Best salmon year on the Hants avon for over 25 years !

[paulgreenacre]

Here’s a selection of fly caught salmon vids from my 2015 season on the Hampshire avon. I have had 9 on fly so far - season ends on 31st August!
Caught 22 to date - including 7 on the mepps and 6 long trotting shrimp. I estimate 170 caught on the whole river!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzM6SBi-5p0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOg536gEZmk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG6TwyM4bB8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ6rRQe9n7M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iZy0YLNOrU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwApW7zMIGs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ6n-BzXh60
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAMUL3npQHM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMj4Or_dh3M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srru2bJgH6k

 

[Tee-Cee]

Well, salmon fishing managed to pass me by, but having fished the Avon since the 60's it does my heart good to hear such news.

Must mean the river is in good nick ?

 

[Mark Wintle]

In the context of the historic catches it would rank as a very poor season seeing as the best years were 55 and 56 with 1196 and 977 respectively (never mind the net catches) and that yearly averages from about 1950 to 85 were mostly around 500/600.

Whether the numbers will ever recover to even a steady 300-400 I don't know but until the cormorant predation is sorted of the parr and smolts don't hold your breath! Stour numbers remain at rock bottom though I dare say few if any fish for them.

 

[greenie62]

Mark raises a good point regarding "historic" data - it all depends on your sampling and measuring system.

Mr Greenacre's sampling method is very subjective and really depends on how often he goes fishing and the method he chooses on the day - his results only reflect his success / competence and don't really reflect the overall health of the river system.

In contrast - figures for some river systems use fish counters - which may seem to give a more objective view - but again these can be misleading.

For a number of years the EA/NRA have published Salmon counts on the Dyfrdwy/Dee which looked encouraging - but on closer examination revealed that they included total salmonid return including the number of 'late-running' fish - often influenced by releases of water from well up the system.
This provides figures which make it look as though the fish are in abundance - and those responsible for the health of the river are doing a wonderful job - but if they are all running up the river the week before Christmas it's no bl**dy use for anglers! mg:

When one hears from salmon anglers on the Dyfrdwy/Dee that they have fished all season and not even seen a Salmon - let alone hooked one - one has to wonder how successful the river management is - and by whose measures?