All eyes on Cramond as salmon and sea trout fishing poised to re-open on the River Almond

Salmon and sea trout fishing re-opens on the River Almond next month and Cramond Angling Club are hoping the national surge in interest in the sport continues.

Anglers can fish for salmon and sea trout on the River Almond from Monday, February 1. Picture: Nigel Duncan

Anglers can fish for salmon and sea trout from Monday, February 1 with the brown trout season scheduled to open on March 15 depending on Scottish Government restrictions.

Permits are now available online or at various outlets and they allow anglers to fish from the estuary at Cramond to above Newbridge. The good news is that season permits have been pegged at last year's prices.

They are £35 for an adult, £25 for a senior (over 65), £15 for a student and £5 for a junior. The first child is free with an adult or senior season permit and day permits are available.

Club secretary Joe Arndt said anglers should keep abreast of, and adhere to, coronavirus guidance. Most parts of the river, he said, can be reached by public transport.

"We are in the fortunate position that the lower reaches of the river can be reached by Lothian Buses and most of the river is in the City of Edinburgh boundary," Arndt said.

"Even stretches upstream are within the five mile limit of city boundary. The river is also accessible to anglers from West Lothian."

Reflecting on last season, he said: "We started later in 2020 due to the first lockdown and the fish had ample time to recover from spawning and the rigours of winter. Members reported great sport with reports of brown trout up to 3lb in weight. Naturally, we are looking for another good year.”

Cramond Angling Club operate a catch and return policy to encourage and maintain fish stocks and Arndt reminded anglers targeting salmon and sea trout that flies used should be appropriate for migratory fish only.

Popular patterns include teal blue and silver, grey squirrel, medicine, Ally's shrimp and silver stoats tail.

For those who sidestep salmon and concentrate on brown trout, then there are several flies pictured for reference on the club's webpage. Among them are CDC olive, grey duster, pearl thorax cruncher, gold ribbed hare's ear, pheasant tail nymph, green halo diawl bach, Jersey Herd, pearly invicta and silver march brown. Early season, partridge and orange normally fishes well.

Nymphing for trout is becoming increasingly popular during the season and can be productive, said Arndt, if you persevere with techniques such as French leader fished upstream.

Season ticket applications can be made via the club's website at www.fishalmond.co.uk.

Day ticket outlets include Barnton Post Office, Edinburgh Angling Centre at Granton and Orvis at Hope Street, Edinburgh, but outlets may be subject to Scottish Government restrictions imposed by the pandemic so check before travelling.

The salmon and sea trout season also starts on February 1 on the eight-mile stretch of the Almond administered by West Lothian Angling Association. Scot Muir, the association's secretary, confirmed that the upper limit for salmon and sea trout is the aquaduct in Almondell Country Park.

The best salmon hooked last year was around 11lbs and anglers must use single hooks which are debarbed. The complete set of rules are clearly stated on the Fishing Around the Forth website where you can buy a permit. They cost £15 (no concessions) but that entitles an adult ticket holder to have two children under-16 fish for free.

Musselburgh and District Angling Association (MDAA) say it is still not too late to post a catch return for last year. A spokesman said: "We had hoped to have had more returns sent in, but sadly not. I would like to remind everyone that catch returns are a condition of your permit and are also valuable data for the club for a variety of reasons as well as a legal requirement." Send returns by email to [email protected].

Meanwhile, Allandale Tarn near West Calder remains closed until the present lockdown rules are relaxed and Bowden Springs near Linlithgow will review their situation on Monday. They are currently closed, so is Clubbiedean above Colinton in Edinburgh

Rosslynlee near Penicuik re-opened on Tuesday but was closed by snow on Thursday but will re-open when conditions allow, as will Tweeddale Millennium near Gifford. There was no reply from calls to Markle near East Linton. You are advised to check with individual fisheries before travel.

Finally, Malleny Angling Ltd, who administer Harlaw and part of Threipmuir reservoir, have confirmed they will host their annual meeting via Zoom at 19.00 on Friday, February 26.

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