24th March, the easterly wind direction has swung south-westerly, the tides are increasing in height, water temperature at 7 oC, river level six inches above summer height. A wet weekend is forecast which will give the river hopefully a small rise and encourage the main spring run into the Eden. From now, the last week of March and to the end of May has always been a reliable time for good salmon movement on the Eden.
Last week round-up.
Following the capture of some fine salmon to 18lb last week a run of smaller fish between 8 and 14 pounds entered the river this week and these have been caught as far upstream as Armathwaite. On Saturday morning Phil Holland landed a fresh run 8lb fish at Coombs wood on a wee monkey fly. On Sunday Stuart Rose fished the fly in the House Pool at Warwick Hall and caught a 9 pounder. On the Yorkshire Fly Fishers water near Wetheral this week Tom Clifford and Robert Jollie both enjoyed sport at Spout Beck. Tom landing an 8 pounder and Robert a fish of 14lb. A YFF guest also caught a 12 pounder at Island Foot. On Monday of this week Bob Wylie landed a lovely sea liced brace at the Otter Stone; Bob’s first was a 12 pounder, his second a 14 pounder. At Warwick Hall on Tuesday, on only her second day of fishing Sue Davies landed her first ever salmon; a 9 pounder, on the fly in Coops Stream. Anglers fishing the YFF water on the upper Eden for trout have been enjoying some excellent sport with fish to 2lb being landed on the fly, they have also been experiencing some decent hatches of March Brown. Hatches on the lower river however have been somewhat sparse with a few large stoneflies emerging and some large dark olive but nothing to match the hatches on the upper river as yet.
