Last week:
Over the last fortnight there has been some decent rises across the Galloway rivers with salmon getting caught on most of the main beats. An impressive 18lb salmon was caught on the Dalbeattie Angling Association beat on the lower Urr by Archie Campbell on the 20th June.
Over the last week J Haley fishing Mochrum Park Holidays beats caught a 5lb grilse on Kirwaugh (lower Bladnoch) and a 15lb salmon on Machermore (lower Cree). Linloskin beat on the Cree reported 2 salmon up to an impressive 18lb. Newton Stewart AA caught 2 salmon and 2 sea trout.
The River Luce catches included a 12lb and 14lb salmon caught on the 20th June.
We can only detail catches from beats that provide reports to us.
If Galloway river beats (on the Luce/Bladnoch/Cree/Fleet/Kirkcudbrightshire Dee or Urr) want to be added to the Fishgalloway website or have their catches reported then please contact [email protected]
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Prospects:
The rivers have all had a good flush of water recently. Temperatures have dropped again which is good. There are suitable fishing conditions now but a dry week is forecast so rivers will continue to drop and air temperatures are rising again. Early mornings and evenings are likely to offer the best opportunities to catch a fish. Grilse are starting to enter the rivers now. As the river drops it is often the lower beats which are most likely to still catch fish.
Galloway rivers are all spate rivers so the best fishing is after a flood.
Season so far:
The Galloway Rivers have been opening from mid February to early March. We had reports of good numbers of kelts being caught on the Bladnoch from the opening day. February and early March were wet with the rivers high most of the time. Water temperatures have typically been mild.
The first springer was recorded by Kirkcowan Angling Club on the 18/3/26 from their beat on the lower Tarf Water. High water towards the end of March resulted in a further two 9lb salmon recorded on Mochrum Park (Bladnoch) and Lisloskin (Cree).
A nice rise of water in the first week of April resulted in two 10lb salmon being caught on the Bladnoch (Mochrum Park & Clugston Estate). The rivers fell for the next week until the middle of the month when some heavy rain rose them again. Mochrum Park (Bladnoch) recorded another fine springer on the 14th April and Machermore on the lower Cree had a fresh fish a week later. Dry weather in the second half of the month limited the opportunity of salmon being caught or running the rivers.
May was largely dry for the first three weeks but then some heavier and prolonged showers rose the rivers helping both the last smolts out and some fresh salmon up. The Cree had the largest rise in water which resulted in the first significant catches being recorded on the Cree with some large salmon (up to 15lb) being caught between 20th – 22nd May. Dry weather in late May resulted in limited catches but good water in early June saw some good sized salmon running the rivers and being caught. June has continued to be mixed with some really good sized salmon recorded including an 18lb fish from the lower Urr (Dalbeattie Angling Association). High water temperatures in late June limited angling opportunities.
In early July the first grilse were reported.