Finavon Castle Bulletin

The last two weeks have been tricky with a disappointing run of late summer 2SW salmon and only a smattering of grilse, many of which are now starting to colour up. Whilst it is true to claim that nearly all the pools hold a fish or two – and there is still a sprinkling of sea trout of various hues and stages of gravidity – the truth is that there are less fish in the middle river than one might expect after a period of such excellent conditions. The only comfort, if that is how it can be described, is that other beats are also experiencing the same problems of encouraging salmon to take. We now need a really good spate, plus some frosty nights, to get the atumn run moving and taking the fly properly.

Tom Emerson fishing Pheasantry in August 2010

As is normal with committed optimists, we hope for a better September and October. We haven’t yet started to see the best of the autumn run. My belief is that these really start to show immediately after the equinox in the third week of September, although I have seen them appear in a really wet August. In normal years, and I cannot count 2010 as such, we would expect to catch about 65% of the total Finavon catch of salmon and grilse in September and October. Let’s hope that the autumn of 2010 brings forth the fruit and substantial runs of fresh, clean salmon.

TA 31/8/2010

Tollmuir Pool in June 2009

I won’t say the rain amounted to very much: it didn’t. But it was enough to bring down a dirty little freshet to clear away the accumulated algae and debris that had collected along the gravel edges of our parched river during the nine weeks of drought. We had about a foot of water which produced enough of a rise in the level to reach the top of the Red Brae wall. Perhaps the odd dipper’s nest was drowned by the unexpected arrival of so much water after the long drought.

Dr Martin Busk and his party from Kent arrived on Sunday and had five good sea trout on Monday, three of them during the day as the water dropped and cleared. On Tuesday the water dropped away all day long and now, on Wednesday morning, is back to low summer level. The difference between this week and last week, before the rain, is that the water temperature is lower, and the whole river is fresher and cleaner. More to the point, the pools, especially Indies and Willows, are holding good numbers of sea trout, some of which are in the 3lbs + category.

Last night Moray and I fished Tyndals, Willows and Volcano, and between the two of us accounted for three sea trout, all between 2lbs and 3.5lbs. Conditions were great with a clear river, still with a touch of peat (about the colour of a ten-year-old Macallan) and plenty of fresh sea trout in these pools. Not much was showing, but when they took the fly they did so with enthusiasm and were all well hooked. During the day Martin Busk’s party had a 2.5 lbs sea trout in the middle of Marcus House Pool. In the first two days of this week we have caught 9 sea trout, none of which was under 2.5lbs and at least two of which were 4lbs or more. Good sea trout: just like the South Esk I knew 25 years ago!

Reflecting on the season so far, it has been dominated by the low water of May and June, which put a full stop to the spring salmon fishing. But, encouraguingly, the sea trout have been running throughout the drought, usually in small ‘penny packet’ shoals, but nevertheless filling the major holding pools. As I write this on the 8th of July, we are seeing more sea trout than we have had at Finavon in early July for 5 or 6 years. Even more encouraging is the quality of these fish, which is generally excellent.

We now await the arrival of the grilse. George Pullar, who owns the netting rights south of the South Esk estuary near Montrose, tells me that the grilse have arrived earlier than in the last few years and that they are bigger (4-7lbs) and in better condition.  If we get more rain, and if another freshet coincides with the 3-day weekend ’slap’ (lay-off) of the nets, then we should see grilse enter our pools, and make life really interesting!

TA

Postscript written on 10th July

The last few days have been frustrating for anglers on the Finavon water, not least because we have heard of a superb week’s total (until Friday) of 57 sea trout, including a cracking sea trout of 8lbs, from Downie Park and Cortachy, against FCW’s 14 sea trout for the week so far. There are, I think, various factors at play here: first, it should be remembered that all the sea trout in the six or seven miles of water of Airlie Estates and Downie Park have passed through Finavon within the last couple of weeks. Also, there is of course more fishing water there than at Finavon. Then, fishing effort (and dare I mention it? expertise) has been much greater at Cortachy with a dedicated group of night fisherman fishing through the nights; finally, there is no doubt, since the ‘easing’ of the main obstructions on the river (Kinnaird, Kintrockat and Craigeassie Dams), that the passage of fish through the river to the upper reaches has become much easier. In some ways this can benefit Finavon, especially in the early spring. But, once the water temperature is up and there is enough water in the river to encourage fish to run, the main beneficiary is the upper river. In my view this is great for the South Esk because it disperses the stock throughout the catchment and gets the salmon and sea trout close to the spawning areas in good time.

