River Leven (Loch Lomond System)

[Fruin]

The River Leven season started today and there was a reasonable turnout of the regular die hards.

By lunchtime there were at least 20 kelts caught.

I managed to get some sport after lunch, with a total of 8 salmon kelts, 2 kelts lost, and 1 sea trout kelt.

There were no reports of fresh fish but realistically it will be some time in March before the first fresh fish comes off the river.

[clydebuilt]

Nice to see there was a reasonable turn out on the Leven Fruin.

I will have to get my ticket when i return home, just been looking at the robbieredball site and the water level looked good too.

Pity no fresh fish but like you say, give it a few more weeks yet and fingers crossed.

No doubt bump into you in my travels over the water for a cast.
tightlines

[Fruin]

Clydebuilt,

I think the overall toll was around 30 kelts caught, but no fresh fish.

I have a few days on the Tay before the middle of March. Hopefully by that time there may be some springers pushing into the Lomond system.

I'll see you on the river at some point, you'll have to wear a clydebuilt name badge so I know who you are!!!

Cheers,

Gary

[clwydman]

Working now!
Personally I find this thread slightly offensive. Describing dragging kelts out of the river as sport is a joke as far as I am concerned.

'Wait a few more weeks and fresh fish will be about'

Well why dont you and leave the kelts alone.
How many multi sea winter fish were caught in the Leven last year? I honestly dont know as I have never fished the river but if as I suspect the answer is not nearly as many as we used too, then we are happy to blame nets etc. Maybe we should look a little closer to home. I wonder how many of the kelts caught die as a result of their unnecessary stress? Come on lads this salmon species is endangered, go and drag some stocky rainbows out of a put and take inyour area if you have to fish for unfit quarry!

[exerod]

I'm with Clwydman on this one. By all means have a cast on opening day but surely you notice a pattern developing after the third kelt! Leave the poor buggers alone.

Tight lines (with a fresh one )

Andy

[Fruin]

Clwydman,

Please allow me to clarify. I was not, nor is anybody else bragging about catching kelts. It was opening day on the local river and all the regular rods cast a fly to mark the occasion. I was only providing information for anybody that may have been interested.
Quite often if there are a few kelts about, one or more fresh fish will nestle in with them, so it makes it worthwhile covering the water.
I stopped fishing halfway down that particular pool when I realised that, given the number of kelts in that pool, all I was going to catch was a ridiculous amount of kelts and it would not be in the interests of the fishery for me to continue.
I later went to the pool again with a new(ish) member of our club that has never caught a salmon before. He did catch a kelt, returned it safely, and was overjoyed with the experience. This may just keep his interest in fishing alive.
Catching kelts has always been and always will be a part of spring fishing. Pointing out that a lot of kelts were caught on opening day is only highlighting that it may well have been a good year for spawning fish, maximising the potential for a good juvenile population.
If you feel that we are spending money on habitat improvements and hatcheries and therefore should not be fishing if we risk catching kelts, should you be fishing at all? Or perhaps you think that all rivers should be closed until June?
I am versed enough in the subject to realise that kelts are weakened fish which is why all that I caught were played very quickly and allowed to recover sufficiently on their return to the river. However, I must also point out that the potential for damage to a rivers salmon population is far greater by catching fresh fish that may die after being returned than by catching and returning kelts. Fresh fish have still to produce their offspring.
I would rather be fishing for fresh fish and there is always the chance of an early springer, and I was not, nor was anybody else, purposefully targeting kelts.
If you took the time to read through the rest of the thread, you would have noticed that I stated my next venture, after the opening day, would be in mid march when there is a better chance of fresh fish.
I hope this has helped clarify my previous thread and you are not too offended by salmon anglers catching kelts on opening day. If there was a way of targetting springers and avoiding kelts I am sure most or all anglers would employ such tactics.

Exerod,

I did notice a pattern and moved down a bit form the deeper slack water that seemed to be holding the fish. Funnily enough, after three kelts. I then started to catch on every second or third cast in the shollawer water, and when it got ridiculous I gave up.

[Fruin]

I also have to point out that this amount of kelts to one rod is very rare on opening day of the Lomond system, so I didn't feel it would carry on until it became blatantly obvious that it would.

[exerod]

Fair point Fruin.

