2008 Season Fishing Reports

Week Ending 31/10/08
The fishing on Monday started with another spate peaking at 1.25m (+2’ 9”). As last week the lower beats were almost unfishable initially, but thankfully water levels dropped away during the week. Conditions were challenging though, particularly on Tuesday when there was 4” of snow lying on the ground on the upper beats and heavy snow showers throughout the day (thankfully not a normal occurrence in October!). This produced another small rise for Wednesday, but after that it was falling water for the closing days, dropping by Friday to +1’ 2”. There was some excellent fishing for those prepared to brave the elements and fish sunk lines or sink tips where necessary, and the total catch for the week on the Novar beats was 56 fish.

Sandy Datta’s team of experienced anglers from Wick & the Tay accounted for 41 of this total, all but one returned: Sandy landed 10, George Doull 12, Graham Shepherd 8 and Stan Pelc 6. Lewis Campbell, who joined the team just for the last 2 days, landed 5 including his personal best, a fish of 15 lbs from Beat 6. Elsewhere on the beats Ian Dudgeon caught 4 fish from Beat 2 on Monday, Andy Murphy caught a 10 lbs fish from Beat 5 on Tuesday (his fishing curtailed by a snow related incident!), Phil Hughes caught his first (and second!) ever salmon during the snowfall on Beat 2 on Tuesday and Wynn Krause also caught his first salmon from Beat 2 on Wednesday.

A great week to bring the season to a close. Initial counts suggest 166 fish landed on the Novar beats in October and a season total of over 395 salmon & grilse!

Week Ending 25/10/08
The rain continued over the weekend and peaked on Monday with a spate reaching 1.20m (+ 2’ 7”). This was borderline unfishable, tipped over the edge on occasions by continued leaf fall. Heavy showers on a daily basis kept water levels at +1’ 8” to 2’ throughout the week and the best fishing was to be found on the upper beats.

19 salmon & grilse were landed during the week including a 10 lbs salmon to Chris Peplow; fish of 8 lbs and 6 lbs to son Josh, and a 4 lbs grilse to his brother Harry, all from Beats 1 & 2. Nina Leitch caught her first ever salmon, a grilse of 5 lbs from Raven’s Rock, Beat 4 on the Wednesday.

Week Ending 18/10/08
The week started at +6” dropping away to 4” by Wednesday, and the fishing at the start of the week was slow. Rain later in the week produced a rise to +8” on Friday, which seemed to get the fish moving again and culminated in +11” for the Saturday. With the rain came strong winds though and frustratingly a major fall of leaves, so despite the improved water levels the fishing was never easy.

It looks like just 11 fish were landed for the week, but amongst them some real success stories: Pene Parker and Christin Aucunas both caught their first salmon, Pene a 5½ lbs grilse from Beat 1 and Christin who had travelled all the way from Barcelona, a 4 lbs grilse from Beat 4. Meanwhile on Beat 6, John Cameron from Dingwall landed his biggest salmon ever, a fish estimated at +/- 20 lbs landed after nearly half an hour from the Miller’s pool and subsequently returned – superb! Thore Garbers from London landed a 10 lbs salmon from Beat 4 on Saturday.

Week Ending 11/10/08
The water level to start the week was +12” falling from Saturday’s spate. More rain on Monday produced a small rise for Tuesday, and then water levels dropped gradually through the week back to +8”. It was another excellent week with 52 salmon & grilse caught on the Novar waters with catches spread across the beats.

Amongst the most successful anglers, Michael Hodge caught 6 (including a 10 lbs fish from Beat 1), Nick Fitzgerald & Peter Hukins landed 5 each and Chris Brotherton caught 6 fish for his 4 days fishing including a 14lbs fish from the Gorge on Beat 2. Alan Wreathall from Essex had already landed a 14½ lb cock fish from the same pool earlier in the week.

There were 3 ‘first salmon’ caught during the week; David Hook from Wiltshire landed a 4lbs grilse from Beat 5 on Thursday, Tony Scott from Portugal caught his first 2 grilse from Beat 2 on Friday and Shane Macdermott from Australia, fly fishing for the first time, caught his first 3 fish from Beat 4 on Wednesday!

