Tyne - Index

Why fish the Tyne

The North Tyne and the South Tyne meet to form the River Tyne. All three strands of the Tyne river are splendid for game fishing and the North Tyne and River Tyne provide good coarse fishing. The whole Tyne system combines to give excellent fishing all year round.

The Tyne is a massively improved river with good visitor access along its length. There is no better way to experience the renowned Northumbrian hospitality than to visit its wealth of attractions for anglers and non anglers alike.

About the river

The Tyne is a risen angel in the world of high class salmon fishing. From its low in 1959, where no salmon or sea trout where reported caught by rod and line, today we see over 6000 migratory fish landed. This renaissance means that the Tyne is now the best salmon river in England and Wales.

Since its industrial heyday, the quality of the water in the Tyne has dramatically improved thanks to massive investment from water companies and government and at last can support a growing population of iconic fish species. To add to its success, the Tyne has around 350.000 fry returned to its waters annually by the Kielder Hatchery.

River facts and figures

The Tyne Catchment covers 1000 square miles and offers over 860 miles of waterway. Around 100 miles of this can be fished but as new beats are developed all the time the opportunity to explore one of Britain's most attractive and varied rivers is still growing. The Tyne runs from the Scottish borders in the north and North Pennines in the south to converge at Hexham to become the River Tyne. From there it flows through the stunning Tyne Valley to Newcastle and Gateshead before emptying into the North Sea at Tynemouth.

In the last 20 years the Tyne has shown its true colours by offering anglers the opportunity to be part of an ever-growing catch which peaked in 2004 at over 4000 salmon and 2000 sea trout. With a counter at Riding Mill on the main Tyne we regularly see over 30,000 ascending the river each year so there are plenty left to catch.

People have made great use of the river throughout the ages and this can be clearly seen right through the system, from Kielder Water (Europe's largest reservoir) at the head of the North Tyne, through Hadrian's Wall at the Roman baths, and lead mining workings in the South Tyne valley, right down to the city and ship building legacy of the Tyne Estuary. This gives the Tyne its unique character and is one of the reasons it continues to excite and attract visitors from all over the world.

Who looks after the river

The Tyne Rivers Trust looks after the interests of the Tyne Catchment and is working hard to 'make the name Tyne recognised for its catchment-wide environmental excellence'. Since 2014, FishTyne, part of FishPal, have looked after the FishTyne.