The River Spey

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

Arndilly is in the Moray district of the Grampian region of the Highlands, in the heart of whisky country. It is one of the best known beats on the River Spey, sitting comfortably alongside names such as Delfur, Orton and Gordon Castle.

A GREAT SALMON RIVER

Ask any fisher in the UK what salmon rivers they want to fish and the River Spey will always be on their bucket list. The Spey fishes between 11 February and 30 September and has a reputation for special fish.

DOUBLE-BANKED

For much of its mile and half of fishing, Arndilly can be fished from both banks and is wide enough to accommodate a rod on both sides. Practice your Spey casts and get two bites at those lies!

THE SPEY CAST

Born on the banks of the Spey this is an elegant, efficient and versatile way of fishing. It’s easy to learn but hard to perfect.

The Spey Cast

HOW TO MASTER IT

Spey casting has many variations but is basically a modified roll cast. It comes in two parts; the first places the line in the direction the angler wants to cast; the second throws a large loop behind the angler which powers up the rod up and allows a powerful forward stroke. It’s not always easy but it’s worth making the effort.

David & Gilly Bate

When you imagine salmon fishing on one of the mighty rivers of Scotland, you have a certain optimism of dreamy fly water, seeing salmon leaping in the pools and there being a reasonable chance of catching one. You would hope for professional, knowledgable ghillies, who are not only a pleasure to spend time with, but who really want to help you to catch fish and also have the ability to improve your casting with expert advice.

Last but not least, a beautiful lodge to retreat to after a full day of fishing which feels like home from home and has everything that you could possibly need for a group of fishermen and their guests.

We’ve been extremely fortunate to fish at Arndilly for over two decades, both catching our first salmon on the beat and continuing to catch many more over the years. We’ve fished on many other beats but found nowhere else which seems to provide that perfect mix of elements that make Arndilly the most magical of places and one of the top salmon beats in the country.

The Arndilly Fancy

OUR ICONIC FLY

There aren’t many fishing beats that have a fly named after them but Arndilly is an exception. The Arndilly Fancy is a perfect summer pattern much used on the beat. Many references suggest that it was originally tied by the legendary Megan Boyd but that seems highly unlikely. We remain quietly confident that its inventor was John MacDonald, head ghillie at Arndilly for over 30 years.