POLL

[altmor]

Owing not to a lack of ingenuity, but certainly a lack of IT comprehension, please list your favorite SPRING RIVER in the above poll, then do the same for the threads summer and autumn rivers, in POLL II and POLL III respectively.

I'll still manage to analyse the results and carry on later with beats and months for the most popular rivers in each category - so all's not lost.

PS. Colin, if your screening a couple of thoughts - linking threads, multi poll answer possibilities ?

[elwyman]

The only river I've fished in the Spring is Tweed, but I've have a few days on Spey & Tummel this April.

I can't really vote, but the river I'd aspire to fish in the Spring is the Spey.

[altmor]

I'll start off with the Tay in spring.

[sagecaster]

The Dee's a great early spring river and the Spey is a great later Spring river ie into May.

Its a difficult one but the Spey has it!

[tayspringer]

Definitely the Tay for me. Guaranteed to be there unless like to day I am at work!!!

[storlaks]

Has to be the Dee only for the reason that I now fish the Dee and not the Spey in Springtime.
The fighting qualities of the fish are greater on the Spey.

[leo]

Out of the big 4 have only fished in spring on the Dee and Tweed (and only a mediocre beat on the latter) and out of the two has to be the Dee for the quality of fly water and scenery. However I dream of the day when I get a chance to fish in late spring on the Spey!

[tyneandrew]

Not sure ive ever really been convinced about the fish fighting harder in one river than another

[williegunn]

tyneandrew said:

Not sure ive ever really been convinced about the fish fighting harder in one river than another

Andrew the Spey fish appear to fight better as the river is bigger and faster flowing.

[tyneandrew]

Still does not mean the FISH fights harder.

Know what your saying though Malcolm.

[altmor]

I think how hard a fish fights is a factor of how far it has traveled, and how long it has been in the river before it's hooked. It's not so much which river it's caught on, although I take WG's point, the Spey does have good, fast flow and this will accentuate the fight. I've caught fish on Brae, Arndilly and Tulchan, and would say the lower down the river, the "stronger" the fight in general.

This was reinforced just last season on the R Ewe, where I hooked a fresh fish only quarter of a mile from the sea, (4 pools up from the Sea pool), and I have never had such a fight with a fish as I did with that one. It weighed 10lbs, but put up a better / stronger battle than many a 15lbr.

In theory, a fish running hard for 2 days and caught at Aviemore on the Spey, would I expect, give a far less impressive account of itself, compared to say a fish which has chosen to "hold up" at Focabers for the same 2 day period, even if they entered the river together off the same tide.

Just my thoughts.

[storlaks]

I do agree that a well rested fish will fight harder than one that has just paused on it's way upsteam. My comment howver was simply based on the fact that I've caught quite a few fish now on my spring trips to Dee-side (Crathes), but I've yet to catch one that has given me a memorable fight. I know the watet is cold and fish never fight as hard in cold water but....

Not so on the Spey. Fished Tulchan in March/April for a 5-6 years and had some great battles with Springers. Strange but true.