Not a lot to say really.  Conditions are ok in most areas but nothing whatsoever reported from yesterday so far.   Not sure under reasonable conditions how many May days have been completely blank on the river in the past...   Lower beats should in theory be having the bulk of the sport at the moment but seem strangely quiet as is the rest of the river.   Not many shad on the middle upper beats at present it seems either.


Rather a different story on the Tweed it seems.

12 May 2019 News/Editorial

The scores for last week were 118 salmon and 8 sea trout, making the running totals, to 11th May, 731 salmon and 74 sea trout, all within 90% accuracy.
It rained for most of Wednesday, but the ground soaked it up, producing no more than an inch or two of fresh water. As for next week, warmer, sunnier and calmer seems to be the prognosis, or at least until Friday when things may start to roughen up a bit, with some rain and wind from the east.
Fishing will become even more difficult in the sunshine, early and late being the most likely times of day for success.
Of the last seven months here, six have produced below average rainfall, January being the exemplar with just 4mm against an average of over 50mm. Only March has exceeded its average (80+mm) and but for that you would think we would now be in near drought conditions. May is looking to be distinctly dry as well. You can jet off to the Costas if you want sun, we Scottish salmon anglers would pay good money for a flood every ten days throughout this summer.
“Warmer and wetter” is what global warming was supposed to produce. We had the warmer last summer; we need the wetter.

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If you are walking by the river next week and see dimples in the water surface, those are smolts. The river is full of them, thousands and thousands, maybe even millions, making their way downstream. It is a wonderful and hugely encouraging sight, building on the 2018 smolt run which was equally massive, and this following two largely “big flood free” spawning winters, which should ensure even more juveniles for the future.
The Tweed Foundation’s current work on smolt tracking will give us a big clue of percentage smolt survival from stream to sea, or more precisely from the Gala water to Berwick harbour, but anyone looking at the river will tell you that a seriously large number are going to get there safely.
The cormorants are long gone to the coast, and there is a flock or two of goosanders (we have seen one of 40 plus here) causing concerns, but for the most part the smolts should make it.

Now where shall we put that (expensive, unnecessary) hatchery?