Fishing Reports

A Close Encounter, a Not-So-Naive Highlander and a Stracathro Surprise River levels were high at the beginning of the week but had largely settled by Tuesday evening, bringing decent fishing...

Low but Steady Catches for this week were low but steady on the River North Esk.River levels fluctuated throughout the week, leading to unsettled conditions; and water temperature remained low (less...

A Red Herring and a Monkey! The first week of the fishing season saw settled conditions with near perfect water depth, although water temperature was very low (less than 5°C/41F).  Water levels rose...

Well... … the season is coming to a close shortly the way a fishing season should, unlike last year when both rivers closed 2 weeks early. On the 21st both rivers started dropping away after both...

Well... …the rain arrived on Wednesday and lifted both rivers to about 8 inches, not a lot but enough to awaken the fish to make them take a fly or two. Hopefully the rain will have also managed to...

We... …desperately need rain in both the North and South Esk, the rivers have never been this low before at this time of year. Salmon are holding up in the deeper pools just waiting for the rain,...

Last... ...week there was a very small rise in water on the North Esk on the 25th, blink and you will have missed it. It did improve the fish but alas only for a very short time. Thern the North Esk...

Another... … week with no rain to speak of, both rivers are at their lowest that they have been all year. Last week was the best we have had for a long time in sunshine hours, not get for fishing...

A very... …quiet week on both the North and South Esk last week, water levels are at there lowest so far this season with no rain forecast for the foreseeable future. It is not all doom and gloom;...

While... ..the fishing has slowed down a little, so therefore is has been fairly quiet on the rivers last week, it is not through lack of fish rather than the fish have just switched off for now at...

The fishing... ..continues to be very good, while not as busy as the previous week still very respectable with plenty of water and salmon. Both rivers had a rise the North Esk on the 27th to about...

You... …thought the previous week was busy! Well, the rivers again have been punching well above their weight, considering the number of rods that are out on any given day and the current state of...

A busy... … week on the North Esk with most beats reporting good returns. A little lift in the river levels helped a little to wake the fish up at the start of the week and set the ball rolling....

It has... … been and interesting couple of weeks. There was a fair bit of rain the South Esk came up a fraction to about 6 inches, the North Esk hardly came up at all. One would think that this...

What... …a week on the rivers, rain on the previous weekend put the rivers on fine from for the week ahead. The weather has been settled and warm making for perfect conditions. The grilse and summer...

A week of... … firsts last week and the fishing conditions could not have been better. Again, at the beginning of last week both the North and South Esk rose to about 1ft 6” on the North and 1ft 2”...

A wonderful... …. week on the rivers last week warmer weather a slight rise in river levels. North Esk up to about 1 foot, the South Esk up to about 6 inches. You could feel a change as the cleggs...

A very... …slow week on both the rivers last week, though the silver lining on the North Esk at least was that there was a slight rise of the river on the weekend, so hopefully this will liven up...

Low water...   ...last week made fishing very tricky and slow to say the least. Anglers on the South Esk say that they have never seen the river so low. It is certainly not due to any long hot...

What a difference ...a little water and warmth can make to a day’s fishing. Monday started with both rivers falling away to rain over the previous weekend, and with temperatures on the rise towards...

A very… ..slow week last week on both the North and South Esk, still cooler than it should be for the time of year, making for some tough fishing. Some rain did appear on Friday 14th June and...

It certainly…   ..does not feel like June! Snow on the tops of the Cairngorms and up at Glen Shee. The north wind is making it feel more like April. River temperatures are sitting at about 10c,...

Another.. tough week not through lack of salmon or sea trout, rather the water levels were on the move. With rain on Sunday both rivers had a lift in water, the North Esk came up about 8 inches,...

A Tricky.. …week last week with water levels on both the North and South Esk up and down with a good deal of peat stain as well. All this seemed to put the salmon and sea trout off if you were lucky...

Bright.. ..Sunshine dominated the weather this week, and as such the fishing was on the slow side. The sea trout have arrived in both the North and South Esk and the fishing for these lovely fish...

 A warm.. ..week with thermometer in some part hitting 25c, this does not make for idea fishing conditions, even so the river levels were still sitting at a pretty respectable 7 inches on average. A...

