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The river Nethan forms near Nutberry hill roughly halfway between Muirkirk and Coalburn is joined by the Logan Water 2 miles above Lesmahagow and flows into the river Clyde at Crossford. It is a small spate river with a good supply of invertebrates and is currently recovering from the worst short term decline in fishing quality in my living memory. The average size of fish caught had been consistently around 1/2lb to 3/4lb for many years until a few years ago when this dipped over the space of two seasons to between 1/4lb and 1/2lb with fish over the pound rare. A night on the river during this period usually meant dry fly fishing three pools over the space of an hour, catching about ten small fish per pool and leaving for home frustrated. Friends have told me of evenings fishing when fifty fish have been caught in the space of two hours, with few above 1/4lb such was the number of small fish in the river. Thankfully an increase in average size continued from the latter end of season 2004 although there was still a very large amount of small fish present throughout season 2005 (contrary to river reports in the Clyde section of the Trout and Salmon). Catch rates are down due to the average size going up and hooked Trout now causing more disturbance in a pool but fish of 3/4lb to 1lb have been caught on many of my late season visits. More details on the river will be added over time and as the Rivers section expands your suggestions for the type of information you would like to see here would be much appreciated.

In fishing terms the river can be split into three sections. 1: Upper Nethan. Upstream of Lesmahagow. 2: Middle Nethan. From Lesmahagow to Auchenheath. 3: Lower Nethan. From Auchenheath to Crossford.

The middle section is where I grew up and where I learned to fish, as such it is the first section to be featured. Compared with the rest of the river this section can be a less strenuous walk, but like the rest of the river suffers from overgrown bankside vegetation as the season progresses. So much so that I was often told when I was learning to cast that if you can fish the Nethan you can fish anywhere. Brown Trout are the only species likely to be caught, electro fishing surveys carried out by the Nethan Valley Angling Association have found Salmon Parr in this stretch but very few have been caught by anyone I know, considering their voracious appetite and the amount of Parr caught and checked I take this as a sign that for the time being at least they are not present in large numbers (for the future of the Brown Trout fishing in this river and for access to the river to remain as open as it is now to the local community lets hope it stays like that). There is also a theory that the abundance of small fish in this stretch is down to the presence of breeding Sea Trout, this is impossible to confirm one way or the other until the Parr smoltify but as the river Clyde does not have a huge amount of Sea Trout and no-one I know who fishes the Nethan has seen much if any evidence of their presence, I personally do not believe any more than the odd fish makes the journey up this river.


       
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The rights to the Brown Trout fishing on this stretch are owned by the land owners bordering the river, they have always allowed locals to fish the river however I do not speak for them and cannot say with any certainty what their wishes are out with this. There is also the question of where the Nethan Valley Angling Association comes into the equation with regards to permits. For facts and opinions regarding the river please go here.

The lower Nethan varies from rocky gorges to open farmland and back again and as the stretch that travels down the steepest part of the valley it is a tougher walk than the other areas. Bankside vegetation means that casting under trees and wading your way up the river is needed more and more as the season goes on. Grayling can be caught at the bottom of this stretch near where the Nethan joins the Clyde but Brown Trout is the only species I have ever seen or caught above this. Craignethan Castle can be found at the lower end of this stretch, it dates from the 1500's and is managed by Historic Scotland.


Click on the thumbnails below to view
photographs of the river.

       
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The rights to the Brown Trout fishing on this stretch are owned by the land owners bordering the river, they have always allowed locals to fish the river however I do not speak for them and cannot say with any certainty what their wishes are out with this. There is also the question of where the Nethan Valley Angling Association comes into the equation with regards to permits. For facts and opinions regarding the river please go here.