Scottish Highlands fishing reports July 29th 2000

"Week ending Saturday July 29th 2000"

THE River Ness produced 43 salmon/grilse last week which is certainly encouraging despite the severe lack of water. Monday saw the Club water produce a fine brace for Peter Easton in the Little Isle Pool, one of 7lb and a cracker of 17.5lb. It looked good for the week ahead but that was unfortunately that.
Three were lost, one of those by a young lad whose hook broke on his Toby which was a real shame.
Ness-side was sitting at minus four inches and five made the net with early morning and evening fishing the only real option due to bright sunshine.
Alan Lankshear had one of 7.75lb in the Gauge Pool on a size 10 Ally’s Shrimp. Charles Perry had one of 7.5lb on a size 10 Sheila in the Holm Pool and R Rauch a very small grilse of 2.5lb in the same pool on an Ally’s Shrimp. Ted Murdoch took a brace at 6lbs and 6.5lb on a size eight Executioner and a size 10 Ally’s, again from the Holm Pool.
Ness Castle Anglers hooked 15 but only 8 actually made the net and all of them from the Black Stream. Mrs Fowler with a brace of 5.5lb and 7lb, Mr Curwen a brace at 9lb and 6lb and his wife a salmon of 8lb.
Mr and Mrs Turley and their son Andrew all caught grilse at 5lb each.
One very good salmon of about 20lb broke the nylon cast as it leapt and crashed back into the pool.
With an upstream wind, there was the possibility of a wind knot in the cast.
Remember to check your cast fairly frequently for ‘wind knots’ and abrasions particularly when casting is difficult.
On the Laggan Beat, two were landed out of the five that were hooked.
Ghillie Jack Faulkner took a fine salmon of 8lb on silver bodied Ally’s Shrimp in the Island Pool and Ken Spence one of 7lb on a Munro Killer in the New Pool.
Fish were seen on the move but not tending to hold there with the river a bit on the low side for that beat to have salmon settle.
At the top end of the river the Dochfour Beat was sitting at minus 8 inches on Monday and by Saturday it was reading minus 11 inches on their gauge.
Being even a bit on the low side for there, 26 salmon/grilse (mostly sealiced) went into the book. Simon Hassim’s rod accounted for 8 with his best an excellent salmon of 16lb.
Ally MacKinnon had 4, Katie
Hasson 3, Bob Forest, Peter
Wordie, Mike Hasson and John Hassim all had a brace a piece.
Hugo Graesser, John Barder and Douglas Chapel all had one each.
There were signs that fish were slowing down and settling there as eight of the total came off the lower half of the beat.

Loch Ness produced four excellent grilse last week from the Foyers side and Walter
Scott taking a fine brace of six pounders and Sandy Gray, out with his ghillie Jimmy Cameron, boated an identical pair of silver fish.

On the Averon a bit of a ‘freshet’ from Loch Morie drew some fish into the system and a couple of grilse were caught by George Pine and John Longbotham, early on Monday morning.
Brian Morrison caught a 5Ib
grilse and a 2Lb sea-trout on Beat 1 and young Ricky Golabeck lost 2 grilse in the Stick Pool on Beat 3. The Beauly Angling Club water saw a fair bit of action and activity last week with 15 salmon/grilse being caught and as many lost.
Ray Langley had his first fish of the season there, and as he had promised to return his first fish, it was duly released.
A 2000 resolution I imagine. With the increased number of anglers out at this time of year, pools should be fished through at a reasonable pace and anglers are requested not to ‘take root as others may be waiting to fish. Such practice is both annoying and frustrating and can lead to disharmony on the riverbank.
The Helmsdale ‘s big runs of fish appear to have subsided for the time being, but that perhaps is due to the lack of fresh water. At the moment it is running at four inches with compensation water from Bedenloch.
However about 70 were taken from the six beats with about half of that number being fresh run, which is more than a reasonable week in anyone’s book. Like all the north and northeast rivers, a solid week of rain is required to top up all of the systems.

The Halladale was reading zero on their gauge and only four fish were caught which isn’t a bit surprising.
Liza Cargill had a 7lb salmon on Conalel on Beat 4, Jane Wallace had one of 5lb from Hugh’s Pool on Beat 1 and Dick Legge kept up the male end with two grilse of 4lb and 5lb on the Lodge Beat.
Dick, from New Jersey (USA), returned both of the grilse.
With nothing on the gauge and the water temperature at 65 degrees, the resident fish are just too lethargic to move and fresh fish are reluctant to run the river.
Last week a father took his three young children out on a very small northcast river which was down a mere trickle.
At nine, 10 and 12 years of age, it was just a fun day out and a caper by the river.
Dad was an experienced angler and set the children up for a bit of fishing.
The youngest and eldest caught their first ever salmon and the middle child lost two in the next ten minutes.
Just goes to show that there is neither rhyme nor reason to salmon behaviour.

The Thurso River system with no rain for many weeks is now off the gauge totally.
The Canal sections are the only hope of stimulating a fish to take a fly and at this height salmon in the bay, even the grilse, just won’t attempt the river. Ten were caught with nine being returned despite a ‘no hope’ situation.
Dr Malcolm Walder did well with salmon of 17lb on Beat 2, 8lb on Beat 13, 9lb on Beat 11 and two at 7lb and 12lb on Beat 7. Colin Wells, in the Well Pool, took his first ever salmon of 6lbs. Other than that the Thurso is crying out for rain.

Inverness and District Angling League would like to thank all those who turned out for their recent ‘All Night Competition’ on Loch Killin
although the trout were less than cooperative.
Only two trout were weighed in and the 1st prize went to B Stewart and the 2nd prize went to J Therston Jnr.
Clach Club, who lead the League Table, won over P 0 Letters on Loch Glass with S McPhee taking the day’s best at just under half a pound.
Legion A with 6lb 10oz came out on top of Portland B’s 4lb 8.75oz on Loch Glasscarnoch with W MacIntosh taking the best trout at just under a pound.
Gordon Hines and myself spent Friday on Loch Leven with five junior anglers from Inverness who fished the Hardy’s International Fly Fishing Competition.
It was hot, bright and the wind easterly — a perfect combination for not catching fish. Twenty six boats (52 anglers) returned with five trout for the seven hour session.
In saying that, the lads fished hard and thoroughly enjoyed the day out.
Thanks are due to Willie Armstrong of Graham & Co, Castle Street, Inverness for funding the entire venture.
On the Strathglass Fishings, Mr Justice and Mr Filliugham had an excellent basket of 62. trout over their five day stay. Their best day was on Benevean with 19 and their best trout was a topper of 3.5lb from Beanacharain.
Blue Zulus being the most effective flies over the piece.

These reports are written and compiled byKenny Macdonald and published every Thursday by,
the Highland News Group, Henderson Road, Inverness IV1 1SP,
in the Highland News, the North Star and the Lochaber News.

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