Week Ending 04/10/08
The week started with water levels at +3" rising slowly to + 5" by Tuesday. Thereafter the rain picked up and there was a succession of spates through the week on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Water levels were like a rollercoaster, rising to + 1' 8" to 1' 11" and falling away to +12" or so in between. The colder weather helped also and the fishing was generally very good, though varying with the fluctuating water level. Overall it was an excellent week with 42 fish caught on the Novar beats. There were fish caught on every beat and a good mix of salmon and grilse including a few fresh fish, though nothing sea-liced.

On the beats there was a competitive edge amongst the anglers. The ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ team of Alistair MacIntosh, Steve Lingard and Mike Barlow were joined by Jason Downie who was desperate to achieve the status of ‘top rod’ for the week. His ambition was hindered by the fact that he only fished 3 days, but he did land 4 fish including 2 from Beat 1. His older fishing companions paced themselves for a week of fishing and Steve ended up with 3, Alistair with 6 (including fish of 8lbs & 9lbs) and Mike 7 (including a 9lbs fish). Despite Jason’s attempt in vain to get 3 sea bass added to his catch return, Mike Barlow lifts the title for a week at least.

Meanwhile, the Alex Stables cup was being fiercely contested by Alex, son John, Terry Young and ‘rookie’ Kevin Barry. The competition ‘went to the wire’ on the 5th and last day with John picking up the trophy for his 4 fish including an 11½ lbs salmon from Beat 6. Terry just missed out with 3 fish and Kevin picked up his first ever salmon a 5lbs grilse from Beat 5.

Elsewhere on the rotations, Darren Leete also caught his first ever salmon on Beat 5 a day earlier and Mike Allen from Tain landed a clean 12lbs salmon from Beat 4.

Water levels are expected to be good throughout next week; at least + 6 inches for the first half of the week.

Week Ending 27/09/08
There was no rain last week and fine autumnal weather prevailed. Despite OK water levels at +5” dropping to +3” during the week and apparent good numbers of fish throughout the beats they were reluctant to take and the fishing was a bit dour. Only 10 fish were caught on the Novar beats, though there were quite a few lost early in the week. Mark Hewitt caught 2 on Beat 6 on Monday and another on Saturday, and David Makgill-Crichton took a fish off Beat 3 and Beat 6 on Thursday and Friday, otherwise it was single fish. Frosts are needed to reduce water temperature and/or a spate required to liven things up. The outlook for next week is better as there is a lot of rain in the forecast and spring tides are due mid-week.

Week Ending 20/09/08
Persistent drizzle on Monday and Tuesday and prolonged rain on Thursday produced 2 spates during the week on the Wednesday and Friday both peaking at about 16-17" above summer low. Resident and fresh fish took advantage of the conditions and were running hard through the beats but despite the seemingly excellent conditions the fishing was never easy and in general they were reluctant to take. Although there was no bonanza it was a good week and 39 fish are known to have been caught on the Novar beats.

Ian Moutter’s party accounted for 14 fish in total with 7 to David Ward from London including salmon of 9lbs and 8lbs, and 3 grilse to Philip Sharnock from Kent, all 6-7lbs. Amongst other anglers Charlie Mason caught his first salmon for ‘some time’ on Beat 5 on the Tuesday and son Rob caught 2 grilse from Beat 3 the following day. John Walton caught 3 fish for his 2 days fishing pre-spates, Tony Relph caught 2 grilse and fishing partner Nick Fallowfield-Cooper caught his first salmon a 3 lbs grilse from Beat 2. Also noteworthy Sam Hatfield caught a 7lbs fish from the Meadow Flats, Beat 2 on Tuesday but the same day was also connected to something much bigger for 30 minutes without being able to raise it off the bottom!

There is currently no rain in the forecast for next week but minimum water levels will be + 3-4".

