Fishing the Tweed
Considered one of Europe’s finest salmon rivers, the Tweed attracts anglers from around the world. But while best known for its famous run of salmon, this great Scottish river also offers excellent fishing for brown trout, sea trout and grayling – with the Upper Tweed a particularly beautiful place to fish.
The fourth longest river in Scotland, the Tweed produces more fish caught to the fly than anywhere else in Britain. It’s also a beautiful place to fish – with many visiting anglers coming specifically to catch salmon, the king of fish.
With a long salmon fishing season that runs from 1 February to 30 November, fishing is available from Monday through to Saturday (no Sunday fishing). Spring, summer and autumn all have a different appeal, with changes in water temperature and hours of daylight altering the character of the river and movement of fish.
The river is divided into different sections and individual ‘beats’, with the Tweed Valley home to Upper Tweed – a gorgeous stretch that extends from Sunderland Hall near Selkirk to Drumelzier Haugh. This section offers excellent salmon fishing at very reasonable rates compared to the prime beats lower down the river that can be booked up year after year. Popular Upper Tweed beats include Ashiestiel, Holylee, Traquair, Glenormiston and Dawyck.
Upper Tweed is very water dependent but if early autumn enjoys heavy rainfall then summer salmon will enter this section of the river, with November traditionally the best month of all.
However, the river is not all about salmon. It also offers excellent brown trout and sea trout fishing, as well as grayling ensuring good, year-round sport for anglers of all interests.
Discover more about the riches to be found in the Upper Tweed in our guest feature by local pro fly-fishing guide and instructor, Finlay Wilson.
Further information
For further details on when and where to fish, river levels, beat reports and more, check out the Tweed pages on Fishpal and information at Tweedbeats.
Looking for fly-fishing guiding or instruction? FishWild specialise in wild trout, grayling and salmon fishing in the Upper Tweed and other locations across Scotland.