CLOSE SEASON FISHING EXPERIMENT - Results for 2005

Introduction

In recent years there have been indications that around or after the end of the Tay angling season (15 October) more fresh run salmon may be entering the river than there were two or three decades ago. In order to obtain objective information on these later running fish a licence was obtained from the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) in 2005 to conduct experimental angling in the close season.

 Results - Overall numbers

The numbers of fish caught and days fished are presented in the table below. Numbers varied considerably partly owing to numbers present but also because of the adverse conditions which meant some beats were not fished nearly as hard as others.

Methods

Angling was conducted on a number of beats, selected to be representative of different areas of the lower and middle Tay, and some lower tributaries where it was thought genuine late running fish could also be present. While it would have been interesting to include more upstream beats, SEERAD did not feel it appropriate to fish in places where their scientific advisors, Fisheries Research Services, considered spawning spring salmon were likely to be present. The beats permitted were: Almondmouth (Tay), Waulkmill (Tay), Luncarty (Tay), Stobhall/Taymount (Tay), Burnbane (Tay), Kinnaird (Tay), Moulinearn (Tummel), Coupar Grange (Isla), Dalcrue (Almond), Dupplin (Earn), Eden Angling Association (Eden).

The licence was initially granted for the period 16 October to 12 November. However, because very high water prevailed during the last three weeks of the survey, fishing conditions were very poor and little fishing was in fact achieved on some beats. Therefore an extension to 19 November was granted for all beats expect for the Almond, Kinnaird and Moulinearn beats. The Luncarty beat had not initially been selected for the trial but was added during the extension period as it is probably the lower Tay beat best suited to high water fishing.

On each beat the intention was that angling would be conducted on two days of each week, or more if catches proved to be poor. Fishing was meant to be representative of normal angling conditions. The intention was that four anglers would fish each beat each day along with one boat harling on those beats where harling is ordinarily conducted. It was also intended that the anglers be of mixed ability, two expert and two less experienced anglers, as may be expected in a typical fishing party. In the event, river conditions were such that it did not always prove convenient for invited anglers to fish on those days which had to be chosen at short notice, so on some beats on some days the full complement of  four anglers was not always achieved.

Fishing was conducted with barbless hooks using typical fishing tackle used under the conditions (fly or spinner). All fish caught were carefully handled with soft landing nets and then released. Anglers were supplied with disposable cameras (Kodak Fun Flash) and requested to take a photograph of each fish caught. They also noted a qualitative judgment of the colour of each fish and were asked to estimate the weight and measure each fish.

Fish size and sea-age

Generally speaking, the great majority of relatively recent entrants (i.e. sea-liced, fresh, silvery or even tarnished) caught in the survey weighed below 10 / 11 pounds in weight. These fish, without doubt, were grilse and are typical of the size expected for late running grilse (6 –12 pounds, males slightly heavier than females). Only very few of the recent entrants are likely to have been 2SW salmon, generally in the mid to high teens of pounds. Scrutiny of the photographs of the silvery fish suggested that none are likely to have been early springers of any sea-age.

With perhaps the exception of Coupar Grange (males and females) and Almond females, the average size of coloured grilse fell between six and eight pounds. No coloured grilse under 5 pounds were caught with the exception of one at Coupar Grange. Since grilse runs in June and July are largely made up of grilse under that size, it indicates that, even as far upstream as Kinnaird, the early grilse had long since passed through and that the predominant type of fish was presumably a late summer / early autumn entering grilse.

Colouration

All fish which were successfully photographed were assigned to one of five colouration categories: sea-liced, fresh, silver, tarnished and coloured.

In October some fresh run males were caught, but only at Waulkmill, Taymount and Burnbane. In November some relatively fresh males were caught on nearly all beats. However, in both months the majority of males were always tarnished or coloured. The higher beats such as Burnbane, Kinnaird, the Almond and Coupar Grange (Isla) had a slightly higher proportion of darker fish than the lower beats such as Waulkmill, Taymount, Luncarty and Dupplin (Earn).

Regarding females the majority in both months were again either tarnished or coloured in practically all beats. The main exceptions being Waulkmill in October which had a relatively high proportion of sea-liced fish (60%, but a small sample) or Dupplin (Earn) in November which had 55% silver fish. There was again some slight indication of an upstream gradation. No recent entrants (fish which were at least silver) were caught at all in the Almond or at Coupar Grange (Isla) and some kelts were caught in both the Almond and Isla in November.

In summary, sea-liced fish of either sex were on the whole relatively scarce and mainly found in lower beats such as Waulkmill and Luncarty and an odd one at Taymount or Burnbane.

Conclusions

This survey found there were some fish, mainly grilse, still entering the Tay in late October / early November 2005. However, these were largely only encountered in the lower reaches, but, except for the lower Earn, these were a distinct minority. Most of the fish present in the main stem of the Tay seemed to be coloured grilse which probably entered the river system in late summer / early autumn (August-September), these also being in the greatest concentration in the lower reaches.

In the Almond and Isla tributaries the grilse were perhaps of an even earlier run than the coloured grilse in the Tay and in both these tributaries there were some kelts present in November, including some in the Isla which may have been spring salmon kelts, although these could have dropped down from further upstream.

Of course it is not known where the majority of the fish caught might actually have spawned. The early autumn of 2005 was dry with low water levels and in August and early September there had been a large concentration of fish in the lower part of the Tay and it may well have been that these fish were still there even after the season, while they may have ultimately migrated further upstream to spawn. Also it did appear that in 2005 fishing in the lower Tay was better in August / early September than it was for some of the years in the early 2000s. In some of those years there seemed to be more appearance (anecdotally) of increasing numbers of fresh fish towards the close of the season. It may indeed have been that the main “autumn”grilse run in 2005 was slightly earlier than it was in some other recent years.