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THE KYLE OF SUTHERLAND
The East Coast of Scotland above Inverness is marked by important fjord-like sea lochs
which penetrate westwards and receive the waters of numerous salmon rivers from the hills
behind. We have already mentioned the Beauly Firth and above it the Cromarty Firth, each of
which receives a major salmon river system.
The Dornoch Firth, north of this, is interesting
to fishers in the same way but it has special characteristics. It is a long firth with some eleven
miles of tidal estuary at its head which is named the Kyle of Sutherland, from Bonar Bridge
upstream past the estuary of the Shin and up to the point where the Cassley and the Oykel-Einig rivers meet at its head, forming a fine complex of salmon and sea-trout waters. At the
seaward end of the Kyle, on the south bank close to Bonar Bridge, the remarkable and
beautiful river Carron reaches the brackish waters of this tidal fishery.
These rivers of the
Kyle of Sutherland flow through marvellous highland territory and provide a great array of fly
fishing, varying from substantial and often spectacular pools on the Shin to the wide variety
of most attractive smaller pools on the rocky Oykel and Cassley.
The remarkable feature of the eleven miles of the Kyle of Sutherland is that it is brackish water, tidal, with flows dictated by the tides and the volume of fresh water coming in. Salmon linger in the middle Kyle, waiting for conditions to allow them to run the Shin, Oykel and Cassely. Sea-trout rove up and down this fine estuary and there is some nice fly fishing in this unusual fishery.
The resources of the Kyle rivers are considerable. Each river has its tributaries and some of these offer good fly fishing for sea-trout and salmon and are memorable and lovely places to visit. The Carron has some lovely water in its lower ten miles, water which produces springers and excellent summer salmon. A thirty pounder was taken on fly by a lady in this lower section in recent years. The spectacular Glencalvie Falls mark the head of the useful salmon water here. Fish do ascend
further but water conditions have to be absolutely right and some seasons do not favour the run. There are tributary fisheries, for example, on the Blackwater whose delightful smaller pools and streams are often good for sea-trout and occasional salmon in summer. The Alladale river joins above Glencalvie Falls and the Water of Glencalvie joins from the south just below this great natural barrier - both possible summer salmon streams. The whole area is of great allure, loved by its fishers for its wild sport and its magnificent setting.
The Oykel-Einig rivers are possibly the most famous and productive of the Kyle rivers with some years exceeding 1000 salmon. There is also good sea-trout fishing up to and including Loch Ailsh. The Oykel, flowing through this smallish loch then tumbling down Glen Oykel and entering the Oykel Gorge, gives wonderful rocky highland pools. After the Einig joins it, the river's pace slackens and its lower course is marked by gentler, open pools over gravel. There is good spring fishing on the lower Oykel (excellent in some recent years) from March onwards. The whole system, however, brings in good summer suns of salmon, grilse and sea-trout and forms a major fishery.
The Cassley joins the Kyle from the north west. It too has a high glen of great character, lying parallel to the large Loch Shin. Its course is marked by falls and rocky pools. Like the Oykel, it changes pace in its middle reaches, flowing through open land before it reaches a fine gorge and produces salmon pools which have yielded some remarkable salmon sport. This river has a record of producing some early spring fish in its lower reaches, but the trend in recent years has been for later spring sport and excellent early and middle summer fishing which benefits the whole river. The river has been carefully managed and improved in recent years. The Shin drains the very large loch of the same name which lies to the north-west of the village of Lairg. This water has a place in legend in that it has, in the past, produced some stunning fights with large salmon in rocky water with falls.
The whole river and loch system, however, was developed for hydro power in the late fifties and the character of the water was altered. Salmon still run the Shin in good numbers, although sea-trout are not plentiful. Since the hydro came there are fewer springers, but they still exist and can be large. Salmon seem reluctant to pass up to the loch and the headwaters, however, and the former fishings on such tributaries as the Tirry have declined. The Falls of Shin are spectacular and attract many visitors each year to see the salmon leaping there.
Loch Shin itself is one of the largest lochs in the north, some 17 miles in length. It is a good trout water and has some ferox in it also. This great loch lost a lot of its character when the hydro raised its level by 30 feet. Nevertheless, it remains an interesting trout fishery in a fine setting.
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