yep looks like a wee grilse to me. I remember (years ago) somebody holding up "a 13lb seatrout from the Tyne" in a pic in Trout and Salmon. The next months letters to the editor had one from Falkus..."If that's a seatrout my cock's a lobster"

Thanks, I'm happy to report that the current day welcome is much friendlier

After a review of the original footage I'm sticking with sea trout

Many thanks, you need an inordinate amount of perseverance these days. UK rivers are not exactly stuffed with fish at the moment. Still if you make enough casts...eventually every dog has his day.

If your career has mirrored mine then you must have blanked an awful lot (and I mean a lot)! Glad you're enjoying the videos it turns out they're just getting started. Working my way through all the footage makes me realise just how much fishing I did last year!

@@abakerslife I hardly fished this year Rob , back problems but hopefully next year , hoping to give Alston a try 👍

Here's to a fishier 2024, Alston is a lovely day out.

Cheers, I understand they have a right to be on the river etc, etc but for God's sake do they always have to paddle over where the bloody fish lie?!

Cheers, will do

Thanks, losing that one hurt deeply!! I'm sticking with my original call on the seatrout though. I've been back and had a look at the original footage and there are a couple of shots showing plenty of spots below the lateral line and one of the fishes head that shows the lower jaw going well past the eye. I'd love it to be a salmon but for me alas it wasn't.

Think it's the upper jaw that is significant , plus concave tail ,slim wrist ,and shape of spots...congrats you caught a salmon😂😂... Great video whatever you caught!

I really wanted that fish. I knew one would take eventually and I kept flogging the same lie thinking I would get one chance eventually. I lost a few fish at that time and it turned out to be partly down to bad hooks. The fish that I actually landed always had the hook fall out in the net so I changed to kamasan b990 trebles and it made a huge difference. I hooked a lot more and lost a lot less fish.

Cheers, we all need more fishing vids during the dark nights.

Thanks, getting closer

I didn't exactly take it like a man! I was properly sickened and then had to drive home for three hours in the dark with it playing over and over in my head. Oh the delicious torture that is salmon fishing! Take it easy

I suppose losing a few only adds to the excitement. Boleside is a place I could happily spend a week and I reckon with another 6" of water it would fish its socks off. I will be back in the future hopefully for round two. The rod is turning out to be pretty versatile which is kind of what I wanted. It does me for most occasions and even was able to manage fishing the Tay.

For some reason that one was hard to take! I thought I'd earned it after flogging the same lie for hours into the dark and then for it to come off was a kick in the teeth. I used Kamasan b990 trebles for the backend of the season and it improved my hookups no end.

@abakerslife most of the rivers I fish only allow doubles. It certainly is sickening when you flog the water for hours and have a tug then it comes off after having it on. Got the 2024 season to look forward to now.

Not long now... Tbh though I'm enjoying the close season. It's relaxing not waking up every day and looking at river levels and weather forecasts!

Many thanks, it was a lovely place to fish. I could've done without the sun that day but hopefully I will make it back one day for round two.

Many thanks, I'm not familiar with all of the Tyne beats but most of them have a mix of good and bad wading. I'd say that both Styford and Dilston have at least 2 pools each that are an easy wade. If you want to go further up the North Tyne then a couple of the Riverdale Hall beats around Bellingham are a lovely wade. You'd have as much chance as anywhere of a fish from May onwards.

This is why I checked the comments, I thought so as well...

Hi, I'm sticking with sea trout after checking the original footage. I'd rather it have been a grilse but there are shots that show spots below the lateral line and the lower jaw extending well back past the eye.

Still positive it’s a grilse. Hope that you enjoyed Boleside have fished it every year for nearly 40 years,never had the money to go in the autumn but it was great in the late spring as well. It’s sad how the catches have declined.@@abakerslife