The Vernal Equinox

The approach of Vernal Equinox has an effect on every animal in the Northern Hemisphere [including ourselves], knowing winter is done and summer’s on its way adds spring to our step, a natural signal from nature to get up beat and look forward.
Its influence on the return of Salmon, not only here on the Spey, but on most other rivers cannot be understated, another wonder of nature. From a salmon fishing perspective, after this day, my outlook changes, I am now looking, not for an odd fish, but possibly more! My expectations are higher, and rightly so, as this always leads to a marked increase in the numbers of fish entering our river. With higher expectations, for me at least, comes greater enjoyment. Whether or not I actually catch a fish is by the by, irrelevant, as my enjoyment of the sport is linked to anticipation and expectation and imparting this to my clients or friends rather than personally catching great quantities of fish. Whatever float your boat really! This is my first “trig point” of the fishing year; I now know we have six months ahead with more than 12 hours of light in each day.
But why should this be so? What makes Salmon and other creatures, even us, react in this way? After all, to all intent and purpose, it’s just another day. Isn’t it? Well, not, it would seem, to anything with migration on their minds, Birds and Butterflies, Caribou and Penguins, Salmon and Eels, to name but a few in different categories all have their migration triggered by the equinox. Or do they? Why, if MSW salmon are migrating so far, do they always enter the river in greater numbers during this particular week? When the migration of most other creatures is triggered by the equinox, why for those early Atlantic Salmon, does this almost signal its completion? I have my theory, which is very simple and also goes some way to explain the enigma of “Early Spring Running Salmon”! Having been brought up in a fishing house listening to fishermen and fishwives, it would seem that, closer to home; herring provide us with a very definite clue to this!

Nice little Film About This Subject