What would you consider a 'good season'?

[goosander]

Hard to understand now but back in the 90s I was at times bored catching salmon. In the spring the smell from the dead kelts just hung in the air all day. Have not seen a kelt for a long time and would be glad of just a fish per day.
Bob.

 

[Bogwoppit]

Fished 11 days on the Suir and landed 13 including 3 doubles.
My last day of the season was yesterday and I landed 2, should have had a couple more but I was very relaxed and wasn’t paying much attention.
I’d consider it a decent season, I’ve only started fishing the double handler this year and it’s also my first season on the Suir.

 

[nickolas]

For me after 55+ years chucking a fly, I’ve had some really great days / weeks, these days I get as much pleasure seeing somebody else catch fish as catching myself, one starts and wants to catch a fish, then you want to catch loads, then it’s the big one. The main thing is to enjoy what your doing, if not find something else that pulls your string, one only gets one chance. Go for it.

 

[Kype King]

I fished the Conon, the Spey, the Findhorn and the Cassley last week and had nary a tug! 10 years ago I’d have been tearing my hair out but now I‘m content to be in such beautiful surroundings with my friends. My best mate had two, which I was delighted with as he doesn’t get to fish much - I genuinely get as much pleasure seeing someone else catch a fish as I do from getting one myself. On the other hand I caught three in three outings on the stretch of the Usk that I fish throughout the season - prompting my better half to enquire as to why I bother going all the way to Scotland, spending all that money, not to catch any fish - she doesn’t understand that fishing isn’t all about catching fish!! With the amount I fish I’d consider it a good season if I got into double figures!

Had my last day of the season on the Usk today and landed this 15lb beast, taking my tally to 10! Happy to retire for the winter now - I’ve had at least one fish on each of my last six trips!

 

[Rosslinden0]

Had my last day of the season on the Usk today and landed this 15lb beast, taking my tally to 10! Happy to retire for the winter now - I’ve had at least one fish on each of my last six trips!

That Fish lived up to your forum name, never tire looking at these big boys in full spawning colours

 

[rs2ford]

Personally, I'd settle on a fish for this season.This is the worse season I've experienced in my Salmon fishing career.
Pedro.

Same position as myself. Never blanked in any season until now. Never fished a day until July which didn't help, but the worst and most forgetful seaon ever for me.
Next year can only get better?.
Cheers Diarmid.

 

[WombatPool]

Had my last day of the season on the Usk today and landed this 15lb beast, taking my tally to 10! Happy to retire for the winter now - I’ve had at least one fish on each of my last six trips!View attachment 51224

Good effort! I fished the Usk today and it was very quiet for me!

 

[Kype King]

That Fish lived up to your forum name, never tire looking at these big boys in full spawning colours

LOL - I do seem to attract them! All bar three I’ve caught this season have been cock fish!

 

[lisbon1967]

Absolutely spot on.
Last Wednesday on Keir the water was running at 2ft 3in, briefly up to 2ft 5in and dropping, spotlessly clean.
Up to 2013 that would have been carnage with constant streams of big silver autumn fish moving through regardless of the tide times.
Last Wednesday?
Well, apart from an old river fish landed I saw 4 other dirty wee fish all day.
It was, as you say, like a bad day in the Spring.

An absolute shame to one of the best systems in its day to rival any river in Scotland. Easy too. From spring to October Memories and reminisce every time I have a cast now.

 

[Nigel Passmore]

One where Bill Bailley doesn’t appear on Strictly Come Dancing. There’s simply no excuse for personally eviscerating your credibility in such a way.

 

[Lgraydonflyfishing]

Some people believe numbers make a great season I believe (only my opinion) that if you are out on the water enjoying youre fishing its as good as anything fish is a bouns ??

 

[Willow3]

It depends where you fish and what your expectations are, but for me if I catch more than an average of one fish for every three days fishing, then I have had a good season.

 

[Oscar]

For my week away, a fish a day would be a good season.

Oscar.

 

[MCXFisher]

Not 2020..........

