Week 14th-19th October
The fish need water, and last week they got it, perfect for them and their journey upstream.
With the visible online catch score reaching well past 300 salmon, the weight shifted very markedly westwards as beats recorded double-figure days on Boleside, Ashiestiel, and Fairnilee.
Catches on the river are estimated at around 8,000. There have been some notable fish in the high twenties and thirty-pound plus during the 2024 season.
Lennel
A quieter week for us with fish caught Monday and Tuesday coming from the Monument. Unsettled river conditions, including a lot of rain on Wednesday with the gauge over 10 feet on Thursday. We are on 373 salmon for the season so far.
Lower Birgham
Monday, Mary Deakin was presented with the 2023 Malloch Trophy for her 31lb salmon caught on the beat last October. Watch the video to find out more about the fish of a lifetime that won her the prestigious trophy.
She becomes the fourth woman ever to win the Malloch Trophy. Her triumph shines a light on the growing presence and accomplishments of female anglers in what has traditionally been a male-dominated sport.
The beech tree in front of the fishing hut on the English side has succumbed to the heavy rain and wind last week. Anglers will have fond memories of sitting at the picnic table under the tree looking out to the river.
Carham
Monday, we started the week with 1'6" on the gauge, and 44f water temp. 2 fish were landed, 11 and 13lb. Tuesday, we were at 1'3" and 44f water temp. 3 fish were landed, 12, 6 and 7lb. Wednesday, we were at 1'2" and 48f water temp. 3 fish were landed, 13, 6 and 8lb. Thursday, the river was over 6ft with us, no fishing, fisherman went home. Friday, the river was still big and coloured, no fishing. Saturday, we were at 2'8" and 47f water temp. 1 fish of 6lb landed. The week started well with us catching a few fish and the river dropping in Mon - Wed, however it didn't last as heavy rain on Wednesday put the river up over 6ft on Thursday. Saturday, we saw 2/3 fish moving through, and we were lucky enough to catch a fish in the morning. Floating lines with 10ft sink tips and black and yellow tubes were the successful combination. Cheers Lee
Tweedswood
Report from Frodin Flies. We love Scotland. It’s here that it all began, the art of catching salmon on a fly. To be back on classic grounds is a great feeling, returning to the Tweed banks at Tweedswood with Phil Ellis, our team member, outstanding caster, and Tweed ghillie. We came to a flooded but falling river. During our days, the river dropped to almost perfect conditions. Mikael managed a few takes per day and landed good fish every day. What more could we ask for? The back-end run, which Tweed was once famous for, seems to have reduced, with most contacts being with older fish that had come in earlier. The most exciting moment was Mikael’s hook up by the famous old bridge, a superb fish in the 30 lb range that took his 6 cm fly and put up a long, hard fight. Mikael regrets being a bit careless when landing it, the hook came loose and the release was perfect, but we all wished we could have seen that great fish a bit closer. Mikael said, “Probably the biggest fish I’ve ever hooked in Scotland!” Great days, with fish up to 18 lbs landed, were further highlighted by a well attended SALAR demonstration, where the new rods and reels received excellent feedback.
Boleside
A great start to the week on the beat with lots of fish in all the pools with the lucky rods enjoying some tremendous sport. We landed 14 on Monday with Bernhard Raemy who had 6 fish all on type 5 14ft Sink Tip and a Pinky Shrimp (tied by his brother Ruedi). On Tuesday the good fishing continued with 18 landed the best being a 23lber from the Meetings Pool by Michael Walsh on a Cascade Conehead. Wednesday morning saw 9 come to the net before the rising water meant an early end to proceedings. The end of the week saw our rods fight big water and despite losing a couple early on Saturday nothing further was landed. We are now awaiting the first named storm of the season so it is unlikely that much fishing will get done until later in the week. Fingers crossed we will still have some left to catch. With the air temperature high and the fish running then it may benefit the rods to fish smaller and higher in the water.
September Report
The River Tweed has seen a strong September for salmon catches, with over 2,000 fish reported and many beats along the river experiencing their best season in five years. Weekly averages throughout the month were around 500 fish, with a notable peak in mid-September when over 600 were caught, despite some fishing days lost to flooding. Among these catches were several specimens over 40 inches (1m) long and weighing 28 pounds or more, all in excellent condition.
Historically, years like 2018, 2021, and 2023 failed to reach 6,000 salmon for the entire season. This year’s catches have already passed those benchmarks. While the current numbers are encouraging, over 5,000 salmon were caught in September 2010 and 4,000 in 2011, reminding us how much work remains.
Despite the River Tweed continuing to lead the UK in rod catches and holding a Grade 1 status from the Marine Directorate, long-term trends raise concerns about the river's overall health.
"While the River Tweed continues to lead in rod catches, the health of the river remains delicate," said Jamie Stewart, River Tweed Commission. "As we face increasing pressures from climate change, in particular high-water temperatures, our priority is to safeguard the future of the river. This year’s salmon numbers are promising, but greater efforts are needed to ensure their long-term survival, particularly in improving the condition of smolts as they head to sea."
The Tweed Foundation and River Tweed Commission remain focused on habitat improvements, recognising the significant challenges that persist. Recent scientific studies have emphasised the need for a deeper understanding of current habitat conditions throughout the river system—insights that are crucial for future conservation efforts across the Tweed catchment.
The first tributary under review is the Gala Water, where advanced monitoring techniques such as fish counters, electrofishing, and smolt traps have been in place for many years. This audit will culminate in a comprehensive report and future work plan. After applying the lessons learned from the Gala Water, similar audits will be conducted across the catchment, with the Ettrick system next in line for review.
Although tributaries like the Gala Water have shown stability in adult return numbers since 2008, this does not guarantee success across the catchment. Continued monitoring and habitat improvement efforts remain essential.
Although catches have improved this year, there is still a long way to go to secure the river's long-term health and ensure sustainable salmon populations for future generations.
The Tweed Foundation Annual Auction will go live on Friday, 8th November. If you would like to donate an auction lot to support the work of the foundation and education program, TweedStart, please email [email protected]
Don’t forget to sign up for the River Tweed newsletter and follow our social media pages for the latest updates from the River Tweed Commission, Tweed Foundation, TweedStart, and fishing news.
Thank you to the boatmen and ghillies for your fishing reports. Anglers please keep emailing your fishing news to [email protected] and tag us into your Tweed fishing trips on social at River Tweed News.
Best wishes
Anne
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Bemersyde Trophy
Entries are now open for the Bemersyde Trophy for the best salmon landed on a fly on Tweed The winners of this prestigious award (senior and junior) will be invited to a presentation luncheon at Bemersyde House.
Previous winners of the senior award include Jim Reid, Shamus Jennings, Wayne Longstaff, Finlay Wilson, Craig Duncan, Andy Britton, Jonathon Murray, Janice Hogarth and current winner Adrian Gotzheim
Previous winners of the junior award include Jess England, Debbie Harris, Andrew Kitchingham, Debbie Harris, Harry Gotzheim, Samuel Ackroyd, Harry Brownlow and the current winner Sam Taylor
To be eligible for the trophy the fish must be caught on a fly in a sportsmanlike manner and be returned to the water. For more information and to enter this years trophy please contact the Bemersyde Estate office:- Bemersyde Estate, Melrose, Roxburghshire, TD6 9DP
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