River Spey - Rothes
It was early April and our wedding anniversary weekend. Five years of marriage had felt like fifty-five years, especially after all the arguments we had on the riverbank while pursuing the silver tourist! So, what better way to celebrate your wedding anniversary than enjoying a weekend away in magnificent Speyside? Speyside is a beautiful part of Scotland to visit at any time of year but it is a truly special during the spring months. We were lucky enough to be fishing on the fabulous Rothes Beat on the River Spey, which is one of the most prolific beats on the river. The Spey had been fishing well and with the weather set fair, we were looking forward to the weekend ahead.
It was an early start from Perthshire on the Saturday morning. As always, it was a scenic drive north on the A9. Most of the snow on the tops of the mountains had melted and there was just the odd patch glinting in the early morning spring sunshine. When we arrived at the beat just before nine, we were immediately struck by how inviting the pools looked. This beat was made for fly-fishing!
The Rothes Beat is a fly fishers delight!
We were warmly welcomed by the two ghillies, Mike and Robbie. It was nice to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee in the hut while chatting to the boys. Mike explained that there had already been six fish caught for the week, which gave us cause for optimism for the day ahead. Robbie kindly built up our rods, while the other guests arrived. I would be using my fifteen-foot fly rod with a floating line coupled with a sink tip. On the business end, Robbie opted for a small Cascade variant bottle tube. My wife would be using her fourteen-foot rod with a similar sink tip set up. Her weapon of choice was an inch-long gold-bodied Willie Gunn copper tube. We saw plenty of fish splashing about in the Burnmouth Pool while we were getting our waders on. They appeared to be a mixture of fresh fish and kelts. The day ahead was looking promising.
We would be fishing different pools on the beat, so after wishing each other good luck, I followed Robbie upstream in the car to the Creachy Pool. Robbie kindly explained to me how to the fish the pool before taking my wife to the Junction Pool.
The stunning Creepie Pool
The Creachy Pool looked magnificent. It is one of the most productive pools on the beat. It lies on a left-hand bend in the river. At the head of the pool, there is quite a fast flowing run which pushes towards the far bank. The current evens out from the middle third of the pool. The tail of pool looks mesmeric with tantalising boils thrown up by big boulders. I started at the head of the pool with a short line and gradually lengthened it as Robbie had instructed me to do. The fly was swinging around in the current at just the perfect speed. Above me, the sun was shining and Speyside was looking at it’s glorious best. I was in salmon fishing heaven. I fished down the pool covering every inch to the best of my ability. I saw some nice fish splashing half way down and towards the tail of the pool. I was convinced that I was going to get a take. Just before I got to the tail of the pool, I thought that a change of fly was in order. I decided to try an inch long Ness C copper tube. Conditions were prefect it seemed. The water was clear and overhead the occasional cloud would blot out the sun. The downstream breeze made for easy casting. I had fished to the tail of the pool without even getting a pull. I decided to have one last cast before re assessing my tactics. The fly was swinging around at the perfect speed. The line had just about come on to the dangle when I got a short, sharp pull. The fish was on. Initially, the fish just sat stationary midstream. It then ran towards the far bank and I felt the line go slack. I was gutted, as the fish was gone. It was impossible to say whether it was a fresh fish or a kelt but at least it showed that the fish were in the mood to take a fly.
I had a seat on the bench by the side of the pool wondering what might have been. It was midday now, so without wasting any more time I went to the head of the pool and started again. I continued to see fish splashing at regular intervals but they seemed to be playing hard to get. I tried my favourite orange and black monkey fly, which had around a four-inch wing but even that failed to spark any interest. Robbie came up to see me just before lunch. It was great to here that one of our fellow guests had landed a nineteen-pound springer from the Burnmouth Pool in the morning.
The view from the lunch hut
I headed to the hut just before one for lunch. My wife had been fishing the Junction Pool and she said that she had also seen several fish. Unfortunately, she had fared no better than me.
Lunch was a jovial affair. All our spirits had been lifted by the news that such a beautiful fish had been caught from the beat. Our fellow guests were from Hampshire. It was great to learn how they fished for salmon on the River Avon. Rob explained that they only used single-handed rods and often you would see salmon come and take the fly in the clear water. It all sounded so exciting. We enjoyed a nice dram after lunch and were then ready for round two!
The famous Junction Pool
I would be fishing the famous Junction Pool with Mike in the afternoon while my wife would be fishing from the boat with Robbie in Burnmouth. It was great to chat to Mike while driving down to the Junction Pool. He had been a ghillie on Rothes for over thirty years and some of the stories of the fish that were caught in bygone years were truly eye watering. I fell in love with the Junction Pool as soon as I saw it. The head of the pool has a big island, which intersects the river. The current has a lovely even flow. The pool then widens out gradually and towards the tail of the pool, the river becomes almost Tay size. The pool was long and would take an entire afternoon to fish. While wading to the head of the pool, we saw fish splashing in front of us. I felt confident that I would be encountering a Spey salmon shortly. Mike advised that I stick to my Ness C fly as he felt that it was the perfect size and weight. I fished hard while chatting to Mike. He was happy with the length of line I was casting and felt that I was covering the water adequately. I knew that I was covering fish, as occasionally I would see one jump in close proximity to the fly. We had got around two-thirds of the way down the pool when we witnessed one of nature’s most spectacular sights. For the first time this year, I saw the Osprey hovering high overhead. It then dived at break neck speed into the river downstream from us. The Osprey then appeared to have difficulty getting out of the water as whatever it had grasped in its talons was too heavy. After a long struggle, it flew away with what looked like a decent sized trout. I felt so privileged to witness such a moment and had almost forgotten that I was fishing until a very deep looking springer jumped at the tail of the pool. I continued to fish the rest of the pool while chatting to Mike. It was now just after four and Mike suggested that we went upstream to fish the boils.
Waiting for the line to tighten in the Boils
We passed my wife and Robbie. She was still thrashing the water to a foam. She had also seen plenty of fish but made no contact. The boils looked a cracking bit of water. It consisted of a fast-flowing stream with some very inviting boils created by large boulders. Mike explained that the fish often lie around these boils before travelling upstream. I started slowly fishing down the pool covering each boil. I was just waiting for the line to tighten. Unfortunately, this did not happen. Looking downstream, I could see my wife had finished for the day and was relaxing in the hut. A large Gin & Tonic felt like it was dragging me away from the river like a magnet. Just before five, I decided to throw in the towel.
Back at the hut, we enjoyed a coffee while talking to Mike and Robbie. Mike explained that the river had been gradually rising through the course of the afternoon, which probably did not help our chances. This was most likely down to melting snow.
To be honest catching nothing did not detract from the day in the slightest. We both had a great time. I felt that I was going to hook a fish on every cast that I had made, which cannot often be said through the course of a day’s fishing. Mike and Robbie were fantastic company and made us feel so welcome. We left the beat with big smiles on our faces. We just realised that we had gone through an entire day’s fishing without arguing. Is this what the next five years will hold, marital harmony on the riverbank? No chance, I think having only been in each other’s company for an hour through the course of the day may have had something to do with it!