Week Ending 13/09/08
There was no significant rain last week and water levels were maintained at + 3-4" through compensation flow. Despite this reasonable background level the fishing was hard going and only 11 fish are known to have been caught. There were fresh grilse running through the lower beats on Friday and Saturday but they were reluctant to take. Amongst the successful anglers Steve Warr from Essex caught 3 grilse including fish of 6lbs and 6½lbs, and Andrew Goodge from Aberdeenshire caught 2.

Week Ending 06/09/08
Rain last Sunday produced a nice rise in water levels for the start of the week, running at + 8". Occasional heavy showers over the next few days kept levels between + 6" and 9" until Thursday, slowly dropping to + 3" by Saturday. The fishing was generally good though it did slow slightly towards the end of the week. Catches were mainly fresh-run grilse, with the odd salmon amongst them and the total number of fish caught on the Novar beats for the week looks at the moment to be 32.

The Novar beats continue to produce ‘first salmon’ a total of 4 this week to the Campbell & Matthews party from London: First off was Nigel Campbell with a grilse of 6lbs on Monday from Beat 4. Jonathan Matthews and Allison Campbell then caught their first fish of 7lbs and 5¾ lbs respectively from Beat 2 on Tuesday and Georgie Campbell caught a lovely fresh grilse of 3lbs from Beat 5 on Wednesday.

Other successful anglers included Sir Patrick & Lady Salt who had 9 fish between them for the week and Alan Shearer from Orkney who landed 5 fish for his 3 days fishing.

Week Ending 30/08/08
Despite reasonable water levels ranging between + 4" to + 6" it was a much tougher week, with fish seeming reluctant to take, and most encounters resulting in short pulls or lost fish. Just 9 fish are known to have been landed, mainly small grilse in the 3 to 4 lbs range, though David Wells from Herefordshire landed a 12lb salmon from Beat 4 on Saturday.

Another 2 ‘first salmon’ were caught during the week, with a grilse each to Harry Neal and William Despard.

Week Ending 23/08/08
The week started with receding water levels from the spate of the 15th, and remained good with additional spates on Tuesday and Thursday. The latter spate reached 1.25m in height (+ 33"!) briefly, and was the first of the summer through the Loch Morie catchment. As a consequence we have at last benefited from the loch reserves being replenished, which will ensure reasonable minimum levels for the next few weeks. The fishing was excellent throughout the week with a total of 55 fish caught on the Novar beats. Catches were mainly grilse, many fresh-run, but there were also a few salmon of 7-10lbs caught.

Billy Marshall from Northern Ireland and Stewart Woodhall from Yorkshire fished 5 days and had 7 and 6 fish respectively, Billy catching at least a fish each day and Stewart restoring some balance with 3 fish from Beat 5 on Saturday. Also on Saturday John McRorie caught 3 fish on Beat 3. Earlier in the week Julian St Lawrence caught 3 fish on Beat 2, showing salmon & grilse are now well spread through the river.

There were 2 first salmon caught: Svante Carllson from Sweden caught a 4½ lbs grilse from Beat 4 on Saturday, but the headline story is the capture of a 5½ lbs grilse by 7 year old Henry Despard from Beat 6 on Friday – an epic struggle never forgotten!

Week Ending  16/08/08
The week started with water levels just 1" above summer low but there was a small rise midweek and prolonged rain on Friday morning produced a good spate that evening (+ 15") and Saturday. There were fish caught throughout the week, but the very best fishing was on Saturday.

On Monday, brothers Harry & Josh Peplow (13 & 12!) from Shropshire both caught grilse on Beat 3. Harry’s 5 lbs grilse was his first salmon, Josh having ‘got off the mark’ last year. The same day there was another first salmon caught by Ken Metcalfe on Beat 6, a grilse of 4½ lbs. Jamie Marwick had a nice grilse of 5½ lbs from Beat 5 on Tuesday and Steve Warr and John Currie both had 2 fish each from Beat 6 on Thursday. The spate on Friday produced a good run of fresh sea-liced fish on Saturday and Chris Peplow caught 3 (all around 5 lbs) from Beat 6, while Steve Warr caught 3 on Beat 4. Simon Ranner from Herts also notched his first salmon with a 5 ¾ lbs grilse from Beat 5.

