tweed trout stocks

[borderer]

As things have been a bit quiet on the forum lately, i thought we might take a wee bit of time to discuss the severe lack of trout in many parts of the tweed. I have fished upper tweed for trout for more than 40 yrs and seen a river full of 3/4lb-1. 1/2lb wild brown trout reduced to a shadow of its former self for no apparent reason. I can remember as a boy of 7-8 my dad working in the mill at walkerburn on a saturday morning finishing at 1pm, comming down to walkerburn bridge, and fishing the stream just above the bridge with a dry border greenwell just as the afternoon rise came on and catching loads of good quality trout. all but a couple returned. we did the same at peebles and all the water in between that peebles angling association controlled. from the late 80s things have went from bad to worst and apart from various pockets along the river the norm now seems to be fish of 3 to the pound with a dribble of the old times flung in. this has resulted in rtf putting a ban on killing all but specimin fish. Has anyone any thoughts on why this has happened . the lower river does not seem as badly hit as the upper.

[cascade]

Sheep dip has been blamed for similar problems in Wales. If it gets in the river it can kill all the fly life.

www.wyeuskfoundation.org/problems/pollution.php

Another problem is is the vast increase in herons, cormorants, otters, mink etc etc.

[underghillie]

You missed out Mergansers and Goosanders, A Goosander eats on average 4200 fry per year, now thats a lot of fry if you have a couple of dozen Goosers on a beat all year.

[perthshirefisher]

Yep, the numbers they consume is staggering!

[cascade]

Sept 10, 2011 21:06:26 GMT underghillie said:

You missed out Mergansers and Goosanders, A Goosander eats on average 4200 fry per year, now thats a lot of fry if you have a couple of dozen Goosers on a beat all year.

Jesus, I'm surprised there's any fish left in our rivers.

We had a massive flood on our local river this week. I was walking down the bank a couple of days later and I came across a dried up puddle in the path which contained about 50 dead 'minnows' - I think they were just minnows rather than salmon or trout fry, they were about 1" long?

[borderer]

ug did all these natural threats not exist 20 years ago? and if they are worst now then can rtf not apply for a permit to shoot /poison /or just kill the feckers. there are bits of tweed not so badly affected ie around melrose. electric fishing over the past 5 years show a healthy stock of wild trout going by tweed foundation info. are there no natural threats around this area? is the water quality/insect life better there?

[guidduglucy]

Lots of Trout fry about but the 3/4- 1 1/4 lb fish are missing, big decline round Coldstream in last couple of years. Seatrout are getting blame I hear! Its not as daft as it sounds bye the way. All the nets off, 1000s more seatrout making it home to spawning grounds breeding with wee cock Brown trout ( they are both the same fish ) producing more Seatrout and less Brownies, have a look at RTF site, its being talked about a lot down here. No many Goosanders round here so they are no to blame, still don't like them though.

[borderer]

that would make sence but for the fact in the 90s sea trout stocks where on their arse yet so was the troot, yet in the late seventies - early 80s 6 out of 10 fish taken on peebles crown water was large 6-8lb sea trout the name for them in peebles was sea dugs i have seen poachers pass them of as salmon on many occassions back then.

[underghillie]

Sept 11, 2011 13:15:32 GMT borderer said:

ug did all these natural threats not exist 20 years ago? and if they are worst now then can rtf not apply for a permit to shoot /poison /or just kill the feckers. there are bits of tweed not so badly affected ie around melrose. electric fishing over the past 5 years show a healthy stock of wild trout going by tweed foundation info. are there no natural threats around this area? is the water quality/insect life better there?

On the Tay we never had the same number of cormorants as we do now, the last two winters we have had 100-170 cormorants on one pool alone...... tell me what chance a trout or a Salmon parr has? not to mention grayling.

When all the lochs and tributarys are frozen all the black feckers and saw bills are on the main stem Tay, we now have next no trout or grayling on the Murthly beats.

[ade]

Have a word with BASC Tony, if you have that many of those feathered feckers about I'm sure we could be allowed to leather a few. Gimme a shout, would love to release a few barrels at 'em

Come on the trout

Ade

[underghillie]

Been loggin all the sawbills and cormorants i have seen on here www.cormorantwatch.org/

hope it helps.

[guidduglucy]

Aye They are not there to eat stones, if there are that many you should be allowed to cull some get in touch with your SMP and your MP. And I would think the Tay board will/should be doing the same As for Trout stocks round Coldstream on Tweed its only been in the last 2-3 years that numbers have declined noticeably, plenty fly life, the hatch of March Browns was massive yet hardly a rise this year.

[borderer]

same around peebles a mass of flees yet nothing cumming up for them really upsetting when you think back to the good old days

[guidduglucy]

70s to mid 2000 plenty trout but not now, but great catches of Seatrout being caught so might be something in the theory no doubt we will find out once more research is done I know they are looking into it and as you say loads of fly life.