[garry john]

thought i would share my best fishing experience yet. caught my first salmon today from the deveron, it was great! about 4 pound, caught with a flying c. what a fight! safley returned

[ColinC]

well done on the salmon, i think everyone would like to catch at least one salmon their lifetime. Ive yet to expierence thrill of a first salmon. Congrats

[Ben Dixon]

Nice job!!  I know a few folk who have struggled on the Deveron in recent days, one off the Don next?

Please rememer to resize your pics to "message board (640x480)", this way we will get all of your fish without having to scroll!!

Cheers

Ben

[garry john]

yeah def one off the don nxt. im off all nxt week . a couple more spinning then maybe try the fly. thanks 4 the comments.  i will change that ben cheers.

[Noel Kelly]

Well done Great pic as well you look a happy chappie. I have never caught a salmon but I imagine its quiet a thrill.

[Matt Henderson]

well done.  I have a question though was it a clean fish?  it looks very skinny like a kelt but it might just be the angle at which you're holding it?

[Duncan McRae]

garry john

Well done on your first fish.It's a great feeling.

I think mdh makes a fair comment.
Your fish does look very kelt like but i can't believe she would have spawned this early.
I wonder if she has shed her eggs during the fight?I have seen this occurrence on one previous occasion.

Duncan

[Dave Gordon]

Garry

Well done on your first salmon. Rest assured it is not a kelt, this year, like a couple of years ago a number of the grilse are rather thin. Fish over about 6lbs do not seem to be effected. A number of possible reasons have been suggested why they are a little thin, and why a number of salmon are very small this year, down to a couple of pounds. Global warming is often sited as the problem, but at the moment we simply do not have all the answers. However do not let this take any thing form a great experience.

And well done for putting it back, it is a great feeling watching them recover and swim away, a memory that will live with you for a long time. Now go get another.

dave

[Matt Henderson]

Garry et al,

I wasn't trying to spoil your moment and apologise if it came across like that.  I've never caught a salmon so don't have the skills to assess whether or not its a kelt or just a skinny fish...  And yes you should be commended for returning it to the water.

Cheers

matt

[garry john]

im really not sure, i dont know much about salmon. it does look a bit thinner in the photo, it may have been a kelt? heres another pic of it. 

[Dave Gordon]

A similar grilse to yours, a wee cock fish from July, yours had been in a while so really very similar. Impossible to be a kelt but similar in size! This one was sea liced and in healthy condition except really quite thin. The grilse situation is slightly worrying but has happened in the past so is probably not a disaster, like i said, enjoy it, your first salmon is a delight to be remembered.

However for comparison a Feb springer is a spectacular beast


D

[Matt Henderson]

Very interesting. 

Hopefully I'll have a similar photo to add after tomorrow!

[gibbyboy]

i agree......heard a lot about skinny grilse this season and last even..

Had one off the Dee myself a couple of months back, solid sea liced fish, but skinny as a rake!

Well done on your catch mate....

[Andy Wren]

A slim fish but well done ,is that the top of the Turrif angling club water or somewhere else.
Keep them coming ,it seems to get easier after the first couple !

[Conehead]

Lots of skinny and very small grilse on the Findhorn this season.... witnessed one that only just made it over 1lb. Some of the salmon should have weighed more than they did for the length of them.

Well done any way on your first salmon   hope that your soon making double figures