News 2026
Return of Hatchery Broodstock & Other News
The Ness District Salmon Fishery Board and team have been very busy over recent weeks, progressing the re-stocking programme.
Graham Mackenzie kindly sent in a number of photographs showing broodstock kelts being returned to the river today.
Graham said : “There were 19 broodstock kelts returned from the hatchery to the river today (23.01.26). Hopefully one or two of the fish may return next year. All have been tagged and tail-clipped for identification purposes.”
Other News
Tree safety works will be taking place at Whin Park in Inverness from 2 February - 12 February 2026. Please see the below artice for further information.
https://www.highland.gov.uk/news/article/17107/tree_safety_works_at_whin_park_inverness
NDSFB Annual Public Meeting
Please see below for the upcoming Annual Public Meeting with the NDSFB
The 2026 Annual Public Meeting of the Ness DSFB will be held on the evening of the 27th January in the Highland Rugby Club Clubhouse, in the Bught Park.
In addition to the update on Board activities over the last year, and the presentation of the Annual Accounts there will be a guest speaker.
Professor Eric McVicar will give a talk titled "the Effect of Climate Change on Scottish Wild Salmon".
Professor McVicar has had a varied career with a lot of time spent in the Arctic. He is a passionate fisher with a great knowledge of fisheries management in Scotland and writes a regular column in the Fly Fishing & Fly-Tying Magazine. This is sure to be an interesting and stimulating talk.
All welcome. 7pm at the Highland Rugby Clubhouse on the 27th January.
Opening Day
The wait is almost over - Opening day of the 2026 season on the river Ness is almost upon us and a mere 12 days to go, how time passes!
Anglers will meet at the Mill 10am for 10:30am on Monday the 2nd of Feburary, so please do come along.
As ever there will be a piper for the ceremony, bacon rolls and a dram waiting for you to warm you up.
Opening day sponsored by Neil Souter of James Pringle Weavers - Wollen Mill, Inverness
Ness District Salmon Fishery Board Conservation Policy 2026
Please see the conservation policy for the 2026 season below from the Ness District Salmon Fishery Board.
Happy New Year
Happy New Year
I would like to start this post by wishing all members and their families a very Happy New Year, and all the best for 2026.
Stocking Update
From Graham Mackenzie
Brian and I went to the hatchery this morning to have a look at the Ness broodstock, none of which had been stripped as of yesterday. We were shown two tanks containing cock and hen fish. All of the hens were examined and three were selected as possibly being ready for stripping.
These hens were removed from the main tank and placed into a smaller tank, where they were anaesthetised prior to being stripped. Eggs from each fish were placed into three separate bowls, making nine bowls in total. The hens were then moved into another tank with fresh water to recover and will be returned to the River Ness after Christmas.
Three cocks were then selected and their milt was added to the bowls and mixed with the eggs. The cocks were returned to the main holding tank, as they can be used again in the same way.
I have attached a few photos of the process. I took over 50, but can only send a selection with this email; hopefully they will give you an idea of the procedure.
There were approximately 17,000 eggs in total from the three hens, which represents around 25% of the total hens held. As there are still a few large hens yet to be stripped, we are expecting a final total of approximately 80,000 eggs.
It is thought that the remaining hens will not be ready until later in the year, with some possibly holding on into the New Year.
All the best,
Graham
2026 Season
With the new season not far away (time certainly flies), we are hopeful of a better season than the last. As usual, I will be fishing on opening day on the upper Ness on 15 January, in anticipation of finding an early-season fish.
The club water can also be worth a try when it opens in February. No two seasons are ever the same, so this spring could surprise us. The only way to find out is to get out on the river.
I’ll finish by thanking all members for their support last year, particularly for the help with club affairs and maintenance.
Hope to see you all on the banks soon, on what we hope will be a good season.