Salmon Fishing on the River Conon
The River Conon, on Scotland’s north east coast, is the largest of the Easter Ross-shire rivers, fed by tributaries Orrin, Blackwater, Bran and Meig. The river was harnessed for Hydro Electric production in the nineteen fifties, to the great detriment of the once fabulous Spring salmon fishing on the river. The best of the salmon fishing is now on the main lower river and on the Blackwater from July to September.
Dingwall Angling Club has two miles of the lower river, which can be good for sea trout on the tidal water, the best of the fishing being in early and late summer. Above this stretch are the most productive beats of Upper, Middle and Lower Brahan and, further upstream, the Fairburn and Coul beats, below the Torr Achilty Dam and Loch Achonachie. The Conon beats above Loch Achonachie, the upper beat on the Blackwater, plus the trout fishing on Lochs Meig and Scardroy, are controlled by the Loch Achonachie Angling Club.
The Conon and Blackwater can produce somewhere in the region of 1500 salmon a year, mostly from the lower river. The sea trout fishing can be good on the estuary beat controlled by The Dingwall Angling Club but catches have declined in recent years. The best of the fishing on the lower river is in July, while the upper beats do better later in the season, with September being the most productive month.
River Conon 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 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 Conon, see O.S. map number 26.
For further information about the fishing on the Conon see River Conon Fishing
For information about the trout fishing in the area see Trout Fishing Scotland