Well SMS has appeared back on the Fly Fishing Forum.  Not with any joint initiative proposals mind you but to pour cold water on a suggestion that the season could start earlier.   |Personally I have no wish to fish in February as we used to with ice crackling off latex waders and leather brogues.
However it seems some do with the chance of catching the best fish they will catch all season.  There may not be many springers  but there will be a few, otherwise fish would not be upriver in March would they.  Can't really see what harm it would do and success would have been well earned.

As for the back end fishing well obviously he, and other owners I suspect, would not wish to lose a fortnights revenue but more importantly he in particular would not wish to lose the numbers of fish often caught at this time, as was the case this season.   These late fish may well survive the experience if they are lucky but what justification is there in catching stale,ripe old fish a few weeks from spawning.   Many do stop fishing at this time but there are many who still wish to boost their ego's with a ropey specimen well past it's best.   Amazing how keen on conservation they are until it might affect them personally.

As for the very upper beats and the tributaries with the demise of the springers they are in effect not salmon fisheries as such but spawning areas and to continue the season until 25th October because 'fish often don't get here until then' is spurious.   Those who enjoyed some sport around even the Erwood area might find themselves in a different situation if, as often happened , we get a dry season after May.

Once again it seems a suggestion from someone other than SMS is dismissed as devisive even though I agree it probably won't happen especially if WUF are not behing it.  Another agree to disagree situation I suppose