Mid week in the last week of the season the river is in great ply with masses of cold clear water coming off the hills from regular top-ups from showers. Tonight, as I write this blog, with really heavy rain falling in the South Esk catchment, we could find ourselves with a brown spate in the morning. Today (27/10), despite a river full of leaves, tons and tons of them all being swept downstream to the sea, we did manage to catch three salmon on Milton Beat, with the Willows performing in its usual reliable way in high water.
Releasing a sealiced hen salmon
Charlie Palmer, after a frustrating three days without a fish, managed to catch a cock salmon of about 11lbs from the middle of Willows. With William Simper’s three salmon and a sea trout, and another fish of 6lbs from the N bank groyne immediately upstream of Volcano, the total at close on Wednesday was five salmon and a sea trout. The next three days will decide the season’s final catch returns. I expect to have a salmon total of about 130 fish and sea trout at about 120. In the circumstances, especially the nine-week drought that kicked off the 2010 season, this hasn’t been a bad year, but it could have been so much better.
The week ended quite well and brought the season’s totals to 136 salmon and grilse and 121 sea trout. Two beautiful fresh salmon were caught in the last three days including a 12lbs hen salmon from House Pool, as well as a good number of red and gravid salmon and some sea trout. Water levels were up and down and the salmon correspondingly fickle. Nevertheless the season ended on a positive note. I will write a review of the season in the next few days. In the meantime rods go onto their racks, reels oiled, waders patched and an assessment made of the flies that need tying to top up the storage box during the forthcoming winter. As I write this on the 31st of October there are skeins of 200 plus greylags and pink feet geese enjoying a sustained social gabble in the sky above my head. One thing is for certain: it’s a good year for geese! And not a bad year for salmon. Now for the spawning….
TA