The Disaster of this years Salmon season.
This is a personal opinion. There are so many issues affecting the River Wye, they are happening very slowly but very definitely. Fewer invertebrates and fewer underwater plants because the light is not getting through the filthy water and the bottom of the River is covered in slimy algal growth everywhere I wade. Sylvan Wye not anymore!
I’m approaching 80 now and honestly I think I will see extinction of some species on the Wye before my time is up and I think the first of those might well be the Atlantic Salmon.
Last years salmon catches hit an all time low with less than 240 fish caught in the Wye as a whole. As bad as that was this year’s salmon fishing season is shaping up to be an absolute disaster with only 42 salmon caught so far in the whole River. Last year, in the worst year on record there were nearly three times that number at 119.
So to be concise last year at the end of May 119 salmon, this year 42 salmon. Looks to me like salmon catches in the River this year might be less than 100 fish.
There are a few highlights even amongst the gloom with individual anglers catching 3 and 4 salmon, it’s all about right place right time.
On our waters at Ross on Wye Angling Club we have not yet caught a salmon despite this being one of the best fisheries for Wye Salmon in the spring with numerous twenty pounders and even a recent salmon of thirty pounds. Our salmon members have put in many hours of fishing effort all for nothing.
I have spoken to some of the coarse members of the Club and they have commented about the scarcity of Dace a well known coarse fish, a gravel breeder, over the last couple of years these have become rare in Ross waters. Roach too are few and far between these days. However on certain stretches of the River there appears to be good numbers of these fish.
Trevor Hyde
