Salmon Fishing Scotland Spring Fishing 2015.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Spring Fishing 2015.

The count down to the much anticipated 2015 Spring Salmon fishing season is well and truly on as we enter the last few days of 2014. The past season was not one to remember apart from the early spring. The last couple of seasons have seen a remarkable increase in spring runs especially on the Tay and there is a high expectation for that to continue in 2015. Let us hope it continues and create early season excitement to all the anglers coming to the Tay and Scotland.
Conditions are good currently with very cold weather which is ideal for the lower river beats.

These are some pictures around the Stanley beats taken today. This is the Woodside on the Catholes.

The Weir at the top of the Catholes.

A superb springer caught from the Catholes in March 2014.

The famous Pitlochrie pool where many spring salmon have been landed over the years.

A panoramic view from Stanley Mills down the the tail of Horsey.

An old map of the Stanley beats.

The sun goes down on another cold day in December 2014.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland Malloch Trophy winner for 2014.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Malloch Trophy winner for 2014.

This was the press release for the Fishpal Malloch Trophy winner for 2014. Congratulations to Wayne Longstaff and the Tweed for producing such a superb spring fish. Hopefully the Tay will figure in 2015.

2014 winner of Scotland’s most prestigious angling award, the greatest honour in British gamefishing, announced.

The 2014 winner of the FishPal Malloch Trophy – for one of the largest salmon caught by an angler on a fly and safely returned during the year in Scottish waters – has been announced. The successful angler is Wayne Longstaff of Teesside for a fine spring salmon caught on the River Tweed.

Mr Longstaff, on being told of the decision of the FishPal Malloch Trophy Committee on December 17th, commented: “I have been salmon fishing for ten years now and this was my biggest fish to date by a long way. This ‘fish of a lifetime’ was superbly shaped, in prime condition and sea-liced. It swam off strongly after we had taken a very quick photograph”.

Mr Longstaff’s salmon, accurately weighed at 33 lb with a length of 45 inches, was landed on May 5 in the Cottage Stream pool on the Hendersyde beat of the River Tweed, before being carefully released back into the river. To be eligible for the trophy a fish must be caught on a fly in a sportsmanlike manner and be returned to the water.

The fish was caught on a Hardy Elite rod with a Hardy 2000 reel, a Mach 55 sink-tip fly line and a Pot-Bellied Pig fly. The fish was weighed in a weigh-net by Hendersyde head boatman John Kitchingham. The accuracy of the weigh-net was subsequently verified by keen angler John Taylor of Wylie Butchers in Kelso using 33 lb of meat!

At the FishPal Malloch Trophy Committee meeting on December 17th several possible contenders were considered. Mr Longstaff’s entry, which fulfilled the relevant criteria including best evidence, was endorsed as the winner for 2014. His name will be engraved on the Tay Foundation’s trophy, joining an illustrious list of previous winners which stretches back four decades. He will also receive a replica Malloch Trophy, a £250 FishPal Voucher, a Mackenzie DTX rod and a place on Scott Mackenzie’s Spey Casting Masterclass course.

The runner-up is Gordon Smith of Buckie for a heavy salmon caught in October on the Birse beat of the River Dee.

John Wood, Chairman of the Tay Foundation and a member of the FishPal Malloch Committee, commented: “I am delighted that this year’s winning entry is for a spring salmon, which for many salmon anglers are the most prized of all fish. Unfortunately runs of spring salmon have over the last few decades seen a disproportionate decline and they need as much protection as possible. The safe release of Mr Longstaff’s magnificent fish illustrates the commitment by the great majority of anglers to conserving spring salmon”.

Mark Cockburn, CEO of sponsors FishPal, said: “2014 has been a disappointing season for salmon fishers across the North Atlantic. That said, with salmon angling there is always the possibility that the next cast will produce the fish of a lifetime. Our congratulations go to Wayne Longstaff for fulfilling this dream”.

Robert Rattray, Secretary of the FishPal Malloch Trophy, added: “This season was the first since the Committee widened the criteria for deciding the annual winner. It is now not necessarily awarded for the largest fish although this remains an important consideration. Other factors such as the time of year of capture, the condition of the fish and how it is handled – in line with best catch and release practice – are also taken into account”.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland Compulsory Catch and Release for Scottish rivers just round corner.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Compulsory Catch and Release for Scottish rivers just round corner.

Compulsory tagging scheme could be brought in to protect Scotland’s dwindling salmon stocks.

This was an article in the Dundee Courier this week written by Graham Brown which spells out the angling community fears after a very poor 2014 season for rods and nets. Surely now interceptory netting is not viable if we are to maintain a credible tourist industry in rural Scotland for salmon fishermen which is a multimillion pound business.

Compulsory carcass tagging of every wild salmon killed in Scotland could be in place as soon as 2016.

The plan is part of a Scottish Government consultation which will move forward early in the new year and could place a blanket ban on killing fish except under licence.

Sporting and commercial interests have pledged to participate fully in the consultation, which may move forward against the backdrop of Scotland’s worst salmon catch on the nation’s rivers for 60 years.

The proposed steps would effectively introduce compulsory catch and release in the rod fishery sector, which already stands at 80% across the season.

Salmon and Trout Association (Scotland) chairman Hugh Campbell Adamson said: “We warmly welcome this bold move by Scottish Government.

