Hello again. Are you 'rusty' after a lethargic close-season or have you been one of the lucky ones taking hard-fighting rainbows out of Loch Lochy over the winter months? The free bait & fly sport has been simply fantastic! See Frank Durdle (782749) if you're a fly-only purist and would like to know more about Powerbait in its various exotic forms, running ledgers and bait-runner type spinning reels. It's just a whole new world for some of us! Anyway, down to business.

BUFFET DANCE -This increasingly popular annual event is taking place at the British Legion premises in Beauly on Friday, 14th May '99 at 7.30 for 8.00 pm; that's when the usual splendid buffet starts. Music for the dance is being provided by the highly acclaimed Jackie and Ian. Tickets are only £10 each, are limited to 80, and names and numbers have to be finalised at least 2 weeks before the event. There will be great raffle prizes - especially if your usual generosity prevails. Please 'phone John (Yorkie) Brocklehurst (782785) in order to book your tickets, which must be paid for in advance.

PERMIT RENEWAL - Please do not forget to renew your permits by 30th April '99 - otherwise the 35 or so people on our ever-growing waiting list may soon be replacing you!

EXCHANGE TICKETS - We told you that we would try and get good early and back end East Coast fishing for you. Well, we've not only secured 2 Exchange Tickets for the famous River Don below Inverurie, but we've also got 2 for the prolific River Nairn. Please see that you make use of these and our other Exchange Tickets; they're all held at Morison the Ironmongers in Beauly. Don't forget the other waters that we get preferential deals on i.e. Loch Nam Bonnach, Loch Achilty, Tarvie Loch, River Farrar, etc. They're all well worth fishing, depending of course on the time of year and your intended quarry.

RIVER IMPROVEMENT PLAN - Extra lies will also be placed in the Mealloch this year if things go according to plan. Right bank fishing into really deep water on around 200m of the Mealloch was opened up by seven stalwarts on 7th March '99(many thanks on behalf of the Members); more help is urgently required for 14th March '99 (sorry Mum!). We meet up at 10am sharp in the Beat I car park. Buoyancy aids etc. should be seriously considered if fishing this potentially dangerous part of the river. Please let Frank or David Sellers our new Secretary (831721) know if you're willing to help with other improvement work Dave presently organises improvement work on the upper beats, Rox at the Ferry, Yorkie at Wester Lovat and Jimmy at Tomich.

BEAULY IN BLOOM - Some of you presently help with the watering rota - other helpers are now badly need. Please 'phone Shona Fraser (782815) if you can help with this worthy work; Beauly just looks better and better every year.

BEREAVEMENT - Members will be saddened to learn of the sudden death of Graham Macdonald one of our Kirkhill based members. Our sympathy in the form of flowers has been passed to his widow Moira.

FISHY STORY - Sorry, but you've not sent me any to recount. I could bore you all by telling you about the time I was playing a beautiful 1 1/21b trout in Loch Garve on 41b nylon when it was suddenly swallowed head first by a magnificent 131/21b pike which had the remains of four other fish inside it! However, I'm not going to as this feature is for your stories - not mine. Please send me your stories now; they obviously needn't have anything to do with the River Beauly. So don't be shy; either quickly write out your story or 'phone me (831407) with details. Alphonse, how about some tales about the days when the River regularly produced fantastic salmon and sea trout fishing?

GENERAL - That's more or less it for now other than to say a big thanks to Jimmy Morrison, our last Secretary, for all his good work The latest SANA information pack is now doing the rounds of the Committee. Let's hope '99 is going to be a better year and that the sea trout in particular return in significant numbers - but don't forget our enlightened conservation policy. By the way, please let us know if and when you see seals in the fly-only part of our water - we're collecting statistics. Meantime, get the dust off that tackle and go get a big springer! Tight lines.