news/editorial

5 August 2018 News/Editorial

With two small lifts of water and slightly less heat, the fishing improved last week, mainly, as predicted, below Coldstream.

The total catch for the week was 177 salmon and 33 sea trout making the season’s total to date 1,352 salmon and 303 sea trout.

There is change on the way with our weather.

From midweek you might need that jersey, even a raincoat, both of which have been lying unseen and unused, either on a hook or in a chest of drawers, for weeks now.

With salmon, and serious angling success, I am a temperature buff.

Much of a salmon’s behaviour, both for good and bad in angling terms, is predicated on how hot both the water and the surrounding atmosphere are.

With the heat and humidity of recent weeks, and water temperatures between 60F and 75F, you will struggle to catch much.

Get rid of that humidity, with water temperatures down a notch into the mid 50sF, then bring on a fresh westerly with air temperatures no more that 65F by day.

And if water levels keep up as well, as things cool off…..

…..well, you never know, the fishing could even improve.

--00--

This is shaping up as one of the most disastrous years for Scotland’s rural communities in garnering their traditional summer influx of funds from those (mainly) English visitors who come north, by way of the migration routes of the A1/M1/M6/A9, to spend a week or more killing something…..by way of shooting, fishing or stalking.

Hated by the likes of Chris Packham, the ghastly be-tweeded English in their massive 4x4s also don’t half wind up those anti-Westminster aggrieved Scots.

But, of course, they quite like the money they bring with them.

With the persistently drought-ridden fishing persuading many English not to even bother getting in those 4x4s to come north, and now with many grouse moors reporting very poor breeding and cancellations of planned shooting dates, there have been, and will be, many fewer English sporting visitors north of the border this year.

This is really quite serious, not just for Scotland’s estate landowners who already massively subsidise their local communities and will now be faced with even larger bills, but also for the people who live there who rely on this extra income over the 6 months April to September/October, from beating, ghillie-ing, employment in hotels, running B&Bs, guest houses/pubs, fishing tackle/gunshops and so on.

Disastrous may be overstating it….

…..but not by much.