10 August 2014 News/Editorial
After a long dry spell, rain can have a dramatic and immediate impact on salmon fishing prospects.
I hear tell that one woman angler fishing on the Findhorn, at Altyre, last week hooked 27 salmon in a day, and landed 17 of them. For many weeks before that, without rain and with the river dead low, catches there were almost non existent.
The only conclusion is that the sea has plenty of fish, just waiting to come in once they smell a good head of fresh water.
We have had some water here on Tweed, but most would argue not yet enough to generate a mass migration of fish upstream. The river bed could also do with a proper flush out to wash away the accumulated weed and grime of a prolonged hot summer.
Enter, we hope, ex hurricane/tropical storm Bertha.
For most of last week, the Met Office had Bertha going south of the UK, maybe giving Southern Scotland a glancing blow. It now seems it is coming our way, and there is a yellow weather warning for rain for us this evening and tonight, with gales tomorrow.
After that, there are showers forecast for Monday to Wednesday, with high pressure moving in from the north to settle things down for the end of the week, and it will be much cooler, also good for fishing.
With Russia and Iceland reporting big catches recently, it just could be that prospects are good for UK late run salmon, which are somewhat later than they are in those northern climes.
Let us hope so; with poor springs all round and a drought ridden summer, 2014 has been lacklustre, to put it mildly.
If Bertha gives us good soaking tonight, that could all change…... and quickly.
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