 A very.. .. quite week on the rivers last, it does happen at this time of year. We cannot complain we have had a very good spring thus far, plenty of water weather has been good a little on the...

A very.. ..different week this week, from 50 spring salmon to 10 and still on the cool side. That is the nature of fishing, right place right time. Kinnaber had 2 salmon last week and as I have...

The best.. ..week of the season so far, settled weather and rivers make for some good fishing. Still a nip in the air with the wind coming from the north with a touch of easterly or westerly. By all...

A week.. ..of two halves, the beginning of the week the water levels on both rivers where somewhat unsettled, which made fishing a little tricky. Balmakewan angler Bobby Ramage caught a lovely...

A tough.. ..week on both the North and South Esk with Monday being to only very good fishing day. High dirty water stopped play pretty much for the rest of the week clearing up a touch by the...

Springers.. Are well spread out in both the North and South Esk, so there are plenty of chances to come across the odd springer or two. Inshewan on the South Esk got off the mark with a 8lb salmon...

The week.. ..started on both rivers with the levels at 2ft 6" on the South Esk, 2ft on the North Esk. This will have brought fish into both rivers, though fishing was somewhat slower than it had...

Not.. ..Much in the way of rain appeared last week, not enough to make any difference at least. What did make a difference, on the 13th there was a big spring tide, this would have certainly brought...

A cold.. ...Easterly wind made fishing last week a little bit of a challenge, not just for the fish as apparently or so I was told as a boy the salmon do not like the wind up their backside. I think...

A busy.. ..Week on the North Esk last week, not much happening on the South Esk with few fish being caught on the private beats. The weather and water were spot on with a very small lift mid-week,...

An Ideal.. ..Week for fishing last week, with two small rises in river levels frosty mornings and ideal water conditions what more could a salmon angler ask for? The week started well with 2...

The opening.. . .Day for the 2024 season was held at Inshewan on the South Esk. There was a good turnout at Inshewan and the river was in fine form in fact both rivers were looking very fishable....

Not .. ..The glorious end to the fishing season that we were all hoping for. Monday, the rivers where high the South Esk being completely unfishable the North in pretty much the same state. This...

Not sure.. .. where to start? The week started off just like any other, then Storm Babet rolled in, and all hell broke loose. Up until the evening of the 18th the fishing for the start of the week...

Big.. ..Water at the start of last week. Both the North and South Esk were running at about 8ft on Sunday, though slow to come down to fishable height for Monday morning. The South Esk on Monday...

A good.. ..Start to last week with good river levels plus the weather was being kind, as we all know it all changed on Friday evening lifting both rivers up to about 8ft. It seems some beats are...

Two.. .. days last week were a write-off for fishing Monday with a 4ft rise early in the morning; to be fair a few fish were caught last thing on Monday when the water was dropping. The other was a...

Fantastic.. .. river levels last week with Wednesday being the only unfishable day on both the North and South Esk, good water levels are just what is needed at this time of year. It seems that the...

Two.. ..completely different weeks. The first was hot with blazing sun; it must be said it was unseasonably warm with anglers being advised by ghillies to fish in the early morning and evenings. On...

It has.. ..been a quiet week, and the next few weeks are set to be the same, more on that later. A little rain on the Sunday evening put some water into both the North and South Esks, 4 inches at...

Peat.. ..turned the rivers quite dark at the being of the week after heavy rains up in the glens; as the week progressed both rivers cleared a little. It is the time of year for peaty water though...

It's Hard Work... ..fishing at the moment on both the North and South Esk. The frustrating thing is that there are plenty of fish in both rivers, well enough to keep one interested. The grilse run...

It is a great.. time of year to be on the river, just to sit and watch the river go by rod resting up against a tree waiting for the sun to go off the water, then when the time is right start...

There.. .. Are still quite a few sea trout being caught which is always lovely to here, the grisle are still thin on the ground even though there are quite a few being caught nowhere near the number...

Five… ...Salmon over 15lbs were caught on the Esks last week. Three from the North Esk one at Balmakewan caught by Blaine Lyon at 20lbs, the other caught Mr J Murray at Pert at 22lbs and lastly a 15...

