news/editorial

18 September 2016 News/Editorial

How can it be, exactly a week after a 5ft flood which we had been longing for, that the total score on both main Tweed websites yesterday was 8 salmon…...in the 3rd week of September?

Weather conditions last week, for those who think unseasonal heat and humidity matter, could hardly have been worse, with the water temperature over 60F and the air temperature consistently over 70F, until yesterday (Saturday) when the air was cooler…... but there was still barely a cloud in the sky, a peerless sunny, early autumn, day.

If, as now seems likely, 2016 is going to follow the pattern of 2014 and 2015, what is it that is now happening to our Tweed salmon?

Theories abound, but the truth is…. nobody knows.

Stories of salmon jumping in the harbour and dolphins throwing themselves, and some salmon, in the air are both encouraging and discouraging, because they may be true, but we heard something remarkably similar last year…...and yet the longed for rush of fresh salmon never really happened then.

Reports are of plenty of fish in all the main beats, but of undistinguished colour, another characteristic remarkably reminiscent of the last 2 years.

Old river fish, but where are the fresh ones?

In time honoured fashion of clutching at straws when in extremis, at one’s wits end, running out of plausible explanations, except the unpalatable one that there aren’t going to be many fish, I looked up the sea surface temperature at Berwick-upon-Tweed and found it to be 57F, rather cooler than the river was last week.

If you believe that low temperature is part of the trigger which makes late running autumn salmon want to come out of the sea and into the river, to spawn, then will salmon rush in when the river is considerably warmer than the sea, and might that explain why so few fresh fish came in last week despite there being plenty of water?

Straws are being clutched, bigtime, here, but with very high tides this weekend and much cooler conditions, if little rain, in the coming week, will next week see an upturn in angling fortunes?

I am going to say “yes”, for we all want to be positive.

But we are running out of excuses.

--oo--

Friends fishing at Carham last week invited, as a guest, a comparative novice who had never caught a salmon before.

He flew from London to Edinburgh, whence he came by motor to rest his weary head at the very comfortable Collingwood Arms, in Cornhill-on-Tweed.

As they passed the charming Carham church on Wednesday morning, on the way to the river for his first day, turning right onto the track down to the fishing hut, his first sight of the river hove into view.

“Ah, the mighty Naver” he said, to general guffaws and incredulous hilarity from the other occupants of the car, his hosts.

By way of some sort of explanation, these self same hosts also fish on the Naver, and he had assumed that was where he was bound, despite some clues to the contrary, flying in to Edinburgh, staying in Cornhill-on-Tweed etc etc.

He is the most charming and engaging fellow, but it will take herculean efforts from his friends to resist the inevitable leg-pulls whenever a river, any river, comes into view from now on.

“Oh look M……, there’s the Naver again!”

To be met by the inevitable “Why don’t you all f… off!”