Tagging of Dee salmon in the past has shown that only 30% or so of all fish tagged are later recorded, so we shouldn’t be surprised that to date the Usan radio-tagging project is showing a total of 24 fish recorded out of 113 tagged.

There is a little bit more news of the South Esk. Of the 16 salmon that have entered the river 6 have dropped below the Bridge of Dun receiver, leaving 10 in the river. Of these 10 salmon 2 are now upstream of the A90 bridge at Finavon, while the other 8 are hunkered down somewhere in the middle or lower river between the A90 and Bridge of Dun.

The 24 salmon recorded to date are:

South Esk 16 (6 dropped back to unknown positions downstream of Bridge of Dun)

North Esk 5

Tay 3

There are a number of interesting data emerging from the project.

1. Despite reasonable water levels only 20% of South Esk tagged fish have made any attempt to move upstream, which may surprise people used to thinking that early running salmon in the South Esk hightail it to the Glens!

2. It is unlikely that there have been technical problems with the transmitters, although we should be aware of that possibility.

3. Variations in the time spent in the sea between tagging and entry into one of the monitored rivers is 1 minimum to 31 days maximum.

4. The relationship between PFA (Pre Fishery Abundance, orthe number of returning fish arriving off the coast) and the number of fish entering the monitored rivers suggests that the PFA numbers may disperse elsewhere and to rivers beyond the range of the project’s monitored rivers.

5. It has been shown that drought and seasonal differences affect the proportion of tagged fish entering monitored rivers. In the case of tagging experiments on other rivers in October drought conditions it has been shown that numbers as low as 10% of the total number of tagged salmon have entered the rivers.

6. If we assume that the South Esk radio tagging project is likely to produce figures approximately the same as the 30% of salmon recorded entering the Dee after tagging – and perhaps as low as the 10% October figure in drought conditions – we should not be surprised at the results to date.

Salmon returning to our rivers run the gauntlet as they approach the European continental shelf. Fortunately our returning salmon do not travel in tightly-knit shoals, and are therefore less vulnerable to the highly organised predation by dolphins and porpoises on shoals, as seen in Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet.

7. Of course the big question is, “what has happened to the unaccounted 78.8% of radio-tagged salmon?” We should be careful to avoid too much speculation at this point, although it is inevitable that some of us will be thinking in terms of predation, poaching, and dispersal elsewhere. I think it is really important that try to avoid speculation, and let the data flow from the project and assess them scientifically at the end of Year 1.

Interesting isn’t it?

TA

These bulletin blogs represent news about Finavon and the South Esk, and my views as a riparian owner. They are not the views of any other organisation, nor are they designed to promote the interests of any individual or organisation other than Finavon Castle Water and factors affecting the fishery.  Tony Andrews

Later in the day I phoned the Montrose MSS office and heard that there are now 3 radio tagged salmon at Almondmouth in the Tay, a total of 5 in the North Esk, and another two salmon in the South Esk.

The total number of radio tagged salmon in the South Esk is now 16, with 5 that have dropped downriver.

No fish have been reported from the receivers on the Dee, one being at Altries and the other at the head of tide.

A total of 24 salmon from 113 radio-tagged fish have now been recorded.

TA

There were 5 rods fishing today (Friday), which represents higher angling pressure than we have had all season. Every rod reported salmon running through the beats and some of them were well into the teens of pounds and fresh from the sea.

Connolly Macausland lost two sea trout in Haughs and House Pools, and other sea trout were seen on the upper beats. But the most significant aspect of the day was that none of the salmon were in the slightest bit interested in taking the fly, with the result that FCW had another blank day. While ghillieing for one of our guest rods who was fishing Willows, we saw two fresh salmon, both well up in the teens. Other fish were seen in Tyndals, Frank’s Stream and House Pool. Not big numbers of spring salmon seen, but certainly at least average sightings for early May. With warmer weather forecast we should see more fish, and hopefully catch some of them.

A report from MS Montrose gave the news that another 11 salmon have been radio tagged, but we will have to wait until Monday to receive news of fish movements into and within the rivers.

TA

With another rise in the river after overnight rain on Monday you would have thought that conditions were ideal for catching newly arrived spring salmon. But it was not to be. Despite seeing fish in Tyndals and the Willows, two of them which appeared to be fresh and in the teens of pounds, yesterday I had only one half-hearted offer from a salmon on the dangle in mid Tyndals. Conditions last night, as dusk fell, were absolutely perfect, but the fish simply were not moving to the fly; only the occasional desultory splash reminded me that there were fish in the pools.

