Spate · Granite · Highlands / Sutherland

Oykel

The River Oykel flowing through an open Highland glen near Braemore Lodge.
Marginal · Atlantic Salmon
Ally's Shrimp · 8-12
Marginallive now
Marginal — persistence required
River dropping into shape after a lift. A short window. Work the obvious lies and move on.
85% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia Helmsdale
  • Water temp18.1°C
  • ClarityColouredClearing
Today's fly
Ally's Shrimp
Ally's Shrimp8-12
The Oykel summer staple — orange shrimp swung through the runs as a spate drops and grilse pour up from the Kyle.
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Falling
Proxy
via Helmsdale
Water temp18.1°C
ClarityColoured
Weather18°C
WindW 18 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent0.3 mm
Rain · ahead1.4 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from Helmsdale. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Warm — slow
18°C est.ideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Morning into early afternoon.
Where
Pool tails, steadier runs, and any water with pace.
Method
Fish a sensible line-and-fly combination for the height and pace of water.
Kit
13 ft #8/9 double-hander in spate, 10 ft #8 single in low water. Floating line plus a fast-sink tip. 12–15 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 18.1°C — above the atlantic salmon caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Likely species
Mayflies
  • Blue-winged oliveMost likely
    #16–18 · Dun
    Duns are up; a sherry spinner fall may follow.
  • Anglers curse mayfliesAlso possibleLower confidence
    #20–22 · Spinner
    Go tiny: 20-22 spent spinner, single fly, long tippet.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 11 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · August highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Daddy Long LegsHatch
2
3
2
March BrownHatch
2
3
2
GrannomHatch
2
2
Large StoneflyHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Atlantic Salmon fly box
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 18°C — probably warm enough to stress Atlantic Salmon . These are likely cooler.
River Shin
6.0 km
~16°C
Brown trout · Salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. The River Oykel flowing through an open Highland glen near Braemore Lodge.
    The River Oykel, looking up the glen just north of Braemore Lodge, Sutherland.
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

SEPA WFD 2022 — Oykel: Good status. Corrected 2026-06-18 (was recorded Moderate). Source: SEPA WFD 2022 classification (spatialdata.gov.scot / SEPA Aquatic Classification Hub).

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC020116

The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 85%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightMedium Ideal0.0
Recent riseNone0.0
Falling after liftNot Applicable0.0
Water temperatureCool To Moderate0.0
Time in seasonOpening Period0.0
ClarityClearing0.0
Hydrology base0.0
Legal gate: Unknown Check Local Rules
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via Helmsdaleproxy
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 11 January → 30 September
Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingAtlantic Salmonsalmon tacticsYorkshire & SpidersNorth Country methods
Booking & contacts