of the season but it was not to be.
It was a difficult week even though we got the rise we were wanting it did not switch the fish on as we hoped.
We only had 2 fish but they were both first fish which is amazing.
With the water up to just under 2ft, Dan Oxtoby-Hood caught his first fish, a grilse from town road on Wednesday afternoon.
Mark Beckinsale hooked and netted his first own fish from the top of the long pool for his first on Thursday morning. We hoped this was going to be the beginning of an avalanche of fish but that didn’t happen.
Nevertheless we had a great week with lovely people.
There was only a single sfish landed at Rothes and Aikenway advises Robbie Stronach with John Hickman landing oone in creeky. They also lost a couple and also landed a couple sea trout,
The downstream trip continues to Mark Melville at Delfur to see how they got on. Mark advises that they started off well with 3 fish on Monday morning for Jonathan Ellerbeck, Tony Ellerbeck and Peter Stanley.
Tuesday morning gave us some torrential rain and a dirty mankie rising river which finished our chances for a couple of days.
Thursday we had four including two more for Peter Stanley and a fish each for Jonathan Ellerbeck and Ben Dando.
Rob Fidgen caught his fish on Friday and that was it for the week with a blank Saturday spent battling the gale force winds and bright sunshine.
Last full week of the season and hopefully the fish will switch back on.
Tight lines to all.
At Orton, Andy Gunn reports that Max Macintosh got the ball rolling on Monday morning with a 5lb fish from Cooperee.
Tuesday morning’s rain killed things stone dead, with the Mulben Burn rising rapidly and colouring the river chocolate.
Wednesday brought us the biggest flood since late spring, although the river still didn’t rise above 3 feet on our gauge. Max landed another 5lb fish, while Ric Warren brought a 6lb fish to the net, both from Cairnty.
Friday was our most productive day. Ben Macintosh landed a 5lb fish, Max got his third of the week, this time a 4lb fish, and the highlight of the week came from Anna Wolff-Macintosh.
Anna landed the first fish she has ever caught with her own cast — a fine 9lb hen, also from Cairnty.
Julian Taylor had the only fish on Saturday, a 4lb fish from Cairnty.
A great week for the Macintosh party, with some excellent fish landed despite the challenging river conditions.
My penultimate stop this week is Gordon Castle/Brae water where Lewis Webb reports a A good week of catches considering the conditions with the rise and dirty water mid week. It seems to have shuffled a few of our residents around and the peaty water at the tail end of the week seemed to have the fish reluctant to take. we look forward to see how she settles into the coming week.
Finally to Fochabers Angling Association water where a lack of weekly updates has had us in the dark about how things have been over the season. Whatever the reason behind this reluctance to submit a report it would be great to see something next season.
However I have been notified that a fish was landed on their water last week, with Board Biologist, Atti Albright landing, as he calls it “his first proper salmon” a fine 14lb (est) fish. Here’s hoping it’s the first of many.
The last full week of the season looks liek its going to be mixed again so not idea if this will switch the fish on or not, so we can only hope that is the case.
Finally this week I am delighted to announce that the winner of the Flyt rod of their choice is Anna Wolff-MacIntosh – Well done and I will be in touch shortly.
Tight lines if you are out and about next week
Sandy