From the Fishpal website it seems that everyone else is experiencing the same unwillingness of fish to take the fly. But we shouldn’t use evidence of this unproductive period to make statements about the lack of spring fish. I am not claiming that there are high or low numbers of fish in the river: I am saying only that I don’t know whether there are or not. What I can say as fact is that there are some fish in the river and the ones I have caught, and continue to see in the pools, appear to be in good condition, despite a minor outbreak of disease.

Report on salmon found dead on 17 April. Regular readers of these blogs may remember that Moray and I found a large dead salmon beside Nine Maidens Pool (Castle Beat) on the 17th of April. The fish was 93.5 cms in length with a girth of 49.5 cms. It had died from lesions which had become infected with sacrolegnia. The cause of the lesions is unknown. I sent some scales to the Montrose office of Marine Scotland and received the following data from them; The fish had spent two years in the river as a parr and three winters at sea. It was a male fish. Judging by the spaces between the scale circuli it is clear that its second year at sea was the period of maximum growth during its life cycle.

With the Usan nets now killing every salmon they catch, except the ones that are radio-tagged by the MSS biologists, fewer fish will be entering the river, which of course is what has been going on for at least 150 years in periods of both abundance and scarcity. With netting effort now much reduced from a century ago, although methods and equipment may be more efficient than in the past, and if the weekly 60 hour slap is exercised, there should be a reasonable ‘escapage’ of salmon into the South Esk. Moreover, if we continue to get freshets as we are at present, we can expect fish to enter the river directly and avoid the often fatal trap of the gyres and whorls of migration close to the shore south of Scurdie Ness.

Update at 0945 on 9/5. A 7 lbs cock fish from Tyndals was caught as it clouded over after a bright & sunny start to the day. Tyndals has held fish consistently from late February.

TA

On Friday I heard that another 8 salmon had been tagged, which brings the total number of fish radio-tagged since the start of the project in February to 102 salmon.

Two new fish have entered the North Esk and one has come into the South Esk, with another salmon dropping below the South Esk’s most downstream receiver at Bridge of Dun. The new fish were tagged in the period between 15 April and 4 May.

There has been very little movement of fish within the rivers, apart from the activity described above.

More receivers will be put into position on South Esk tributaries this week, including one on the Lemno Burn.

People reading these blogs may feel disappointed at the lack of new data coming from this project. I think it is important that we recognise that the lack of new data on fish that have been tagged is providing useful information on behaviour of salmon as they arrive off the Scottish coast at the end of their return migration. In other words ‘no new data is data’!

To summarise, the project has now tagged 102 salmon, of which 21 have been recorded by receivers on the 4 rivers being monitored (Dee, N Esk, S Esk & Tay).

14 salmon have entered the South Esk, and 5 of these fish have since dropped downstream below the radio receiver at Bridge of Dun, leaving just 9 in the South Esk. One fish has entered the River Tay and was picked up by the reciver at Almondmouth and 5 salmon have entered the North Esk, of which two are now upstream of Logie.

A point of interest regarding the 2012 spring run on the South Esk up to 7 May 2012. Cortachy (including KAC), Inshewan and Finavon have recorded a total of 31 salmon caught & returned. The Kinnaird beats show a total of 14 salmon so far and reports from Careston, Kintrockat and Brechin Castle indicate perhaps another 6 to 10 fish. I have no information on other beats such as Justinhaugh, Tannadice and Marcus. From all accounts it seems that the salmon rod catch up to 7 May for the whole river is therefore about 55-60 salmon.

TA

Tyndals Pool (Milton Beat). The best spring pool at FCW. This picture above was taken from the right bank at the lower end of the pool. It is the only pool on Milton Beat that is fished from the left bank. You get to the pool in all water levels when the webcam boulder is visible by wading across the wide stream beneath the power line. My advice is to use a wading stick because, although shallow, the stream is fast and powerful. The alternative is to cross the river either via the Red Brae suspension bridge and walking up the bank, or by crossing the A90 bridge, which I find a bit noisy and dangerous. The walk up the bank from Red Brae is preferable and gives a bonus of an enjoyable little stroll up the north bank of Milton Beat.

View of Tyndals (above) from the top of the pool looking downstream towards Willows. Once you have arrived at the head of the pool on the north bank you are on webcam and centre stage for people all over the world to see you, so don’t pick your nose or take the opportunity of arriving there to have a surreptitious pee in the bushes, because it will be international news before you have completed your ablutions! You are only on camera while fishing the very top of the stream into the pool. Thereafter, as you move down the pool towards the main taking spots under the right bank, you are on your own fishing one of the most perfect pools on the South Esk!

