Salmon fishing,too expensive?

[para1]

fruin said:

Yes, it is too expensive. So much so that, if the pricing trend continues I cannot see myself fishing for salmon much beyond the next five years. The good water is not worth the money, and much of the association water (local to me) is not worth the effort.

???Fruin, how can you say that when you fish one of Scotlands prime salmon rivers (according to the chairman) for £15 a day ;D
See you soon.

[zephead]

Jim the Fish-good point well made.
I agree with you that many proprietors think all their geese are swans,especially those who have inherited their fishings.The "with accomodation" racket is always a lottery as how many people really want a crumbling cottage,decaying Manse or hotel twinned with Fawlty Towers where there is always a room share arrangement with a turbo-assisted snorer (I'm one-bad move to get billeted with me!).

Many are hankering for catches like the old days as they know the commercial value of them in todays currency and long for an opportunity to exploit it as an income stream without much thought as to whether it really represents value.Many of them IME don't take fishing elsehwere as commercial tenants and hence the view of their own patch is often out of kilter as opposed to father and grandad who only invited guests in reciprocation for fishing elsewhere for the prime 3-4 months of the season and looked on their fishings as a tremendous stroke of luck to share with freinds.

Difficult not to rant when you've lost good fishing without the grace of a response to a letter expressing interest in anything else that comes up so well done for not exploding.As for the Floors compulsory B&B caper it is an expensive neccessity when you could stay with a mate or pitch up for your three days having only need of the middle two nights accomodation.Sampling it soon as a grateful guest.
ZH.

[zephead]

Steve

good remark on break down by method.Had this chat with some notable Spey anglers/proprietors over drams two years ago in one of their sumptous InterContinental huts as they were a bit tearful as to how come Tweed catches were thro the roof when they were improving their Spring averages steadily but surely.

The spinning rod and particularly use of Rapala have been instrumental in some Tweed beats fortunes changing (apparently) for the better,and if you are a dedicated fly man there is nowt worse than being told that the fly will do for a quick run through though you'd best be spinning because thats how we get them here before June etc etc.

Always great to nick one on the fly in those situations and very hard to be comparing apples with apples if you can't speak to someone who knows the beat well and how the return is made up by method.

ZH

[sinkingtip]

For info - article in todays Dundee Courier regarding a symposium in Edinburgh of "rural experts, tourism officials and the salmon fishing industry". The reports continues with the statement that "an intensive drive to promote salmon fishing as an affordable sport is paying massive dividends and contributing an increasing amount to rural communities. I am also confident that this industry will grow, contributing £550 million over the next five years" - proclaims a suit.
Its good to see yet another quango show such optimism - obviously they have 'inside information' that salmon fishing in Scotland will improve to the levels required to generate this figure. Like I say - for info.