Spate · Mixed · Angus, GB-SCT

North Esk

The River North Esk in Angus, Scotland, with anglers fishing from the Kincardineshire bank.
Marginal · Atlantic Salmon
Gold-bodied Willie Gunn · double / small tube
Marginallive now
Marginal — persistence required
Low and clear — careful approach country. Hard going on bright water. Favour cloud and shadow.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.29 mLast reading 1h ago
  • Water temp18.7°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Gold-bodied Willie Gunn
Gold-bodied Willie Gunndouble / small tube
Regional salmon default — river-specific evidence is thin.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.29 m
Last reading 1h ago
Water temp18.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather19°C
WindW 13 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.1 mm
Rain · ahead1.3 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
Warm — slow
19°C est.ideal 10–14°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.
Why this works
Water at 18.7°C — above the atlantic salmon caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 6 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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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 · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 2
Water here around 19°C — probably warm enough to stress Atlantic Salmon . These are likely cooler.
River Isla (Tayside)
44 km
~18°C
Brown trout · Grayling · Atlantic salmon
South Esk
11 km
~18°C
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The River North Esk in Angus, Scotland, with anglers fishing from the Kincardineshire bank.
    The River North Esk in Angus, where anglers fish for migratory salmon and sea trout.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Poor
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

SEPA WFD 2022 — River North Esk (Cruick Water confluence to estuary), the Angus/Mearns North Esk through Edzell and Marykirk: Poor status. Corrected 2026-06-18 from UKSC005713 (West Water, a tributary); recorded status was also wrong (High -> Poor). Source: SEPA WFD 2022 classification (spatialdata.gov.scot).

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC005700

Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature1730% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time9515% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 16 February → 31 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingAtlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts