Post by williegunn on Dec 11, 2005 17:07:16 GMT
Season review
Spey Salmon and Sea Trout Catch Report 2005
Preliminary rod catch figures for the 2005 season show that the Spey has had another good year for salmon and grilse, with 9,700 fish caught in February - September. This follows close behind the 2004 catch of 9,820, which was the best season since 1995. For the second year running the rod catch has exceeded the 10 year average of 9,100. There were a few worried anglers as 11th of February approached, by the evening of 9th it looked like the river gods had conspired against us anglers. The following day saw the river rise four feet and colour significantly. Fortunately for us, just as it looked like the opening day may be a washout, Jack Frost came to the rescue. A good frost on the night of the 10th saw the river drop two feet, which meant by the 11th it was high but fishable. The opening ceremony was carried out by last year’s winner of the Spey Quaich, Mr Bill Goodlad, and took place at the footbridge Aberlour. It was very well attended by around 100 anglers. The first fish of the season was in fact landed at Aberlour; Mr Ian Morrison landed the fresh 6 lb fish on a spinner at 10.50am. Unfortunately for Mr Morrison the prize for first fish of the season does not apply to fish landed whilst spinning. The fish was killed and as tradition dictates, donated to the local hospital. The prize for the first “Fly Caught” fish, the prestigious “Spey Quaich” was actually won by local man Mr Ian Smith. Along with the Quaich was a hamper donated by Walkers of Aberlour and a rare bottle of 30 year-old Glenfarclas, donated by the said distillery. The fish, caught on a 2 Inch Willie Gunn Tube, was landed at 11.54am on one of the lower beats. If Knockando ghillie, Sandy Smith, had played his 14lb fish a little harder he might have been the recipient of the Spey Quaich. Sandy’s fish, landed one minute later at 11.55am, was the largest of the day and earned him a hamper along with a bottle of 10 year-old Glenfarclas. One of the most pleasing aspect! s of Sandy’s fish was the fact that it was caught on a fly tied by his late friend and fellow Spey ghillie, Mr Ian Nichol. "The Spey Piper" Mr Sandy Gerrard passed away in 2005. For the past 11 years Sandy had piped at the opening of the river. Ill health did not deter him this year from turning out in full highland dress and piping in the beginning of the new season. Each piper has his or her own individual sound and I know that come 11th Feb 2006, his will be much missed. As in 2004, the season began with an above-average catch of spring multi-winter salmon. In February to April, 930 spring fish were caught, compared to 1,100 in 2004. The cold water meant that the lower river fished well. Two nights of heavy rain combined with a very mild wind saw virtually all the snow melt in one night. This led to a seven-foot rise, a rise that left the river un-fishable for around a week. Nevertheless, as soon as the river returned to a reasonable height, rods were again catching fish. Early April saw a seriously cold spell of weather. Having run at around 45f throughout March, suddenly Speyside was more like Siberia with biting northeast winds and water temps of 38f. Fishing was now not for the faint hearted.
Fishermen continued to support the Spey Fishery Board's (SFB) Salmon Conservation Policy, releasing 69% of all salmon and grilse caught. This was similar to the 2004 release rate of 68%, and remained a significant improvement on the 2002 rate of 29%. As a consequence of the efforts of anglers, ghillies and proprietors an additional 6,700 salmon and grilse were released to spawn. The SFB reviews the Salmon Conservation Policy annually, and at its most recent meeting on 9th November 2005 decided to maintain the policy until at least 2008. There were a couple of notable fish caught and released, one of nearly 30lbs from a beat below Delfur and a very big fish caught and released on one of the Castle Grant Beats. This latter fish measured in at 1.2 metres long and was thought to weigh in the region of 40lbs. There was a slight panic in late June and early July when the grilse failed to arrive in any number, but it was probably just due to the very high water temperatures, peakin! g at 74 f during the second week of July. As the month progressed it became apparent that with little or no water, any grilse coming into the river were generally confined to the lower half. Rothes and Delfur fished very well.
With the summer drought continuing, both water and fish were in short supply for rods fishing the Middle and Upper River, it seemed that fish did not want to pass under the Craigellichie Bridge. However, by the second week in August this began to change. As water temperatures dropped, fish, which should have run the river in July, now began to ascend to their more favoured beats in the middle river. It is quite unusual for fresh fish to run so far upstream during August but it seems that the exceptional water and weather conditions might be the cause.
Whatever the cause, anglers fishing Craigellichie, Wester Elchies, Carron and Knockando all enjoyed better than normal sport during this period. Grilse, which had been small and generally undersized during July, were now in better condition with most fish weighing in around the 5 - 6 lb mark. A slight rise in the water on the 7th was enough to move fish from the sea, right up as far as Grantown. September prove to be a frustrating month with plenty of fish in the river but few willing to take. Rods fishing above Craigellichie spent the month hoping for a good spate, but alas it never materialised. It seemed like the fish had just had enough, obviously they have more pressing matters in their mind.
By contrast sea trout catches were low, with 2,100 fish caught in 2005. This represents the poorest season since 1990, and the catch is significantly below the 10 year average of 4,600.It is not known why sea trout stocks appear to be declining, but the Spey Research Trust has begun a Sea Trout and Brown Trout Research Programme to investigate the potential problems affecting this species. As a precautionary measure, the SFB introduced a Sea Trout Conservation Policy in 2004, which aimed to increase the numbers of mature fish being released to spawn. The policy has resulted in an increase in the release rate of fish to 40%, which is an improvement on the 2003 rate of 21%. Having reviewed the situation at the recent Board meeting, the SFB has decided to maintain the existing policy for 2006.
