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THE FISHERIES OF BORA AND FLEET
The far North-Eastern coast of Scotland changes its character from a coast deeply indented with firths to a straight, sandy and cliffy coast draining moorlands and hills to the North Sea.
The estuary of the unusual small River Fleet marks the end of the firths. This little river with its marshy, brackish sea loch at the head of the tide, is cut off from the sea by a causeway over which run the main rail and road routes to the north.
The brackish Loch Fleet is a fine place for sea-trout in the right water. The river above and certain small tributaries, when they are in flood, yeild some 80-100 salmon annually, but it is a chance fishery, highly dependant on summer floods.
To the north lies the Brora, a fine medium sized salmon river with Loch Brora, divided into three distinct areas, on its lower course. This salmon fishery, divided as it is by its loch into a lower and upper river, can be remarkably productive and has a long season from February to mid-October. It is a good spring fishery in its lower river, and a splendid late spring and summer fishery on its upper beats. The lower river continues to bring in salmon and sea-trout throughout the summer months and on its river sections and on the three lochs above this, some fine sport can be had on the fly.
The upper river is best in good water after May and the upper Brora and its tributary the Blackwater have produced some remarkable bags of salmon and sea-trout over the years. Even at its largest on the lower river, the Brora is only medium sized and is easy to approach and wade. It flows through open country with occasional cliffy banks and forms some delightful sporting pools. Above the loch, the Brora and the Blackwater are quite small, but particularly the latter is amazingly productive and sporting to fish. Unlike some northern rivers, the lower Brora brings in a run of heavier salmon in the late summer and these fish tend not to run through the loch. The rod season is extended for two weeks to 15th October to cater for this run.
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