Trout & Salmon

first cast

FRAGILITY OF SALMON Hanging unmissably over the heads of delegates at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow is this stunning display of 300 glass salmon. Entitled “Salmon School”, the art installation was brought to COP26 by the Missing Salmon Alliance (MSA) “to communicate the message that, with the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, iconic wild salmon are on a path to extinction.” Salmon School also stresses the importance of educating young people. In support of the exhibit, the Clyde River Foundation has worked with 26 primary schools around Glasgow. Pupils have learned how salmon have returned to the once heavily polluted Clyde, and they’ve helped to collect eDNA samples for a global salmon database run by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. Salmon School’s creator…

gallery

JOY AFTER THE BLUES This stunning 12lb 6oz blue trout fell to Birmingham rod John Wadrup while fishing on a sporting ticket at Llandegla Trout Fishery, Wrexham, North Wales. John regularly travels with his father, John senior, to fish the Welsh water because of its great fish and lovely scenery. The trout took one of a team of small Black Spiders fished on a 5wt floating line and 6lb leader. “I saw one of the regulars catch a really nice brownie on a previous visit and he told me that the Black Spider did really well for him on the lakes. I decided to tie some up and give them a try,” said John. He scaled down his tackle and has enjoyed great sport on them ever since. The fish put…

sharpe’s fish of the month

Caught a memorable fish? Send a picture and brief story to troutandsalmon@bauermedia.co.uk Each picture published (p10-11) will receive a Sharpe’s of Aberdeen cap. The captor of the Fish of the Month will receive a Sharpe’s rod of their choice. Our winner may have recently landed a big fish, first fish or unusual fish. They may simply have told a wonderful tale. The editor’s decision is final.For terms and conditions, visit: bauerlegal.co.uk/competition-terms.html For our Privacy Policy: bauerdatapromise.co.uk…

in the bleak midwinter

WHEN WINTER tightens her grip, I usually reach for bugs loaded with tungsten and lead and fish for grayling on a short, fixed line. It was the tactic I chose in December last year when a hoar frost blanketed the meadows beside the River Anton, one of the Test’s better-known tributaries. Jonathan Tomlinson and I met at the famous Mayfly pub shortly after 9.30am. The car’s thermometer registered a brassy minus 4 deg C, so we agreed there was no rush to pull on waders and instead consulted a warm pot of coffee. More than an hour later, the chilly air was still numbing my fingers as I prepared a long leader. A slight breeze made manipulating the 0.22mm monofilament a fiddly affair. Eventually, a brace of weighted nymphs were knotted…

a life on the river

“The type of rain that somehow seeps through even the most impermeable fabric and leaves you with a soggy shirt” THE AUTUMN MISTS ARE HANGING heavy over the river valley, the once vibrant hues of fallen leaves offering a muted last flash of colour before the descent of winter. The riverbanks, deserted by visiting anglers, are the domain of red squirrels and pine marten foraging for the cold months ahead and birds feasting on the last of the berries as we wait for ground frosts and the first flurry of snow over the hills. Although the season has closed on the Spey, behind the scenes work continues. It’s not just maintenance to huts, boats and banks that goes on over the winter months to make everything as enjoyable as possible for future…

get over that!

One of the greatest barriers to migratory Spey fish is the Spey Dam. Built during 1942-3 to provide hydroelectricity to aluminium smolters in Fort William, this feat of engineering can take up to 85% of the flow from the Spey. The current fish pass has been deemed too steep, too dark and all but impossible for fish to navigate. Under UK law, the Water Framework Directive now requires that watercourses reach “good ecological status” by 2027. Improvements to the Spey Dam need to be completed by 2024 to prove that the Dam’s fish pass is accessible to salmon in time for 2027.…