Tight lines

Andy

[clwydman]

Having read my first comments, they may appear a little harsh and negative for which I am happy to apologise however I cannot accept that what I am getting at is, as you describe 'Sealicer' as 'Totally off the mark'
To cast a line on opening day and hook into a few kelts, I have no problem with whatsoever and indeed would attend myself to mark the start of another season.
Here is my point though. All of the previous comments on this thread identify the fact that there is little to no chance of a spring fish at this time of year, a FACT supported by Trout and Salmon river reports which, as previous contributors have stated it will be Mid March before a reasonable chance to catch a springer occurs in the river Leven. My point being Is the start of the season too early on the River Leven?

I do think we as salmon anglers have a duty of care as to what we print in public places. I live in North Wales but have caught and kept salmon from all over Scotland as well as returning a good few, so I am not one of the return them all brigade!
Our angling club have in the last two years seen fit to issue members with advice as to what to do should we be approached by the dreaded 'Anti's' indeed some signs and cars have been damaged.
These same anti's are sure to be monitoring sites such as these and if I as a committed Salmon fisher am finding threads such as this a little near the mark as it were, then it is sure to provide narrow minded individuals with what they would think as justification to target anglers .
I am in no way saying you are wrong to fish, I am merely asking the question about season times basically as we should be protecting ALL stocks of salmon not just the ones on the way up the river, but those returning to sea too.

[Fruin]

Clwydman,

Point taken. It does make some sense to prolong the close season on the Leven/Loch Lomond season. However, the spring run is improving every year and as the Leven is such a short river, this is not always reflected in the catches. Also, given a good water height there is always the chance of an early springer.

One reason that there is rarely a springer taken before March is that very few people fish the river before May, and even fewer before the end of March.

I would think that there are easier targets for the anti's than the Leven. At best they would end up a bit wet!!!

[Fruin]

The River Leven has managed an early springer this year. It was an 8lb fish caught on a Flying C from The Piles on Saturday. The lucky angler was Gordon Pollock.

[sealicer]

Great news Fruin, just goes to show that it is worth a cast in february!

[Fruin]

Yeah, and here was I fishing the Tay because I reckoned I had a better chance there!!!

[macd]

clwydman said:

These same anti's are sure to be monitoring sites such as these and if I as a committed Salmon fisher am finding threads such as this a little near the mark as it were, then it is sure to provide narrow minded individuals with what they would think as justification to target anglers .

perhaps a PM to fruin would have been more appropriate given the monitoring of antis. Would have avoided any confusion. No need to wash dirty linen in public lads.

macd

[kercock]

Well said both really.A wee point I would like to make along fruins point is that two fish which were caught last week in my area were caught where kelts are regularly seen splashing about,both areas are 1/4mile apart.
Personally I would like to see the Tay season put back two weeks to help kelts recover for a wee bit longer. The jungle drums are saying there are moves afoot to extend the season by two weeks,hopefully taking two weeks off the opening date. This is being put about,not with the wellbeing of the salmon of course,simply by greed of a few riparian owners and lets not forget that it would swell the coffers of the Tay Fisheries Board by a very significant amount of mulla. ie 100salmon per dayfrom the system for twelve days fishing,lets say the tarrif per fish is £50 ,do the arithmatic yourselves.............a tidy sum.. Meanwhilst we hear of fish spawning as late as early February and as early as early October,makes one wonder.

[Fruin]

No more fresh fish unfortunately, but angling pressure has been very low. I've still not fished the system since opening day. Still a few kelts being caught, this one on the Leven by well kent Jack Ferguson...

[gavan]

lovely clear picture fruin, love the wee ghillie as well...
..............gavan.............

[Fruin]

The ghillie is called Patch. It wasn't my photo, I blagged it from another Leven angler.

I have heard that there was another fresh fish off the river that was returned, but it is still unconfirmed. The coming weeks should see more rods on the river and more boats out on the loch, which should, hopefully, mean more fish being caught.

[Fruin]

One of the few anglers on the River Leven last week was fishing above the Bonhill Bridge pool on Thursday. He lost two fish on the fly. The first fish, which snapped the leader, was a fresh fish of around 15lb. The other fish didn't stay attached long enough to confirm if it was a proper fish. The angler concerned seemed experienced enough, apart from the fact that the river was very high, he was using a large tube fly and only 12lb leader.

I ventured out myself on Saturday, but never connected with anything and spent more time with a bow saw removing offending branches

[Fruin]

The first fish to the fly came off the Leven today. The lucky angler was Jack Ferguson and he got the fish on a yellow pot bellied pig at the marker above the Bonhill Bridge.