Tweed - Reports

River Tweed Fishing Report – Early Season Catches

A few fish have been caught since the River Tweed opened for the season on February 1st, with several beats reporting their first salmon.

Colin Chisholm caught Ladykirk’s first fish of the season, a 9lb salmon on Beat 3, using a fast-sinking line and a Dee Monkey fly. The fish remained in the net and was quickly released by head boatman Matthi. Ladykirk’s availability for the season has now been added to FishPal, but it is limited to one or two rods until October.

At Lees Beat, Trout & Salmon staff writer Rob Hardy caught the first fish of the season on Monday, February 3rd, under the guidance of head boatman Paul Hume. This was the earliest salmon caught on the beat in five years. Lees recorded 624 salmon last year, and with no availability on Tweedbeats from mid-March, it is worth considering a cast this month. The cost is £35 per rod, and bookings can be made by contacting Jane at the estate on 01890 882706.

At South Wark, two fish were caught last week, while Lower North Wark has continued its success with three fish so far. Phill Blackburn caught the first fish of the Tweed season at 11:36 AM in The Wall Pool, Lower North Wark. This catch earned him the Fin and Game Trophy, and the fish was netted under the guidance of head boatman Calum. Availability is limited, so those interested in fishing these beats should contact Karen at Wark Estate Office on 01890 882862.

Lower Birgham reported today, 12th February, the first fish of their season at 7lbs. Availability for the rest of Spring can be found on FishPal. 

Carham has made a strong start to the season, landing four fish so far. Two of these were caught on Monday, and one of the catches happened while Eoin Fairgreave was filming. This marks Carham’s best February since 2020. There is some availability on the beat until mid-May, and bookings can be made by contacting Peter at the estate on 01890 830200.

At Birgham Dub, last year’s catches were the highest in over a decade, with 495 fish landed. Last week, they recorded their first fish of the season. Currently, no availability is showing on Tweedbeats, so anglers hoping to fish this beat should contact the estate directly.

At Hendersyde, two fish have been caught under the guidance of boatmen John Kitchingham and Nigel Fenton. Limited availability is still available on FishPal for those interested in fishing this beat.

Opening day on Sprouston, Simon Cotton’s party reported two fish caught in The Cottage Stream, below The Hedge End, with Matt the ghillie. The first fish was landed at 3:15 PM, and the second was caught just 30 minutes later, a few metres below the first. Both fish took a black and yellow 3” copper tube fly. Fishing alongside him was Robert Mountfield, who lost a springer in The Cottage Stream earlier that morning at 10:15 am!  On Monday, February 10th, Samantha Game, also known as Game.Bird, caught two fish on Sproutson. She later commented that she was "living her best life in Kelso."

At Upper Hendersyde, three fish have been caught between Monday and Tuesday this week. There is some availability from next week on FishPal.

At Junction, ten fish have been caught so far, with four landed on opening day. A video featuring Gavin Brown, second boatman, is available for those interested. Anglers wishing to fish this beat should contact Mark at Merison Sporting on 01380 728592.

At Floors, reports have surfaced of one fish being caught. This was shared on Tweed’s social pages. Swedish angler Mattias Helde remarked:
"Catching a February salmon is one of the toughest challenges for a salmon angler. You have to fight hard and never give up, and eventually, the reward will come."

Whiteadder: John Foreman fishing Whiteadder BDAA water caught their first salmon of the season at 6lb on February 5th.  

Final Words from Andrew Douglas-Home (Founder of TweedBeats & Owner of Lees Beat)

"As for salmon fishing prospects this week, the river is in prime order. If there is a springer there, you might well catch it. Whatever else, buy some really good thermals and wrap up warm!"

https://youtu.be/X_ZSnW6oAlA?si=B4rf9GeAe4ZmGQ-g

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

Anne Woodcock

Communications & Fundraising

Tel: 01896 800725

Mob: 07540 834852

Website: www.rivertweed.org.uk

Don't forget to keep tagging #fishpal and #fishpal_fishing on facebook and instagram to have your images included in these reports.

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

Get in touch:

We would like to thank the boatmen, angling clubs and beat owners on the Tweed system who have contributed to this report by providing their time and information as the weekly 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 Tweed for the purposes of this report, please feel free to contact us here. 

If you would like to find out how FishPal can market your fishery please contact us.