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Annual catch and effort return
A legal requirement for the end of season is a return of fishing effort - the number of days spent per month per angler fishing the club water for salmon. The number of days effort per month should be recorded in the last column of the annual catch and effort return form attached to membrership cards. Members should note that failure to comply could result in prosecution.
Annual returns can be submitted electronically from the website using the following link.
Electronic annual catch and effort return
Alternatively, a copy of the return form is available to download and complete from the the link below.
Downloadable annual catch and effort return form (Right-click and select 'Save link as')
Directions for use
- Save form locally to computer
- Open form on computer using Adobe PDF Reader DC or other PDF software, complete required information and save.
- Email completed form to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Winter Trout League
Regretfully, the Winter Trout Leagues for 2021/22 and 2022/23 have been cancelled because of lack of interest.
Prized merchandise
Feisty trout
BOAT REMOVED FOR SEASON -- CHECK LATER FOR LAUNCH DATE
Another attraction of IAC membership is the ability to fish one of the region’s top brown trout lochs. Loch Ruthven, just a short drive from Inverness, holds feisty brownies which will test anglers and their tackle. It’s also an area of scenic beauty and spectacular sights - soaring eagles and one of the few UK nesting grounds of the Slavonian Grebe. Bank fishing is not permitted on Ruthven. A club boat is available for free use by club members. To ensure your enjoyment of this wonderful Highland fishery, please book early through Graham’s tackle shop. Tel: 01463 233178. There is no charge for members.
Flies for a rise cover a broad range fished on a Di3 line early season and bright days, especially in the narrows half way up the loch, with plentiful sport on floating line at all other times. Muddler heads can prove attractive. Successful patterns include Kate McLaren, Soldier Palmer, Zulu, Loch Ordie, Bibio, Dunkeld and Silver Invicta, along with hogs and hoppers.
Develop your skills
The following are subject to any continuing Covid-19 regulations
IAC is dedicated to helping anglers of all ages to improve their skills. The club’s qualified coaches, checked through Disclosure Scotland, run annual casting clinics on the Little Isle Pool and the adjacent Bught Park. They are often accompanied by Speycasting champion Scott Mackenzie. Classes are held each Wednesday evening in June from 7 to 9 pm with Speycasting on the river and trout casting on the park’s grass. All are welcome, including non-members. International tackle manufacturers Loop have kindly donated sets of salmon and trout fly equipment to help the club develop the skills of local anglers, and these will be available to those attending the classes.If you prefer, bring your own rod.
During the close season, coaching turns to fly tying as volunteer coaches run weekly fly tying classes from October to February. Again, all are welcome. Tools and materials can be provided. Novice tyers at previous classes have learned to tie attractive flies which have caught salmon, giving the tyers a great feeling of achievement.
Useful links
Local links
Grahams of Inverness Ltd Tackle Dealers
Ness District Salmon Fishery Board
Air travel
Rail travel
London North Eastern Railway (LNER)
Bus travel
Accommodation
A well-connected city
The following are subject to Covid regulations
Inverness is a well-connected city, making it easy to take car, bus, train or plane for a memorable fishing trip. And once you are here, there’s lots of bed and breakfast accommodation, hotels and restaurants to cater for all your needs, and welcoming pubs where you can savour fine Highland malt whisky and recall your catch of the day.
By road - The main routes into the Highlands are the A9 from Scotland’s central belt, the A82 from the south-west (Loch Lomond and Argyll) and the A96 from the north-east (Aberdeen). Buses run to Inverness via Glasgow and Edinburgh.
By air - Inverness Airport offers a range of daily flights to and from a number of key destinations including London (Heathrow, Gatwick & Luton), Amsterdam (Schiphol), Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Dublin and Belfast City.
By rail - Daily and overnight train services operate direct to Inverness from London while
Click the links page to access useful sites for information on travel and accommodation.
Get the knowledge
We can’t guarantee that you will catch a ‘monster’ on the River Ness but we will offer a great fishing experience and a warm Highland welcome. To ‘get the knowledge’ the best place to start is at the club’s riverside hut by the Little Isle Pool, the main gathering place for Ness anglers. Hospitable by nature, they’ll offer you a cup of tea or coffee while briefing you on catches and the best pools to fish.
See the permits page for prices. But if you want a really special deal, take out associate membership at £110. This offers season-round salmon fishing for less than our weekly permit. Download an application form from the permits page.
