Spate · Sandstone · Sutherland, GB-SCT

River Brora

Photo of River Brora
Tomorrow · Marginal — persistence required
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Forecast · Tomorrow
Marginal — persistence required
A short window at best — fish the sure lies and move on.
40% projected
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.77 m
Lifting fast
Water temp8.3°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather8°C
WindN 10 km/h
Pressure1030 hPa
Rain · recent0.7 mm
Rain · ahead12.7 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Cool — slow
8°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Morning into early afternoon.
Where
Pool tails, steadier runs, and any water with pace.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
13 ft #8/9 double-hander in spate, 10 ft #8 single in low water. Floating line plus a fast-sink tip. 12–15 lb fluoro tippet.
Likely species
Stoneflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 13:00

12:00(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 40%
Also:Iron Blue33%
Peak emergence window

Peak activity at 13:00 — Iron Blue (Iron Blue, Weather boost)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
CapererHatch
2
3
3
2
Heather FlyHatch
2
2
Autumn DunHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Atlantic Salmon
Beats · 3

Brora is a Sutherland system around Loch Brora that splits cleanly by access: the lower town/association water sells visitor day tickets (£15, 1 April–15 October), while the upper river and tributaries stay estate-controlled. The river is graded Good for 2026, so a limited harvest applies under the conservation code — but most fish are still returned. Loch Brora is a separate boat/permit fishery.

Brora town / association waterDay tickets
The ordinary-access anchor — town/association water giving the realistic visitor route onto the lower Brora.
Loch Brora (context)Enquiry
The loch that splits the system — Loch Brora buffers flow between the Upper and Lower Brora and offers more accessible salmon and sea-trout fishing than the controlled main-river beats.
Upper Brora estate waterEnquiry
Private/estate water above the loch — the Upper Brora and the important Blackwater tributary.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Helmsdale
20 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Shin
28 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon
Oykel
33 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon
River Alness / Averon
42 km
0
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
River Alness / Averon
42 km
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of River Brora
    River Brora
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature7430% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time8015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
TodayFishing closed on Sundays. Sunday fishing banned on some rivers (Tweed system, some estates). Not universal — many Scottish waters allow Sunday fishing. Check locally. This rule is applied conservatively as a regional default; river-level overrides should open Sunday where confirmed legal.Closed

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingAtlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methods
Booking & contacts