I think it's essential to take the exceptional years out of the equation, because they do distort your memories and expectations. In my case that would be 2004 and especially 2011, when I never had a blank day, averaged 1.8 salmon per day, and on the Findhorn caught a fish every 90 minutes that my fly was in the water. I very much doubt that I shall see the like of that again in my lifetime, not for a lack of salmon in the rivers I fish, but rather as a result of the length of the natural cycles of weather, salmon and their interactions.

Excluding the exceptional years leaves you with a clearer picture of what actually comprises poor, average and good.

 

[phatagrova]

When I started salmon fishing here in Ireland in the 80s, an early July week on the Erriff was prime time, and with good water gave a great chance of a few grilse. I went back for sentimental (and Covid) reasons for a couple of days this July and had one pull for a couple of days effort. The reported big runs into Irish rivers missed the Erriff. That now sums up Irish salmon fishing for me - hope rather than expectation.

I also coarse fish, mainly on the Hampshire Avon and Dorset Stour nowadays. And there, fishing for species like chub is excellent, as is fishing elsewhere for stillwater species. I know there are lots of reasons given for this - anglers baiting etc. But to me that fact that cypranids thrive in warm water, and salmon don't, is a good place to start looking for data and reasons to explain the current situation.

Id encourage you to think again and return and fish the Foyle rivers , Finn Mourne , Strule etc , on there day look no further ,

 

[phatagrova]

For me the season was superb, I starting fishing once the travel restrictions were lifted at the end of June, travelling between 85 -105mile single trip journey from home to fish the Finn Mourne Strule & tribs. With good water levels after the early season heatwave, fishing for me was very good ,with fish moving up the system on every spate , There were days that I blanked when i thought i was a cert for a fish , other days the sport was good .
I also experimented on various outings using big Intruder style flies that Id previously used in BC, (I hooked & lost 2good fish on these),
My tally for the season was 27 to the bank, on the fly , with countless fish lost ,
some line ripping takes to make this a very short season , one ill not forget

 

[lefthandup]

For me the season was superb, I starting fishing once the travel restrictions were lifted at the end of June, travelling between 85 -105mile single trip journey from home to fish the Finn Mourne Strule & tribs. With good water levels after the early season heatwave, fishing for me was very good ,with fish moving up the system on every spate , There were days that I blanked when i thought i was a cert for a fish , other days the sport was good .
I also experimented on various outings using big Intruder style flies that Id previously used in BC, (I hooked & lost 2good fish on these),
My tally for the season was 27 to the bank, on the fly , with countless fish lost ,
some line ripping takes to make this a very short season , one ill not forget

I've always been tempted by intruders in this country, they have brilliant movement in the water.

 

[happy days]

Ive wiped my sword at 23 all off solway rivers, for me a great season uk considering I was confined to barracks for half of it.

Fly fishing for pike today had 3

 

[phatagrova]

I've always been tempted by intruders in this country, they have brilliant movement in the water.

You need to be prepared to experiment , even if it means potentially blanking , these are patterns I've thought up myself, in pink colours with lots of flash, I've been playing about with them for a number of years now, and enjoy the challenge of fishing them ..

 

[ballintemple]

Id encourage you to think again and return and fish the Foyle rivers , Finn Mourne , Strule etc , on there day look no further ,

Congrats, you had a great season - those northern rivers fished well. Irish fishing seems to have been very mixed this year. Some systems, such as the rivers you mention, the Suir, the Blackwater had fish. Others didn't. I'll have to look around - when we're allowed to travel again.

 

[greenhut]

I’ve not done to bad this year considering we lost our spring fishing to the lockdown and then followed by drought on my local river (the coquet) for a good couple months. Ended up with 16 to the net and 8 or so lost

 

[lefthandup]

I’ve not done to bad this year considering we lost our spring fishing to the lockdown and then followed by drought on my local river (the coquet) for a good couple months. Ended up with 16 to the net and 8 or so lost

We're on level pegging...
I'll have to go out one more time ?

 

[greenhut]

We're on level pegging...
I'll have to go out one more time ?

Well, if that’s the case I’m putting my lines back on their reels tonight ??

 

[nitro2012]

For me it's just good to be out but it was nice to see decent runs of fish in some rivers this year.

 

[willmorris]

Shocking!
32 days on the Orchy. 1 fish landed. A handful lost.
I think we had 500 through the counter this year, a good year would be 3000.