“This announcement signals an acknowledgment and confirmation by government that our wild salmon stocks are under considerable pressure and that they need as much protection as possible from indiscriminate killing.

“If this proposal is adopted and a licensing system is introduced in 2016, it will go a very considerable way towards ensuring that Scotland honours its international conservation obligations, particularly under the NASCO treaty.”

George Pullar of the family-owned Usan Salmon Fisheries, Scotland’s largest netting company, said: “The main thing is that we want to engage with the process so that there is a reasonable outcome for all parties.

“We all want a sustainable fishery for the future for all sides, both rods and nets,” said Mr Pullar of the Montrose firm.

The sporting and commercial interests have consistently challenged each other over the conservation question, with claim and counter-claim over the impact on stocks.

Environment minister Aileen McLeod said: “Salmon is a protected species under the Habitats Directive and we need to ensure that any killing is sustainable.

“Greater protection and enhancement of our stocks will enable us to maximise the socio-economic benefits that flow from them.”

“The detail of our proposal will be set out in the consultation paper but we intend that carcass tagging for any salmon killed will form part of the package of measures.”

WORST YEAR SINCE 1950S?

There are concerns Scotland could be heading for its worst salmon year since the 1950s.

A dry early summer, August floods and warmer temperatures in Atlantic breeding grounds are being blamed as contributing to poor catch records which experts fear could fall well below 50,000 — a drop of more than 15,000 from the previous season, which was also the worst for a decade.

Salmon and Trout Association (Scotland) director Andrew Graham Stewart said 2014 had been an “annus horribilis” on the nation’s rivers.

Official figures will be released in the spring on the total rod catch across the year, revealing where the tally will sit against the 2013 figure of 66,387 and a five-year average of 84,500.

Dr David Summers of the Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board said: “In terms of July, there hasn’t been as bad a month since the 1950s.”

The bleak picture is not confined to Scotland, with reports of similar difficulties in Norway and North America.

Sport fishing is worth well in excess of £100 million to the Scottish economy each year and supports thousands of jobs.

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Salmon Fishing Scotland River Tay, Perthshire Salmon Fishing review for 2014.

Salmon Fishing Scotland River Tay, Perthshire Salmon Fishing review for 2014.

Tay Salmon Fishing Review 2014.

The river Tay in Perthshire, Scotland has had a difficult salmon fishing year by modern standards as the FishTay web site have reported only 4667 Salmon and Grilse being caught for the 2014 fishing season.

Alex Salmond opens the 2014 season.
It must be said that this situation has been mirrored right across the north Atlantic area due to problems at sea with more smolt mortality than normal that is out of the rivers control. In terms of the salmon and grilse catch, the 2014 season total shows an 42.5 % decrease on 2013 and a 30.8 % decrease on the 5 year average for FishTay beats.

Catches reported per month through the season were as follows Jan 32, Feb 124, Mar 481, Apr 547, May 429, Jun 200, Jul 181, Aug 683, Sep 779 and October 1211. The spring period from January to May was the most positive part of the season, showing a 28 % decrease on 2013 but a 23% increase on the 5 year average. There seems to be trend starting on the Tay with much better spring fishing.

A stunning spring salmon caught on Stobhall.
March showed a 23% increase on a very good 2013 season but the late spring run in April and May did not materialize as in 2013, which was disappointing however the spring proportion of the catch on the Tay is increasing year on year with this years catch being 34.6% of the total. Could we be seeing the start of a change in the cycles as in the past?

A 23 pounds summer fish from Islamouth.
Further evidence of this phenomenon is the disappointing summer period with less grilse being caught. June to August was down 48.7% on 2013. The autumn period, September to October showed a 47.6% decrease on 2013 due to the lack of rain and very weak run.

A superb autumn fish caught at Fishponds.
October continues to be the most productive month of the year helped by the extension period to the end of the month. Another aspect of the catch was the continuation of larger multi sea winter salmon being caught throughout the Tay system in the 20 to 30 pounds class, which the river has been famous for over the years.

To provide some context it has to be said the 2014 salmon rod catch was extremely disappointing and everyone is glad it is over with hopefully improvements to come in 2015.

Catholes at Stanley in early spring.
The spring was again the big plus which is all ready creating massive interest in spring fishing for 2015 and the on coming season is being greeted with much anticipation after this years failings.

The summer and autumn was more difficult in most areas due to the north Atlantic problems in the sea and also long periods of very low water. The end of the season was a bit better due to more water but still down on previous years and there was with a feeling that a real autumn run had not taken place.

Fresh salmon were still running the river right up to the last day in limited numbers and the extra 2 weeks extension continued to give the local economy a much needed boost. The river is currently debating whether to continue with the extension period for the future and news of that result should be available soon.

The river has had a difficult year and everyone expects a lot more so every effort must be made to take the river forward to the levels of the past and put the mighty Tay in its rightful position of being the premiere salmon fishing destination in the world. The river has had another good spring run and catch this season, which may just be down to the majority of anglers returning salmon over the past seasons. Thank you to all anglers who have this season returned their salmon and in particular spring salmon to maintain our sport for the future, it is vitally important and is a great contribution by individuals who care for their sport and the river. Well done!

It should be pointed out there are a number of beats that do not report catches on the FishTay website and the full rod catch for the River Tay in 2014 will be a bit higher than shown on the FishTay website.

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