After our best ever June, catches tailed off a bit in July, unsurprisingly due to very warm sunny weather and lower water levels. August proved to be a reasonable month, although the grilse run was short and patchy, with few caught.
Despite generally favourable conditions in September, the results were disappointing. Although a reasonable number of fresh fish appear to have entered the river, not many seem to have made it up to Smithston. However a couple of fresh fish were caught. Once again, fishing effort has been varied, with some weeks fairly well fished, others hardly at all.
October has started with a fish caught on the first day of the month; we hope this signals a decent month to end the season. The average weight of fish has been quite a bit higher this year, although these early fish are now well coloured and should be returned carefully.