slow times on the once mighty tweed

[marty31]

talking to a old friend and once tillmouth gillie, he was asking if I knew how the beat was doing, I replied no but would find out, and to my horror only 2 salmon last week, 27 for the whle of October, 282 for the season so far? he also looked in horror, replying in his not so long away day, October normally produced near enough 100 per week, well over 1000 per season with November being a poor month, tillmouth one of the best tweed beats, over 4 miles long 6 gillies, on a one to one basis with its 6 rods, with October being prime time! whats happened this once mighty salmon river?

 

[Elibank]

Rising river on bottom Tweed last week?

Yes, these are bad times for the river, and other rivers generally, but we’re a week back from our Upper Tweed week, and certainly an improvement from last year - even saw some nice clean fish amongst the “crocs”...

The 34 pounder from Fairnilee would be a fish I’d pay good money to see.....

 

[Mattytree]

I had been looking at beats and the ones I had in mind until I trashed my foot are up nearly double in catches.
The more expensive beats seem to be down on a quick look through the numbers but I’m sure that’s down to anglers refusing to pay those prices... my only experience of the tweed was landing my biggest ST of 9.5lb this year on a last minute visit and would definitely fish it again.

 

[marty31]

Rising river on bottom Tweed last week?

Yes, these are bad times for the river, and other rivers generally, but we’re a week back from our Upper Tweed week, and certainly an improvement from last year - even saw some nice clean fish amongst the “crocs”...

The 34 pounder from Fairnilee would be a fish I’d pay good money to see.....

yes the river was rising, but not all week or all month, but 2 fish? and tillmouth can stand/needs water in October, unlike our top of the tide water, it cannot stand the continual water rises experienced this season, thus no salmon after the end of july, but this would have been the case whatever numbers of fish running, I am not meaning to express negativity, far from it! we did pretty much ok till the july end, and if it had not been for the continual water it would have been interesting to have seen what the remainder of the season would have produced, and is also encouraging to see what looks like a few more fresh backenders running, lets all of us die hard tweed fishers hope this is the start of a improving river, but poor tillmouth has a long way to go