Finavon

Welcome To Finavon Castle Water

Finavon Castle Water offers a variety of fishing opportunities, from early Springtime, through to late Autumn for salmon, while we are also fortunate to be in a position in which we are often blessed with healthy sea trout runs in midsummer which can provide some of the most heart stopping sport on light tackle available anywhere in the British Isles. Finavon Castle is regularly one of the most productive beats on the South Esk, which is one of the best smaller rivers in the UK for Salmon and Sea Trout.

Salmon and Sea Trout Fishing

The fishing is normally let as two beats, Milton and Indies, each having a length of c 1.25 miles and which comfortably fish 3 rods each, although we welcome enquiries from teams of all sizes and can often provide flexibility for single or double rod parties. Each beat has a well-equipped hut, with BBQ and gas rings, and a composting toilet. The water on each beat has a magical variety of pools, riffles and runs which can produce fish in different heights of water and which often require the use of various different techniques and tactics to unlock their secrets, and which we hope will keep the discerning angler comfortably intrigued and interested throughout the duration of their visit and beyond. Ghillying and tuition can also be provided if desired. Access is easy for most cars via well-maintained tracks. Local amenities include accommodation (either at the Finavon Hotel or a variety of self-catering accommodation options) and a café and shop within easy reach. For the more adventurous, FCW’s situation and facilities make it an ideal camping location.

The natural woodland surroundings at Finavon are a haven for all manner of Scottish flora and fauna and are carefully managed to give a satisfying mixture of easy access to the angler and positive habitat preservation and improvement for our wildlife, while retaining a sense of mystique and a natural purity of which we are very proud. Visitors to Finavon can expect to see all manner of woodland creatures large and small, and it often pays to walk quietly when moving from pool to pool to be in with a chance of observing red squirrels, otters, roe deer, tree creepers and kingfishers to name only a few. The woodland wildflowers in early summer are also a sight not to be missed, with Bellflower, Hesperus, Vetch, Comfrey and Purslane among many others providing a riot of colour and scents.

Finavon has a deep and special charm which is keenly felt and loved by many. When you fish at Finavon it is worth remembering that you are in a thin and ancient place steeped in history both good and bad, dramatic and mundane. You are walking in the footsteps of the pre Pictish settlers of the hill fortress above you, the men of the Legions of Rome and of Pictish warriors, and those of the medieval parishioners who worshipped in the chapel above the river at Kirkinn. Did any of them forage the banks for berries, stalk roe deer and boar amongst the alders and willows and catch salmon and sea trout from the river? They probably would not recognise the river as it is now, but is there any trace of them left residing in the shadows and riverside mists? It is certainly easy to imagine so on a summer’s dawn when the sun breaks the crest of Finavon Hill in a triumphant explosion of gold and copper shards which cast lances of light through the last of the night’s shadows which are dissipating from the pool you are about to fish down while the salmon and grilse begin to splash enticingly below you, awaiting your first casts in the here and now.

Autumn at the Red Brae in a good fishing water. Looking downstream from the suspension bridge the first pool is Craigo Stream, with Red Brae immediately below.