Locked Down Tweed ?

[Lamson v10]

That pool above the Viaduct in the second pic will haunt me for ever more! ?

The viaduct pool andy ?? And so it should haunt you ...you let it get aff ?? it was a proper big fish well into the upper twentys and you did have the beating of it before the hook slipped out ??but not to worry there's always next year ??

 

[marty31]

I've often wondered weather it might be worth fishing the bottom of the river at this time of year in case an early springer might have crept in.

Fishing the bottom river looking for springers at this time of year is not recommend believe me! Better staying in bed

 

[Horsbrugh]

In all seriousness Springers often run straight through lower beats on many rivers. Seem to remember about four or five years ago the Junction pool had an absolute crazy February and March with 65 fish taken in February and 65 taken in March which makes you wonder when they did start running and building up there?
There is a saying often in Norway but true of our rivers that fish and esp springers fill the river from the top down, which explains why many tagged fish run far and then drop back? Park on the Dee has recently started to suffer in early spring to what they used to be like?

It has always seemed strange, that the Tweed springers do not tend to apply to the theory of them filling the river from the top down. Apart from perhaps the ones that head up the Ettrick, where it is thought, the majority of our Springers spawn. However, a lot of the early fish just seem content to sit it out in the lower river and don’t head for the upper Tweed until October or November.

It’s a strange one, but apparently In the 60’s, when the Tweed used to be a predominately Spring river, the peak time for the upper river was May. I remember, an old angler from Peebles, telling us how he had caught two spanking fresh big spring fish from one pool above Peebles, in April during the 60’s. So at that time, it looks as though they did follow the, “fill the river from top down.”

Who knows what they will do moving forward. One thing is for certain, this season has proven, that despite a few poor years, they are more than capable of bouncing back again. Fingers crossed, 2021 will have similar numbers and that at least some of them will head up the top end a bit earlier.

 

[Andrew B]

It has always seemed strange, that the Tweed springers do not tend to apply to the theory of them filling the river from the top down. Apart from perhaps the ones that head up the Ettrick, where it is thought, the majority of our Springers spawn. However, a lot of the early fish just seem content to sit it out in the lower river and don’t head for the upper Tweed until October or November.
It’s a strange one, but apparently In the 60’s, when the Tweed used to be a predominately Spring river, the peak time for the upper river was May. I remember, an old angler from Peebles, telling us how he had caught two spanking fresh big spring fish from one pool above Peebles, in April during the 60’s. So at that time, it looks as though they did follow the, “fill the river from top down.”
Who knows what they will do moving forward. One thing is for certain, this season has proven, that despite a few poor years, they are more than capable of bouncing back again. Fingers crossed, 2021 will have similar numbers and that at least some of them will head up the top end a bit earlier.

Yep was gonna say Tweed is a strange one, with fish taking their own sweet time about things?

 

[kingfisher]

Great pictures, Kingfisher. Much memories revived there. Caught my first Tweed salmon here in November 1985...just around the corner where the pines come down the hill - 16lb

And 35 years later, just a month or so ago, two 14 pounders one after the other here, about as far upstream as the eye can see

Where does the time go?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lower Nutwood is one of my favourite pools on the Cardrona beat/side.
Could never get my head around the Rumbler though

 

[Loxie]

In all seriousness Springers often run straight through lower beats on many rivers. Seem to remember about four or five years ago the Junction pool had an absolute crazy February and March with 65 fish taken in February and 65 taken in March which makes you wonder when they did start running and building up there?
There is a saying often in Norway but true of our rivers that fish and esp springers fill the river from the top down, which explains why many tagged fish run far and then drop back? Park on the Dee has recently started to suffer in early spring to what they used to be like?

A friend I was shooting with in October who is a regular Tweed fisher said he once had 2 springers in a day in late November on Junction. I think these days it's probably too long a shot though.

 

[Occasional salmon fisher]

I fished a lower Tweed beat a couple of times just over 30 years ago. The retired ghillie there (in his 90s and had started as a teenager) reckoned that back then fresh fish entered the river every day of the year.

 

[lefthandup]

A friend I was shooting with in October who is a regular Tweed fisher said he once had 2 springers in a day in late November on Junction. I think these days it's probably too long a shot though.

Depends how far up you would class the Junction as a lower river beat...for me it's nowhere near a lower river beat.

 

[charlieH]

Depends how far up you would class the Junction as a lower river beat...for me it's nowhere near a lower river beat.

Fishpal seems more or less to divide the river based on the main tributaries, though obviously some beats straddle the tributary so it's not quite an exact science. So Bottom Tweed is below the Till, Lower Tweed is below the Teviot, Middle Tweed is below the Ettrick and the rest is Upper Tweed. I don't know whether this is a generally accepted or traditional breakdown, but it seems to me a sensible one - and on that basis Junction is Lower.

