About
The River Tweed Salmon Fishing Museum, based in Kelso Town Hall in the Scottish Borders, explores more than two centuries of rod and line salmon fishing on the River Tweed, one of Scotland's most celebrated salmon rivers and a defining feature of the Borders landscape and economy for generations. Using more than 2,000 objects, the museum traces the development of Tweed salmon fishing from its origins as both a practical food source and an early sporting pursuit through to its modern status as an internationally renowned fly-fishing destination.
The collection ranges widely across maps, models, books, illustrations, historic film and photographs alongside physical fishing equipment, including rods, reels and an extensive array of fishing flies developed specifically for Tweed conditions over many decades. A particular centrepiece of the museum is a full-scale replica of a nineteenth-century fishing bothy, complete with a figure representing a tweed-clad boatman of the period, recreating the working environment of the professional watermen who guided anglers on the river and managed the practical business of Tweed salmon fishing before it became the more purely recreational pursuit familiar today.
Among the museum's notable exhibits is a specially commissioned carving representing a salmon of 69¾ lb, reputedly caught on the Tweed by the Earl of Home around 1735 and understood to be the largest British salmon for which credible historical evidence survives. This extraordinary specimen, memorialised through the carving in the absence of the original catch itself, gives visitors a vivid sense of the Tweed's historic reputation for producing salmon of exceptional size, a reputation that helped establish the river's enduring status among serious anglers.
Developed with support from the Fallago Environment Fund and created by the River Tweed Commission, the museum offers free admission and opens three days a week, reflecting a deliberate ambition to make the river's rich fishing heritage a genuinely accessible part of Kelso's wider visitor appeal, positioning the Tweed's salmon fishing tradition as a valuable cultural and tourism asset for the town and the wider Scottish Borders region.
Categories:
Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Combine your visit with a walk along the River Tweed itself, running directly past Kelso.
- Ask about the 69¾ lb salmon carving, one of the museum's most talked-about exhibits.
- Pair your visit with nearby Kelso Abbey or Floors Castle for a fuller day exploring the town.
- Free entry makes this an easy stop while visiting Kelso, but note the museum opens only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
- Anglers planning to fish the Tweed may find the historic fly displays particularly useful context.
- Allow extra time if you have a personal interest in fishing history, as the collection rewards closer study.
Highlights
The Replica Fishing Bothy
A particular centrepiece of the museum is a full-scale replica of a nineteenth-century fishing bothy, complete with a figure representing a tweed-clad boatman of the period, recreating the working environment of the professional watermen who guided anglers on the river and managed the practical business of Tweed salmon fishing.
This immersive reconstruction gives visitors a vivid, three-dimensional sense of the working, professional side of historic Tweed fishing, quite distinct from the purely recreational image of salmon fishing familiar today, and grounds the museum's wider collection in genuine physical context.
The 69¾ lb Salmon Carving
Among the museum's most notable exhibits is a specially commissioned carving representing a salmon of 69¾ lb, reputedly caught on the Tweed by the Earl of Home around 1735 and understood to be the largest British salmon for which credible historical evidence survives. This extraordinary specimen, memorialised through the carving in the absence of the original catch itself, gives visitors a vivid sense of the Tweed's historic reputation for producing salmon of exceptional size, a reputation that has helped establish and sustain the river's enduring status among serious anglers worldwide.
Over 2,000 Objects of Tweed Fishing History
The museum's collection of more than 2,000 objects ranges widely across maps, models, books, illustrations, historic film and photographs alongside physical fishing equipment, giving visitors an unusually comprehensive material record of more than two centuries of salmon fishing on a single river.
This breadth of material allows the museum to trace changing fishing techniques, equipment and social practices in genuine depth, rather than offering only a general overview of salmon fishing history.
Historic Rods, Reels and Flies
The collection includes an extensive array of historic fishing rods, reels and flies developed specifically for Tweed conditions over many decades, illustrating the specialised, evolving craft of fly-tying and tackle-making that developed alongside the river's fishing tradition. Many Tweed-specific fly patterns have their own named histories and reputations among anglers, and the museum's collection preserves this specialist craft knowledge in physical form for visitors with a genuine interest in fly-fishing technique.
Comparing early handmade rods and reels with later, more mechanically sophisticated equipment shows how tackle technology evolved alongside changing fishing practices on the river.
Collections
The River Tweed Salmon Fishing Museum's collection of more than 2,000 objects documents over two centuries of rod and line salmon fishing on the River Tweed, spanning maps, models, books, illustrations, historic film and photographs alongside physical fishing equipment including rods, reels and Tweed-specific flies.
A full-scale replica nineteenth-century fishing bothy, complete with a tweed-clad boatman figure, recreates the working environment of historic Tweed fishing, while a specially commissioned carving of a 69¾ lb salmon, reputedly caught by the Earl of Home around 1735, commemorates the largest British salmon for which credible historical evidence survives.
Developed by the River Tweed Commission with support from the Fallago Environment Fund, the museum situates this specialist fishing heritage within the wider economic and cultural life of the Scottish Borders.
Two Centuries of Tweed Salmon Fishing
The museum's core collection tracing the history of rod and line salmon fishing on the River Tweed, including the replica fishing bothy and the 69¾ lb salmon carving.
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.