The Spey is the home of the Spey cast and double-handed fly fishing, and not one uniform salmon score: it runs from the more accessible upper river around Grantown, through the classic Spey-casting estate beats of the middle river, down to the powerful lower beats towards Spey Bay. Most of the famous water is held by estates and proprietors and let by the week or day through FishPal and fishing agents — Castle Grant, Knockando, Wester Elchies, Arndilly, Delfur, Gordon Castle and the rest may not behave like day-ticket fisheries. The genuine ordinary-angler anchor is the Strathspey Angling Improvement Association at Grantown, which leases extensive double-bank Spey water plus the tributary Dulnain. Conservation runs deep here: under Scottish law all salmon caught before 1 April must be released, the Spey Fishery Board asks that all fish be released to 31 May, and all hen salmon and hen grilse are released throughout the season. Check the beat route, letting structure, ghillie arrangements and method rules before booking.