Description
Salmon Fishing River Ness
It’s hard to believe The River Ness is only 6 miles long because it’s one of the widest rivers in Scotland. However the Ness offers superb salmon despite its short length. In fact, The Ness offers a consistent flow because of the huge reserve of water in Loch Ness. Therefore when other rivers are in drought, the Ness has constant water flow and is always fishable.
Interestingly, all of the salmon migrating to the of Rivers Moriston, Oich and Garry, must pass through the River Ness first. In fact, the Ness is the gateway to a huge catchment area, and displaces around 11,000 cubic feet per second.
To begin its journey, The River Ness starts at Dochfour weir, flowing through Inverness town centre, before emptying into the Moray Firth.
Secondly, tackle choice is a personal preference, and 14ft or 15ft double hand Spey rods work best. Longer rods make it easier to cover this big river, and play power salmon in strong currents. Floating lines are the popular choice through spring and summer. If the water is higher, or it’s colder, it pays to carry a variety of sinking polyleaders.
Finally, it is possible to spin cast, and this is at the discretion of the ghillie, and subject to higher water levels. In addition, the ghillie can use the boat to access parts of the river that are difficult to wade in.
Easy wading on the River Ness
The wading is generally easy going on the Ness, and your guide will keep you in the right places to cover fish.
As well as being a great salmon river, the Ness holds a good population of wild trout. Many of these fish drop down from Loch Ness and grown big by feeding on the abundant fly life, small fish, and smolts.
The River Ness operates a strict catch and release policy.
To conclude, your fishing guide can collect you in Inverness town centre. Additionally, Alba will provide premium fishing tackle, waders, boots and other equipment you need. in 2025 Alba became Sage Endorsed by jining the Sage Experiences program. This means that guests can enjoy fishing with premium Sage Spey rods, reels and Rio Fly Lines.
Salmon fishing close to Inverness
The river flows through Inverness town centre, indeed many fish are caught on the town water. In addition, your guide can collect you from your Inverness hotel and transport you to the river beat.
The Ness Walk hotel is a superb choice and has a quality restaurant. The Oak Rooms are our room choice, they overlook the river. Please get in touch, if you would like us to secure rooms for you.
It would take approx 10 minutes to get to the Dochfour salmon fishing hut from Ness Walk. We would have all your fishing tackle, waders, boots (with tungsten studs) and PFD life vests ready.
In addition to the excellent salmon fishing options, check out this loch offer trout fishing for wild brown trout.
17lb Salmon on the Fly River Ness
Here is one of many great videos captured by the Ghillie on the Dochfour beat of the River Ness, Cameron Chapman.
