I was down having a look at the river this morning and found that the autumn run has already started, triggered early by the recent spate.
An annual event that's always great to see!
Best viewed full screen at 720HD
Lunan Run 09-10-2014 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8wYlfVxGgQ#ws)
great film are those finnock seem to be fairly small fish but nothing really to scale them against?
It looked to me like a mix of small sea trout / finnock, some were bright silver, plus a lot of browns and I'm sure I saw two small salmon. It's really hard to say though. To be honest, the river was running really dirty brown and I didn't expect to see fish running in such mucky water.
Very good Fred, nothing going up the ladder again ?
Not a single fish in the ladder Eric. The flow is much too fast at that level of water. In fact I only saw two small fish trying to get up the near side and that's usually where you see most of them. Obviously it's not as cut and dried as some suggest. The fish use different parts of the weir at different water levels.
The only real solution is removal of the dyke. It serves no purpose and it would do the fish a huge favour as well as complying with the WFD. The Trust / Board really have to give that serious consideration and get rid of the other obstacle on the Vinny at Friockheim. That's even worse as it gets blocked with flood debris.
Totally agree with that Fred, maybe instead of repairing the ladder a couple of years ago we should have let it go the same way as Morphie Dyke.
Not sure if you have posted it on the Trust web site but might let the rest see the problems the fish are having getting over the dyke.
I'll do that Eric and email all the trustees so they can have a look.
I don't think the colour of the water makes any difference to the fish running. I have caught Cowie sea-trout in coffee coloured water.
Fred you had a wee go with the time lapse yet !
why was the wier originally put in?
Quote from: bibio1 on October 13, 2014, 08:21:14 AM
why was the wier originally put in?
To supply water to drive Boysack Mill Paul.
It's a residential house now. I can never remember that mill working even when I was a kid.
In common with all rivers in east and central Scotland there were mills all down its length but all are long gone.
Quote from: superscot on October 10, 2014, 09:14:04 PM
Fred you had a wee go with the time lapse yet !
Some slo-mo here Colin. Best viewed HD720 full screen
lunan run solw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OvbiyvWx7g#ws)
Is the bigger silver fish a sea trout or a small salmon?
Looks like a sea trout Fred.
Just goes to show what could go up all our local burns if only we could get rid of the sea and river mouth netters.
Yes Eric, I often wonder how many sea trout are being pulled out by the nets at Lunan Bay, or perhaps that should be pullerd out.
Another spate on the river today. I had a quick look this afternoon. Not a lot of fish running but I did see two nice sea trout struggling to get over Boysack Dyke. What a wonderful little river this is. For hundreds of year now it has survived against all the odds. I'm sure if we could remove the remaining man made obstacles like this dyke it would go from strength to strength. The stress on these fish from trying to surmount this pointless man made barrier must be considerable.
Best full screen HD 720
sea trout jumping (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9MznsIp0MU#ws)
Both clips excellent and hope you can catch some of the bigger chaps going up ! Shot from a tripod Fred! Canny wait till you get yer Drone and catch the middle of the river action shots.
Thanks Colin. This next video was shot an hour ago and shows the next and final serious barrier exactly 4KM upstream – as the fish swims – from Boysack Dyke.
This one is a serious problem in that it blocks with debris during spates and prevents the passage of fish. Last year I went in twice with waders to clear it. It's a hopeless, exhausing and dangerous task. Even when not blocked it is a barrier that smaller fish will struggle to surmount. It serves no purpose and if it is not a violation of the WFD I'd be very surprised.
Electro-fishing has produced some juvenile salmon above it, so some do get past, but I have never, ever seen a fish trying to ascend this barrier. I doubt very much if many sea trout get past this point and of course if none do then it's not a "home water", so fewer still will try! It's a vicious circle. It might be the sea trout struggle to get past Boysack Dyke, so few ever get even this far. That's a shame because the spawning habit on the Vinny is better than the upper Lunan which is a canalised ditch in many places.
Boysack Dyke, these sluices and their slipway should, in my opinion, be removed. They are pointless, redundant remnants of an industrial past and are bad for salmonids.
Best full screen HD 720
Vinny Sluice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvukwX5Q3bY#ws)
QuoteBoysack Dyke, these sluices and their slipway should, in my opinion, be removed. They are pointless, redundant remnants of an industrial past and are bad for salmonids.
Was just going to ask the same question as in who controls the water flow, Just something calming in listening to flowing water, could sit and listen to it all day
Colin, there is no sluice on Boysack Dyke, only on the Vinny. The land owners appear to adjust them when they remember.
I was back down to both dams this morning for a look. The river is roaring down and filthy. Didn't see a single fish. Perhaps they don't run if they can't see where they are going. :D
Fish running again this morning. A couple very nice browns, a few sea trout and one grilse which was like a chrome bar. Not a single fish made it over the weir and I checked farther upstream at another small fall and didn't see a fish there.
Best at HD720 full screen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa_3qzR1l-8#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa_3qzR1l-8#ws)
Some very nice fish among them Fred, what sort of weight would you put on the sea trout.
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It's very hard to say Colin, there is nothing to gauge them against. I'd guess the biggest would have been a few pounds. They could certainly jump!
I know you are not seeing fish getting over the dam but they must be or there must be a huge amount of fish in that pool below it. Great to see silver fish in the film.