Spring into action with an early week
When looking at early season fishing the old, and even not so old, fishing books mention that spring runs often happen from January or February right through to late May or even June. Authors advised that winter would be in the ascendancy in January, February, March and perhaps April and that any flowing water would likely be choked with grue, with catching opportunities limited to snatched windows of midday ‘warmth’. It was implied that this early fishing was a serious business for serious people. Heavy gear was in use until the end of April and rivers, fuelled by snowmelt, would reliably run high and cold until the end of May.
Today’s reality is rather different. Long, hard winters are now the exception rather than the norm. On 29 December 2019, a temperature of 18.7°C was recorded in the north-west Highlands.
