Lack Of Salmon?

[Wildfisher]

That is an excellent editorial and an even better video.  Everyone should watch that video. It's an eye opener.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DjuyMzxpt4&ab_channel=tweedfoundation

[hopper]

Some of our members are saying the Bervie is loaded with fish this season, maybe a return to the good old days, no barriers for you to sit with the camera like the Lunan.

[caorach]

That is an excellent editorial and an even better video.  Everyone should watch that video. It's an eye opener.

It is certainly very interesting though as with all these things it is so hard to know if you are getting all the facts and data or just the ones that support the argument. Certainly it seems to sit with what I've seen over the last while as we are getting some tiny grilse now and older folks I've fished with don't consider that "normal" so it does look like the average size of our grilse is falling. It is also the case that I think I was seeing more salmon this year than in previous years but, of course, I'm merely making this judgement based on size and my memory is very short and unreliable. The spring fish I had was, as you'd expect, a multi-sea winter fish based on scale readings. All I can say is that I've seen nothing in my personal experience to contradict the basic content of the video.

[johnny boy]

It's an interesting watch and certainly many valid points, so less fish for foreseeable future but the ratio of grilse n salmon will swing in direction of the sammies

[burnie]

http://www.fishpal.com/Scotland/Esks/Catches.asp?dom=Esks
Some fish over 20lbs last week as well, so the anglers are finding a few.

[Wildfisher]

Two of my friends spent 5 hours at the falls on the West Water yesterday; much more patience than I have!

Perfect water levels - they spotted 6 fish leaping over the 5 hours.  Last year at this time we were spotting 6 fish every 10 minutes.   :?  Not good.

[Hoolet]

Been one of the worst back ends I can remember in 40 years of Salmon fishing, one fish from the end of August...20 pounder mind you.

Conversely one of my best ever springs, 6 days on our beat on the Tay with 8 crackers landed between 11 & 19 pounds, 2 getting their first fish including my brother who was fishing with me at the time.

Not a bad return really and even with the disappointment at the tail end I'll be champing at the bit come January.

Hoolet.

[Wildfisher]

George, that sort of ties in with Laxdale's early season on The Conon and what The Tweed Foundation is saying. Next question might be will there now be a pricing restructuring that reflects the collapse of the autumn runs?   Who in their right mind will knowingly pay an arm and a leg for back end fishing if the main runs are in spring or summer?

[Laxdale]

A couple of Tay ghillies were saying the Tay season was over by July. There were very few new fish coming in after that.
October salmon fishing, just about everywhere in Scotland nowadays, is all about pestering gravid hens and crocs.
I gave up locally after getting a Laxay fish in the first week of October that I felt sure would spawn before the end of the month.

[Hoolet]

Exactly the same for me, The biggie I had was on the Teith and in full spawning regalia, There's a photo on the sff titled River Teith Crocodile, If I knew how to convert photos I'd post it here too,
Fought like a demon and went back strongly I'm pleased to say.

The interesting thing was that the beat was stuffed with fish moving the whole day and we never saw a fresh one among them but I did land the freshest and best looking Seatrout I've ever seen with scales coming off in my hands.......might do a bit more late evening work next year!

Hoolet.