I'm not wishing to rain on anyone's parade, but unless the EA have counted every seatrout within the Welsh Dee, I'd take the figure of 9,000 with a massive pinch of salt.
EA figures are generally poor anyway, and the fish trap at Chester Weir catches seatrout in the 20's and 30's a tide when the run's really on. However it's not a counter, just a trap.
This number is at the peak of the seatrout run in July usual (although there are some earlier ones), but often it's 2's or 3's a time. There is escapment in periods of high water and on high tides, but if the figures come from the EA, how they can extrapolate 9,000 seatrout is a mystery to me.
As for evidence- I've fished for grayling in winter, a distinct lack of seatrout kelts, whether in the upper, middle or lower river- whereas on the Nith in November we always pick up one or two well mended specimens (no allowed to fish the Dovey in November so can't compare.
Given the amount of spinning on high water that's done on the Dee if they were there in numbers you'd get them as a bye catch (I have five seatrout while spinning for salmon on the Dovey in one day last month) my total accidental catch of seatrout on the Dee in six years of angling- nil. A friend of mine who's family own rods on a beat below the Ceiriog Junction- in the last ten years- spinning and worming and fishing for grayling- nil, either clean or kelt.
It's undoubted that they are there, and the odd one does get caught from specific pools and lies, but not in a number to make you switch from any of the other North Wales rivers- I'd rather fish the Clwyd and Elwy if I was in that neck of the woods.
Andy R.
