So, it’s official, the coldest winter since 1991.   And guess what, “global warming”, I’ve not heard it mentioned once over the past few weeks.   No, just like the hole in the ozone layer, it just seems to have faded away, well, for the moment at least!! 

So, now we have entered a stage of “cooling”, what effect will this latest “Phenomenon” have on our river? The answer to this is highly likely to be significant!   As I write this, Millions of Salmon eggs are slowly developing in the gravel of the river, as well as in the Hatchery.   The important word here is SLOWLY!   Salmon eggs take longer to develop and hatch during colder than average winters.   During extremely mild winters and higher water temperatures, eggs may begin to hatch in the month of February, with alevins emerging from the gravel during March, a time at which the river does not produce an abundance of natural food. If, on the other hand, the winter is extremely cold and we have a “proper winter”, this will not take place until April, a time the river will obviously produce more natural food, leading to the survival of more fish to the fry stage.   As spring fish tend to spawn slightly earlier than both their summer and autumn cousins, the effects of a colder winter would have obvious benefits to that particular cohort. 

On the other hand, couple earlier spawning with a mild winter and you have a high number of offspring from this cohort hatching far too early in the year.   So when old Ghillies talk about the need for cold winters, in all probability, this will be one of the “nine” main reasons! Nine, I hear you say? What are the other eight?   Unfortunately that would take more space than I have here, but to anyone who has studied nature “with an open mind”, the other eight will be fairly obvious!

This winter has been cold, with frost here at Knockando almost every day since the beginning of December. This said January also produced one of the quickest thaws I have ever seen.   The weekend of 11th saw nearly all the snow disappear from the cairngorms, creating a huge expanse of water in the floodplain north of Kingussie.   The effect of this on the river was a rise of around 7 feet, which is substantial, and undoubtedly will have led to the softening and undermining of many riverbanks, something to remember when you are hopping down the rivers edge.   Also there will have been a certain amount of gravel movement which can lead to a dramatic change in pools. 

Even if you are familiar with a particular beat, the combination of eroded banks, gravel movement and cold water can be a potential recipe for disaster. I was always taught to be cautious! So would advise the use of lifejackets, particularly at this time of the year.

By the time this goes to print the new season will be three weeks old, cobwebs will long be blown off the tackle bag and new lines already stretched. Sinking lines and tips will be the order of the day for fishing in March.   Flies with any mixture of Yellow Black and Orange, along with a nice blue hackle, should do the trick. Silver or gold bodies are always popular when the water has a touch of colour.   Think of fishing your fly right round onto the dangle, hand-lining to keep it moving as it does so. Don’t wade overly deep, apart from the danger element, more than often you will be wading amongst the fish!

As a footnote to the above - The success or failure of any species [without the interference of man] is directly linked to one thing!   Their ability to find food!! In the case of fish [any species] this is governed by weather, not only at the time of hatching, but throughout their entire lives. 

Ian Gordon
Speycaster