 

[lefthandup]

Fishpal seems more or less to divide the river based on the main tributaries, though obviously some beats straddle the tributary so it's not quite an exact science. So Bottom Tweed is below the Till, Lower Tweed is below the Teviot, Middle Tweed is below the Ettrick and the rest is Upper Tweed. I don't know whether this is a generally accepted or traditional breakdown, but it seems to me a sensible one - and on that basis Junction is Lower.

Is it not the only river with s bottom, lower , middle, upper...?
Anyway I'll never get to fish the junction so it won't matter...I was kinda referring to how many miles it is from the sea.

 

[marty31]

I fished a lower Tweed beat a couple of times just over 30 years ago. The retired ghillie there (in his 90s and had started as a teenager) reckoned that back then fresh fish entered the river every day of the year.

I would say with confidence that they still do to some small extent, in the fifties the netsmen pulled their boats up for the season at the end of may.

 

[Loxie]

I would say with confidence that they still do to some small extent, in the fifties the netsmen pulled their boats up for the season at the end of may.

Im sure the odd springer must still come in in November but it's a big river to be chasing a handful of fish!

I keep trying to catch a December salmon but the traditional Cornish Winter run has all but disappeared, or rather now comes in September and October rather than November and December. Hey ho times change.

 

[ozzyian]

Im sure the odd springer must still come in in November but it's a big river to be chasing a handful of fish!

I keep trying to catch a December salmon but the traditional Cornish Winter run has all but disappeared, or rather now comes in September and October rather than November and December. Hey ho times change.

The last 2 or 3 years I've had a very bright fish between 2nd week in Oct and 1st week in Now on the bottom Tweed. They all looked liked typical summer/autumn fish though between 7 and 8lb all females. I've not heard of a dark backed chromer caught around this time, I'm supposing the definition would be a 12 month hence spawner? On that basis I'm not so sure that the springer class of fish do start that early, perhaps one or 2 but hugely outnumbered by the stragglers of the current year class (which are still coming by all accounts)

 

[Loxie]

The last 2 or 3 years I've had a very bright fish between 2nd week in Oct and 1st week in Now on the bottom Tweed. They all looked liked typical summer/autumn fish though between 7 and 8lb all females. I've not heard of a dark backed chromer caught around this time, I'm supposing the definition would be a 12 month hence spawner? On that basis I'm not so sure that the springer class of fish do start that early, perhaps one or 2 but hugely outnumbered by the stragglers of the current year class (which are still coming by all accounts)

It rather appeals to me that two 10lb salmon could enter a river on the same day and spawn In different years. Historically odd springers turn up from October. I think there was one a couple of years ago from the N Esk posted on here caught in October.

 

[Andrew B]

Depends how far up you would class the Junction as a lower river beat...for me it's nowhere near a lower river beat.

Mid river imo.

 

[lefthandup]

Mid river imo.

That's what I would say too.

 

[Horsbrugh]

Back on the subject of fish in the upper river just now. I went down today, for the first time in two weeks, just to see what was running and to try and intercept one of the silver ones that everyone keeps seeing.

Now, just to let Coneheads, or whatever he is calling himself now, know, I was not fishing on or near any redds. I fished the Dirtpot twice and counted 28 fish showing as they entered the pool. Nothing that I got a good look at was silver but a couple of cock fish that came right out in front of me, were still a good bit away from being ready for spawning. I counted another 11 fish all travelling through the lower Nutwood. I then went up the Reddyetts at the top end and saw another 5 before I packed in, the downstream wind was making casting hard work. I had not so much as a touch from a salmon, one brown trout was all that showed an interest.

So, if I saw 44 fish all running through today, there must be some amount of fish still on the move. Whether any are still catchable is open to debate but given that there was no one else on our side and I never saw an other rod on Cardrona, plus most of the nearby beats appear to have very few bookings, it is unlikely there will be any catches reported.

 

[lefthandup]

Back on the subject of fish in the upper river just now. I went down today, for the first time in two weeks, just to see what was running and to try and intercept one of the silver ones that everyone keeps seeing.

Now, just to let Coneheads, or whatever he is calling himself now, know, I was not fishing on or near any redds. I fished the Dirtpot twice and counted 28 fish showing as they entered the pool. Nothing that I got a good look at was silver but a couple of cock fish that came right out in front of me, were still a good bit away from being ready for spawning. I counted another 11 fish all travelling through the lower Nutwood. I then went up the Reddyetts at the top end and saw another 5 before I packed in, the downstream wind was making casting hard work. I had not so much as a touch from a salmon, one brown trout was all that showed an interest.

