Upper Spey seeking advice

[mspaddler]

I will be in a Cottage near Kingussie for a week starting on 18th May 2013.  I have found Badenoch Angling Association and would appreciate and tips, fly choices or locations to fish with my Tenkara rods.

[leckie]

Your right next to the Spey...you can't go wrong there...just make sure you get a stretch that accommodates trout fishing...when I was in Grantown on Spey some years ago...you could only buy a daily or weekly permit for salmon, sea trout and wbt...it was over my budget so I never bothered....I'm pretty sure they sell trout permits only on the upper reaches...also there is the Gynock burn that runs through Kingussie that looks good for the T rod

[mspaddler]

Thanks for that information. Badenoch Angling have a weekly visitors ticket for 30 pounds which seems like a good deal.

[leckie]

£30 for a week's fishing is more like it...have fun...if you can manage a few reports and photos that would be much appreciated.

[mspaddler]

Will do, as long as the weather improves, it was snowing in Scotland today!

[mspaddler]

Success on the Spey. The cottage we are staying in is about 250 meters from the Spey. I fished Sunday Western Style without success, the river was high and fast. Yesterday was tourist day with the wife, it's a balance you know. Today the river looked good, although bigger and faster than my Yorkshire streams, nothing rising so I started western with klink and dink but only one on on the nymph and not to hand. I wandered further downstream a saw a likely spot, took out the Tenkara with a sedge dry and bang my first Scottish trout was on. It put up a fight and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to land it, but I got it over to the slower water and fron there to my hand. Three more trout attacked the sedge but I wasn't able to claim them as landed. No photo as I left my iPad card reader in York. Maybe the next one I won't be so excited and just use my iphone, it takes pretty good snaps. Onward and upward tomorrow I plan to try the River Calder, lets hope it is as productive it's YORKSHIRE namesake.

[mspaddler]

Attachment DeletedThe River Tromie is part of the BAA ticket but not just by the Bridge. 

[mspaddler]

A couple of hours on the Scottish Calder. Nothing rising at all. However, I was determined to catch aWBT on this Calder so I went with Klink & Dink on a 12 ft Iwana. One small trout at the junction of the Calder with the Spey. That fish fell to a silver head nymph. I then journeyed up the Calder trying to find a likely spot. Possibly the clearest water I have ever seen, quite different to the Yorkshire namesake. Hail, wind and sideways rain, but I decided to wait it out and during a lull in the weather cast the klink & dink and let it float under a overhanging alder. A fish came up took a look at the klinkhammer and spit it out. I ripped off the duo and tied on what I think was a F fly and ran it past my trout and sure enough this what he was looking for. I got him to my side of the river, but released him before I could get my phone out of my pocket. So landed but not photographed still my first trout from the Scottish Calder. The sky got really nasty and I was being pelted with hail so I beat a hasty retreat back to our cottage. Judging by the forecast for Thursday and Friday I may no get chance to fish again on this trip. Photo is of the junction of the Calder and the Spey

[leckie]

It's a pity about the weather that your experiencing this week...a real challenge when your fly fishing...the hail reached Edinburgh this evening...I just made cutting the front lawn before the hail came thundering down...well done on nailing a wbt from the Spey on the T rod...your photos of the river are great...hope you manage out a few more times before your holiday is over...at least you have a lot of Speyside malts you can try if you can't get out fishing.

[mspaddler]

We are now back in York after an interesting week in Scotland.   Managed to fish 4 days two days were blank following heavy rain/hail/snow and 2 days were productive.   Not a lot rising but the Spey and Calder area is an excellent destination for brown trout fishing.   If the weather and Spring had been more normal I expect I would have been much more successful.  I will certainly think about returning to the upper Spey.   Photo is the best WBT caught on the Spey.

Attachment Deleted

[Deleted]

Hi mspaddler

Its a pity i didnt pick up your post earlier as this is a region of the Spey i have fished for both salmon & trout quite extensively over the past 10 years.

I last fished it in the summer last year & had a couple of terrific days on the trout, taking browns upto 3 pounds.
I had been made aware that the river around Kingussie had been stocked with large browines so i chose not to use my tenkara rod & tackled up with my 5 weight. There has also been in recent years an accidental release of rainbow trout, several of which i have caught.

Just a few pointers for next time you there.

If you want to take the day ticket option, tickets can be obtained from the Newsagents in Kingussie town centre for around a tenner. There is also a small tackle/outdoor shop in the town.

I have fished early season also in May early June and found the action quite slow. Things pick up late june and fish really well into mid-late september. This seems the norm with scottish rivers on the whole.

A favourite stretch of mine is to park on the road (B970) under the A9 road bridge close to the old ruin of Ruthvern barracks on the road that takes you towards the Ruthvern House B&B/Glentromie lodge. Walk back towards the river and fish upstream past the shinty fields towards Newtonmore. This is easy walking,casting & most of your day will be taken up making your way upstream through lovely scenery & beautiful flower filled fields.
Just keep an eye on the Highland cattle in the surrounding fields though, they can be alittle moody!

As Alex has pointed out you can fish the Gynock Burn that is downstream of the road bridge. Its a little tight with over hanging branches but contains some lovely little fish.

Most of the trout i caught last year were taken on Black klinks & elk hair sedges, i also fished across & downstream with a three fly wet cast & had success with the black zulu,black pennell,kate mc-claren combination.

I have yet to fish the Glen Tromie river & must say that there are some fast boulder strewn pocket mouth watering runs on this river that are perfect for Tenkara.

All the best for your next trip. Regards Stevie.

[mspaddler]

Thanks Alex and Stevie. I will be back to the Upper Spey. I would have liked to have fished the Tromie but chose the Calder because I fish the Yorkshire Calder. I was there with my wife so had to balance fishing with tourism. We stayed Ruthven Steadings so it was a quick stroll down to the Spey. However, I fished downstream so next time I will take your advice and try upstream by the Shinty field. By the way the cottage at Ruthven Steadings was excellent. Nothing was mentioned about Gynock Burn on the Badenoch ticket so didn't try to fish that stream. Brian

[Deleted]

Fished the same part of the Spey on Bank Holiday Monday. I didn't have much time and it was unfortunately hot and sunny. A few olives coming off but no rises and only had a few of the smaller fish. Most successful T fly on the river for me is beaded hares ear with a partridge hackle to get down in the flows. Monday was typical and i didn't get any offers on flies without weight. I can recommend this area as some of the best value river trout fishing. You have miles to go at but it is very varied - some fast, some slow, long reaches of very shallow water, some lovely pools. Be aware the more accessible areas are well fished and it can be sad to find empty spinner packets. Some areas are open, others are enclosed by trees which because of their trickier fishing, hold good fish. To do justice to the length of water available you will need several days of exploration.
Malc