North east is tops for salmon!

The North East is being hailed as the nation’s salmon capital after figures showed the region to be home to the three most productive rivers for game anglers in England and Wales.

Despite once being two of the most polluted waterways in the country, the River Tyne and River Wear now fill the top two spots in the whole of England and Wales for the number of salmon caught per season by rod and line, with well over 6,000 fish banked in 2010. A third, lesser-known river in the region, the Coquet, came in third.

Andrew Flitcroft, editor of Trout and Salmon magazine, said: “The North East has been one huge success story for game fishermen over the past 20 years.”

For the full story, with a breakdown of the figures, see tomorrow's Angling Times.