Gordon Castle and the Spey
We offer a nine-mile stretch of double-bank fly-fishing on the world-renowned River Spey, divided into four beats accommodating six rods each. As one of Scotland’s “big four” salmon rivers, the Spey provides exceptional sport, with our salmon and sea trout catches among the most prolific in the country. Every fishing holiday is individually tailored to your needs, includes support from an experienced ghillie, and can be paired with either fully catered or self-catering accommodation. All Gordon Castle beats are fly-only, with a maximum of six rods, and we typically operate a catch-and-release policy for salmon and sea trout to support conservation.
The Gordon Castle and Brae Water beats sit centrally within the 50 miles of the River Spey and have retained much of their wild, natural beauty over the centuries. Salmon fishing here is world-famous, with records dating back to the early 1700s. The beats fish well throughout the season, which runs from 11 February to 30 September. Early in the year, the prized “springers” offer a thrilling challenge, while from early June onwards, grilse and summer salmon enter the river in large numbers, making this the most productive time of year. The Gordon Castle and Brae Water beats regularly account for between 12% and 16% of the entire river’s annual rod catch, placing this stretch among the finest fly-fishing locations in the world.
Please contact the Factor in the Estate Office for more information. Fishing vouchers are now available from the estate office in denominations of your choice and can be posted, collected, or sent as a gift. To purchase a gift voucher, please email admin@gleco.co.uk or call 01343 820244.
Upper Brae Water
This stretch of the River Spey has a southern boundary with Orton Estate and is characterised by its tranquillity and the steep banks on the left (west) bank. Whilst the pools in this beat are well known and prolific, the banks also host an impressive array of birds and animals – it’s not unusual to see otters, pine martins, ospreys, deer and salmon over a morning.
The named pools on this beat are: The Flats,The Rock, Ewe, Lord March and The Grassy Bank. This beat fishes well all season, but stands out, particularly in spring and early summer. The permanent ghillie on the Upper Brae Water is Ian Stronach. Those who remember the old beat set up will recognise the Upper Brae water as being all of Beat 2 and the top of Beat 3.
Middle Brae Water
The named pools on this beat include Otters Cave, Aultdearg, The Pipe pool, Lower Aultdearg, Lennox and Cruive Dyke. The brand-new hut overlooks Aultdearg and looks across the river to the much painted Red Cliffs.
The permanent ghillie, Lewis Webb will guide and assists fishers on some of the best salmon fishing in Britain. Under the old beat set up, this was the lower section of Beat 3 and much of Beat 4.
Castle Water
Castle Water has a history which stretches back over centuries and has provided many very, very large fish, stretching from the Fochabers Bridge northwards towards the sea for a mile and a half. The named pools include the Bridge Pool, Upper Birks, Birks (the hut looks out over Birks where guests love to sit on the veranda and watch fish being caught and landed), Spoot, Slabs and The Quarry.
The ghillie is David Buley. This beat remains unchanged from the previous set up but the two beats from that point to the sea are now fished by the Fochabers and Speymouth Associations for the complete season.
Lower Brae Water
The Lower Brae Water has the tree-covered bank of Ordequish at its southern end and the old Fochabers Bridge at its northern end. The named pools include Upper, Middle and Lower Intake, Grilse, Upper Dipple, Dipple, Lillies and Bulwark.
Under the old beat lay down this beat included all of beat 5 and the bottom of beat 4. The ghillie is David Graham.
