Hello Anglers. I hope you are getting the chance to pop down to our beats and get a few casts in before the end of the season. By all accounts the fish are still running with two being lost late afternoon on the 3rd October. We seem to be having a good year but as with many rivers, the numbers hide a mixed story. With a few days left in the season, it looks as though we will be ahead of last year’s total. There seems to have been a significant run this year of small sea trout. They were hanging around the river for weeks during the summer. There has been a lot of comment about the number of very small grilse about this year. There seems to have been no middle ground with the fish being either big or small.

Scottish salmon catch figures for 2005 have just been released and show we enjoyed another excellent year's sport in 2005 with the number of rod caught salmon reaching the fifth highest on record. A total of 83,800 salmon and grilse were caught in the last year, building on the five-year average of 68,247 for 2000 to 2004. Preliminary returns for early 2006 show that catches of spring salmon were at their highest for more than 20 years. The Halladale River in Sutherland has seen spring catches reach an all time record. Spring salmon are important because they spread the angling season. Without them we would have to wait to the grilse runs in June and July. Having said that however one has to be pretty hardy to spend a few hours standing in the Beauly in March or April.

Annual General Meting. Our AGM this year will be held in Phipps Hall on Thursday 16th November and all members are welcome to attend. The AGM gives us a chance to review what’s happened with the club over the past season. At the last AGM our stalwart President Frank Durdle stood down after many years of service. Paul Summerlin who is Vice President has continued in his role and seamlessly taken on some of the President’s duties. However we are still without a President.

The club is evolving and as a committee we are trying out new activity, such as this year’s new competition location and the introductory tour of our beats for new members. An issue we are keen to review is the last date which existing members can renew their permit. Currently this is the end of April. Someone from the waiting list replaces a member who does not renew by this cut-off. However this means the new member misses out fishing for over a third of their first year in the club. Subsequently, we are proposing to bring the renewal cut-off date forward to the end of March. This, among other issues will be discussed at the AGM. If you are interested in seeing how your club is run or even voicing some ideas, please pop along to the AGM. You will not get press-ganged into anything – honest.

Competitions. 2006 has been a mixed bag on the competition front. The Loch Achonachie club’s competition on Loch Meig in April and the Highland Federation Competition on Loch Watten in May both proved to be low catch events for the Beauly entrants.

The Lairg Angling Club Highland Wild Trout Challenge which takes place on the 15th and 16th July on Loch Shin proved a fruitful event for me. I was second overall and had second heaviest boat with Dave MacGregor who many of you will know from the Loch Achonachie club.

The SGL Open on Loch Shin in September provided another prize for the club. Neil Mackenzie came in 3rd on what was a very hard days fishing.

Our own competition this year was held at Stoneyfield Lochs near Invergordon with the juniors on the 22nd of June, the seniors the following week. Rebecca Taylor won the juniors competition with a 1lb 13oz fish from Stoneyfield bait loch. Donald Ross won the seniors competition with a fish of 2lbs 11 1/2 oz. Many thanks to Billy Ross of Struy for transporting the juniors, Syd Pennington for donating the bus fare, Morisons for donating a prize of a tackle box and most of all to Yorky Brocklehurst for organising the event.

Ness and Beauly Fishery Trust. Keith Williams of the Ness and Beauly Fishery Trust joined us in our September meeting. Keith explained the background to the Trust and its objectives. Simply put, there is a view that local fishery management structures, primarily District Salmon Fishery Boards, are becoming dated and are not representative of growing and diversifying angling interests. An alternative structure is being discussed with the Fishery Trust being an option. In Wester Ross for example, the fishery trust has a broad membership and is involved in a range of fishery monitoring, enhancement and education activity. The BAC Committee were extremely grateful for Keith coming to chat to us about the new Ness and Beauly Fishery Trust. However we were left unclear how the trust will be different from the current District Salmon Fishery Board and how it will add value in local fishery management. The Committee also felt it was unfortunate we had not been approached to make more of a contribution during the Trust’s formation. However, we look forward to developing a good rapport with the Trust in the future.

Brownie. Well, little did I know how keen you all were on tracking that big elusive brownie in our catchment. Mike Macdonald got in touch after the last newsletter to confirm his brownie at the Farrar junction was 8lb 4 oz and it was not a ferox. He also told me of catching a 3lb ferox on the Mealloch. Congratulations to one of our “summer dawn squad members” – Bob Crichton – who caught a 3 lb 2 oz brownie on beat 1 this summer.

Osprey. While fishing the Mealloch one summer evening I watched an Osprey work its way up the river. These birds, like us, are fish fans. They became extinct in Scotland at the start of last century only reappearing at Loch Garten in 1954. By 2004 there were over 160 pairs in Scotland. They tend to stick with the same partner for life and return to the same nesting site each year. Each couple raise between 2-4 chicks, all heading off to the west Coast of Africa in the autumn. While the parents return in the spring, the youngsters stay out in Africa for 2-3 years, sunning themselves and learning how to fish. They then fly to Britain to find a mate, settle down and catch fish to feed the family. So next time you see one of our local ospreys, look on them as a kindred spirit.

Fishing tackle wanted. Up-dating your gear or having a clear out? John Szarkiewicz is looking for vintage or modern reels, rods & nets. Give him a ring on 782631.

Fishy Story, well sort of – Earlier this year a coach full of American tourists were being driven along the shore of Loch Lommond. The guide pointed out that Loch Lommond was one of the biggest freshwater Lochs in Scotland. A female American tourist quickly asked, “Is this where the Lock Ness monster lives?” The exasperated guide replied, “Not unless it is on vacation like you madam”!!

Archie Prentice
archiap@tiscali.co.uk
Newsletter editor