A FEW miles to the west of Thurso, in Caithness, along the A836 at Forss, there is a small wood. Not closely packed, regimented rows of Sitka spruce and lodge-pole pine, but proper trees: beech, oak, ask and sycamore.
In spring and early summer, celandine, snowdrop, crocus, bluebell and daffodil dance beneath their branches. Autumn is a riot of changing colours with the reds and russet of year’s ending. Woodland birds flit and feed among the ancient trees with "tiny-eyed caution" and a thousand lives come and go, unheard, unseen.
And in the Forss River salmon have come and gone, also largely unheard and unseen, because, until the mid-1980s, the river was strictly preserved and private. When it was sold, the new owners developed it into a time-share fishery and when rods are not fishing their week, it is often available to visitors. For details of Forss House Fishings contact Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler on 01847 861309, or e-mail forsshousefishing@beinternet.com
Be aware, though, that the Forss is a classic Highland spate stream: nae water means nae fish. But there are good holding pools and returning salmon have easy access to the river from the sea with each successive tide.
The lower three miles of the river offer the best sport, from Lythmore Strath to the sea at Crosskirk Bay, and, even in mid-summer when water levels are sometimes low, salmon may still be tempted to take the well-presented fly. After a spate sport can be fast and furious. The Forss is a narrow river where even the least experienced angler should have little difficulty in covering the lies. There is no need to wade and a strong, single-handed trout rod or sea-trout rod will cope effectively with most situations.
Orange coloured flies seem to work well; vary size according to the time of year and water levels. In spring and during heavy spates, two to two-and-a-half inch Waddingtons, fished on a sink-tip line, can often produce the desired results. In summer and in low-water conditions, size 10/12 trot flies such as Black Pennell, Grouse and Claret and Butchers will catch fish. Any shrimp fly pattern will do, as well as Stoat’s Tail, Munro Killer, General Practitioner, Willie Gunn and that old favourite, Thunder and Lightning.
There are 29 named pools (many of them named by your correspondent) and these are divided into four beats, each fishing four rods on a daily rotational system. Beat One starts at Crosskirk Bay and includes 14 pools. The first pools of the beat are slow-moving and canal-like, but with a strong south or north wind ruffling the surface and disguising evil intent, they can fish very well. Last season (2010), the Sea Pool produced 77 fish. A previous owner of the river, C. E. Radclyffe, fishing in the 1940s, had 33 fish in three days, all taken on the fly in low water.
The lower pools on Beat Two include Lower Style and Upper and Lower Kerwins, all of which produce sport in the early months and often take the fish of the season. Upstream from them is Corner Pool, where the river’s record salmon was caught in 1956; a 42lb fish which is proudly displayed in the bar at Forss House Hotel. But the most dramatic pool on the river is Falls Pool, below the Bridge of Forss. After heavy rain the river thunders over the falls with a deafening roar, raising a fine curtain of mist and spray. When fish are running, there are few finer sights than seeing them attempting the hard leap up the falls.
Beat Three starts above Falls Pool and extends upstream to Stemster Bridge in green Lythmore Strath. From the 18th century Humpy Bridge to Lower Wood the river is a constant source of delight: deep pools, long glides and runs, beautiful and exciting. Because the river is narrow, fishing Beat Three is very much a matter of stalking the fish. Keep well back from the bank and watch the water closely for any signs of movement. In autumn, every inch of the beat can hold fish and catching a salmon here is considered by many to be the epitome of skill. Beat Four extends upstream to the end of the Forss fishing water in Lythmore Strath.
The picture of the salmon leaping the falls (above) is one of the luckiest shots that I have ever taken. The late Gordon Dagger, then fishery manager of the river, called me to say that fish were running. I parked myself and camera on the east bank of the river, where a track leads down the cliff face to a ledge close to the foot of the falls. Two hours and four rolls of film later, I was convinced that I had the shot I wanted. When the spools had been developed, my son, Blair brought me the pictures in my work-room. They were almost entirely devoid of any sign of salmon. I was devastated, until, later, wondering through to the kitchen to bemoan my fate, Blair casually handed me a few more photographs. "Here, Dad," he said, "You might like these." He had carefully removed all the shots of salmon before handing me the package.
Forss House Hotel stands in woodlands overlooking the river and is one of the most comfortable and welcoming hotels in the north. In August, one sunny afternoon, after an absence from the river for more years than I care to remember, I had a few hours on Falls Pool. The water was low and the fish were there, but staying there. I sat on the seat on the grassy bank by the falls and listened to the voice of the river. Grey wagtails, bobbed amongst the rocks in the shallows. A busy dipper hurtled past on urgent business upstream. I was as content and happy as any man could be, trapped in the special magic that is the little world of Forss.
