Spate · Sandstone · Wester Ross, GB-SCT

River Carron (Wester Ross)

Photo of River Carron (Wester Ross)

A west-coast salmon and sea-trout river with a strong restoration and monitoring story.

Prime · Atlantic Salmon
Hairy Mary · 8-12
Primelive now
Prime conditions — go now
River steady at a fishable height. Settled and taking. Work it methodically.
85% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.02 mLast reading 10h ago
  • Water temp14.4°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Hairy Mary
Hairy Mary8-12
Classic Highland summer pattern, as effective on Wester Ross's peaty spate rivers as on its Sutherland neighbours.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.02 m
Last reading 10h ago
Water temp14.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather13°C
WindW 14 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent18.8 mm
Rain · ahead13.5 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
14°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
Excellent — water clarity is right today, though river flow could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6pm

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 10 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

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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
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

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 · 5 · 4 reaches

A west-coast salmon/sea-trout river with a strong restoration and monitoring story. The angling page must be conservation-first: strict catch-and-release, the current local marking/inspection protocol (keep-net from the hut, contact Bob Kindness), and sober wording around sea-trout decline. Distinguish clearly from the Easter Ross and Spey Carrons.

AttadaleSeason rods
One of three practical permit beats on the Carron (with New Kelso 1 and 2), under the River Carron proprietors with active conservation and stocking work.
New Kelso beats · 2 beatsDay rods
New Kelso 1, New Kelso 2
The 2 beats
New Kelso 1Day tickets
River Carron proprietors (permit)
One of the Lochcarron permit beats on the lower river near Strathcarron — practical, permit-based access under the River Carron proprietors, with the same conservation/marking regime as the rest of the river.
Strict C&R; keep-net inspection/marking protocol (contact Bob Kindness). C&R mandatory across Scotland until 31 March.
New Kelso 2Day tickets
River Carron proprietors (permit)
The second Lochcarron New Kelso permit beat — permit-based access under the River Carron proprietors, sharing the river's restoration story and strict conservation regime.
Strict C&R; keep-net inspection/marking protocol (contact Bob Kindness). C&R mandatory across Scotland until 31 March.
Glencalvie and GruinardsSeason rods
Premium estate/hosted salmon water — let weekly with a ghillie.
River Carron restoration (context)Members-only
A restoration-and-monitoring honesty module, not a beat.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
River Carron (Wester Ross)
< 1 km
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
River Carron (Wester Ross)
< 1 km
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
Loch Maree
29 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Ewe / Loch Maree
37 km
Salmon · Sea trout · Brown trout
Beauly
57 km
50
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of River Carron (Wester Ross)
    River Carron (Wester Ross)
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

A west-coast salmon and sea-trout river with a strong restoration and monitoring story. It rises around Ledgowan Forest / Glen Carron, runs via Loch Dughaill and enters Loch Carron near Strathcarron, broadly followed by the A890 and the Kyle railway. The angling page must be conservation-first: strict catch-and-release, a specific local marking/inspection protocol, and sober wording on sea-trout decline. Sandstone freestone bedrock underlies this river. Atlantic salmon stocks are Category 3 (declining) — all salmon must be released under Scottish Government conservation guidelines.

Sea trout here

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

  • Sandstone
Why this score · for Atlantic Salmon
  • Temperature9030% weight
  • Flow6025% weight
  • Clarity9520% weight
  • Feeding Time9015% weight
  • Pressure8510% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026)

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