Latest from Lethen Estate
Weekly Report W/B Monday 6th May 2024
On Monday Jack Christison got the week off to a good start with two fish landed on the Altnahara Beat. Both were from Black on a Willie Gun, around 8lb and 14lbs just before the water rose. He also reported seeing a few others. On the Daltra beat Frank Kennedy & Colin Apperley also reported seeing a fair number of fish in Daltra, Dalnashaugh, Sand and White Stream.
On Tuesday Colin Apperley caught and safely released an 8lb salmon in the Island Stream. On the Altnahara beat Jason McCruden also had success. He rose a fish straight away at Black but it didn’t take and casting right down the tail hooked and netted a cracking 9lb salmon.
On Wednesday Steven Hulme was out on Altnahara and landed a fresh 10lb hen fish in the tail of the Chair on an Orange Ally Shrimp. Frank & Colin reported they lost two and rose two but landed none.
On Thursday morning Colin landed a 6lb fish on a Frodin Willie Gunn in the tail of Lairds. Colin and Frank ended the week with two fish. They confirmed there were a fair number of fish in the bottom of the beat in Dalnashaugh and White Stream, but didn't see any fish in Loop ,Laird's and Jean's Cast.
Ben Smith reported an amazing week on the Dunearn beat, but unfortunately they somehow ended blank after an unbelievable amount of activity with 12 takes, follows, and swirls at flies.
Latest from Ian Neale, Altyre Estate
The early Spring run on the Altyre beats, of the River Findhorn continued to build throughout W/C April 15th, with even more big MSW salmon running every day. The weather was often a little inclement with, strong cold North Easterly winds, mixed in a bag full of rain, sleet, hail and a few rumbles of thunder! The very best of April!
It was quite hard going over the first couple of days with water levels yo yoing from day to day. On Tuesday Graham Crombie hooked and lost a big fish from the Garden pool on Altyre lower beat. By Wednesday, levels had started to fall away and fishing conditions were spot on. Martyn Fryer hooked and lost a fish in Roan pool, quickly followed by another sea liced fish of around 8lbs. This was Martyn’s first ever Spring salmon and he was delighted! Just before lunch, Graham Crombie hooked and landed an absolute cracking fish of around 16 lbs from the Garden pool and hid biggest fish to date. Further upstream on the upper beat, Ian Hill-Trevor hooked and lost a big fish from Palamore, which after a long tussle ran hard into the tail of the pool and threw the hooks! In the afternoon Graham Crombie hooked and landed another fresh fish of around 6 lbs from Roehillock pool on the upper beat. Meanwhile, on the lower beat, Ian Hill-Trevor hooked and lost another two fish from Roan pool. It wasn’t his day!
By Thursday river levels were still at a respectable 1’4”on the Forres gauge. Graham Crombie accounted for an early fish of around 8lbs from Palamore pool on the upper beat. Finally, Ian Hill-Trevor was rewarded with a cracking fresh fish of around 14 lbs from the Garden pool on the lower beat. Guy, was also rewarded with his first fresh fish of the week of around 10 lbs, from the Soldier’s Hole pool on the upper beat.
By Saturday morning, river levels were still holding nicely at 1’5” on the Forres gauge. On his third cast of the morning Graham Crombie was back in action, with a really cracking solid fish of around 19 lbs from Palamore pool on the upper beat. What a way to start the day! A little later in the morning and Graham managed to hook and land another fresh fish of around 8 lbs from Roehillock pool on the upper beat. Ian Hill-Trevor was also back in action with another fish of around 12 lbs from the Garden pool on the lower beat.
Finally on late Saturday afternoon and Guy hooked into his second fish of the week, which after a good long battle was finally netted and an absolute belter of around 22 lbs. What a wonderful way to finish the week and well done to “Team Crombie”!
Ian Neale, Altyre Estate, River Findhorn.
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