11 June 07
Report From Stormdrift Davey Benson
Saturday 10th June 2007 saw us doing general sightseeing work for a charity that supports local people with disabilities. So whilst very rewarding I’m afraid there is not much to report on the fishing front.

However, Sunday was set aside for angling with a party of individual anglers all getting to know each other and fishing together.

We set of as the morning fog wrapped herself around us and embraced us with her misty presence, this was coupled with mirror-like seas. Our first stop was The Grounds which producing very little apart from Coalies and a few sparse Mackerel – After assessing the conditions I decided to take the lads east as we drifted along Brigga the fog lifted and the scenery unfolded before us. Nick decided to open the day with a
mini-species hunt and landed a bonny male Cuckoo Wrasse.

3 June 07
First Fish Of the Season Caught At Forss
Christopher Brocklebank Fowler and his dog Simba with the first fish caught on Forss River this season. The fish weighed 9 1/2 pounds and was caught with a Lazy Mediator.  Another similar sized fish was caught the next day.

17 May 06
Caithness Sea Angling Association
Open Boat Championships - Over 1000 Fish Landed
Anglers from as far south as County Durham visited Scrabster last week to fish in the annual Caithness Sea Angling Association Open Boat championships.

Despite a strong south easterly the winds the competitors aboard the Karen and Hebridean Warrior found excellent fishing with cod and pollack the main species. Over 1000 fish were landed, the majority of which were returned after being marked on the angler's score sheet. The cod, pollack and ling were of a good average size and the largest of each as around the four kilo mark.

The keenly contested event was won by Colin Mackay of Thurso who picked up £250 for his efforts. In a close second place was Gus Mackenzie of Inverness followed by Fife visitor Robbie Robertson.

Colin Mackay Thurso - Overall Winner
See More photos from the day At Karen web site

The team prize went to the local duo of Derek Yuille and David
Proudfoot.

Best fish of the competition was an 87 cm ling captured by George Bell of Stirling.

The Association will be organising a shore league this year with the first leg taking place at Scrabster harbour on the afternoon of Sunday 21st May. Full details of this event are available in the Wick and Thurso fishing tackle shops.
Caithness Sea Angling Association

Karen and Scrabster in Fishing Magazine in June 2006
The Karen and the Sea Angling competition and Scrabster are featured in a five page article in the June issue of "Total Sea Fishing" magazine - out from May

Loch Calder Opens For 2006
The 2006 season started at Loch Calder on 15 March and anglers looking for some of the best value fishing around should head over.  At £2.50per week or £5 for the whole season this is superb value.  Boats are available for hire separately and lessons can be booked.

1 November 05
'Go Fishing Ladies,' Says UK Government - OhMy news

23 August 05
Sea Angling Competition Hotting Up
The latest sea angling competition of Caithness Sea Angling Club took place on Reiss Sands on Sunday 21st August the catches were made up with Flounders and small Turbot. Overall winner was ex England international Patricia Heath from Freswick with a catch of 118cm, in 2nd place was Graham Finn from Freswick with a catch of 113cm and in 3rd place was Jim McCrenk from Bower with 78cm.
Pools winners were Patricia Heath with the longest flat fish and Dina Hilton for the longest round fish.
This years competition series points so far ,
Patricia Heath 20 points
Graham Finn 20 points
Steve Nicholas 17 points
Paul Moffett 15 points
Malcolm Heddle 11 points
Jim McCrenk 10 points
With just 2 more matches left to fish this year the pace is starting to hot up for the top league position and things are really close so good luck to every one.
Now is a good time to get your rods out as catches all around Caithness are excellent there are good catches of Cod coming from the boats at Scabster.
Good catches are coming in from boats on sea angling trips at the moment and here is Patricia Heath again with a 13lb Cod caught from the "Karen" this week). Shore fishing is also good with Flounders to 2 1/2lbs and large numbers of Bass from Dunnett Bay. The next competition is The Caithness Open Shore Angling Championship and will be fished from Scrabster Pier on 23rd of September for further information call Graham Finn on 01955 611496.

19 April 05
Biggest Salmon Caught On The Wick River
In Recent Years
Wick Angler William Newlands landed this 24lbs 5oz Salmon on Monday 11th April 2005 from the Taroull Pool on the River Wick.  It is the biggest Salmon landed from the river in recent years. The last one over 20lbs was caught by Willie More back in 1979 and this weighed in at 22lbs 2oz, but the record for the Wick is held by Mr Jaspair Mckain at a whopping 30lbs 8ozs. He caught this from the corner pool in August 1958.

31 March 05
Another First Timer In Luck
With The Salmon On Wick River
This is another "first" This time the lucky angler is Dr Borja Echavarren from Lybster. He landed this 7 1/2 lbs springer from the Tarroul Pool at Watten. This is his first Salmon on the Wick.  When not away fishing he can some times be seen at the Caithness General Hospital.  Looks like all you anglers should be heading for Caithness pretty quick before these guys catch them all.

Fish With Finn  - Another New Caithness Web Site
The new site will promote a range of coaching and fishing holidays in Caithness.  Budding anglers can come to Caithness and get tuition from a prize winning instructor.  Graham and Pat Finn hope to be welcoming lots of anglers to Caithness in coming months

25 March 05
Salmon Season Gets Off To A Good Start
On The Wick River
The first Salmon to be landed from the Wick River this year was caught by Wick Angler Mike Henstridge on Tuesday 22nd March in the Flag Pool. The Killer fly was a 1 1/2inch Willie Gunn Waddington and weighed in at 7 1/2 lbs. This was Mikes first day ever fishing the Wick as he just joined the Wick Angling Association on Saturday. It's been a good season so far for Mike as he caught a 9lb Salmon on Monday from beat 9 on the River Thurso.

Want To Learn About Sea Angling?
Perhaps Get Close To Dolphins And Whales?
See The Caithness Coast?
Well now you can do all three with the help of a new venture to be launched shortly in Caithness "The Caithness Sea angling Experience".  Graham and Pat Finn who live near Freswick already run a fishing tackle business Kingfisher Activities manufacturing a wide range of items for fishing shops are now setting out to give the benefit of their experience to others.   The new venture will bring anglers to the north to  learn about sea angling from start to finish.  With breaks of up to five days a wide range of skills will be covered as well as enjoyable trips out in the boat to catch fish and experience the sea life around the Caithness coast.

Sea Fishing
Thurso -  Conger from harbour walls, and rock fishing. Cod, coalfish, conger, dogfish, haddock,  ling,  pollack, spurdog, plaice, wrasse, mackerel, dabs, whiting, rays, halibut, porbeagle shark. Thurso Bay and Dunnet head are sheltered areas. Baits -  mussel and lugworm at lower water.

Wick - Mainly rock fishing for cod, conger,  haddock,  mackerel, pollack, saithe,  and flatfish.  Porbeagle shark off Caithness, and great halibut fishing. Good points are: Longberry, Broadhaven, Sandigoe and Helman Head. Very Good cod fishing off Noss Head. Best months: June to Sept.

Salmon
Salmon fishing plays its part in the economy of the Far North and the new season is off to a great start.

Thurso River superintendent Eddie McCarthy maintains there is a growing need for Government, marine scientists and fishing interests to come together and implement measures to better conserve young salmon at sea. "Our job as river managers is to provide a good area for the salmon to spawn so they are in good shape when they go out to sea as smolts. After they go out to sea, nobody has responsibility for them", and "It really is down to the Government and their will to protect the stocks at sea.," he said.