Professional career based salmon fishing guide advice on the best approach to fishing Scotland's famous River Tweed for new and experienced fishers.
The most sensible and tactical way to fish the famous River Tweed is with your own personal salmon guide. A professional Tweed salmon guide will not only make sure you understand the best tactical approaches to the river but will also provide all of the required salmon fishing equipment including proven Tweed salmon flies.
A professional River Tweed salmon guide will teach you how to use our traditional double handed salmon fly rods in addition to how to carefully and methodically cover each of the Tweed salmon pools. A professional guide will also take you to one of the famous Tweed salmon fishing venues (beats) based on the time of the fishing season and where there's a good chance of sub-surface cooperation!
Buying River Tweed salmon fishing access on its own is fine if your an exerienced Tweed salmon fisher however if you're new to the sport it is worth considering hiring a professional salmon guide who will supply all of the requitred equipment, fishing access & tuition to give you the best chance of success. Follow this link for detailed infomation on how to book a River Tweed salmon guide.
The River Tweed is a famous Scottish salmon fishing river located in the South East of Scotland and measuring 97 miles it represents high quality Scottish salmon fishing. The Tweed drains most of the border region of Scotland and has many tributary rivers such as the Eden, Teviot, Till, Whiteadder & Ettrick. The River has some famous historic & picturesque towns positioned along its riverbanks such as Peebles, Galashiels, Melrose, Kelso & Berwick on Tweed. All of these towns have quality hotels that offer superb accommodation.
The River Tweed salmon fishing season commences on the 1st of February and finishes on the 30th of November making it one of the latest opening salmon fishing rivers in Scotland. The Tweed is predominantly a fly fishing river and offers a more traditional lowland river terrain with perfect & long fly fishing pools in abundance as it meanders down through the rich border arable land of South East Scotland.
The River Tweed has around 45 famous and well managed salmon fishing beats. There's always a chance of a Spring salmon in the lower and middle Tweed beats when the river opens in February however the arrival of March always increases chances as many more Spring salmon move into the lower & middle River Tweed salmon fishing beats. The Spring months of April & May sees the arrival of the main Spring salmon run and the lower & middle salmon beats traditionally produce good catches during these months of the season. With the arrival of the warmer Summer months big salmon & sea trout runs enter the river and fish can be caught throughout the River Tweed salmon fishing beats. Then comes the Autumn run of salmon which is globally recognised as one of the most prolific runs of Atlantic salmon in the world with thousands of international visiting salmon fishers ascending on the Tweed from September through to November each year. Salmon fishing in the Autumn can be excellent throughout the entire river system as more and more big runs of salmon move daily into the lower, middle & upper Tweed salmon fishing beats. Boats are often used on the lower & middle Tweed beats and most beats have numerous expert boatmen to assist the salmon fishers in covering the pools by boat.
The River Tweed annually attracts many good sized salmon and 20lbs salmon are regular occurrences. A few seasons ago the Tweed produced a huge 50lbs cock salmon in October from the middle river. A sensible Catch & Release policy exists on the river to ensure healthy future runs of salmon and the River Tweed management have been very pro-active in improving salmon & sea trout stock levels during the last few decades through opening and easing fish access of over 400 miles of additional spawning tributary rivers and erecting over 40 miles of riverbank fencing to improve riverbank habitat for bank stabilisation and wild juvenile salmon rearing benefits. The River Tweed through the astute work of its management team have now brought the river environment and fish spawning areas back to a state of optimisation that was last seen 200 years ago. This fine work sets the River Tweed up for continual salmon & sea trout population growth for the future.
Effective salmon flies for the River Tweed in Springtime are the Willie Gunn including its gold bodied version, the Posh Tosh, Sir Richard & the Eternal Optimist. The Junction Shrimp, Cascade, Stoat's Tail, Akroyd, Green Highlander & Blue Elver work well thought the Summer and Autumn months of the River Tweed salmon fishing season.
Fishing equipment for River Tweed salmon should consist of a 15ft fly rod paired up with a floating line and variety of sinking tips for the majority of the Tweed salmon fishing season. Very low warm Summer water levels could mean the requirement for a full floating line paired up with a small fly. For Autumn salmon fishing a full sinking line is often favourable to take the fly down deep where Tweed salmon will be holding at this time of the season. The correct fast sinking tip on a floating line can also work in the Autumn months if it is long enough and carries enough density to sink your fly down far enough.
Studded waders are also an advantage and sunglasses for the brighter days are also an essential piece of fly fishing kit. A wading stick is always beneficial to those wading down through an unfamiliar Tweed salmon pool for the first time even though the River Tweed riverbed tends to be fairy easy to wade due to its finer stone gravel substrate. Life jackets are also required just in case of a stumble.
The River Tweed valley was the home of famous novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott who lived at Abbotsford House near Galashiels. The story goes that on his way home each night to Abbotsford Sir Walter's horses would stop without his command at his favourite view point overlooking the Tweed Valley as they were so familiar in doing so for their master. This daily stopping point is now known as Scott's View. The Tweed is steeped in history and tradition and her stealth and prowess offers an almost mystical Scottish salmon fishing experience which commands respect worldwide within the huge international salmon fishing community.
Her famous salmon fishing beats and top class Tweed ghillies leave a indelible experience in the minds of those who grace her riverbanks with their presence and fishing on this wonderful & well managed Scottish salmon river can easily lead to a life long desire to return.
To maximise your chances of catching salmon on the River Tweed it is always advisable to hire the professional services of an expert. Follow this link for detailed information on how to book a professional River Tweed salmon fishing guide. Your professional Tweed salmon guide will supply all of the required salmon fishing equipment including chest waders and waterproof jackets in addition to any required tactical fine tuning and seasonally appropriate Tweed salmon fishing access.