There were at least 27 fish caught on the Novar beats during the week, 17 of them to SalmonQuest's rods. Catches were mainly grilse, but there were also some much bigger salmon encountered. A cracking fresh salmon of 15lbs was caught on Beat 4 by John Currie on Saturday and a fish estimated at 20-23lbs was lost on Beat 2 on Wednesday by Chris Peplow.

Week Ending  09/08/08
A few very heavy showers on Sunday produced some localised flash floods overnight producing a dramatic sharp rise in river levels on Sunday night/Monday morning, but again this fell away very quickly as none of the rain has fallen in the Loch Morie catchment. Despite optimistic forecasts of rain, the rest of the week was mainly dry and the water level fell away to just + 1" by the end of the week. Just 8 fish are known to have been caught on the Novar beats during the week, mainly fresh run grilse, but a 9lb salmon was also landed on Beat 3.

Week Ending  02/08/08
Water levels at the beginning of the week were just 1-1.5" above summer low. Prolonged light rain on Thursday evening and overnight through to Friday morning eventually produced a spate through the Blackwater on Friday night reaching about 13" above summer low, though the water level fell away quickly. Very little rain fell in the Loch Morie catchment. In all 13 fish were caught during the week on the Novar beats. Andrew Monaghan and Mark Taylor both caught grilse before the rise in water level, but most of the fish caught were on the Saturday. Mark’s fish was his first salmon, a 5 lbs grilse from Beat 6 and he caught his second on the Saturday from Beat 5 where his fishing companion Phil Jenkins also notched his first fish, a 4lbs grilse.

Week Ending  26/07/08
Background water levels fell away from + 3" at the beginning of the week to + 1" by Friday. Despite the low water levels grilse entered the lower part of the river in significant numbers, but they were unable to pass the weir in Alness. A freshet released on Friday raised the water level by 5" allowing the fish passage, and they quickly ran through dispersing through the length of the river becoming hard to find. There was little angling effort on the Novar beats and only 1 grilse was caught.

Week Ending  19/07/08
Weather forecasts looked good for the week, but they were hopelessly wrong, and the heavy rain forecast never materialised, just drizzle and a few light showers. Base water levels were at 1.5 to 2" above summer low, and the river did rise at the end of the week, but only by 1.5 in, not enough to get any fish moving. Just 2 salmon were caught on the Novar beats, but these included a first salmon for Giuseppi Orsi from Milan (a 4lb grilse from Beat 6), and a 9lb salmon to Mike Allen from Tain caught on Beat 5 on the Saturday. There was also a first sea trout for Harry Lees-Buckley caught at night on Beat 4. Rain is needed, but the forecast is for fine weather.

Week Ending  12/07/08
Hopes of a return to early grilse runs were short lived, though there was a run of grilse through the lower beats on the Tuesday. Despite a small rise in the river level to plus 6" on the 8th, just 2 salmon were caught for the week including a 9lb fish to Alaster Robertson from Beat 3 on the Tuesday, and 2 sea trout, one to Jamie Stenhouse the other to Alex Hook.

Week Ending  05/07/08
Water levels were low at just 1 to 2” above summer low all week, and with no visiting anglers the fishing was largely ignored by the seasonal lets with the result that there were no catches on the Novar Beats.

June 2008
There was almost no rain locally and throughout the Northern Highlands for most of May and the first 3 weeks of June, and like all rivers (with the exception of those with hydro-electric schemes on them), water levels were at or below normal summer lows for most of this period, with the result that there were very few fish entering the river.

Rain finally came on the 22nd and there was a good but short lived spate of 2½ ft on the 23rd producing a good run of both spring salmon and grilse through the Novar beats. Peter McAllister caught 4 on Beat 5 on the Monday, all grilse between 5 and 6½ lbs. 5 more grilse were caught during the week, the last on the Saturday a grilse of 6½ lbs caught by John Cameron from Dingwall in Topham’s Pot, Beat 3.

A fish was also lost on Beat 2, showing that salmon & grilse had taken advantage of the conditions with some running through to the upper beats and probably through to Loch Morie also.