What a week… ...it has been on both the North and South Esk with sea trout still coming in and the grilse starting to appear in numbers. Two days on the South Esk were unfishable due to high dirty...

Sea Trout. . are the fish of the moment with plenty being caught towards the end of last week. A small rise of water came on the 5th only on the South Esk. The bigger rise came on the 7th then...

The fish. .are playing hard ball at the moment, running the rivers after dark and sulking in deep pools and pots during the day, not very conducive to catching a fish. On Wednesday 28th June a lot...

A good week. .at last with good numbers of sea trout being caught, again I am sure that more  have been caught on the private, club waters and the syndicate beats on both rivers. The week started...

Another.. ..Week without a cloud in the sky and not a drop of rain, this made fishing very difficult and those who headed out fished in the early morning or in the evening. Sadly, I have not heard...

Blazing Sunshine.. ..Last week, though the evenings were still on the cool side which made sea trout fishing in the evenings tricky. The only salmon to come off both rivers last week was on Saturday...

Still Cool... ..Up and down the rivers last week, we should be in shirt sleves at this time of year? I feel that the slow pace of the fishing has been partly due to several factors, one is very...

Sunshine …ruled the roost last week so did low water; this does not make for very good fishing conditions although it does though make it lovely to be outside by the river. The fishing week was cut...

The Days The days are getting a lot longer with shorter hours of darkness. You can look at this time of year as one angler put it to me as "changeover”. The spring run is coming to an end, so not...

Spring Days are still cold with a persistent easterly wind, with some days from the north thrown in just for good measure. Not as many springers caught last week as the previous one, although the...

  A Bright Week It was a bright week for most of the time last week, the sun always seems a lot brighter at this time year, maybe it's that we have not seen it for so long. Both rivers started...

  A Mixed Week it was, with the water up then down and Thursday a total wash out espeically below the Luther which was running a thick chocolate colour. I suspect this is due to all the sowing...

A pattern Seems to be emerging a good week followed by a slow one, it does tie in with warmer weather then cooler? who knows. The fact is that springers are in both the North and South Esk as...

 Spring I feel has finally arrived when the Primrose's appear on the river banks, on a damp wet day they can make a welcome sight to the otherwise still fairly dull brown landscape. I could waffle...

 The water Was up and down like a yo yo, with big tides rain, throw in an equinox for good measure and all this made fishing last week a little tricky to say the least. A few fish were caught, but...

 Springers Are starting to show up a little more now, with the rise in water it has spured the fish on. It was great to hear that two beats on the North Esk, Gallery and Canterland got of the mark...

 North Wind Was still with us last week, this made for some very cold and tricky fishing even so anglers still ventured forth to the rivers. Both rivers were almost down to summer levels with  water...

 A Tough Week Last week on the rivers with the levels sitting at about 3-4 inches, so no tails of monster salmon and epic battles this week I am afraid. There were alot of anglers out trying their...

Fisherman Love A good story especially about the one that got away or casting to the same spot and catching three springers on the trot, more on that later. Last week the rivers were low, not...

2023 Season is finally upon us and it feels like a long wait as the Esks are one of the last to open. It only seems like yesterday that 2022 season finished, alot has happened to the rivers between...

2022 The season  had a soggy start with the both the North and South Esk almost unfishable on the first day, unsurprisingly nothing was caught. Once the catches commenced Canterland pipped...

The Last Week Both rivers were up and down at the begining of the week, settling down toward the end and a perfect day on the last day which was the Monday, which I have inclued in this report. The...

Water plus Unseasonabley warm weather was making  fishing alittle more tricky last week. With high water on Monday after the weekend and finally dropping the Tuesday or Wednesday depending on where...

Red Was the colour of the week last, both with fly choice and in the eyes of the big boys snapping away at anything that came their way. One big grumpy fella looking after his patch in the Brigdes...

The Rivers Have been quiet again twith a lift in the middle of the week, South Esk coming up to just over 2ft and the North Esk 1ft6" this no doubt would have moved fish on up the river and over the...

