The Salmon Run - Big Fish In A Small Scottish Stream 

Thank you I'm glad you enjoyed it. 😊

Thanks Dean, glad you enjoyed the video and happy fly tying. I'm with you on the winter fishing and that's probably the real reason why I don't go grayling fishing. I'm too old, feel the cold too much now and I like to think too smart to be standing in a cold river waiting for hyperthermia to set in! 😂

Many thanks for taking the time to make such kind comments. 😊

Thanks TK. Yes that wee river can be surprising. I'm just this minute back home from a walk on its banks near the village. It is roaring down after a considerable snow melt. I wonder where all those huge fish are now? When I was a boy there were decent runs of salmon and sea run trout, but like elsewhere they faded. We used to stand by the pools watching huge shadows move in the gloom, casting futile worms at them. Ah the memories! As I have said in some of my videos you can only make that sort of connection with waters you fished during your formative years. 😊

Let's hope so. It would be great to see these barriers removed.

Thank you I'm happy you enjoyed it. 😊😊

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. 😊 Removing that dam would be the best thing, but there would be silting issues. The dam is the only major obstacle on the river.

Thank you. 😊😊

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. 😊

I actually have some sockeye footage from our last trip Alex, from the Twizel River, but I'll have another go and see if I can improve on it. The number of fish is pretty crazy. All uncatchable too, in fact they are a bit of a nuisance. First time we were there I spent an hour stalking a nice rainbow on the Tekapo River until I realised it was a salmon. 😂

Glad you enjoyed it. 😊 Yeah and that fish pass needs fixed, adding baffles would make a huge difference by slowing the flow and helping the fish up. Great to see these stunning fish on our wee river.

Thanks glad you enjoyed it 😊

Yeah James we really need to get something done there.

@@wildfisher yeah, some dynamite?

@@jameswood214 Dynamite would do it! 😃

Thanks for your comment. 😊

Yes I'm afraid the only salmon our politicians are interested in swim in cages in west highland sea lochs. The wild fish are not a priority. Thanks for you comment. 👍

Thanks. Getting the kids interested in nature is definitely the way forward glad they enjoyed it. 🙂

Thanks Douglas! 🙂

Thank you. 😊😊

It certainly does. A wee modification to that fish pass would help a lot. 🙂

@@wildfisher Not that hard to do really! Even if you made a mess with holes... with a pneumatic drill on the pass it would hold up the water!

😁

Probbaly best 😅

Thank you. 😊😊

The River Trust is looking into it, but the wheels of officialdom grind slowly in Scotland. Let's hope something gets done sooner rather than later. Thanks for your comment. 🙂

It is for sure. I have since been in touch with the Trust who are looking into it again. The wheels seldom turn quickly though.

Ideally the dam dyke has to come down, but that's unlikely to happen. Some modification of the fish pass would be the next best thing. Of course all this needs the agreement and cooperation of the landowners.

Lots of good cod mark around here but NZ is warmer as you rightly say. 😁

Thanks Kevin, I don't think we will make it to Nelson, but will contact you if we do. 😊

Sadly that is mostly the case.

The decline of the stocks and size have been brutal after the pens in the sea started popping up so basicly we Norwegians are ruining your salmonfishing:(@@wildfisher

Diluted genetics from hatchery fish.

@@maxpower1337yup. it causes less survivalrate of the smolts and also causes less growth in adult salmon so they dont get as big as they used to.

The arrival of the huge factory ships must have a great impact in the feedstock availability for the salmon. Hoovering up everything in their path to process into a multitude of uses.

They should go, but my guess is it gets mired down in legal matters and red tape as well as who pays.

I could not agree more!

About 5 miles or so from the sea. There is another weir at Lunan Bay but it gets covered by a high tide.

@@wildfisher were could go to get access down to the weir Fred am going wet a fly and have wander at the same time. A will be coming from johnshaven

Why no fish pass?

these are wild fish in there natural habitat and travesese much tougher environments they arent damaging themselves at all

@@gavinstuart6704 Yes they are. Why do anglers wet their hands before handling fish to take the hook out and release them back to the water.? I have watched salmon and seatrout returning to spawn for over fifty years and seen the marks on fish.

@@jamesmason8944 what are you talking about? Are you talking about what happening in this video? Because you just said the FISH are damaging THEMSELVES. Now your talking about fisherman handling fish which doesn't happen in this video.

@@gavinstuart6704 Fish have a mucoprotein slime coating over their scales to protect them. this acts as a defence against invasion by bacterial, parasitic and fungal pathogens. Biologically essential electrolytes necessary for osmoregulation are lost through breaks that occur in the slime coating, by breaks or abrasions and are readily attacked by disease organisms. The slime coating is the first line of defence. That is why people wet their hands before handling fish to try to prevent damaging this coating. Now to watch these fish battering themselves against rocks and not think of the damage they are doing to their protective coating and not be able to understand why I mentioned handling fish higlights a lack of joined up thinking with your reactionary comment.

I really enjoyed making it Gary. 😊