Tweed fishing

[Yorkshire Esk]

Tweed fish numbers are well down on previous years because of the weather.
Why not scrap the "fly only" rule that comes into force on the 15th Sept. Alot of money is spent on a days fishing for an Autumn beat on the Tweed, many days lost because of the fact the river is far too high for fly fishing. Most other rivers that adopt the fly only rule do have an exception for the river level, and then they can get the spinning rod out. Generally speaking you can spin a rising and high water river.
There must be alot of frustrated fisher people who would love to be out fishing but cannot because the river is just too high for the fly, but could take the spinner.

Y.E

[salmonking]

dont think spinning is very popular,it has been a terrible season
on tweed and tribs,apart from the ettrick...june,july aug and sept bone dry,then flood after flood,so i say let the fish have their day,
i personally enjoy fishing fly in a big water,if it had not been so dry in the months mentioned above,i think more fish would have been taken,and they wouldn`t be running as hard as they have been,glad to see the back of this year.

[dunbar]

The Tweed fly only rule is a useful discipline, especially at this time of year when it challenges anglers to think more about fly size, presentation etc. In my view, there are very few days when a big water means no fish - there are always opportunities and I am constantly surprised to get fish with the right gear when other anglers leave without even putting their rods up. Even in a dirty rising water you will get fish on the fly. Getting washed out is dissapointing, but all part of fishing - some years are better for fish than anglers - and that's the way it should be. I think the Tweed management have got it right in just about every respect.

[charlieh]

woldedge said:

Tweed fish numbers are well down on previous years because of the weather.

salmonking said:

it has been a terrible season on tweed and tribs,apart from the ettrick

You guys must be looking at a different set of figures from me. Looking at the Fishtweed returns, a few beats (mostly on the lower river) are below their 5 year average, but more are ahead of it and some - Rutherford and Upper Hendersyde, for example - have had a really brilliant season.

I think that the risk of being flooded off is part of the deal if you take fishing on the Tweed, particularly at the back-end. It's different from rivers like, say, the Spey or Dee, where you are pretty unlikely to lose anything more than an odd day at worst. On the Tweed you can easily lose half a week to heavy rain. On the other hand, if you hit it right you may catch bigger numbers than on just about any other river. That's the nature of the river - if you aren't prepared to risk this feast or famine existence, perhaps you should go elsewhere!

The fly only periods at the beginning and end of the season have been in place for many, many years, coinciding with the times when the nets are off. Given how much easier it is to fish a large, deeply sunk fly with modern tackle than it ever used to be, I can't really see any reason to reverse the arrangement that has stood for so long. I don't see much evidence that good water is going unlet because of it.

[salmonking]

if you look at season so far on fishtweed,apart from apr,oct,catches are down.

[charlieh]

salmonking said:

if you look at season so far on fishtweed,apart from apr,oct,catches are down.

True enough. The lowest beats are significantly down on their averages, and although most of the beats (from about Wark upwards) are about level if not ahead of the game, perhaps it's not enough to cancel out those losses. However, it's also worth mentioning that a couple of beats (Carham and Mertoun) don't seem to have been reporting. Assuming they have actually been fished, and have produced in line with their averages, it looks to me as though they would between them have added about another 800-900 fish to the total, which would alter the figures a bit. But even without adding those in I'm still not sure I'd call this season's catches 'terrible', although I do get the impression that the average size of fish is down this year.

Colin, I don't know much about the Teviot, but I think it can quite often carry a good deal of colour because it runs off more arable land than the main river. I remember an occasion, on one of my few days on the Tweed, when the Teviot was coming down dirty while the main river was reasonably clean. A couple of miles below the Junction rods were struggling for the odd fish with big 2" tubes, while a couple of miles above, good numbers of fish were being caught on #6 doubles and floating lines. But of course the Teviot's a smaller river and so with luck will tend to clear reasonably fast once it stops raining. Whatever, it's good to have a fallback position, even if it means a long drive.

[dunbar]

Upper river has been very poor this backend. Water levels have been up and down and fish have not settled at all. They seem to be very well spread out and thus more difficult to locate. You really have to be in the right place at the right time. I have had quite a few days fishing this November, in ideal water, without as much as a pull. Very few fish showing as well, that may well be down to the fact that they are less concentrated this year.

