For the 2020 season the category of the river Cairn will be the same as the Nith a Cat 3, which means no salmon can be taken. All have to be returned for conservation purposes. All details can be found on the Nith Catchment Fishery Trust web page.
Dumfries and Galloway Angling Association have suspended all Administration / Joining fees until the Further Notice this is normally £50. The "Regional Ticket" is for residents living out with the 10 mile limit but within the UK ( Only Full Members have voting rights ). Fees are the same as for full members at £140 for the 2023 season. For this you have access to fishing for over 17 miles of double and single bank along the Nith and Cairn for Salmon, Sea Trout, Wild Brown Trout and Grayling. There are vacancies for local, and a limited number of regional tickets, which covers you to fish from the 25th February till the 24th February the following year. So gives you access to winter Grayling fishing on the River Nith.
The D&GAA beat starts just upstream from the viaduct aside the Golf Course on the outskirts of Dumfries town and runs north into the farmland of the Nith valley. Although double bank fishing all of the way, most pools lend themselves to being fished from either the left or right bank, with only a few pools fishable from both. To download a pdf of the current DGAA leaflet and map please click here. The water lends itself to the fly, worm and spinner which are all permitted methods on any height of water. Wading in most places is easy, though there are a few deep holes so be aware or seek advice. From the Carnsalloch Car Park to the top of the beat is about a mile across farm land and if the fields are flooded you will need to follow the flood bank until you are opposite the riverside fishing hut, there are some deep gully's within the fields where the river used to flow.
The purchase of a River Nith ticket also allows you to fish the River Cairn the main tributary of the Nith of which the association controls approximately 15.5 miles of either double or single bank. For more on the River Cairn go to the Cairn page. Catch Statistics are not updated daily as this is an association water and members are not required to inform the Secretary until the season closes of their catch, though any information is greatly appreciated.
