A lonely chalkstream salmon?

[Reg Wyatt]

Speaking to someone today who said salmon have got a long way upstream on the Test this season, mainly because of high flows all year. Plenty of redds have been seen at Wherwell and slightly above at Longparish which is fantastic news and offers superb spawning conditions. Most of the redds have a pair of salmon although the furthest upstream appears to only have a single hen fish, which got me wondering. Do salmon travel upstream already in pairs looking for suitable spawning ground or do they travel alone and hopefully meet up?! Could a fish find itself alone and unable to successfully spawn or would it just go back downstream?

Reg Wyatt

 

[PaulD]

Pairs, or would be pairs do not travel together and not all females are successful spawners. Numbers will return to the sea as 'baggots', well mended kelts that will absorb their eggs.

 

[aenoon]

They certainly seem to congregate in pairs, or several males to one female once in the river though.
Always expected a big Hen fish after catching a couple of smaller cock fish out of certain areas in many rivers I fished.
Bert

 

[3lbgrayling]

But never forget the ''Precocious parr.that can and regularly nip in'' but I think you need a cock fish to agitate the hen enough to get her to spawn.Before they get in on the act.

Jim

PS The Tay opens for ''Spring fishing'' on Friday.

 

[aenoon]

But never forget the ''Precocious parr.that can and regularly nip in'' but I think you need a cock fish to agitate the hen enough to get her to spawn.Before they get in on the act.

Jim

PS The Tay opens for ''Spring fishing'' on Friday.

Yep, but thats a district or two too far!
Bert

 

[JohnH]

They certainly seem to congregate in pairs, or several males to one female once in the river

Not being facetious here Bert so please don't take this the wrong way but, in the immortal phrase, "...they would, wouldn't they ?"