march25th

"Fishing Reports"

Report date
March 25th 2000

Moriston warms up

Lower water levels encourage 12 salmon on to the bank

THE brown trout season opened last week (March 15) and quite a few anglers were out and about, particularly on Loch Ness where coach parties from the south were in evidence.
Personally I would give the trout a couple of weeks yet to gain condition as the water is warming up and good feeding is becoming available.
In fact some brown trout waters don’t open until April, which is probably a good idea.

ON THE salmon front, last week showed marked improvement as the rivers settled back to near normal.
Big tides round the coast brought with them springers in fairly encouraging numbers.
On the Ness system all the top end rivers produced fish with another couple off the Oich ‘s Abercalder Beat and a couple off the Glendoe Beat, one of which fell to the James Courts party.
It came off Camelon and weighed in at 12lb.
The River Garry saw Mr Hunter contact a couple of kelts on Thursday and on Saturday Mr Miers landed a bonnie fresh fish of 7lb, spinning a Yellow Belly.
The Moriston made up for its slow start with a round dozen in the book last week.
On Monday, B MacGregor had a salmon of 9lb on a four
inch black/red minnow.
Duncan MacKenzie had one of 11lb on a 2.5 inch black/orange minnow and Ted Pemberton had his first of three at 9lb on a three inch black/red minnow.
On Tuesday, Dennis MacDonald from the Black Isle celebrated his 50th birthday with his first ever salmon while breaking in a brand new rod.
At 12lb it was tempted to a three inch Yellow Belly.
Ted Pemberton caught his second and third of the week at 12 and 8lb and both to a three inch black/red Devon.
All three of Tuesday’s salmon were carrying seal attack marks, particularly Ted’s 8lb salmon
which had been very badly mauled.
Still on Tuesday, Ian MacRae from the Black Mount (Glencoe)
grassed a fine brace at 9lb and 12lb, one on a Zebra Toby, the
other on an Orange Toby.
George Nairn from Roy Bridge finished off a hectic day with a fine 12lb salmon to a black/red Devon.
On Friday, Duncan MacKenzie was back in action with the day’s only fish.
At 8lb it was taken on a 2.5 inch black/orange Devon.
The last two of the week were taken on Saturday by Gordie Kerr at 8lb on a Toby and by Gordon Armstrong at 8.5lb on a three inch Devon.
Now that’s more like the Moriston.

The down side to the river’s success story was the fact that fires had been left abandoned by trout anglers in the woods by the loch-side and they had to be put out by the estate manager. Litter had to be collected, nylon picked up, even three trout flies with maggots attached had to be discarded. I don’t for one moment expect that those responsible will ever read this, but for those of us who do care, please lead by example and I know you will. Loch Ness had half a dozen or so boats out on Saturday, but there’s still nothing to report on that front that I’ve heard of.

NAIRN Angling Club’s Tony Hartwell grassed a sea-liced 8lb salmon on one of the Findhorn’s lower beats. For the first time in a few years, visitors’ permits can be purchased at a reasonable cost for the association water and it was always value for money.
I used to enjoy a day’s fishing there when Inverness Angling on a Club had a permit transfer arrangement with Forres Angling Club which is sadly no longer in
operation.
On the River Nairn itself there has been no further activity on the salmon front but some finnock are moving in the Town Water and a couple of rainbows have also been caught, which is not that unusual nowadays.

THE Kyle of Sutherland rivers enjoyed good runs of salmon last week, which is good news indeed considering the input they make to stock enhancement.
The Carron accounted for 20, with all of them being returned or transported to nursery areas above Glen Calvie Falls.
The Oykel had 16 caught and released and the Cassley 10, of which most were released as the first fish must be returned anyway.
The lower Brora saw one on the bank but salmon were running hard for the loch as the water temperature was in the mid forties.
As water temperatures reach the 50 degree mark, consideration should be given to breaking out the floating lines but for the moment Wetcel lls and Intermediates will still be the order of the day, with Waddingtons and Tube Flies the preferred options.

THE Thurso River sprang into action last week with 13 salmon being caught, which is encouraging for March.
The week’s best at 19lb was caught on Loch Beg by Michael MacDonald.
Brothers James and George MacLean shared six for their week.
Their best weighed in at 15lb and was taken in the Rock Pool on Beat 9.
Alex Taylor from America was taking photographs for a National Geographic article on ‘Flyfishing Round the World’.
He was accompanied by local angler Peter Cardosi and was only there an hour when a fine nine pounder came to the fly in the Corner Pool on Beat 3.
He then, believe it or not, went over to the Halladale where he caught another salmon of 10lb which was sea-liced and that fish he returned.
Salmon have now been caught on eight of the 13 beats on the Thurso and that’s a fine spread for this early in the year.

THERE has been some sea trout activity reported in the Beauly Firth. Permits can be purchased locally which includes season tickets, day tickets or junior tickets.

Beauly Angling Club members were saddened recently by the passing of one of their senior members, Ronald ‘Rox' MacLean.
Rox was a kindly, helpful and friendly man whose considerable sporting skills included angling and shinty during a very active lifetime.

These reports are written and compiled by Kenny 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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