Geoff in 40+ years of river fishing 30 years of that on mixed rivers, I've hooked just 3 salmon, 2 on worm and 1 on pellet.
The fist was on Cumbrian R Eden back in the 1970s fishing for chub and the Eden was one of the best salmon rivers in the country at that time.
The second was on the Ribble about 8 years ago, again fishing for chub on worm.
The third, 3 years ago on the Severn on pellet, in all cases the fish were lost. The first two were hooked came out of the water bang back in and snapped off.
The last one was more interesting as I was fishing for barbel with 12 lb line, adequate you would think to handle a salmon. Not this ******
I hit it thinking it was a barbel under a bush 15 yards below me. Within 5 seconds of hitting it, it had stripped 50 yds of line off me going up river. Where it leaped out, a fish of over 25 lb. I bent the 1 3/4 lb barbel rod round into the butt to turn it, which it promptly did. This just made it more mad than it was already and it decided the Severn Estuary, some 70 miles away, was the place it was going, with the rod way past the point it really should be and the real fear from me that it was going to go bang at any moment
Thankfully the hook hold gave some 120 yards down river.
I just sat there wondering what had just happened to me and ****ing myself laughing at the event.
So assuming I'd landed that fish what would I have done clubbed to death? I was alone on the remote length, no one would know. Not on your life! Yes I'd have weighed it without doubt, but it would have gone back alive. You just don't kill any fish that can fight like that........ever!
As someone who bailiffs for two clubs on the Ribble and talks to many members of those clubs, I've had only two reports of coarse members hooking into salmon in 8 years, neither landing the fish they've hooked.
Both clubs also have lengths on the Wye and never in this time have I had any reports from members I talk to about hooking salmon on that river whilst barbel fishing.
So yes, very occasionally a salmon my get hooked and even landed by a coarse angler, they may even illegally take that fish, but the instances are so remote that the salmon stocks in either river are not in danger or being damaged by them.
In my view the reports of coarse anglers taking salmon in any numbers on either river are Country Myths.
One final point I'd make is, many of the salmon anglers I see on the river are not very good anglers for the fish they are fishing for. All the gear and no idea types! The vast majority of fish caught on the two clubs lengths are caught by the same anglers.