Booking & General Advice

Some general advice for our fishing guests

Booking fishing on Tweed

The vast majority of beat owners and agents advertise their rod availability on FishTweed and Tweed Beats which offer on-line booking in addition to a huge amount of information on latest catches, river levels, river reports, fishing tips and general advice.  If you already have fishing organised, we can assist you in finding suitable accommodation close to your beat.  Some of our properties offer designated facilities for fishing parties such as rod and drying rooms and chest freezers.

General Advice

EF image - fishing

Licenses

Guests simply need to book a number of rods for their chosen days on a beat. No other fishery licences are necessary.

Refunds & cancellations

If the river floods and the beat is unfishable, there are no refunds given, in accordance with general Scottish fishing practice. Rods may still fish unless the ghillie advises that it is not safe to do so. In the event of the rod having to cancel and given suitable notice, the beat owner or agent will usually try and re-let fishing. A cancellation fee may apply. This is entirely at the discretion of the beat owner or agent and will be set out in the fishery conditions.

Fishing hours

Most beats fish from 9 / 9.30am to 5pm with an hour for lunch. Some beats will allow anglers to fish on alone after 5pm.

 

 

Fishing reel

The role of the Ghillie or Boatman

Ghillies are employed by the beat owners to look after guests, to offer advice on where to fish and what tackle to use, and will often give informal instruction to rods. Their experience is invaluable and they will maximise your chances of catching fish and getting the most from your visit. On beats where most of the fishing is done from the boat, ghillies are usually referred to as boatmen. Not all beats offer a dedicated ghillie and some will only offer this service during the prime autumn season.

Ghillies are also responsible for ensuring that anglers fish within the law, adhere to the fishery's conditions, the Tweed Angling Code and other conservation codes, and in these respects the ghillie's decision is final. It is customary to tip the ghillie at the end of the day or week's fishing.

Boats

There is a unique skill to manoeuvering a boat on a river so that the rod's fly is most likely to cover salmon and is presented in exactly the right way. Inexperienced casters and anglers may benefit from booking the Lower and Middle Tweed beats where boats are more frequently used. It is worth keeping in mind that boats will only be used when the conditions justify them and ghillies are entitled to refuse to take a boat out if it is not safe to do so.

 

 

The Boathouse ghillie

River Tweed Angling Code

There are a number of conditions that rods must abide by; Tweed Angling Code for Salmon and Sea Trout. Each fishery will have its own conditions which rods will agree to on booking. Ghillies will assist rods in ensuring that the correct procedures are followed at all times.

Catch and Release

Due to consistent and sustained management since the mid 19th Century, the Tweed has generally stable numbers of salmon returning to spawn each year. However, the river has strict conservation measures in place which now includes a mandatory catch-and-release policy from 1st February to 30th June to the whole of the Tweed system. Outwith this period, anglers are encouraged to show restraint in the number of fish kept, and catch-and-release is widely encouraged. All beats will have a policy on returning fish which must be adhered to in conjunction with the River Tweed Conditions.

Disabled Access

The Tweed Foundation, Tweed Proprietors, the Wheelyboat Trust and others have supported the development of the first ever bespoke UK fishing boat for the disabled and elderly for use on large salmon rivers.  Two Wheelyboats are available for use on Tweed and further details on this service is available on FishTweed.