Salmon Fishing on the North Esk
The North Esk is a fine Scottish east coast salmon river. It has its source in two streams, the Lee and the Mark, which join at Invermark to form the North Esk. Shortly after, it is joined by the Tarf, another important spawning tributary. The river runs south east for a distance of 35 miles to enter the North Sea north of Montrose. The North Esk can produce about 1000 salmon and grilse in a season.
Salmon are likely to be up past the “Loups of the Burn”, a series of falls about fifteen miles below Loch Lee, and into the upper beats of Invermark and Millden, by April. The lower river flows through a series of excellent long holding pools, giving excellent fishing on beats such as Gannochy, Arnhall, Dalladies, Stracathro, Inglismaldie, Pert, Balmakewan, Canterlands and Gallery. The North Esk is really a spate river, requiring rain to give good sport in the summer months, when sea trout might also be caught following a summer spate, perhaps on a small Mepps spoon fished on a light spinning rod, or perhaps on a small traditional sea trout pattern, such as a Peter Ross or Black Pennell, fished, day or night, on a single handed rod of about ten feet, or maybe a small silver stoat tube fly.
Enquiries to Joseph Johnston & Sons, 3 America Street, Montrose.
River North Esk Map
Tap or click on the map below to view full size image
Note: the maps on this website are extracts from the Bartholomew “Half Inch” map series dating back to the middle of the twentieth century. There have been many changes since the maps were made, and much of the human detail, e.g. buildings and roads, will have changed over the period. It is to be hoped, however, that the unique character of our Scottish rivers, and the trout and salmon in them, will not have altered too dramatically over the years and that they may still offer the wonderful fishing prospects of days gone by. Bearing the above in mind, anyone planning a fishing or walking trip in Scotland is advised to equip themselves with a compass and the appropriate up-to-date Ordnance Survey map, the most useful for the angler probably being the Landranger series, scale 1:50,000. For the North Esk, see O.S. map number 44.
For further information about the fishing on the North Esk see River North Esk Fishing
For information about the trout fishing in the area see Trout Fishing Scotland