Some salmon improvement

Salmon catches on Scotland’s rivers appear to have shown some improvement this year, however they remain poor. Most of Scotland’s rivers have now closed. Final catch figures will not be collated for most rivers until early next year, but the information which is available suggests a slightly improved picture.

In Scotland’s far north, the Thurso recorded a total catch of 787 fish; a significant improvement on the past two years, but still well down on the river’s five and 10-year averages. The Spey, which closed at the end of September, is yet to publish any figures, but Shooting Times understands the season has been ‘mixed’, with some weeks performing well and others doing poorly.

The final week on the Tay saw a total of more than 400 fish taken; this is expected to bring the total rod catch for the river system to around 5,500 fish. While this is a significant improvement on the past two years, it is still a long way from the river’s heyday in the 1960s.

Fishing is still open on the Tweed, however a total catch in the region of 6,000 is expected. This is also an improvement on last year, but it still lags behind the river’s five-year average of around 7,000 fish.

While most of Scotland’s rivers appear to show improvement on last year, figures still remain poor