TA

The last fortnight has been hard work for Finavon’s night sea trout fishers. As the water level has dropped, and the water temperature increased, resident sea trout have become reluctant to take the fly, except late at night or very early in the first light of dawn. Every pool has sea trout and the big holding pools – Indies, Tollmuir, Melgund, Red Brae and Boat Pool – have shoals of sea trout ranging in size from 1lb to well over 5 lbs.

It is therefore not surprising that Ian Ingledew had a beautiful sea trout of 5lbs 4oz from red Brae on Friday 25/6.

Two other smaller fish were also caught during the same night. I fished Boat Pool, Volcano and Willows with my brother, John. We saw lots of fish: in fact there was barely a moment when the surface of these quiet pools wasn’t being disturbed by shoal sea trout, some big fish amongst them, moving sub surface. But neither of us had so much as a nudge.

These are the numbers of fish for which the South Esk is justly famous and it is great to see them back. It is also worth noting that all sea trout caught this year have been in prime condition. It seems that there is plenty of food for them along the east coast. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Let’s also start practising our rain dance numbers as the farmers plug in their crop irrigators and drain our already parched river still further. A few days of rain would please the farmers and us by watering thirsty crops of potatoes and barley, refreshing the stock of fish in the river, not to mention bringing in new stock. But, as always, clouds and rain wouldn’t please everyone.

TA

Last week we caught 21 sea trout, amongst which were three nearer 5lbs than 4lbs. These fish are fresh-run and in the pink of condition. In fact, as an experienced sea trout night fisher myself, I can say that these sea trout are as good as I have ever seen them in the South Esk. That tells me that they are well fed, and that clearly there is no shortage of zoo plankton, sand eels and the other marine prey species so important to coastal zone-feeding sea trout. It is hugely important to the South Esk, by repute in the top three of Scotland’s sea trout rivers, that good stocks of sea trout can provide an alternative target species for anglers concerned about the declining abundance of Atlantic salmon.

Just after midnight on Saturday I called in at Indies to see Alastair Young and his companion before they left the River to return home in East Lothian. Alastair was delighted to have caught two sea trout in the Steps, downstream of Tollmuir Pool and just above Marcus House Pool. The first was a nice fresh sea trout of close to 2lbs, but the next one was a real cracker at 4lbs 8oz. Alastair told me that the second fish was in prime condition and “fought like a ten pound salmon”. Both fish were returned alive to continue their upstream migration.

MARTIN SMITH FISHED A GUEST ROD ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND SENT ME THE FOLLOWING REPORT;

“Just the one fish landed last night – a sea trout of 2lbs. Took a few yards down and off the big stones sticking out into the Bridge pool. #10 S. Stoat variant. Dour fish, little aerial intent and a lot of boring down; all the same didn’t give up in a hurry. Landed Fish was not released – had tried to swallow hook, took a lot of removing and I couldn’t get hook out in the water. Fish badly distressed, knock on the head seemed kindest. I’ve seen fresher but no sign of colouring. Lost a 2nd more acrobatic one of similar size further down Bridge, perhaps fresher – from its behaviour. Further confirms you’ve got fish top-to-bottom.

About 30 mins after you left I wandered down to Boat leaving Willows undisturbed. Wasn’t sure where to go into Willows now – and was a bit too tired to go adventuring in the dark. I was a silly boy not stopping to see where you were beginning down there. Some huge splashes in Willows while passing – was tempting, but you can catch them tonight. Fished upper boat from some yards above Volcano and then down through Lower Boat – as Mike showed me. Good few tugs down the stretch and one lost somewhere just above Volcano itself. Splashes down that stretch was smaller than in Willows – I’m working out that the latter is THE pool to fish for ST!

Having left Murray some nice flies in tree on far side of Lower Boat, I decided this meant it was probably bed-time! Forgot to say earlier – I had one decent tug around bottom of first concrete wall of Red Braes as well as the good number of splashes I noted earlier”.

TA.

We had good rain on Tuesday, and the river rose at least 12″ overnight. As always with the South Esk, it came down peaty and unfishable at first. Once the flood had peaked, the river started to clear and we began catching sea trout. Altogether, during Wednesday we had 10 sea trout, with the best of the fishing in the middle of the day. The fish are all in excellent condition and there were some nice three pounders amongst them.

With the river level now dropping, the water clearing and new fish in the pools, we can expect the night fishing for sea trout to pick up. The way things are looking at present I think there is a good chance that 2010 could be the year of major recovery of the South Esk’s renowned sea trout, after too many recent years in the doldrums. It helps that the coastal nets are not selling sea trout this year. Long may that continue!

TA