So, if I saw 44 fish all running through today, there must be some amount of fish still on the move. Whether any are still catchable is open to debate but given that there was no one else on our side and I never saw an other rod on Cardrona, plus most of the nearby beats appear to have very few bookings, it is unlikely there will be any catches reported.

How can you tell they were running fish?

Not doubting you BUT the amount of times I'm on a river at the back end with lots of fish crashing about ...I'm astounded at the amount of fishermen who say there's plenty running through when it's fairly obvious to me that they are potted fish.

I've seen plenty running fish in my time so I can make that judgement fairly confidently.

The last time I fished upper Tweed at the back end (Horseburgh) I saw plenty fish but they definitely were not running.

I'm not trying to be controversial here btw...

 

[Horsbrugh]

How can you tell they were running fish?

Not doubting you BUT the amount of times I'm on a river at the back end with lots of fish crashing about ...I'm astounded at the amount of fishermen who say there's plenty running through when it's fairly obvious to me that they are potted fish.

I've seen plenty running fish in my time so I can make that judgement fairly confidently.

The last time I fished upper Tweed at the back end (Horseburgh) I saw plenty fish but they definitely were not running.

I'm not trying to be controversial here btw...

I can be 100% confident these were running fish. Most were head and tailing right at the tail of the Dirtpot pool. A classic place to see and intercept running fish. Potted fish tend to sit and show much further up that pool. Others were right up on the surface pushing forward and a lot were right in against the banking on both sides. I have seen thousands of fish showing over the years and can tell the difference, I can assure you.

We have been having fish running through like this, throughout most of October and November, when the water has been up a bit. The potted fish tend to show more when the water drops in a bit.

 

[riffled hitch]

How can you tell they were running fish?

Not doubting you BUT the amount of times I'm on a river at the back end with lots of fish crashing about ...I'm astounded at the amount of fishermen who say there's plenty running through when it's fairly obvious to me that they are potted fish.

I've seen plenty running fish in my time so I can make that judgement fairly confidently.

The last time I fished upper Tweed at the back end (Horseburgh) I saw plenty fish but they definitely were not running.

I'm not trying to be controversial here btw...

I get where you are coming from. But a running fish often jumps in a certain fashion.
On another point just because they are running does not mean they are not ready to spawn, and the fact that horsburgh has basically admitted that they have done their best to stay away from redds kind of says it all. Just saying ? tin hat on

 

[Hemmy]

I'm not trying to be controversial here btw...
[/QUOTE]

I think you are

 

[riffled hitch]

Back on the subject of fish in the upper river just now. I went down today, for the first time in two weeks, just to see what was running and to try and intercept one of the silver ones that everyone keeps seeing.

Now, just to let Coneheads, or whatever he is calling himself now, know, I was not fishing on or near any redds. I fished the Dirtpot twice and counted 28 fish showing as they entered the pool. Nothing that I got a good look at was silver but a couple of cock fish that came right out in front of me, were still a good bit away from being ready for spawning. I counted another 11 fish all travelling through the lower Nutwood. I then went up the Reddyetts at the top end and saw another 5 before I packed in, the downstream wind was making casting hard work. I had not so much as a touch from a salmon, one brown trout was all that showed an interest.

So, if I saw 44 fish all running through today, there must be some amount of fish still on the move. Whether any are still catchable is open to debate but given that there was no one else on our side and I never saw an other rod on Cardrona, plus most of the nearby beats appear to have very few bookings, it is unlikely there will be any catches reported.

You do not have to hide the fact that you are trying to defend late season fishing on the upper tweed when it has its largest population of salmon.

 

[riffled hitch]

I'm not trying to be controversial here btw...

I think you are
[/QUOTE]
Why is he????

 

[Walleye]

Was up there a few weeks ago and I saw lots of fish. Plenty of jumpers but also quite a few with a lazy roll and flick of the tail which looked like quite fresh fish. When I see that type of rise, I always think they are runners as I often see what is probably the same fish and same rise 2-3 times in quick succession through the tail of pools into the main body of the pool. I watched what was probably the same fish through lower nutwood doing just that and when it rose again a few yards from me, it didnt look coloured to me at all.
All the jumpers I saw were coloured aside from one huge fish I saw in the distance which had a slight pink-ish colouration from a couple of weeks in the river. Not silver, for sure but the colour of fish i might catch or see in the Wear in summer.

 

[Hemmy]

I think you are

Why is he????
[/QUOTE]

How dare you question my opinion ?
It’s a good job you’ve got your tin hat on??????????
It’s that long since I caught a fish that I’ve forgotten what they look like.....mind you I remember the taste ?