Caithness
Caithness is located on the north-eastern tip of the Scottish mainland. Most of the county is low lying and relatively flat, but from a topographic and fishing perspective there are 2 very different environments.
To the west and to the south is the ‘Flow Country’ a large expanse of flat blanket bog scattered with peatland lochs. To the east and north, separated by a line running roughly from the east side of Loch Calder through Toftingall to Loch Hempriggs, lies fertile gently rolling farmland overlying soft limestone marls.
This landscape produces waters rich in weed growth and invertebrates, resulting in extremely productive trout fisheries, with Loch Watten the most famous.
The peatland lochs should not be ignored however. The scenery and wildlife are unique, and although the average size of the fish may be smaller on most lochs, there are also lochs with excellent quality fish.
The marl lochs, particularly Toftingall, St John’s and Heilen can become discoloured after high winds, so Calder, the Ulbster lochs, the Dunnet Head lochs and the Thrumster lochs, which lie a few miles to the south of Wick, are worth keeping in mind for these conditions. Many of these lochs also offer good bank fishing, a useful option in wild weather.
With so many lochs to choose from, Caithness makes a great excursion destination for trout anglers, though it can equally fill a week or longer fishing holiday. Being so far north, the season is short, running from early April (May 1st on some lochs - Watten included) to September 30th only.
There are 2 major salmon rivers in Caithness, the Wick and the Thurso, as well as Dunbeath Water and the River Berriedale that both flow into the Moray Firth, and Forss Water (managed as a time-share syndicate), that pours out to the North Coast.
The Thurso, the region’s most prolific salmon river, rises in the Flow Country to the west and runs for approximately 26 miles from its source at Loch More, to the town of Thurso on the North Coast.
The river is split into 13 beats, 12 of which are controlled by the Thurso River Ltd, and let as advanced weekly lets. Day permits are rarely available. The lowest beat is controlled by the Thurso Angling Association, who offer 2 visitor permits per day on a half-day basis.
The Wick River is a slow moving spate river that flows for about 12 miles from the hills south of the village of Watten, to Wick on the East Coast. Despite its slow flow, it’s a spate river, and extremely productive, though it is essential to fish it after rainfall to enjoy success.
Wick AA control all the fishing on the river and permits are readily available from Hugo Ross.
If you plan to fish in Caithness, make sure to visit Hugo’s tackle shop in Wick. In addition to boat hires, salmon permits and the best local flies, Hugo is the expert on all aspects of fishing in Caithness. He is always generous with his time and his advice is priceless.
All Loch Watten slide show images © Colin Riach
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