How was the spring fishing on the Spey in 2024? Answers Please!

Well, that would depend how you measured success!?  

For most rods on the Spey, this spring will have ended fishless. In fact, if success was measured by fish landed between March and the end of May, disappointment will feature heavily. That said, there are many others for whom the spring will have provided them with wonderful memories of some great fish caught and thankfully those keep everyone motivated to keep trying and coming back. If our only measure of a good, bad, or indifferent spring by tight lines only, then 2024 will be remembered by most as a dead duck with little or no action. But why?  

Right place right time! 

My first fish of the season on Zone 4 - But What Season?

For those few rods lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, 2024 has been memorable. Personally speaking, my first two days fishing in 2024 produced a fish on each day for me and at the end of my 6th day, I had caught 4 salmon. Some will think, well that's because you are a particularly good angler! However, although I’m an “experienced” angler, modesty and experience tells me, it's much more about being in the right place at the right time, and importantly, when I’m in the right place, keeping my fly not only in the water, but in the right part of the water. I have always said when salmon are there in good numbers, comfortable and happy in their lie, anyone can catch them. Conversely, if you are not in that place, they are the hardest and most frustrating fish of all to catch. The main reason you catch fresh spring salmon, is because, well, they are there!!  

Why did I know I was in the right place? Well, for a start the first fish I caught whilst fishing the upper pool on “Zone 2”. What, I hear you say, is Zone 2? It’s my personal code for the best and most productive part of the Spey, the area between two tributaries, the Mulben Burn to the River Fiddich. Each Zone on the Spey [and I’m sure other rivers] has a distinctive cohort of fish which, year on year, returns to and stops in this area. My take on the Spey is as follows - 

Zone 1 – The sea to the Mulben Burn.  

Zone 2 – The Mulben Burn to The Fiddich Burn. 

 Zone 3 – The Fiddich Burn – River Ann 

Zone 4 – River Ann – River Dulnain  

Zone 5 – Above the Dulnain. 

My first fish of 24 was caught on the Fiddich pool on Easter Elchies, on the 26th April. I fished the pool with extreme confidence knowing that until this time this pool had in fact produced more fish than any on the river. Which, with only a few fish running, was great for me, but not so good for the 160 other rods fishing the Spey that day. OK, a few anglers will have caught fish, but most will have returned blank. Interestingly, 20 of the then 25 fish caught on this beat to this date, were from this pool. Nice if you were lucky enough to be fishing here, but not so much if you were one of the 4 rods fishing other pools on the beat.  

Interestingly, the fish I caught that day was second time down the pool. Was it there during the first run down? Or did it take because I fished the pool completely differently and with a different fly? Well, both of above could be true. On the other hand, my fish may have come into the lie after I had finished my first run through. I have watched them in Iceland milling around a pool before returning to their preferred lie. However, the common denominator was, I most definitely was in the right place and at the right time; there was a fish there, and this had been the beats most productive pool, so the odds were stacking in my favour.  

How many times have we seen someone catching a fish behind their friend? Other than in association or club water, this never happened much in the past in salmon fishing as most people had the pool to themselves and like me had the free reign to change tactics and go down again themselves. The most important thing here, especially if as was the case here, was to stay in the pool where you know fish are present or are likely to stop. If you find them do not run away elsewhere and leave the “hot pool” to someone else. Unless of course local rules dictate this. Have a think about wading lines, speed, angle, and depth of the fly. If unsuccessful the first, fish it differently the second and third time. The key ingredient however, especially nowadays, is for a fish to be there and stopped in the area you are fishing. If you know or are confident there is then you can deploy so many different tactics to try and tempt one. 

There is no doubt that certain cohorts of salmon like/are destined-to, rest in specific areas/zones. Those zones may be up to 6 – 12 miles long and in a season with a strong run of fish, by the middle of May, most will have multiple pools holding some resident fish. However, during years with a poor run of fish, it may be that only a few, or, on extremely bad years, just one pool in that zone will see a build-up of fish. Sound familiar?  

Historically, there is no doubt that Zone 2 produces more fish than any other, with Zone 1 relying heavily on summer Grilse and Autumn Salmon. It takes an incredible run of spring salmon to populate all the pools in Zone 2,3,4 and 5. The spring (March /April) of 2024 saw very few fish in pools outside Zone 2 and within this zone, as previously mentioned, most were caught in the Fiddich pool. One “Zone” holding fish is bad enough, but one pool holding fish, should have the alarm bells ringing.  

I remember not too many years ago on the river Dee, the Ballogie beat caught a high percentage of the spring run, whilst rods fishing here saw this as being great; the fact that other beats had very few was a clear signal to myself and others that this was not good. A single Swallow never makes a summer. For the people who study and understand the river all the signs have been there for a long, long time. 

During the early 1990s, Tulchan, an estate situated in Zone 4, around 40 miles from the sea, ran a hatchery, bringing fish to smolt size and selling them to fish farms. Although  should not have happened, a few, well, a little more than a few, found their way into the river and "amazingly” for the next few years, this area produced an “abnormal” number of fish returning to this zone, particularly the pools near where “escaped” hatchery fish found their way into the river. Those “extra” few salmon ensured, at this time, Tulchan was the most talked about fishery on the river. Everyone wanted to fish here.   

Until 2012, the lower reaches (Zone 1) of our salmon rivers produced good runs of fresh autumn fish, few of which would ascend the river much more than 10 miles above the tide. Interestingly, because all the juveniles produced by those Autumn fish are/were found only in Zone 1, returning adults has no desire to move any further upstream. They were already home. This was the zone 1 cohort. The autumn run in every Scottish river follows this pattern. Extensive research in Iceland shows that where the juvenile fish are in the river system when they go through the biological change from parr to Smolt (river to sea fish) has a huge influence on where, which Zone, fish will pause on their return as adults. Wild fish will be no different. Zone 1 is the part of the river worse affected by floods and wash out. Gravel in this area is much more mobile and Juvenile fish produced here are more likely to be washed into the Sea during times of big waters. One or two big floods are fine and covered by the insurance policy of Autumn fish still in the ocean, however, it is my opinion that, continuous flooding over a longer period has wiped out this cohort of salmon on most Scottish rivers. Is this natural.? I’d say it is and naturally will take some time to return.   

In the case of the afore mentioned Tulchan, due to the fact they introduced many juvenile fish (smolts) in this area/zone, the return of adults was even more defined. We caught or saw very few of those at Knockando in Zone 4. Most were caught or could be seen in or around where they were planted as juveniles.  

At the time, apart from Castle Grant, I heard so many people say, all beats will have a chance at the extra Tulchan fish. Not so, as fish destined for this zone are unlikely to be caught elsewhere, particular another zone. This was something quite different to what was “Normal/natural” in the river, but great for the rods fishing here at this time.  

So, if you have found yourself in the right place at the right time in the spring of 24. Count yourself as being lucky. If not, then at least you know you are part of the majority.