There are few salmon anglers who think seriously of good sport in the autumn months. Spring is the traditional time for salmon, and as the season progresses the resident fish tend to become stale and potted and are better left in the river to fulfil their primary task of species generation.
On a beat of the Lune, for instance, where I have access throughout the season, I cared little for the backend fishing and usually reckoned to return most of the late September and October fish I caught there. There was not much in the way of a genuine autumn run and I have rarely encountered fresh-run fish at this time of the year on any river other than the Tweed.
It has been noteworthy of late, however, that many of our rivers are showing a decline in stocks of spring fish. Much of this has been attributed to over-netting on the high seas and there can be no doubt that the Danes, with their fantastic catches off Greenland, must be robbing the salmon-producing countries.
Much is going on behind the scenes to persuade the Danes to stop this piracy. The fact that they made some concessions in 1970 is more or less acknowledged as pure ‘whitewash’ on their part, for it is not designed to curtail their catch at all.
If spring fish are becoming scarcer, however, there is evidence to indicate that this is, in some part, due to a change of cycle on the part of the salmon. Admittedly their spawning season has not changed but commercial catches have been hitting their peaks much later in the year than was apparent even five years ago.
False picture
Denne historien er fra October 30, 2019-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra October 30, 2019-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside