While walking the dog along the Tweed this afternoon I came across a part of the river bank where thgere were 8 fish lting washed up or just in at the edge dead. These fish ranged in size from about a1' to about 2 1/2' in length from what I could tell they were mostly cock fish, couple of heads buried or not complete( obviously birds been at them). This was all within a 10' radius. Only seen one more fish quarter of a mile upriver( hen, eggs spilling out of it again birds at it afterwards I think).
While I dont know much about salmon I know spawnning can take it out of them and not all survive. I found it odd the apparent concentration of fish in one spot. Any ideas why or how?
Just one last thing the biggest fish had a spade for a tail more like a sea trout as opposed to being forked. Looked a right lump easy double figures. Regards

A good redd or a backwater below a good redd.That's how it works.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

Thanks for clearing that up Jim, Im totally in the dark regarding Salmon and there behaviour as you can tell.

Scott most kelts, fish that survive spawning, are hens. The vast majority, if not all of the cock fish die.

Thanks GuyFromLaw looks like I have a lot to learn. I also noted a few of them weren't to coloured. I thought it was stale fish that had been in the river and lost to much condition that died but obviously not. Seems a bit of a waste, mother nature can be harsh

They could well have been.
A lot of dead and dying fish on the Tweed this autumn that hadn't reached the stage of spawning.

Just as many theories as to why , but very few facts.

Fish that come into the rivers late and are still silver can also spawn.fish that have been in the river since jan/feb/march will have coloured up the most.Fish that have spawned and survived(Kelts)rapidly loose their spawning colours and can be bright silver.
The Biomass of dead flesh is actually required to put nutrients into the sterile upland burns to feed the hatching young salmon once they have used up their supply of food in their eggsac.

Jim

__________________
The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

Yes, 'mended' kelts. Strangely I don't find any dead males in the downriver estuarial stretches. Walking the beach in the next couple of months I, or rather the dogs, will find dozens of dead females washed up on the high tide mark. They will all be bright silver, a protective guanine layer, as on smolts, to protect in the marine environment.

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Save the softmouth trout

I think very very few males make it back to sea.I think most die on or just below the redds.

Jim

__________________
The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.