General fishing information
Cannot tell the difference between a trout, a sea trout and a salmon?
Brown trout on the Avon are usually brightly coloured but the give away is the presence of red spots. They are normally smaller but not necessarily so.
Sea trout are very silvery when fresh run but after time in fresh water when they prepare for breeding they will colour and can be confused with brown trout. The spots are many but there will be no red spots. The tail of a sea trout will be almost square. The give away identification, compared to a salmon, is to notice that the upper jaw will extend beyond the rear of the eye.
Salmon, especially a grilse, a first year returning fish, can easily be confused with a sea trout but, their tails are distinctly concave, the neck of the tail is thinner for their size, there will be fewer spots especially below the lateral line. The upper jaw will never extend behind the eye.
For the scientifically inclined counting the number of scales obliquely from the adipose fin (the fleshy fin on the back of the fish in front of the tail) to the lateral line the salmon will typically have 11 to 13 whilst a sea trout will have more, 13 to 16.
Tight lines.
Wading
Care should be taken when wading some sections of the river. Whilst many of the sections are straightforward there are many hidden hazards, particularly if the river is high and the water flow is fast. In some summer months when the water is lower it can be quite slippery underfoot. A wading stick becomes a useful companion.