Stillwater · Limestone · Highlands / Sutherland

Loch Hope

Photo of Loch Hope
Fair · Atlantic Salmon
Hairy Mary · 8-12
Fairlive now
Decent — worth a look
River dropping into shape after a lift. Cover the heads and tails before the river drops away.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelProxyvia River Naver
  • Water temp13.9°C
  • ClarityColouredColouring up
Today's fly
Hairy Mary
Hairy Mary8-12
Canonical Sutherland summer-grilse pattern — added as regional default 2026-04-30 per QA roadmap D14. Particularly effective on Helmsdale, Naver, Borgie, Halladale, Brora when fish are in low summer water. Single-handed rod compatible.
Conditions on the water
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via River Naver
Water temp13.9°C
ClarityColoured
Weather13°C
WindW 27 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent6.4 mm
Rain · ahead4.8 mm

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

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Ideal
14°C est.ideal 10–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Spring fish from March; grilse from late June; main run summer through August. The Hope is a north-coast system with classic loch-and-river salmon fishing.
Where
Drift lines along the loch and the connected River Hope below. Heads, tails, and named lies on the river; drift lines on the loch.
Method
Across-and-down on the river below the loch. Small doubles 10 to 12 on a floating line; small tubes on a sink-tip in spring water.
Kit
12 to 13 ft #8 double-hander on the bigger river beats; 10 ft #7 single on the smaller upper stretches. Floating line plus sink-tip. 10 to 12 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Fair conditions based on river hydrology and migration patterns.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 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 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 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
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Lake OliveHatch
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
Silverhorns & LonghornsHatch
1
2
2
2
1

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
Fishing better nearby · 4
River Shin
61 km
74
Brown trout · Salmon
Oykel
64 km
50
Brown trout · Salmon
Helmsdale
66 km
50
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
River Naver
26 km
Brown trout · Salmon · Sea trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Photo of Loch Hope
    Loch Hope
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: Good
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

SEPA WFD 2022 (loch layer) — Loch Hope: Good status. Re-tagged 2026-06-18 from Achuvoldrach Burn, a river/burn waterbody, to the loch's own SEPA water body. Source: SEPA WFD 2022 classification (spatialdata.gov.scot / SEPA Aquatic Classification Hub).

SEPA (Scotland) · UKSC100019

The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 75%
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 River Naverproxy
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon check local (typically February) → check local (typically October)

Sea trout: Variable seasonal (2026) — North-west Scotland system — loch draining to a short river on the north coast. Sea trout stocks under pressure in common with all Scottish west and north coast fisheries. 2025 national sea trout rod catch at record lows. Sea trout are a meaningful quarry alongside salmon on this system.

Related guides
Scotland Playbookloch & river fishingThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperatureAtlantic Salmonsalmon tactics
Booking & contacts