River Annan District Salmon Fishery Board

22/10/2026

Our second youth angling session during the half term break was at Broom Fisheries targeting various course fishing species including roach, rudd, perch, gudgeon, bream, and carp...

The day started as a species hunt mainly using 3m and 4m whips (poles) before trying for the larger carp and bream in Queensbury Lake, with a few of our young anglers also catching there first ever carp.

For more information on our youth angling sessions:

https://fishannan.wordpress.com/youth-angling-in-annandale/

Our Positivity Through Angling project is funded by the Holywood Trust, with additional funding from the UAAA, angler donations, and fundraising angling events.

22/10/2026

22/10/2026

During the half term holidays we have been catching up on youth angling sessions including a trip to Selcoth for some of our new young anglers...

The fishing didn't disappoint with lots of good fish between 4lb snd 7lb, plus one of the large double figure fish which could be seen cruising around at 11lb.

For more information on our youth angling sessions:

https://fishannan.wordpress.com/youth-angling-in-annandale/

Our Positivity Through Angling project is funded by the Holywood Trust, with additional funding from the UAAA, angler donations, and fundraising angling events.

📸: A selection of some of the fish caught by the young anglers at Selcoth.

22/10/2026

Last week one of our former youth anglers and young volunteers was awarded the Gamekeepers Welfare Trust (GWT) Silver Grilse Award for their work within fisheries and angling...

The award was presented by Sir Johnny Scott, President of the GWT.

Finlay had been a longstanding angler with our youth angling development project over the last five years and through this became a volunteer on the river involved in numerous projects following time spent with the Annan DSFB on work experience while attending school at Moffat Academy.

• Sea to source litter pick ♻️
• River invertebrate sampling🔬
• Tree planting 🌳
• Youth angling rep for the UAAA Committee 🎣
• Volunteer for work parties for the UAAA 🪏
• Assisting at river Annan angling events 🎣
• Non-native invasive species treatment 🌱

Finlay now volunteers with our youth angling project as well as working part time at the Selcoth Fish Farm, who kindly provide some fantastic rainbow trout for our youth angling sessions at Selcoth Fishery.

Through UAAA funding by Crown Estate Scotland, this summer Finlay has completed various short courses including his chainsaw certificate, brush cutting certificate, and invasive species ID, plus his pesticide spraying certificate through Galloway Rivers Trust which he completed last year, all to help him with his volunteering and work on the river.

Well done Finlay 👏👏👏

21/09/2026

A good turn out for Saturday evenings youth angling session at the Johnstonebridge Centre, including some new young anglers...

Casting instructor Roger Smith (GAIA) went through demonstrations and casting instruction with the practice fly rods, before moving on to fly rods on the grass.

Essential for getting everyone up to speed on fly casting before our autumn rainbow trout sessions.

There were also samples of river fly life to look at (as well as find) and some fly tying, with rainbow trout lures the main patterns being tied.

For more information on our youth angling project and youth angling in Annandale:

https://fishannan.wordpress.com/youth-angling-in-annandale/

The next evening session will be our Christmas session in December with the next fishing sessions coming up in October including trips to Selcoth and Broom Fisheries.

Our Positivity Through Angling project is funded by the Holywood Trust, with additional funding from the UAAA, angler donations, and fundraising angling events.

30/08/2026

During our recent session at Broom, three young anglers received their Angling Trust CAST Level one awards with three also completing their level two award.

Since last December, so far a total of 21 young anglers have completed their CAST level 1 awards with 6 also completing their level 2 awards 👏👏👏

There has been a steady increase in children showing an interest in angling over the past two years and the CAST awards help to teach this new generation of anglers the basics of fishing, including the various methods, equipment, and species typically fished for, plus the importance of the countryside code and future fisheries conservation.

This will certainly help get them off to a good start with their angling future 🎣🎣🎣

For more information on the Angling Trust CAST Awards:

https://anglingtrust.net/getfishing/cast-awards/

30/08/2026

Earlier this month we had our summer trip to Broom Fisheries for a day of coarse fishing with our youth anglers...

During the session they tried various methods and techniques including pole fishing with 3m whips, float fishing, and feeder fishing using method feeders for carp and bream.

Once again they managed to catch multiple species fishing with the 3m whips including gudgeon, perch, roach, rudd, bream, and even a couple of small eels.

On the larger Queensbury Lake during the afternoon, a smaller group of young anglers tried pellet waggler and method feeders resulting in some very nice carp up to 7lb and bream up to 2lb.

Another great day of fishing for the young anglerswith lots of fish caught by everyone during the session 🎣🎣🎣

Thank you to everyone at Broom Fisheries and to our volunteer coaches, anglers, and parents who help on the day 👏👏👏

Our next two sessions will be a river session Saturday 12th September and an indoor session at Johnstonebridge Centre Saturday evening 19th September.

For more info on youth angling in Annandale:

https://fishannan.wordpress.com/youth-angling-in-annandale/

Our youth angling sessions are funded by the Holywood Trust, along with donations from anglers, money raised through River Annan Events, and donations from the UAAA.

Tight lines 🎣🎣🎣

📸: a selection of photos from the session

21/08/2026

The Broom Caul is one of two weirs on the lower Milk, and although salmon and sea trout are able to access above both in the right conditions, they do still hinder the migration of salmonids, especially the spring smolt run with sea trout and salmon smolts being held up during low flows immediately above both weirs.

Galloway River Trust has secured funding from the European Open Rivers Programme for work to remove the Broom Caul. As part of our work to restore the river habitats of the River Annan catchment, the removal of this caul, or weir, has been identified as a priority action.

30/07/2026

During July we held two sea trout nights on the upper river with a total of 27 sea trout up to 3.5lb and 21 brown trout up to 6lb reported...

17 sea trout were caught during the first night with 10 sea trout caught during the second one.

Thank you to everyone attending the two sea trout nights and for raising money for our youth angling development work 👏👏👏

For more info on youth angling in Annandale:

https://fishannan.wordpress.com/youth-angling-in-annandale/

For more info on sea trout fishing on the Annan:

https://fishannan.wordpress.com/2024/02/16/sea-trout-fishing/

For more info on River Annan Events:

https://fishannan.wordpress.com/angling-events/

Tight lines 🎣🎣🎣

17/07/2026

There were some very high water temperatures recorded in the catchment yesterday with the upper Kinnel reaching 25 degrees by 7pm, even in deep shaded areas.

This afternoon at 4pm, the upper kinnel was already at 24.5 degrees, despite the air temperature being a bit cooler than yesterday.

The main river hasn't been quite as warm as the upper Kinnel peaking at 22 degrees early evening with a morning temperature today of 19 degrees on the upper river at Johnstonebridge and 19.5 degrees on the lower river at Newbie.

Fortunately, air temperatures are expected to drop a bit after today and with cooler nighttime temperatures, water temperatures will not be as hot as they've been recently.