Very slow start

[salmoseeker]

We're now in April and I think for Tayside rivers, catches are well down on the last few years. There has been plenty water, just an absence of fish. Personally, I have fished as often as last year but have failed to connect or even see a clean fish

The wind is from the east, there is lots of corrie snow in the hills and the river is cold. I'm hoping that when we get a wind from the west, some rain and a hill thaw, things will change.

If not, we're facing a bad spring season for reasons unknown.

Tight lines,

Salmo

[elwyman]

I think many of us were thinking the mild weather and high water levels in the early season would bring the fish in early, but I suppose other factors at sea have a bigger influence.

[tayboy]

aye same here am paying good money not so much as catch a fish as trying 2 see 1maybe my my eyes need lazer but can still here

[elwyman]

FishDee shows the catches are not far off the 5 year average, but Tweed is about 25% down.

[turrifftackle]

We here on the Deveron are off to a flyer.!!!
Albeit a low number it is twice our best in the last six years.

Now standing at 18 or 20 depending on which fish you question .
This is with a very low numbers of anglers out as well. Eight fish last week and at less than £25 a day its worth the effort.
If you like the "troots" we had five over three pounds and one at 5 lb and toooooo many to mention about 3/4- 1.5 lb.

Frank

[jimthefish]

graham said:

There is also the issue of over reporting, quite a lot of kelts are reported as fish by inexperienced rods.

I would like to think that there are not "quite a lot of kelts" reported as fish. Most Dee beats have at least one ghillie around and usually some experienced rods around the tiros.

I heard the rumour of a scandinavian making the mistake last year (or was it the year before) but I would hope that it was an isolated incident.

[pertempledog]

While I have no direct evidence myself there does seem to be, at the very least, a strong perception among certain gillies that some spent or unspawned fish are reported as fresh.

[salmoseeker]

I don't doubt you pert but I am amazed that an experienced fisher or ghillie could confuse a baggot/rawner/kelt for a springer; it doesn't make sense to me.

[robmason]

I've caught a very well mended kelt on the middle tweed on opening day with the gillie nowhere to be seen. I could easily have been a well intentioned "novice" and said I returned a nice springer!

[pertempledog]

Salmoseeker in the main I agree with you but not all fish are caught by experienced anglers, or less experienced with a gillie in tow. More worrying I think are those very few who may not be quite as honest with themselves as we may like to hope ..... and catch and release absolves them from the concern of proof.

P.A.T.

[severnfisher]

The Severn catch appears to be well below the 5 year average for this time of year, but the river was an unfishable torrent of brown spate water for most of February and half of March. So effort is probably well down too.

[tyneandrew]

I have been doing a few calculations on the Dee, Tweed & Tay for the spring catches for FEB & MARCH combined (info from fishscotland).

My summary findings are as follows:

River Dee

Catch is 5.3% up on the 5 yr average
Catch is 9.8% down on 2006 Feb/Mar catch

River Tweed

Catch is 25.6% down on 5 yr average
Catch is 9.9% down on Feb/Mar 2006 catch

River Tay

Catch is 14.5% down on 5 yr average
Catch is 45.7% down on Feb/Mar 2006 catch

The 2 most interesting bits of data are:

1) The Dee is the only river ahead of its 5yr average
2) The Tay catch is down nearly 50% on last season (a considerable drop)

[tyneandrew]

graham said:

FishDee has more beats reporting this year and the beats are more fully let, so rod effort is higher. The numbers of fish in the Dee are still a mere shadow of those 20 - 30 years ago. There is also the issue of over reporting, quite a lot of kelts are reported as fish by inexperienced rods.

Graham - i would dearly hope that the fishscotland team re-adjust all the historic records on fishdee when a new beat is brought onto the site to take into account their contribution?

Otherwise it is very poor information - especially when making comparisons like i have attempted in the previous post.

[salmoseeker]

I've fished quite hard over the last week (as over the season so far) and river conditions have been good for the beat I know quite well; I haven't seen a fish this season in pools where most days I would always see them. Next warm spate and still no fish.....well roll on the grilse.

[elwyman]

An interesting comment from the gillie (ex Tulchan) when we fished the Spey this week.

He said he fished Tulchan a lot in Feb/March but he only caught 2 kelts, which he said was way down on a normal season - I think he said he'd expect to catch about 20.

Anyway, he said the absence of kelts in the pools and the warm water temps (49 C this week) means that the fresh fish are basically bombing up river without stopping.

I can see his point - kelts in the lower pools would probably make the springers linger longer. If the pools are empty, the springers head up river looking for their mates!