Thurso Angling Association

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Thurso Angling Association Welcome to the TAA page.

This forum to be used to disseminate information to the membership and allow the membership to contact the secretary/committee.

11/10/2026

The season came to an end on 5 October. Catches were small because there were only 6 bookings. Raymond McLean caught the biggest salmon at 10 pounds and Steele Smith had 2 for 8 pounds. Bill Dickson had a grilse at 5 pounds. And that was it, season ends. To sum up the year I would say it was unusual. From April to July there were only 16 fish caught yet the river had salmon in most of the pools. They just weren’t interested in anything presented to them despite conditions being pretty good. Water was never an issue like last year and the previous three to four years before that. On a good note, total catches for the year amounted to 98 fish caught, 19 kept, and 79 released. Compare that to last years total of 18 fish, this year was pretty good. Catch and release seem to be the norm now and we commend our members and visitors for returning their catches. From today, we start to gather all the data from 2026, make recommendations, and prepare for the upcoming AGM in November. Many thanks to our members and visitors who booked on and supported the association in 2026. … STAN

31/08/2026

August and the grilse finally arrived in numbers starting mid-month. There were 107 bookings for the month, 74 by members and 33 by visiting anglers. In total, 56 fish were landed, 16 salmon and 40 grilse. Member Kevin Warner caught the largest salmon at 14 pounds returned. Jim Cameron had a cracker of a morning catching 9 fish ranging from 4 pounds to 13. He had four for 6 pounds, two at 7 pounds, and two at 13 pounds, all returned. Graeme Sutherland had a good day with four fish at 6, 10, 10, and 12, all returned. One of our returning visiting anglers Chris Bowman was rewarded with a nice 10-pound salmon. The months tally was 16 salmon caught, 15 returned, and 40 grilse caught 30 returned. A very good results for what has been a very frustrating season at times. The fish were always there they just didn’t want to take anything offered to them. The fresh rains in the latter part of the month seems to have helped stimulate the fish into taking. Here is hoping the good fishing continues into September. … Stan

06/08/2026

Another month has past with very mixed results despite the association water holding a lot of fish. The problem is they just don’t seem to be interested in any flies. Daily catches throughout the whole of the river are similar, fish are only coming off in single numbers. Yes, the river is low but still fishable and our determined club members have managed to catch a total of 8 salmon/grilse for July. The best fish were two 8-pound salmon caught by both Kevin Warner (returned) and the other by Jim Cameron. Of the 324 fishing sessions available, only 53 sessions were booked. As I write this, we're into the second week of August and 3 grilse and 1 salmon have been caught thus far. Yesterday we had rain and the river rose by almost 3 inches. Hopefully, the fresh rain will spark a rash of catches. I’ll let you know at the end of the month…. Stan

07/07/2026

June is now history and while the river maintained a good height throughout the month, catches were low but about par for the time of year. A total of 4 fish were caught, 2 salmon and 2 grilse. A nice 12-pound salmon was caught and released by member Alex Nunn-Thompson. Forty bookings were made during the month, thirty-nine by members and one by a visiting angler. As I write this monthly summery, I’m hoping to see Thurso Bay come alive with jumping grilse. Hasn’t happened yet but I’m thinking on the positive side that they will show in numbers in the coming days. …Stan…

04/06/2026

The May gobs are behind us and June has started out with a much-needed watering of the county. The rain hasn’t been steady, mostly light drizzle with the occasional heavy showers. However, the river height is 12 inches today and that is very good. For May, only two salmon were caught, both by Jim Cameron at 8 and 9 pounds. The 8-pound fish was released. Bookings were up with 43 fishing sessions reserved, 15 by visiting anglers. The local anglers are upbeat this year as conditions are so good. I must admit, after walking the beat twice this season, the association water hasn’t looked this good in a while this early on in the season. Besides the visiting anglers, we had a few new wildlife visitors to. A black throated diver and a young swan in the lower reaches of the river. Nearer to the cemetery bridge on the Mount Vernon side, two roe deer were seen roaming in the thicket along the brae. It’s always nice to see the wildlife, it tells me the environment is in great condition. Hopefully the salmon catches will increase as we see June out. I encourage our local anglers to wet a line. Stan

21/04/2026

Sometimes things happen you can't explain, is it luck, the right place at the right time, or is it years of experience and skill coming to fruition? I think it probably is a combination of all three. Today Hugo Ross landed and released another fresh salmon from the Salmon Pool, a beautiful 9 pounder. Lets take this all in for a second. Hugo caught the first fish on the upper river, he caught the first fish on the association water, and today he managed a third salmon. I wish I were there to see the smile on his face. Congratulations again Hugo and many more hook-ups to you this season. Just writing this short wee paragraph makes me smile feeling your joy. Stan

20/04/2026

The first salmon has been caught on the association water today by Hugo Ross. Congratulations to Hugo for a lovely 9 pound fish caught from the Salmon Pool. So far this month, (April) bookings have been on the thin side. Cold winds and wet conditions haven't been very welcoming to our local anglers. On a positive note, the river is really in good shape, with plenty of water and should be attracting members. Hopefully, with the first fish caught, this will spark more bookings in the last days of April and beyond. Stan

12/04/2026

On 10 April I took a walk along the top of the beat down to the Mack Pool. The river really looked good, a nice height of water at 14 inches and running very cleanly. I checked on the fishing hut and serviced the locks with oil making sure members and guests could operate the combination locks. All was well, nice and clean inside as it was on closing day last season. Two guests were on the river and I stopped to have a chat with them. They had the river all to themselves. Apart from the cool wind out of the east, it was a fine day for fishing. No members have booked on since the start of April which I find unusual given the good water conditions and 4 salmon caught on the upper beats. Hopefully, the weather will warm up and this cold east wind will change direction to a more pleasant southerly one in the coming days. I encourage the members to have a cast as the river is really nice this year with plenty of water. Stan

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