Berwick Tide Tables and Norham Water Gauge
For all beats on the River Tweed, the level of the water on any particular day can be important. Tweedhill often fishes best in lower water conditions, when the river level is generally at a lower height. Because we have over three miles of fishing, even when the river is higher – either after rain or a particularly high tide – there are pools that are productive in the middle and upper Beats.
Apart from the tides and levels of rainfall, the third factor is the temperature of the water. Brian, the Boatman, takes the river’s temperature three times every day. The ideal water temperature is a minimum of 8 degrees lower than the air temperature.
The water gauge at the village of Norham is situated just three miles above Tweedhill, and provides an accurate indication of our water conditions, including whether the river level is rising, falling, or stable. Falling or stable are generally better for us, along with a level closer to the typical low.
The lower Union Beat is tidal, as is the lower section of the middle Shiel Beat. The Salmon run up the river with the incoming tide, and the best conditions are often shortly after a high tide, as the Salmon and Sea Trout then rest in the pools, before continuing their journey upstream. Once a fortnight there is a higher Spring Tide. This can affect our fishing for a couple of hours, and Brian may put you further up the river, above the top of Saint Thomas’s Island.
The highest and lowest tide levels at Tweedhill are half an hour after the times for Berwick.
The water level at Tweedhill is generally 4″ lower than at Norham.
