Fishery
River/Area
Fishing Regulations
Anglers should be aware of the legal requirements in place before they book fishing. Each River in Galloway has its own set of regulations set by the river's District Salmon Fishery Board and its fisheries. Legislation requires that all anglers have written permission to fish for salmon and sea trout anywhere in Scotland.
Under the Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016, the conservation status of the Galloway rivers is accessed on a yearly basis. For the 2018 fishing season Galloway's rivers are graded as follows:
Grade 1: River Cree
Grade 2: Water of Luce and Urr Water
Grade 3: River Bladnoch SAC, Water of Fleet and River Dee (Kirkcudbrightshire).
Rivers which are grade 3 are mandatory catch and release and all salmon must be returned unharmed to the river. For grade 1 and 2 rivers please see beats and District Salmon Fishery Board (DSFB) regulations for conservation measures currently in place.
District Salmon Fishery Board regulations
Each District Salmon Fishery Board (DSFB) has its own set of regulations. Below is a set of regulations for all Galloway Rivers. However, please read the regulations for the Urr DSFB, Water of Luce DSFB, Water of Fleet DSFB, River Dee (Kirkcudbrightshire) DSFB and River Bladnoch DSFB at: this page. For the River Cree DSFB please see this page.
1. It is illegal to sell rod caught salmon and sea trout
2. No Sunday Fishing
3. No angler fishing for salmon, sea trout or trout may fish with more than one rod at any one time
4. No set lines
5. No prawn, shrimp or live bait fishing. No ledgering or gaffing. No fishing by net, hook or other illegal instruments, including snatching.
6. Any American signal crayfish caught accidentally must be killed immediately and left on site as required by Scottish legislation.
7. All fry, parr, smolts, kelts, foul hooked and coloured fish caught must be returned unharmed immediately.
8. The killing of any gravid salmon is ILLEGAL and the water bailiffs duty includes strict enforcement of this law
9. Fishing permits must be carried at all times whilst on the river
10. You must show your permit when asked by any watchers or other authorised persons and allow inspection of your tackle and fish
11. All rods must make a return of fish caught at the end of each day/week to the owner (even if this is a nil return) and should include any fish involved in catch and release.
12. You must do everything you can to help prevent poaching and illegal fishing
13. Dogs are not allowed except by express permission of both the landowner and the fishing proprietor
14. People are requested to leave NO LITTER. Lengths of nylon or equivalent are to be discarded as this is a danger to wildlife
15. Anglers must ensure that they do not cause damage to property, fences, dykes etc and always leave gates as found.
16. No permit holder shall, in the event of a pool already being occupied, fish that pool in front of the angler already in possession and must go behind them and the angler in front shall move on one step with every cast. Members and permit holders are expected to fish in a courteous manner at all times.
17. In all Scottish Rivers, all salmon caught before the 1st April must be returned carefully to the river even if the fish is badly bleeding.
18. In the interest of conservation, the catch and release of migratory salmonids is encouraged throughout the season. In rivers which are grade 3, catch and release is mandatory.
Fishing on the Lower Cree
Fishery conditions
Individual owners may also have their own individual conditions, such as the hours that fishing is allowed on that beat, provision of ghillies (if any) and what fishing methods you can use.
FishPal Booking Conditions
This site uses the FishPal booking engine, so if you use our online booking system, or our call centre on 01573 470612, you need to agree to†FishPal's booking conditions.
You will be given another opportunity to read all these conditions before doing any online booking, where you have to indicate your agreement to them. They will also be included in the joining instructions you are given when your booking has been completed.
FishPal
1. Once you have booked you cannot change your dates or number of rods (the only exception is when you book through the help desk, have notified us of any mistakes within 7 days of the date of making the booking, and provided proper evidence that the mistake is the help desk's and not your own).
2. If you need to change your rod or days, they can be booked separately if you need extra ones and they are available. If you need less rods or days, or decide not to come after all, then we can try to relet them for you, but cannot guarantee to do so. There is a £10 + VAT charge for trying and if successful a further 10% letting fee + VAT.
3. You cannot sublet the fishings you book without our permission and then only by private arrangement and at the same prices and conditions as for this booking. No agent other than ourselves or the fishery manager may be used to help obtain a sublet.
4. Rods may not be shared on any one day without prior permission of the ghillie or fishery manager, which is often refused and should never be relied upon.
5. In Scotland it is illegal to fish without written permission, so you must bring this confirmation, or a copy of it, with you when you fish.
6. Charges: All bookings are subject to a booking charge which will vary according to the amount being booked. The exact charge will be clearly displayed on the very first booking page once you have set what you are wishing to book. There are no charges for processing debit cards. Credit cards can not be used unless you confirm that you are a non EU angler and will be surcharged by 2.5%.
7. Please note that in line with general practice, we cannot give refunds for fishing spoilt by inclement weather or poor water conditions.
8. You must ring the ghillie, or other contact set by the fishery, at least two days before you come, so he knows that you are coming and that you know where and when to meet him.
9. You must report full details of any fish caught to the ghillie or other contact provided by the fishery promptly.
10. We have asked fisheries to provide lifejackets or buoyancy aids of a design that will not impair your ability to fish in comfort. We strongly advise you to wear one when using a boat or when wading in strong or deep water. If you don't, you are doing so at your own risk. If you are not happy with the equipment provided, or any other safety issue, please ring us immediately, so that we can arrange for the situation to be rectified. A general guide to safety can be seen by going to this page
11. If you have any problems with the standard of service provided on the fishery, please tell the ghillie or fishery manager straightaway and if you don't get a satisfactory response, please contact the office immediately, so we have time to act before you leave. Failure to do so will severely hamper any chances of us obtaining fair redress for you.
12. To help prevent an outbreak of Gyrodactylus Salaris which has had catastrophic effects on some foreign rivers, all rods fishing must complete a Gyrodactylus declaration on arrival at the fishery. This states that either you have not used your fishing tackle abroad in the last three months, or you have done so and had it properly sterilised, or you have done so and NOT had it sterilised. In the latter case, you must agree to sterilisation taking place before you start fishing, and accept that there may be some delay in getting this organised. A copy of the declaration form can be seen by going to this page and more information on Gyrodactylus by going to this page
13. All bookings are also subject to the conditions set by the relevant fishery.
14. The booking system and its management are at all times acting only as an agent for the fishery. All letting contracts are therefore between the fishery and the person taking the fishing.
15. The system management and/or the fisheries reserve the right to immediately withdraw fishing without compensation from anyone who breaks these or associated conditions, or flouts normal standards of behaviour or fishing etiquette.
16. You need to bring your own fishing equipment (rods, reels, lines, flies etc) unless you have specifically agreed with the fishery well in advance that they supply this for you.
17. You need to be reasonably healthy and mobile to access most fishings. If you are not, you must notify the fishery or ourselves before you book, to ensure that you can be looked after safely and properly.
18. Anglers are reminded that parking of cars should be in designated parking areas and is always at the anglers own risk.
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