Spate · Granite · Easter Ross, GB-SCT

River Alness / Averon

Fast-flowing rapids on the River Averon, also known as the River Alness, in the Scottish Highlands.

A compact Easter Ross salmon river — also known as the Averon — with a clearer beat structure than many west-coast systems.

Tomorrow · A good day — worth the effort
Partridge & Orange
Forecast · Tomorrow
A good day — worth the effort
A reliable day. Match the fly size to the water height and cover the lies.
70% projected
Today's fly
Partridge & Orange
Partridge & Orange
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.56 m
Water temp9.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather7°C
WindN 9 km/h
Pressure1030 hPa
Rain · recent0.6 mm
Rain · ahead6.7 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
9°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
Mayflies
Stoneflies
Caddisflies
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 87%
Also:Iron Blue60%Black Midge31%
Peak emergence window4 food groups active

Peak activity at 11am — Autumn Needle Fly (Autumn Needle Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

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
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
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
Atlantic Salmon fly box

A balanced Scottish river profile. Early season nymphs and spiders, then more dry-fly and emerger fishing as hatches strengthen on steadier glides and richer water.

Beats · 3

A small Easter Ross salmon river where beat-aware content matters. The Novar six-beat rotation is the premium anchor — six rotating beats of double-bank water booked through FishPal or the estate — while Alness Angling Club holds the affordable lower and tidal water, its permits also on FishPal. The Alness is graded Moderate for 2026.

Novar FishingsAgent booking
The structured premium anchor — about 6.
Visit official site ↗
Alness Angling ClubMembers
The ordinary-angler value lane — productive tidal water near the A9 road bridge plus river beats, with permits historically available locally and via FishPal.
Loch Morie / Upper Alness (context)Enquiry
Spate-source and flow-regulation context above the main beats — Loch Morie buffers the headwaters and shapes how quickly the river runs off.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
River Conon
17 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon
River Ness
24 km
0
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Alness / Averon
< 1 km
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
River Alness / Averon
< 1 km
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
Oykel
23 km
Brown trout · Salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Fast-flowing rapids on the River Averon, also known as the River Alness, in the Scottish Highlands.
    Rapids on the River Averon (Alness), Easter Ross.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A compact Easter Ross salmon river — also known as the Averon — with a clearer beat structure than many west-coast systems. Mandatory catch-and-release applies. Declining Atlantic salmon populations are Category 3 under Scottish Government classification; every fish returned matters. The Novar Fishings rotation is the obvious premium anchor: six rotating beats over upper and lower sections, fly-only, with anglers rotating through beats during a week. A separate club/estuary access layer exists but needs current verification. Granite-based upland geology shapes this river.

Sea trout here

Summer-autumn runs (June–September), nocturnal pattern in peak season

  • Granite
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature10030% 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
  • Salmon 1 April → 31 October

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

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