Ryan Morrison - Lower Birgham
This month, Ryan Morrison, ghillie on the Lower Birgham beat of the River Tweed sits in the hot seat and faces the Ghillies’s 10!
1. SSFS: What is the biggest salmon you have ever caught?
RM: A twenty pound coloured cock fish caught in late November from the Milne Graden beat of the River Tweed.
2. SSFS: What is the most memorable salmon you have ever caught?
RM: It has to be my first salmon, which weighed nine pounds, caught from a fast flowing stretch of water called Redstane on the Makerstoun beat of the River Tweed. The fish was caught on a Willie Gunn.
3. SSFS: What is your favourite fly?
RM: My favourite fly has to be the Posh Tosh just because of its sheer versatility.
4. SSFS: What is your favourite salmon pool?
RM: I know this is a bit biased, but I love fishing the Merk Skelly pool on Lower Birgham. The pool can hold large numbers of fish especially in the autumn months.
5. SSFS: If there was one place in the world you could salmon fish, where would it be and why?
RM: It would have to be British Columbia, because I would love to catch a Steel head in such stunning surroundings. The scenery and wilderness equates to my idea of fishing heaven.
6. SSFS: What is the most unusual sight you have seen on the river?
RM: I have seen a hovercraft moving at speed, upstream whilst ghilling on the lower River Tweed. A sight that you don’t see everyday!
7. SSFS: What is the worst conditions in which you have seen a salmon being caught?
RM: The River Tweed was running at six feet, with the water rising and we were in the midst of a dirty flood with tree trunks coming down the river at speed. An angler fishing a three inch tube fly close to the margins landed a fresh sea liced ten pound cock fish.
8. SSFS: What do you love about being a ghillie?
RM: I love the sense of freedom and being outdoors all the time, which can be a good or a bad thing depending on the weather! I often get to see the river at its very best, experiencing and being a part of an unforgettable day. The great variety of people I meet makes the job very interesting especially on those hard fishing days.
9. SSFS: What is your salmon fishing pet hate?
RM: No matter what running fly line you use, it always seems to get caught up and usually on one of your better casts! So you spend time sitting on the bank untangling the line whist fish are jumping all around you.
10. SSFS: What is your favourite dram?
RM: The only dram is a Jura isn’t it?
The Lower Birgham beat is situated between Kelso and Coldstream. For a video of the beat and contact details have a look at our “Meet the beat” feature on the website.