Latest from the Annan 24th April
So far, both the salmon and trout seasons have got off to a terrible start due to constant rain and high water throughout march and the first two weeks of April. Last week the wind and rain eased, and the river got a rare opportunity to finally drop and settle at a fishable height.
Over the weekend the whole river was at a good height for trout fishing on the upper river and salmon fishing on the lower river and leading up to the weekend, some salmon were seen running through Newbie Beat fresh of the tide. On Monday, Newbie finally reported the first salmon from the river which was estimated at 13lb and caught by local angler Joe Black on a devon minnow.
Following the conditions so far this year it’s good to now see anglers venturing out again. Hopefully, that's the worst of the bad weather behind us and both the trout and salmon anglers will continue to pick up fish over the coming months.
Despite the high water in late March and April, the early spring hatches of LDO’s and March Browns still occurred but have mostly been and gone with little opportunity for trout anglers to fish due the river height (during the first two weeks of April the upper river was consistently sitting at 2ft or more).
Since the river has settled hatches of LDO’s have continued and more recently we have also seen the first of the grannom hatches on the lower river beats with olive uprights and some blue duns now making an appearance.
The trout have been slow to respond but with a bit of spring warmth and some lighter winds, numbers of rising fish have improved with the bigger trout also making an appearance, especially on the lower and middle river beats which tend to be a bit warmer than the upper river at this time of year.
There appears to be a change to the weather this weekend with some rain coming in for next week although fortunately not to the extent we have seen so far this year. However, forecasts can and do change and as long as the rain isn’t heavy and prolonged, with water still running off the land and hills, levels on the lower river should remain good for salmon fishing into next week although trout anglers will need to take conditions day by day and book accordingly.
Tight lines.
Regards
Michael Fearns
07710331079
We would like to thank the beats, angling clubs and owners who have contributed to this report by providing their time and information as this report would not be possible without your help and support. If you would like to share any interesting stories or pictures from your time fishing on the River Annan for the purposes of this report, please feel free to contact us here.