Pretty Much the same as last week but with the added bonus of a lift in water of just over a foot for both the North and South Esk. The fish are pushing fairly hard thoughout both systems now and...

Not as busy As last week as the water levels where dropping back down again, still there are some good fish are being caught. The sea trout are still being caught in relatively good numbers for the...

 A Settled week Last on both the Esks, the South did start the week with 1ft 6" on the gauge at Gella Bridge which would have helped those fishing the upper river. Cortachy had three salmon that day...

 The Best Week so far this season with a total number of fish caught at 87 across both rivers that have been reported. I am sure that number will  be higher if you take into account the private and...

 A Tough Week last week with no rise in the river and the weather a little stagnat and still. Do not get me wrong there was some beauitful but the time for lovely weather is up, there is a big...

 The Nights Are drawing in now fairly quickly with the sun dipping behind the hills at about 8.15pm, so with that the evenings  fishing for sea trout have all but finished. That being said there are...

 The Rise  in Water Came at long last, with the South Esk coming up about 2ft and the North Esk 1ft,  it most certainly woke the fish up alittle also helped by the drop in water temperature but as...

 Well last week Was a warm one to say the the least and as expected there was not alot of action on the rivers. As far as I know no fish where caught on the South Esk last week with a few beats not...

The Rain Did make an apprence at the being of the week adding 2 ft 6" to the South Esk and only a few inches to the North Esk. Sea trout seem to be the prominent fish being caught at the moment with...

Not fishy weather At all last week with bright sunshine, very high tempertures and low water it was not surprising that very few people where out fishing with fish mostly caught in the middle of the...

Sea Trout Seem to be dominating the catches at the moment with only a handful of salmon/grilse coming to the fly, it might be that most of anglers are out in the evenings as the day time as we all...

At last We have had some rain, the South Esk had a lift up to 1ft 3" at Gella Bridge toward the begining of last week and a few top ups, not alot but it is some thing at least. The North Esk had a...

With Rain On the horizon, well some at least the rivers hopefully will get a top up and a clean out as well, this would be the most rain that we have since March. As I write the South Esk levels are...

Another Dry Week was had and with the cool wind just to keep the temperture down. With rain forecast to come from the west at the being of last week hopes of a break in low water where hopeful,...

Warm Weather Has been with us for a while now which is rare in Scotland and the wind when coming out of the east still has a bite to it. Fishing has been tough with only a few salmon caught, all on...

Still waiting For the heavens to open and gives us the much needed rain, though it has rained alas just enough to keep the grass growning.  Not as busy on the rivers last week, still the sea trout...

Long Evenings The sea trout are starting to show up a little bit more now with a few grilse showing up as well, the best fishing is just around the corner. Fishing late into the evening for sea...

It is Hard Work At the moment with a very small rise at the being of last week which did little to move fish apart from muck up the water. There are fish in both rivers with a few more coming off...

It is Still Tough Fishing on the Esks with no rain to speak of and not much for the coming weeks has been a very hard slog to say the least with nothing caught last week, there are fish in the river...

Hard Going With very little water on the horizon it was hard going on the Esks last week, temperatures still on the cool side and low water all added to make the fishing tricky. None the less a few...

Rain. A bit of rain is need this week to stir up the fish a little, also great to see that Kinnaird Upper on the South Esk had their first Sea Trout of the year and Inshewan on rhe South Esk had two...

Low water. “The past week the water has been sitting at 5-7 INS at Logie Mill and whilst that alone isnt too bad there has been a lack of fish running in any numbers. Some beats are still seeing...

Tougher fishing. “With the lower water levels this week in general things have been on the tough side fishing wise, saying that there are still fish running through in smaller numbers. The weather...

What a week! With both rivers looking in to be in perfect condition the week ahead look very promising. Gallery started the week of with a fantastic deep fish at 16lbs caught and retured by Mr Peter...

Great Water Conditions on Monday made it look promising for the coming week and indeed it did as Kinnaber started the week off with an 18lbs. Then wind picked up a bit and this always makes...

The Week Started By looking promising with great water levels and good weather, sadly the weather  turned and by Thursday and Friday  it was big high and coloured water. None the less the North Esk...