Spey Salmon and Sea Trout Catch Report 2005
Preliminary rod catch figures for the 2005 season show that the Spey has had another good year for salmon and grilse, with 9,700 fish caught in February - September. This follows close behind the 2004 catch of 9,820, which was the best season since 1995. For the second year running the rod catch has exceeded the 10 year average of 9,100. There were a few worried anglers as 11th of February approached, by the evening of 9th it looked like the river gods had conspired against us anglers. The following day saw the river rise four feet and colour significantly. Fortunately for us, just as it looked like the opening day may be a washout, Jack Frost came to the rescue. A good frost on the night of the 10th saw the river drop two feet, which meant by the 11th it was high but fishable. The opening ceremony was carried out by last year’s winner of the Spey Quaich, Mr Bill Goodlad, and took place at the footbridge Aberlour. It was very well attended by around 100 anglers. The first fish of the season was in fact landed at Aberlour; Mr Ian Morrison landed the fresh 6 lb fish on a spinner at 10.50am. Unfortunately for Mr Morrison the prize for first fish of the season does not apply to fish landed whilst spinning. The fish was killed and as tradition dictates, donated to the local hospital. The prize for the first “Fly Caught” fish, the prestigious “Spey Quaich” was actually won by local man Mr Ian Smith. Along with the Quaich was a hamper donated by Walkers of Aberlour and a rare bottle of 30 year-old Glenfarclas, donated by the said distillery. The fish, caught on a 2 Inch Willie Gunn Tube, was landed at 11.54am on one of the lower beats. If Knockando ghillie, Sandy Smith, had played his 14lb fish a little harder he might have been the recipient of the Spey Quaich. Sandy’s fish, landed one minute later at 11.55am, was the largest of the day and earned him a hamper along with a bottle of 10 year-old Glenfarclas. One of the most pleasing aspect! s of Sandy’s fish was the fact that it was caught on a fly tied by his late friend and fellow Spey ghillie, Mr Ian Nichol. "The Spey Piper" Mr Sandy Gerrard passed away in 2005. For the past 11 years Sandy had piped at the opening of the river. Ill health did not deter him this year from turning out in full highland dress and piping in the beginning of the new season. Each piper has his or her own individual sound and I know that come 11th Feb 2006, his will be much missed. As in 2004, the season began with an above-average catch of spring multi-winter salmon. In February to April, 930 spring fish were caught, compared to 1,100 in 2004. The cold water meant that the lower river fished well. Two nights of heavy rain combined with a very mild wind saw virtually all the snow melt in one night. This led to a seven-foot rise, a rise that left the river un-fishable for around a week. Nevertheless, as soon as the river returned to a reasonable height, rods were again catching fish. Early April saw a seriously cold spell of weather. Having run at around 45f throughout March, suddenly Speyside was more like Siberia with biting northeast winds and water temps of 38f. Fishing was now not for the faint hearted.
Fishermen continued to support the Spey Fishery Board's (SFB) Salmon Conservation Policy, releasing 69% of all salmon and grilse caught. This was similar to the 2004 release rate of 68%, and remained a significant improvement on the 2002 rate of 29%. As a consequence of the efforts of anglers, ghillies and proprietors an additional 6,700 salmon and grilse were released to spawn. The SFB reviews the Salmon Conservation Policy annually, and at its most recent meeting on 9th November 2005 decided to maintain the policy until at least 2008. There were a couple of notable fish caught and released, one of nearly 30lbs from a beat below Delfur and a very big fish caught and released on one of the Castle Grant Beats. This latter fish measured in at 1.2 metres long and was thought to weigh in the region of 40lbs. There was a slight panic in late June and early July when the grilse failed to arrive in any number, but it was probably just due to the very high water temperatures, peakin! g at 74 f during the second week of July. As the month progressed it became apparent that with little or no water, any grilse coming into the river were generally confined to the lower half. Rothes and Delfur fished very well.
With the summer drought continuing, both water and fish were in short supply for rods fishing the Middle and Upper River, it seemed that fish did not want to pass under the Craigellichie Bridge. However, by the second week in August this began to change. As water temperatures dropped, fish, which should have run the river in July, now began to ascend to their more favoured beats in the middle river. It is quite unusual for fresh fish to run so far upstream during August but it seems that the exceptional water and weather conditions might be the cause.
Whatever the cause, anglers fishing Craigellichie, Wester Elchies, Carron and Knockando all enjoyed better than normal sport during this period. Grilse, which had been small and generally undersized during July, were now in better condition with most fish weighing in around the 5 - 6 lb mark. A slight rise in the water on the 7th was enough to move fish from the sea, right up as far as Grantown. September prove to be a frustrating month with plenty of fish in the river but few willing to take. Rods fishing above Craigellichie spent the month hoping for a good spate, but alas it never materialised. It seemed like the fish had just had enough, obviously they have more pressing matters in their mind.
By contrast sea trout catches were low, with 2,100 fish caught in 2005. This represents the poorest season since 1990, and the catch is significantly below the 10 year average of 4,600.It is not known why sea trout stocks appear to be declining, but the Spey Research Trust has begun a Sea Trout and Brown Trout Research Programme to investigate the potential problems affecting this species. As a precautionary measure, the SFB introduced a Sea Trout Conservation Policy in 2004, which aimed to increase the numbers of mature fish being released to spawn. The policy has resulted in an increase in the release rate of fish to 40%, which is an improvement on the 2003 rate of 21%. Having reviewed the situation at the recent Board meeting, the SFB has decided to maintain the existing policy for 2006.