[salmonking]

dunbar,
would you say fish have been running harder than norm,considering the dry summer,and yes fish just havent been showing as much,well very little, i assume this is because of the point above?

[Yorkshire Esk]

This week reported on fishtweed website.
SALMON 168
SEA TROUT 38

Not a high return for this time of the year.
Water level up again on Thursday night and in some places still rising as of this morning.

I know not every beat reports to the fishtweed catchline, so figures can be misleading.

[robmason]

woldedge said:

This week reported on fishtweed website.
SALMON 168
SEA TROUT 38

Not a high return for this time of the year.
Water level up again on Thursday night and in some places still rising as of this morning.

I know not every beat reports to the fishtweed catchline, so figures can be misleading.

Which prove nothing other than the river has been up and down all week with an average of 5ft or more at Norham. Bearing in mind most of the fish up-river will not be fresh run I think the fly only rule makes perfect sense. It may have come into being during the days of very heavy Tweed netting, but makes perfect sense in the era of conservation.

If fly only and the associated risks( if any) that this brings are not for you the Nith and Annan I'm sure offer an alternative.

Personally I'd like to raise a glass in praise and admiration: "to the ones (skinny little blighters this year) that got through...."
Hic, I'm to bed.

[salmonking]

here,here....

[Yorkshire Esk]

How many more salmon will be caught tomorrow when the "fly only" rule comes off.

[elwyman]

6 fish today, including the first one for Boleside - the recent rise in the water must have got the fish moving

[Yorkshire Esk]

Numbers (caught) have more than doubled on the tweed today. Does this prove a point or not?
Will spinning catch a fish (springer) where a fly won't?

[Sloggi]

woldedge said:

Numbers (caught) have more than doubled on the tweed today. Does this prove a point or not?
Will spinning catch a fish (springer) where a fly won't?

Yes, it's often the case

[exerod]

woldedge said:

Numbers (caught) have more than doubled on the tweed today. Does this prove a point or not?
Will spinning catch a fish (springer) where a fly won't?

Yes it will although the fly only brigade will often tell you that a well fished fly will out fish a spinner. However what they mean is that a well fished fly will out fish a poorly fished spinner. Remember most fly only types believe you can't fish a spinner well, there is no skill in it just chuck it and chance it. The most obvious example of this is Falkus (I admit he wasn't exactly fly only!) with his Average Spinning Man being out fished by the Crafty Fly Fisher. No mention of the Crafty Spinning Man, I wonder why?

But the foregoing is not an argument for spinning on fly only water. I’ve never fished the Tweed itself, only the Ettrick, but if I ever do I wont feel disadvantaged by the fly only rule at the back end or start of the season. Its just part of what the Tweed is, live with it. There are plenty of other places to go where other methods have always been allowed.

Tight lines

Andy

[elwyman]

woldedge said:

Numbers (caught) have more than doubled on the tweed today. Does this prove a point or not?
Will spinning catch a fish (springer) where a fly won't?

Catches improved yesterday after the rise in water, and I guess more people were out fishing today, with spinning being allowed.

There are plenty of deep and slow pools and dubs that probably don't get fly fished that much, and that's where the springers will be this time of year.

[castlikeaghille]

On a related point, when people talk about the Dee returning to its former spring glories they are slightly deluding themselves even if the fish return. Look at the historical catch records. On all beats I have fished until about mid April most fish were caught on the devon or blair spoon. Spinning, even basic chuck and chance, at least kept the rods fishing and covering fish in weather many, even with today's tackle, wouldn't be able to cope with and would give up.

Much as I love fly fishing the Dee, there are just odd times it would be great to spin it properly...just imagine the fun you could have if you were allowed half an hour with a single hooked rapalla on Beat 4 of Park in September......... ;-)

[pertempledog]

if you could do that it wouldn't be long before you'd want to harl it no doubt!

[castlikeaghille]

Too right PT proper fishin'...it's the real reason Keith and SouthPark Kenny won't put a boat on it ..they know me too well ...The Master of Blankersyde will be gurning....as I type