Winter in Strathspey lasted virtually until 14 May. The day following, appropriately a Sunday, we saw the first real sunshine of the year. It had been a long, cold winter in these parts and it ended so suddenly and dramatically. By 19 May the water temperature was hitting the 11°C mark, but even on the 16th it had risen from 6.5°C to that magical figure of 9°C, with the shade air temperature hovering on the 21°C mark. Mercifully, the river also fell back to a good fly-fishing level.
Heavy snow on the Cairngorms melted only slowly and it is now predictable that the best fly-fishing conditions are just arriving as I prepare to
