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Which fish can I eat?


Jez Walsh

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24 minutes ago, Gareth E said:

Actually some clubs or river owners forbid fishing for salmon and/ or sea trout other than on the fly. Others only allow methods other than the fly when the river is above a certain level, when fly fishing can be impossible. Some anglers, myself included, will only fish for game fish on the fly, through choice.   

In Scotland you don't get river owners you get people who own the rights to the fishing, angling clubs and or beat owners can make any rules they like(with in the bounds of the law) and can change them as and when water conditions / time of season deems necessary. When you can spin can also be dictated by the run of the fish and where you are in the season the hight of the water might only be a factor if a freshie was needed to get the fish up the river and may not affect your ability to use a fly and yet spinning may still be permitted, some rivers such as the Tay can vary quite significantly in fishing experience from beat to beat. But I chose not to quote chapter and verse I didn't think it was necessary. Fishing is a very personal experience and every angler probably has their own likes and preference that are unique to them. 

Edited by Tumshie
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Both, potentially. Spawned out salmon are known as kelts. They are sickly, close to death and not good to eat. Actually salmon begin to deteriorate quite soon after entering the river, within a matter of weeks. I'm not so sure with sea trout but I believe it's similar. 

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4 minutes ago, Gareth E said:

I'm not so sure with sea trout but I believe it's similar. 

How sea trout fair can depend on the river and how hard they have to work to get to it and how long the have to sit before they get a good run. They do lose condition in the river because they have all the same issues as the salmon have but if they can start with a good run they fair better later on. They regain their health very quickly once they get back to the sea and can stuff their faces. 

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3 hours ago, Tumshie said:

How sea trout fair can depend on the river and how hard they have to work to get to it and how long the have to sit before they get a good run. They do lose condition in the river because they have all the same issues as the salmon have but if they can start with a good run they fair better later on. They regain their health very quickly once they get back to the sea and can stuff their faces. 

Thanks for the info. It's fascinating how these two species live their lives, surpassed in the fish world only perhaps by the eel. It's a crying shame that it's all being destroyed, primarily by the salmon farming industry. I was on the Tweed in late July there was barely a fish in it. OK there was no water but there should have still been fish trapped in the pools. 

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15 hours ago, Machpoint005 said:

Do the fish get caught before or after they have spawned, and how can you tell?

I'm sorry I didn't catch your post sooner. 

 

The short answer is yes they are caught before they spawn and yes you can tell.

 

When the salmon fishing season opens and closes varies a little on each river but the general jist is - season opens mid winter Jan/Feb and closes the end of the summer/autumn. Salmon need cold clean water to spawn so will start to do so when the water temperature drops. The break in the fishing season obviously is to give the fish time to pawn in peace.

 

 Sport - The most prised fish to the fisherman are the ones newly arrived in the river, the 'Bars of Silver' as they're referred to. They are strong and fit and are the most 'fun' to catch, the colour of the fish can for some hold more value than size. The most vulnerable salmon are the 'springers' and the 'grilse' they  are highly prised and their numbers are hammered, to the point where new laws had to be made to protect then through out Scotland. Things have changed a great deal over the years, the industry that I've known over the last 30 (odd) years has very different fishing practices of today, at one point almost all the salmon caught were taken home now there are strict catch an release policies but you will still see a million picture on the internet of men with their fish held aloft griped by the tail (and some times the gills) this practice can be far more damaging to the fish than a hook because it destroys the scales and introduces bacteria that the fish should never meet it also offers a strong hold to fungus which is a serious problem for the fish. The vast majority of fishermen fish respectfully these days so the damage caused is now limited to the small number of muppets who don't under stand or don't care but if spoted they are usually taken in hand pretty quickly. The average salmon fisherman are regular folks like you and me and they care deeply about the fish and the rivers. 

 

Commercial - Love it or loath it it's not going any where it brings in huge amounts of money most of which goes the local business and trade, it's an optical illusion that the hoity toity rich folks get all the money, they do get a healthy dollop of it that's true but it's amazing how many every day folks have a secure livelihood because of because of the industry built up around it. 

 

 

Environmental - To say line fishing has no ill effects on the fish numbers is not true, which is why new laws and policies have been put in place to protect the fish stocks; but fishing may be considered less of an issue than other factors such as fish farms, hydro electric dams and flooding. Fish farms are not particularly clean thought they do try to be but they can be a source of lice and fungal infection. SEPA are constantly doing battle with the Hydro (SSE) power stations they want to keep all the water to them selves and can leave the rivers short if now monitored closely and growled at by SEPA. Unfortunately the power plants run a policy of not sharing unless they are given real scolding. Flooding has always existed on certain rivers but was accepted and worked round but it is becoming more of an issue in some parts of Scotland where it's already quite wet and getting wetter; ironically this not necessarily good for the fish - lots of water good; flash flooding bad - heavy flooding is hard work for the fish and the can get exhausted and drown or they can get swept down river to fast and drown, I know it sounds silly but fish can drown; their gills are only meant to filter water in one direction. 

 

mmmmmuuust ssssttttttoooppppp ttttyyyppppinggg. 

 

A link to policies that are in place for the Tay River District 

 

http://www.tdsfb.org/conservation.html

 

 

News link to lots of fun photos of the opening of the season on the Tay at Kenmore - Really the piccies are great. :D

 

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/gallery/2017/jan/17/salmon-fishing-season-opens-in-pictures

 

 

 

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