There have been seasons with poor conditioned grilse before. Here is what W. L. Calderwood wrote in his “Life of the Salmon” of 1907 : “The state of nourishment, the condition of grilse entering rivers, certainly varies in different years. I have already noted that 1902 was a good grilse year; it was good both in the matter of numbers and the actual condition of the fish. Conversely, 1903 was a poor grilse year, the run not only being short, but the condition of the fish exceptionally poor. I noticed some grilse in Dundee market which were, without exception, the worst-conditioned grilse I have seen. On inquiry I found they had been sent to Dundee from elsewhere – for very shame, I imagined.”