Explaining the cost of salmon fishing in Scotland

In Scotland, all of the salmon fishing rivers are privately owned. This circumstance relates directly to the feudal history of land ownership in Scotland, going back over the centuries. The rivers are all divided up into sections of varying length, according to ownership. Each part of the river is referred to as a "beat". The capital value of each beat, and therefore the cost per day to fish each beat, is loosely determined by the 10-year average number of fish that are caught. Consequently, the beats which historically produce the greatest numbers of salmon are those which are the most expensive.

For example, to fish the most productive week of the year on the very best beat on the Tweed (Junction Pool in November) it will cost you £1,400 per day! However, it might cost you only £50 to fish the same water during June, when there are very few fish in this part of the river.

The "art" is to know which rivers and which beats are fishing better than their 10-year average and which therefore offer the best value. This is where local knowledge and experience come into play.

However, the great uncertainty when booking in advance is what will the weather and river conditions be like when you are fishing? In an ideal world, we would wait until a couple of days before committing to any particular beat. Unfortunately however, this is not possible. Such is the demand for Scottish salmon fishing that it is imperative to book well in advance.

Visiting fishermen also need to be aware that even if the river is unfishable on the day you have booked, it is never possible to receive a refund. It might not seem fair, but that is just the way that it is!