SALMON SEASON CONCLUDES GREATER HOPE FOR NEXT ONE
T
he sadness that comes with the season ending is compensated for when one recalls the highlights of what was in most cases a game changer with increased midseason grilse numbers.
But long after the rods and tackle bags have been put away and the logbooks copied to the local club secretary, before being returned to IFI and maybe just before Christmas, we will get the expert analysis on the overall season and why we were blessed with a bounty of wild Atlantic salmon returning and in such superior condition that confirms there is a huge improvement for these fish in the feeding grounds in the mid-Atlantic, which is very welcome news. Like the farmers preparing their fields for Spring, our club anglers can only continue to prepare their spawning streams for a better planting this winter as the increased numbers should result in a bumper crop in due course. Many clubs hold their AGM’s in March to get the relevant reports and analysis on how our rivers are performing and whether remedial action is needed to assist the natural process for a long or short-term period. The beauty of this sport is that it is so dependent on nature to respond to good work done maybe years before when the salmon was a parr or even before that. That is why we invest not 40
Salmon angler Cuan Muylaert from Boyne Navan Anglers County Meath visiting the Donegal rivers.
Winter 2020 Irish Country Sports and Country Life