This is the tail of Tyndals Pool (above) looking downstream into Willows and the head of the Boat Pool. Whether you are looking to catch a spring or autumn salmon in seasonal heavy flows or creeping down the pool at night keeping as quiet as you can as you search for a shy and elusive sea trout, Tyndals gives you a feeling that a fish may take your fly at any second. On occasions the pool is ‘stuffed with fish’ especially at sea trout time (June/July) and in the autumn.

Flow into the head of Tyndals Pool (Milton Beat). Wading is easy over fine gravel and only the very occasional lie boulder to trip you up. The wade from the top of the stream at the webcam boulder down to the line of boulders that marks the start of the Willows is about 200 yards, and there’s a chance of a fish all the way down, especially just downstream of the elbow. To get across to the south (right) bank to fish the Willows you just wade diagonally across the river, well above your fetlocks in places, and continue wading downstream, fishing back towards the north bank as you approach the famous Willows lies.

You may wonder why I have concentrated on one pool in this blog. The reason is simply that a poll of all our anglers would I think bring out a clear preference for Tyndals over all Finavon’s pools, although I suspect about 6 of them would be close behind. I must try it sometime!

TA

1035 Bill Hay, a long-time fisherman at Finavon and friend of the late Cyril Butler (See November & December 2011 blogs on catches), started May with a 12lbs salmon, which had been in the river a while and appeared to be recvovering from head lesions, from Frank’s Stream (Indies Beat)

May Day Salmon 12lbs

1046 Eleven minutes later Derek had a 9lbs fish from Tyndals (Milton Beat) on a Willie Gunn.

This salmon was the first of two nine pounders that Derek caught in Tyndals on a bright and warm May morning. Both were caught on size 8 Willie Gunns (1″)

It is no coincidence that these fish were caught in the best conditions we have had for at least a week. The air temperature is up, the water clear and the level slowly dropping after the spate of Monday evening and, as I suspected despite rather negative signals from downriver, there are (fresh) fish in the river.

1131 Another 9lbs fresh fish from Tyndals (Milton Beat).

The fact that Derek caught an 18lbs sea-liced salmon and a 14lbs salmon at Kintrockat on Monday evening supports my view that fish have been running through the lower river, but have kept their heads down and therefore not been seen by fishers. I suppose the moral of the story is “Don’t believe what you haven’t seen”!

Late report after dark on 2 May. This evening I fished Tyndals Pool (Milton Beat) through as dusk was falling and a fresh salmon showed about 10 metres downstream of the ‘elbow’. I continued on down the pool as the bats started to fly and the colours seeped away from the foliage. Having fished down to the second south bank groyne I decided to wade quietly back to the top of the pool, and soon afterwards was covering the place where the salmon had shown. I could see the fall of the line and the splash of the fly against the fading light. The fly was swinging very nicely over the main lie just upstream of the big boulder in the centre of the stream, when the line drew away nicely, and after a few minutes of mayhem in the gathering gloom, I landed a silver salmon of about 11lbs. A lovely fish that swam off strongly into the night!

TA

As of last Friday 27/4 the Marine Scotland team of scientists based in Montrose had tagged 94 salmon caught in the Usan nets. It hasn’t been easy to catch, tag and release the target number of fish and it is to the credit and determination of Julian and his colleagues that they have kept up to their demanding target number. At the end of the first phase of the project they should have reached a total of 150 tagged fish.

Of those 94 fish tagged, 13 have entered the South Esk, of which 4 have dropped downstream of the Bridge of Dun receiver.

3 fish have entered the North Esk, of which 2 are now upstream of Logie and 1 fish entered the Tay after being tagged on 10/4 and recorded at Almondmouth on 15/4.

At this stage, so early in the project, it would be wrong to speculate on what these data are telling us. From the facts available I find it fascinating that, with 94 fish tagged and the project into its 12th week, only 17 (18%) fish have been recorded. Of the total number of fish tagged only 13.8% have entered the South Esk but only 9.6% have stayed in the river. With 1 fish in the Tay and three in the North Esk the project confirms that the Usan fishery is exploiting salmon (and presumably sea trout?) on a mixed stocks basis.

But the really interesting aspect of this for me is the number of fish that are still at sea, gone somewhere else or are dead (77 or 72.38%). We have already learnt from the project that salmon hang around in the sea for weeks sometimes, presumably in the coastal zone where they may be vulnerable to predation and poaching.

