Finavon Castle Bulletin

Releasing a sealiced hen salmon

The last week has not been good for fly fishermen at Finavon. With the water cold and clear, and both water and air temperature lower than average for mid May, conditions were much better for inspecting the bed of the river to see the changes brought by winter spates than fly fishing for salmon. Moray, FCW’s ghillie, saw a nice fresh salmon show in the dub of Tollmuir Pool, just off the huge rock on the left bank. He estimated this fresh spring salmon at 13lbs. But, very much against the odds, Andrew Bett took and returned a glorious 12lbs salmon from Melgund. Fishing the clear water in bright conditions he described the salmon taking his fly as it emerged from the deep water at the head of the pool. A beautiful fish in difficult circumstances. Well done Andrew!

On Sunday I found a dead salmon in Craigo Stream. The fish had extensive fungal growth all over its body. It had been a beautiful fresh springer of about 11bs. A very sad sight.

News from downriver is that sea trout are now being caught. These first sea trout are always a good size – usually 4lbs or more. They should be at Finavon next week.

TA

April turned out to be a good spring salmon month, quite like the old days, with three fresh salmon of 15lbs or more, all safely returned to the river alive to continue their upstream migration. The best one came from Indies Pool, where a minor adjustment by the winter floods of the stream at the head of the pool has made it a better place for fish to pause on their way up river. There seems to be a reasonable number of fish in the river, not quite a fish in every pool, but not far off. What I can say is that the river is in very good nick, with clean gravel and clear water, perhaps a bit too clear to provide the best opportunity for catching a spring salmon. Despite the poor conditions, and a river now beginning to fall towards summer water levels, Derek Strachan took a nice fish of 8lbs from Willows and our tenants have lost fish, or at the very least, had offers from the usual group of holding pools. The pools I really fancy in these conditions are Tollmuir and Marcus House, both of which always seem to hold fish, and both of which are seldom fished, and therefore are undisturbed.

April spring salmon 16lbs

The spring is now starting to get going, with the gean blossom out and the grass growing lushly. The river banks at Finavon are well treed and with the wild garlic now flowering and the best of the eating of it over for another year, we are all looking forward to the next big migration, which is of course the sea trout. This year, with George Pullar agreeing not to sell sea trout, and return as many as possible alive to the sea, we should see greater numbers of these fish in Finavon’s pools. Reports from elsewhere are encouraging, so we are all hoping for another improvement in returning numbers of these most attractive and mysterious fish. I regard sea trout as the defining quality of the South Esk from the angler’s viewpoint. Here’s hoping!

Nearing the end: a 15lbs spring salmon

Yesterday evening (23 April) was cold and felt rather ‘unfishy’. But John Wood, the factor from Glamis, fished the two upper beats, from the A90 all the way down to the Aqueduct. Nothing much doing in the Milton Beat pools, but he lost a fish of about 12lbs in Kirkinn (which is really the tail of the Red Brae) and then caught a pristine 13lbs salmon off the bushes just above the Aqueduct at the tail of the Beeches Pool. John said it was a cracking fish in tip-top condition, which of course he carefully returned alive to continue its upstream journey to its predestined, genetically programmed spawning burn, probably way up the Glen. So that is nine spring salmon so far. Just above average and still another week to go before the end of April.

Beeches Pool from the Aqueduct - Milton Beat

With a massive volcanic cloud hanging above Finavon, Moray Macfarlane, Finavon’s fishery manager, caught a beautiful 16lbs salmon in Tollmuir Pool in a falling river and crystal clear water. This is the biggest fish of 2010 so far and it was in near-perfect condition with a smattering of sea lice to vouch for its fresh arrival from the North Sea. What a great fish! It took Moray nearly 30 minutes to land, and it was of course duly returned to the river after a period to recuperate under his care.

Tollmuir Pool Bogardo Beat

We have long expected Tollmuir Pool to start delivering catches of both salmon and sea trout, and already, early in the 2010 season, this pool is starting to show its potential. Taken with the Marcus House Pool, now exclusive to FCW rods, Tollmuir gives Bogardo Beat some top quality fishing. With three good pools on the beat – Haughs, Tollmuir and Marcus House – I expect Bogardo Beat to perform much better in 2010, both in absolute terms and relative to the other Finavon Beats. And the sea trout and grilse have yet to arrive! Let’s see what Tollmuir Pool produces then.

There are still some days left on Finavon’s four beats this year. With the season shaping up well it is time to think seriously about your first visit to this wonderful water, or perhaps coming back after an absence. You won’t be disappointed!

Later report from Tollmuir Pool on 22/4.  Derek Strachan fished Tollmuir on a very cold evening (5.0c) and, with the water now quite low, still dropping and very clear, the few spring salmon in the river have holed up in the deeper pools, of which Tollmuir is one. He saw fish, but they just weren’t interested. Until there is more water – and as I write this blog on 23/4 it has been pouring all day -it will be hard to tempt a salmon. With a freshet there should be more spring fish in the river. Here’s hoping!

Yesterday, at dusk, a shoal of early running salmon entered the lower pools of Finavon and by last light there was at least one fresh spring salmon in each of the major pools. Salmon came to the fly on a number of occasions, but turned away before taking it. In spite of their reluctance to take the fly Moray Macfarlane, the FCW ghillie, had a nice one of 7 lbs from Tollmuir Pool (his first salmon from this pool) and Derek Strachan had a beautiful 15lbs fish from our most reliable spring pool, Tyndals.

Releasing a sealiced hen salmon

The river is holding its level well, and we expect it to continue like this for some time yet because of the deep snow in the high corries. Spring is arriving slowly but with measured steps. The wild garlic has turned the Finavon woods the brightest of greens and its pungent smell accompanies us as we stride through the woods to the next pool, where we fish carefully, always in expectation of the long, lazy pull of a springer.

Conditions are ideal and we expect more salmon this week. What can be said with some certainty is that the condition of the 2SW fish already caught this season indicates that they are in tip-top condition. It is a real puzzle as to why the summer grilse and 2SW salmon are so thin, but it does look as if the problem lies in the Norwegian Sea, which our earlier fish seem to avoid. I must avoid tempting fate, but I have to say that the season is developing nicely so far.