The Atlantic Salmon of the Hebrides

"I knew a young man once, he was a most conscientious fellow and, when he took to fly fishing, he determined never to exaggerate his hauls by more than twenty-five percent."
Jerome K. Jerome 1889.

Among fishermen Atlantic salmon are revered and known as the "King of Fish." It has also been said that until you have seen a wild salmon you have not seen what a fish should be - they are quite beautiful. Salmon are treasured by some because of their value as a sporting game fish, by others as excellent eating, but more importantly they are a part of our heritage, a natural national resource for all - not just those who fish for them.

Salmon can be found in most cool, clean rivers with unrestricted access to the sea in the Northern hemisphere, and on both sides of the Atlantic. At one time they occupied almost every river in Britain, but man's impact on their freshwater environment has meant that not all our rivers now contain salmon. Fortunately the Hebrides has escaped much of man's destructive influence on our natural environment so the streams remain prolific.

Here in the Hebrides, not only can you enjoy the thrill of catching this, the king of fish but you are also surrounded by some of the world's finest scenery. Indeed, the salmon fishing of the Hebrides is world-renowned, not only for the scenery but for the sheer numbers of fish running the rivers and streams.

Regular bags of half a dozen or more fish are taken by single fishermen in a day on many of the Hebridean rivers and lochs! This may seem a lot to most regular salmon fishermen who have only fished Mainland rivers in England and Wales but is nothing compared to the pre-war record for the Hebrides, which is never likely to be repeated. A Mr Nailor, fishing the Grimersta on the Isle of Lewis, held the world record catch. Amazingly he took 54 salmon to his rod in one day and he caught 45 the next - all on the fly! Bags like this are no longer possible but many boats come in with half a dozen fish for an afternoon, though the common practice nowadays is to return many fish to aid in conservation.

Salmon enter Britain's major rivers during nearly every month of the year. However, here in the Hebrides nearly all the adult salmon return in the summer months from June through to September. The vast majority are known as grilse, which is an angling term that means they have only spent one winter-feeding at sea. These fish weigh between 4lb and 8lb in general though exceptions of up to 18lbs or so are caught every year.

Most fish are caught from lochs but large proportions are also caught in the rivers, which feed the lochs. One river on the West coast of Lewis also records a third of their catch in salt water where salmon are caught by wading on a beach and casting flies into the sea as the shoals swim past!

Salmon fishing is best on Harris and Lewis though they are caught in the Uists but not in great numbers - The Uists are famous for their sea trout, which can grow very large indeed. All the major estates take bookings for fishing; usually by the week and agents take most of these bookings. The salmon fishing is very popular and it is difficult to get the best weeks. It is always worth getting in touch with the managers of various systems though as last minute openings can be found from time to time.