I didn’t attend the Board AGM but I was saddened to hear of the attitude of some participants to the work of the scientists. I hope that, as the data emerges and we start to understand more about the behaviour and destinations of our early running fish, these attitudes may change and people become more supportive of our scientists who, in my view, are doing a first rate job.

TA

The last full week of April was very wet with a high and coloured river, and some salmon showing in the pools as they swam through the 4 beats of Finavon. I saw what I think may have been the first sea trout sighting of 2012 in the shape of a fresh fish of about 3lbs jump about 2′ clear of the water in the Willows. Two salmon were hooked and lost, and four caught and returned, of which the biggest was 15lbs. The picture below is of a 7lbs fish caught in Upper Boat Pool in a falling (but still high) river, tinged with peat and very cold.

 7lbs salmon caught in Upper Boat Pool on 28 April 2012 in high water

I have said before in these blogs that, unlike the North Esk where there is a counter, no-one really knows how many spring salmon run the South Esk every year. People say that spring salmon stocks in the river are fragile, but the only evidence produced, when you ask them to substantiate their claim, is rod catches. Therefore estimates of abundance of spring salmon are largely speculation, and mostly unfounded at that!

The most experienced scientists and more enlightened managers recognise that rod catches can play a useful part in stock assessment, mainly to corroborate data from more reliable sources. I am told that, because there is no other way of assessing salmon and sea trout catches on the South Esk, rod catches will have to do. Now, I am not saying that the river’s spring salmon run is entirely healthy because, as everyone else should be admitting, I honestly don’t know whether it is or not, except on the basis of my own observations and those of my upstream neighbour at Inshewan.

With 10 spring salmon recorded at Finavon to date (28/4) and reasonable numbers of fresh fish showing in the river I can say that our catches are normal, but that doesn’t tell me much about the bigger picture. If we are dealing with fact, as opposed to speculation, we know that improvements to the Kinnaird dyke allow fish to access the upper river in nearly all temperatures and conditions. We may therefore assume that spring salmon will be able to disperse throughout the South Esk catchment much earlier in the season than in the past.

The result of this dispersal is that salmon are liable to be spread thinly thoughout the catchment, and many of these fish will be unavailable to anglers, whereas when they were trapped below the Kinnaird dyke obstruction in the low water temperatures of late winter and early spring, they were available in an unnaturally high density to the then heavy angling pressure on the Upper Kinnaird beat. Spring catch figures over the last 50 years (See bulletin blogs for details in December 2011, January and February 2012) for the South Esk show that all the dykes, but especially Kinnaird, had a profound effect on the movement of spring salmon. Many of us have noted in recent years that angling pressure has eased in the spring months, to the extent that, for example at Finavon, there are many days without rods and others with only one or two rods on an eight-rod stretch of the river.

If we deal in facts, which I prefer to do, we have noted that in 2012 the spring salmon caught and returned have all been in excellent condition. These fish have clearly had access to good feeding at sea and are entering the river with stores of fat to see them through the eight months or so until they spawn. The females are clearly in a condition to be carrying large, high quality ova, and on that depends the strength of the next generation of spring fish. It is also the reason why the current Marine Scotland radio-tagging project is so useful. When we know where these spring fish spawn, and where their progeny grow up as juveniles, we can target those areas to make sure that their specific habitats are optimal for young salmon. Then we must start measuring their abundance – counting them – which will open up a whole new debate in the district!

In the 4 decades I have fished the South Esk I have come to recognise that the spring run of salmon is very often a race to the glens! Today’s heavy showers have kept a full and clear river nicely topped up giving salmon fresh from the sea the incentive they need to forge quickly upstream. Now the dams, except Kinnaird which is no longer a serious obstacle, have all gone there is nothing to hinder the early upriver migration. Over the weekend it is likely that good numbers of fish ran through and anglers at Finavon have seen ‘penny packets’ of fish passing through all day long.

Jock Mencum's 12lbs salmon

Jock Mencum intercepted a beautiful sea-liced cock salmon of 12lbs at Willows, which has always been a classic stopping place for a hard working springer. Finavon’s seventh salmon of 2012.

12lbs salmon

Because this is the first proper week of the season, with salmon showing in reasonable numbers, I will keep this blog updated throughout the week. People who read these bulletins regularly may want to attend the Esks AGM which is on Thursday at 1800 in the Northern Hotel in Brechin. Dr John Armstrong and Julian Maclean of Marine Scotland Science will be talking about progress of the spring salmon radio tagging project. Please come if you can.

TA on 23/4/2012