River Alness - Trout Fishing

---

Like many Highland salmon rivers, the Alness has an excellent head of wild brown trout. A ‘good’ trout is generally considered as ½ lb to 1 lb in size, but there are trout of up to 2 lbs in most pools, and some larger trout, though catching them is not easy. The largest trout we have caught in the past few years has been 3 lbs, but bigger fish have been lost. Ironically, some of the better trout are caught while salmon and sea trout fishing, particularly in high water, when they will sometimes take even the largest tube fly.

There are good trout throughout the river, but the upper beats generally fish best: the trout are more opportunistic and free rising, while in the summer
months and particularly on the lower beats the trout lie in deeper pools during the day and they appear to be most active at night. Beat 1 offers some of the most varied river conditions, with many slower gravel-bottomed pools and glides, in beautiful surroundings of heather moorland with a mountain backdrop.

The best trout fishing is generally in the spring, particularly May and early June. In early spring there is also a migration of larger trout from Loch Morie into the river, where food is more plentiful, returning back to the loch in early June.

Olives hatch throughout the season, and upstream dry fly fishing on the upper beats in the spring with a 4-weight rod and a dry Greenwell’s Glory, Wickham’s Fancy or John Storey can be idyllic, and akin to chalk stream fishing, except for the whisky colour tinge to the water. In higher water conditions a team of wet flies fished downstream can produce excellent results; a wet Greenwell’s always reliable to catch fish. In addition to olives, there can be large hatches of sedges in the summer and some very large stonefly
on the lower beats in the spring.

Pricing
'Trout only' permits are available on the River Alness from mid-March until the end of June, and are priced at £12-50 per rod per day. Rods are limited to 4 per beat (Beat 1 is 1.4 miles/2.25 km long), and an entire beat can be reserved for just £40 per day.

Home Trout Fishing Salmon Fishing Pike Fishing Fishing Reports Fly Fishing Holidays Excursions Instruction & Guiding Courses & Trips Corporate Hospitality Special Offers - Trout Special Offers - Salmon Other Activities About TroutQuest Contact Us Links