Lairg Estate Salmon Fishing.

River Maps

Dam to Phil's

Suspension to Ruin

 Cottage 1 to Eleanors

Grudie to Grief


Click here for a Picture of the Head Keeper
Click here for the 2003 Pool Analysis
Click here for pictures of the river in February 2004. 
 

The Lairg Estate and the river Shin are situated one hours drive north of Inverness. The river Shin is one of Scotland’s best kept secrets. Although the river was dammed in the late 50’s thus effectively denying the returning salmon access to their natural spawning grounds, a comprehensive re-stocking program has been in place ever since, and the returns of salmon and grilse have been consistently stable. The Fishing on the Lairg Estate water starts towards the end of May and closes on the last day of September.

The Lairg Estate water starts at the dam below little Loch Shin, in the new artificial pool appropriately named the Dam pool, and continues down river for approximately three miles until a pool called Grief. There are over thirty named pools on the upper Shin. The Estate water is split into two beats, and each beat has up to four rods fishing at any one time. The beats rotate every day at 1 pm. The Lairg Estate water is all double bank and most of the pools can be fished from either side. The fishing is for fly only. Most of the pools can be fished from the bank without wading, but a few require some wading. We recommend thigh waders and it is advisable to use a wading stick in certain pools.

For prices and availability please go to the CONTACT US page and fill in the form or send us an email and we will contact you with the required information.
 

Equipment
The size of the Shin salmon vary greatly depending on time of year. It is not uncommon for rods to come into contact with fish in the 20lb bracket early in the season. As summer progresses, the grilse appear in greater numbers and give wonderful sport. 
Rod size is a matter of endless speculation. The water is easily covered with a 12' rod. Equal fun can be had with a small single handed rod. For the championship caster there is room for the longer rod. 
The river is rocky in places and we would suggest that in the early season it is advisable to use a tippet material of at least 15lb. The early fish tend to run hard and have a tendency to leave the pools, so a heaver tippet gives the angler the option to play fish harder and land them faster for the process of catch and release.

THE CATCH AND RELEASE POLICY 2005

The continued aim of the K.S.D.F.B.* in 2005 is to maintain and enhance Salmon stocks within the Kyle of Sutherland catchment. This aim can only be achieved by a sound management plan, which consists of a number of objectives; one of these is the implementation of conservation measures by means of catch and release. The Upper Shin proprietor fully supports catch and release and strongly encourages all fishermen to take only what they want for their own consumption. A stale fish is not particularly appetising. Farmed salmon is an excellent and cheap alternative; please make your fish cakes and fish pies out of these.

 The Shin Proprietors would ask rods to release all fin clipped or tagged fish & fish caught in the Dam pool and Cinder's pool. (Make a special note in the book)

Before 15th June 70% of all fish to be released.

After 15th June all fish over 65 cm to be released. (2’ 1˝’’) All rods or wading sticks should have tape placed at the appropriate place.
 

This does not mean you may keep fish under 65cms. Recent research has shown that the grilse is just as important as a salmon. So please put back wild salmon and buy fresh farmed fish instead.

Over the season 75% of all fish to be released. (Last year we achieved 83%) a far higher figure than expected.

Very well done to all who returned fish.

The six years of voluntary catch and release have been so successful the Proprietor still believes that the rods are acting in a responsible way. The wild salmon deserves the chance to breed and will not do so in the bottom of a deep freeze.

Please read the notes on releasing fish and try to carry forceps or specialist hook de‑gorgers with you to allow the fish to be released in the quickest and most humane way.

Alternatively you can use barbless hooks, this makes releasing your fish much easier. If you want a real challenge then fish with a single barbless hook. A reward will be given to all those who manage to land a Salmon and then successfully release it having used a single barbless hook (we recommend that the hook are not straight but have a kink in the shanks)

If the rods would like the added challenge of fishing with barbless hooks, the Proprietor has nothing but admiration for them and would enjoy hearing all about it. There would be a space in the Newsletter and web site for the best 'one that got away story'.

During the 2003 season 125 fish, or 79% of the total caught were released back into the river from the Upper Shin. Of these 12 were tagged by the rods (2 of them were subsequently netted an used in the hatchery, 0ne was caught twice). The river and hatchery are many hundreds of thousands of eggs better of because of this action.

 

If any tenants would like to tour the Shins new holding facility on the Grudie, we would be delighted to arrange this for you.