We look forward to casting a line with you, and helping you to get as much pleasure from the fishings as we do. Keep in touch through the web site. We’re always keen to hear about your experiences on our river, and your views on the fishings. E-mail us through the web site at Club Details/Contact
Sturdy scale
| Length | Weight | |||
| Inches | Cm | Lbs | Oz | Kg |
| 22 | 56.00 | 4 | 9 | 2.00 |
| 23 | 58.50 | 5 | 3 | 2.35 |
| 24 | 61.00 | 5 | 15 | 2.67 |
| 25 | 63.50 | 6 | 11 | 3.03 |
| 26 | 66.00 | 7 | 8 | 3.40 |
| 27 | 68.50 | 8 | 7 | 3.85 |
| 28 | 71.00 | 9 | 6 | 4.26 |
| 29 | 73.50 | 10 | 5 | 4.72 |
| 30 | 76.00 | 11 | 8 | 5.22 |
| 31 | 78.50 | 12 | 12 | 5.78 |
| 32 | 81.00 | 14 | 0 | 6.35 |
| 33 | 84.50 | 15 | 5 | 6.98 |
| 34 | 86.00 | 16 | 12 | 7.62 |
| 35 | 89.00 | 18 | 6 | 8.34 |
| 36 | 91.50 | 20 | 0 | 9.07 |
| 37 | 94.00 | 21 | 12 | 9.84 |
| 38 | 96.50 | 23 | 8 | 10.65 |
| 39 | 99.00 | 25 | 6 | 11.52 |
| 40 | 101.50 | 27 | 6 | 12.42 |
| 41 | 104.00 | 29 | 8 | 13.38 |
| 42 | 106.50 | 31 | 12 | 14.40 |
| 43 | 109.00 | 34 | 0 | 15.42 |
| 44 | 111.50 | 36 | 8 | 16.55 |
| 45 | 114.00 | 39 | 0 | 17.69 |
| 46 | 116.50 | 41 | 12 | 18.65 |
| 47 | 119.00 | 44 | 8 | 20.18 |
| 48 | 122.00 | 47 | 6 | 21.50 |
| 49 | 124.50 | 50 | 6 | 22.86 |
| 50 | 127.00 | 53 | 8 | 24.26 |
| 51 | 129.50 | 56 | 12 | 24.74 |
| 52 | 132.00 | 60 | 4 | 27.32 |
| 53 | 134.50 | 63 | 12 | 28.91 |
| 54 | 137.00 | 67 | 8 | 30.61 |
Flies and lures
Fly fishing is the most successful method for catching Ness salmon, fished on double-handed rods of 14 to 16 feet using full Spey or shooting head lines rated AFTM 9 to 11. The ability to Spey cast, for which Ness anglers are renowned, is useful as many pools do not offer sufficient room for overhead casting. The snake roll helps to improve safety in downstream winds.
Small flies - 8s, 10s or 12s - tend to be more productive than large flies, depending on water height. Popular patterns include shrimp flies in red, yellow, orange or black (Ally’s Shrimp, Cascades and NessC) along with Munro’s Killer, Stoat’s Tail and Silver Stoat. Traditional or modern flies with any or all of these colours will attract fish. Long-tailed flies like the Monkey or Collie Dog, with a lot of movement, and silver, gold, green or other metallic-style bodies, work well, particularly for grilse.
Popular spinning lures include Devons and Tobies of various colours and sizes, depending on water height. As part of conservation regulations, worm fishing is only permitted from July 1 to September 30.
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Fishing pools
Where to fish
Choose your pool
The best months on the Ness are usually from June to September with spring fish - running through the Ness and Loch Ness to the rivers Moriston, Oich and Garry - most likely from February to May. Fresh, sea-liced salmon are often seen and caught on the very last day of the season. Anglers who fish IAC’s water regularly will have their favourite spots but all pools and streams will produce fish at the height of the season. And the mighty Loch Ness means that the river rarely suffers the results of drought; fishy water is there whatever the level.
There is easy access to all pools from either side of the river. From the left (west) bank, car parks are available at the Little Isle (upstream from the Cathedral and Infirmary pedestrian bridge), opposite the Ness Islands bridge (General’s Well and Provan’s Pools) and at the Whin Park play area (MacIntyre, Mill Stream and Red Braes).
From the right (east) bank, along Island Bank Road (signposted Dores from the city centre) car parking is available at Bellfield Park, allowing anglers access to the Little Isle at the tail of the Ness Islands. Parking at the Holm Mills Shopping Village gives access to the MacIntryre, Mill Stream, Weir and Red Braes.
Visitors are welcome to the anglers’ huts at the Little Isle on the left bank and the Mill Stream on the right bank. Drop in for a chat and swap angling stories while enjoying a cup of tea or coffee.Our fishing rules
Anglers are asked to study and observe the club’s fishing rules - set out in all permits or associated inserts. Fishing seasons are February 1 to October 15 for salmon, March 15 to October 6 for brown trout and March 1 to October 15 for sea trout. All sea trout or finnock under 10 inches must be returned unharmed to the water.
Conservation legislation makes it illegal to kill any salmon or grilse anywhere in the Ness System between January 15 and March 31. During this period, an angler caught in possession of a dead salmon or grilse faces prosecution which may result in a criminal conviction. All Ness beats have agreed to extend the catch and release period until June 30.
From July 1 to October 15 only one cock fish weighing 8 pounds/69cm/27 inches or less may be retained per angler per week, with a maximum of two cock salmon or grilse being retained per angler per season. Please note that this rule applies to the entire Ness System. Anglers cannot take two fish from each beat or river in the system.
All hen salmon of any size and all cock salmon over 8 pounds/69cm/27 inches must be released. They are the future of our fishery. If unsure that the fish you have caught is male or female, please put it back. All coloured and unseasonable salmon and grilse must also be released. This rule does not apply to trout or sea trout. Anglers fishing on day tickets must return all salmon and grilse.
Every angler who catches a salmon or grilse must register their catch within 24 hours via the club web page at: http://www.invernessanglingclub.co.uk/report-catch or by sending a text to any committee member giving permit number, number of fish caught with individual weights, pool, method, released or retained.
Club objectives
Our key aims are to encourage angling; to acquire by lease or otherwise the right of fishing for salmon, sea trout, trout or other fish in any of the rivers or lochs in the district; and to improve these fishings.