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Where do BIG fish spawn?

2K views 22 replies 16 participants last post by  SOS 
#1 ·
We all love to see footage of salmon spawning, amateur or professional. Have you ever noticed that these are usually modest sized fish, occasionally twenty plus. No doubt these are the most accessible to film in the shallow water of headwaters or feeder streams.
What about bigger fish, thirty or even forty pounders. We know they are still in our systems, small numbers maybe, but you don't see them spawning. it would be great footage, but perhaps they're in situations that would make filming very difficult.
That would suggest the main river stems. We know that fish spawn on beats from very low down to high up the rivers. This is probably nature's insurance policy, to make sure whatever happens, there will be salmon eggs to hatch out somewhere in the system.
Has anyone seen very big fish spawning? What about in Norway, where there are numbers of big fish?
Just things which cross your mind while you can't fish!
t.c.
 
#2 ·
An interesting topic TC.
I have minimal experience of big fish or indeed big fish waters.
I've heard it said that genetics play a part in shape and size of fish, having read that rivers with a lot of falls or fast waters breed stocky fish to give the power needed to ascend such rivers whereas longer rivers with a more gradual gradient produce slimmer fish. The sprinter and the distance runner.
Similarly read about big fish spawning in coble as only a big fish could cut a redd in such material.
Both may be tosh, but somethings I've read.

I have seen carcasses of fish far bigger than any I've caught (I've had a few around 36 to 38 inches). Some over 100 miles up the Wye where the river becomes quite small.
Perhaps some of the regular Wye posters could comment?
 
#3 ·
2018 opening day on the south esk at Finavon there were 4 fishermen invited and about half a dozen officials from various water and fishing boards and I can’t remember who was telling us about watching 2 30lb+ fish from gella bridge which is way up the glen. He watched them most of the day said they were both cock fish and watched them swim up past the bridge to fertilise eggs on the reds then fall back below the bridge before repeating.
 
#4 ·
Big fish used to hold on our club water of the Tay and would spawn in the pools above the tide.
However they are(or sadly were!) easy targets for the Seals and over the past few years we've seen less and less of them as a season reaches its end and spawning approaches.
Probably one of the ways the gene pool is being depleted as its pretty final being converted to seal pooh!
Pedro.
 
#7 ·
I haven't seen a lot of big fish spawn on the Northie, maybe a couple of 30lbers.
In saying that, the fish that spawn on Upper burn estate all tend to be from 10 to 20lbs.
Very few grilse.
Ive aslo seen a fish of approx. 20lb spawning in the small burn beside the Clatterin Brig on the way over the cairn.
Ive also seen them mid 20s spawning in the river Mark, at the top of Glen Esk up near Mt Keen.
2 or 3 years ago at the very end of the Kinnaird beat on the Tay, there were a couple of dead cock kelts that were pretty big. Possibly 30ldb each.
Same day, I had something chase my toby creating a wake like a seal.
There seemed to be a few big fish in that area.
When I see them going up past the Loups, the really big fish tend to be in pairs, but ive only seen big cock fish spawning.
 
#8 ·
Great subject for discussion.
It is only in recent seasons when I have found myself with a little more time on my hands to take a stroll up burns and rivers in the Autumn and early winter to try photographing salmon on the redds, unfortunately my photography skills do far are not up to scratch.
I also found it wise to be friendly with estates/keepers and gillies when roaming around.

Most of the larger salmon I have seen(20+) were on the tails of deep pools with the relative safety of deep water a short distance in front of the redds.

Its fascinating watching males constantly battling for prime position, whilenthe females quietly go about their business.
 
#9 ·
Ive saw a few very large fish spawning. Theres a spot on the Tweed at Peebles in a heavy glide, deepish water, some very large cocks and hens. Also saw them in gin clear water on the Teviot, two monsters of cock fish jostling a large hen, one eventually winning, the disturbance in the 3ft of water was impressive.

On the upper tributaries I once saw a pair of in the Leithen water, I walk up the burn on Christmas mornings spotting spawners, theyre usually still around. Usually its smaller grilse and sea trout. About ten years ago I spotted two massive fish in a slow deep pool, like two big logs. Its a small burn but these were huge.

I used to wander about the upper Ettrick, theres some spots where lots of fish spawn in the litte tribsbut Ive never saw a large fish up there ever.
 
#12 ·
I grew up in ancrum a small village beside the river ale a tributary of the teviot I saw hundreds of reds over the years and a lot of fish spawning some in the 30lbs + range but after one winter flood we found a red in the middle of a pool it was enormous easily the size of a ping pong table it was just one red not two or three joined up we often wondered what size of fish spawned there there have been fish 40lbs plus seen in the river at spawning time so who knows !!!!
 
#13 ·
A telephone call to the Ure Salmon trust a few years ago:
Caller - "There's a large salmon spawning in the stream at the bottom of my garden."
UST - "Thank you for letting us know. It's normal at this time of year."
Caller - "Not if you live in the middle of Ripon it isn't!"

Note: the Skell Brook, a tributary of the Ure flows right through Ripon, over delightfully sized pea gravel.

Around 2000, a dead spent cock fish weighed at 35 lbs was recovered from a very small side stream at Jervaulx, no more than 6 feet wide. Looking at its length and allowing for mass loss it probably entered the river at close on 50 lbs.

We see spawning wherever there is suitable gravel - in the main stem, major tributaries and even very small side streams. A couple of years ago a clutch of very large fish spawned in the main stem below Wensley. However, the most interesting observation followed the removal of the dam from the River Burn below Masham, which had been in place for 100 years. No fish had spawned in the Burn in that time. The first spawning after the dam was removed saw upwards of 20 redds cut in the areas upstream of the old dam, which rather diminishes belief in unfailing return to natal streams.
 
#15 ·
one could be flippant here, and just say the "river", however ,
back quite a long time ago on this forum , a very similar question was posted, "Silvererleaper" who was an excellent poster back then, and from Newfoundland, expanded on the question, I wish I could find his post again.
 
#19 ·
I grew up in ancrum a small village beside the river ale a tributary of the teviot I saw hundreds of reds over the years and a lot of fish spawning some in the 30lbs + range but after one winter flood we found a red in the middle of a pool it was enormous easily the size of a ping pong table it was just one red not two or three joined up we often wondered what size of fish spawned there there have been fish 40lbs plus seen in the river at spawning time so who knows !!!!
Yes the Ale is a great wee trib, used to catch a lot of sea trout at its mouth. No sure who has the fishing rights there nowadays (Chesters?), but I used to just go on when I was a laddie!
 
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