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News Reports

29th August 2007

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Former angling club secretary Jack Fraser made a welcome return to the river recently after his hip replacement operation. Jack is pictured fishing the left bank of the Mill Stream where, the day after his return, he hooked and landed his first salmon for some time. Well done, Jack - it’s good to see you back! Tight lines!

27th August 2007

Runs continue...

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...Some good fish released. Inverness anglers continued to make contact with salmon last week (to Saturday, August 25) as more sustained runs of fish, mostly grilse, entered the river. Alec Cargill had a nice salmon estimated at 15 pounds which was successfully returned to the Little Isle after a hard fight.

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On Saturday morning, Steven Graham had a nice seven pound grilse from the Mill Stream. The fish was quickly landed and released unharmed

20th August 2007

Martin breaks his duck…

…and releases season’s first. Congratulations to Inverness Angling Club committee member Martin Nelson on taking his first fish of the year off the club water. Fishing the Weir Pool with one of his own flies, Martin hooked, played and landed a magnificent fish of over 15 pounds.

Like a number of other members of the club, Martin returned the fish to continue its spawning run. Frank Rabbeth was another committee member who was successful at the Weir on Saturday, taking a five pound fish which he released.

19th August 2007

Grilse runs inconsistent...

...most members still await first fish. Inverness Angling Club members have experienced a second week (up to August 18) of reasonable catches, but grilse runs are by no means consistent. Each day appears to be different; fair runs of one day produce a fish or two only to be followed by few fish seen or taken the next. On some days fish will come through on the tides, but not on others. Inevitably, most members still await their first fish of the season. As a few members take their second or third fish, the incidence of releases is rising – including two of around five pounds at the Weir on Saturday.

[Pop up picture] One reason for the inconsistency could be the apparently excessive fluctuations in the water levels of the River Ness which, over the past week or so, could only come from hydro operations. The river level has dropped by as much as a foot overnight, only to rise again throughout the day. As all anglers are aware, salmon don’t like yo-yo water levels. The cill at Dochfour was installed to obviate such fluctuations stemming from operations at the Foyers pump storage scheme which takes water from Loch Ness overnight and releases it during the day. At present, the cill equipment does not appear to be working.

Bleeding vent condition widespread

Over the last few weeks, local anglers have taken salmon which show signs of distended or bleeding vents. Newspaper reports suggest that affected fish have been found in 23 salmon rivers in Scotland, with up to 80 per cent of the fish showing signs of the condition, and that the infection could prevent the fish from spawning.

As government fishery services and organisations like the Atlantic Salmon Trust confirm urgent investigations are underway, more information is emerging about the potential causes of the condition.

Reports from the River Tweed (http://news.rivertweed.org.uk/blog/archives/2007/8/10/3150938.html) suggest the leading theory is that the condition is caused by a small roundworm, Anisakis simplex, commonly found in wild fish. On opening up an infected fish, a cluster of roundworms was found inside the body cavity where the intestine meets the body wall to form the vent (see pictures in the Tweed report).

Another theory ( see http://www.fishupdate.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/8310/Worm_parasite ) is that the problem is caused by the warming of the world’s oceans which allows a parasitic worm, found in shrimps that salmon eat at sea, to thrive.

River Lochy fisheries manager Jon Gibb is quoted as saying that 80 per cent of a good run of grilse had bleeding vents. Jeremy Jones of the Inverness-based Fish Vet Group indicated that in low numbers the worm did not affect the fish, but in large numbers it started to break down the tissues. What he didn’t know was whether it would have any effect on spawning.

As worms are commonly found in wild fish, anglers are advised that there is no danger to humans provided the fish is properly cooked before eating. As a precaution, anglers should ensure that they do not accidentally ingest worms by touching their mouths after contact with an infected fish. Hands should be washed as soon as possible.

13th August 2007

Improvements completed

[Pop up pictures] The long-awaited improvements to the upper part of the club water were completed on Monday (August 13). Blocks were laid at the top of The Trenches and over the upper half of the Mill Stream, reinstating lies which had been affected by recent winter floods. Anglers who fish the weir will be pleased to hear that the obstruction in the ‘hot spot’ at the tail of the pool, on which many lures and flies were lost over the past couple of seasons, was removed.

The eroded area at the top of the right bank of the Mill Stream was lined with blocks and backfilled to protect the access path, which was in danger of disappearing altogether in next winter’s floods. The club is grateful to contractors G J Job and their highly skilled operators, who completed in one day works which had been expected to take two full days.

Club water delivers

[Pop up pictures]    Kenny MacKenzie (see picture) was one of many club anglers to get into a fish over the last week (to Saturday, August 11) and release it to spawn and, perhaps, return to the sea to make a second home run. Grilse – and the odd bigger fish, up to 21.5 pounds – were hooked in most of the pools from the Braes down to the Little Isle. As the water settled to a good height by Monday (August 13), the hope is that there will be a sustained run of fish up to the end of the season.

7th August 2007

Coloured fish killed

Members of Inverness Angling Club have expressed surprise and disappointment that an associate member of the club landed and killed a well coloured salmon on the club water this week (week beginning Monday, August 6). This is directly against an accepted tradition that any coloured fish, at whatever stage in the season, should be returned unharmed. Comments that a coloured fish “will be OK for smoking” demonstrate complete ignorance of the smoking process, which requires the freshest possible fish – packed with fats – to produce the best product.

Infection warning!

There are reports from the Ness and Nairn of landed salmon which are bleeding from the vent. Ness bailiffs have issued a precautionary warning that the fish could be carrying an infection that is transferable to humans. A specimen has been sent to a laboratory for checking and the results are awaited. Meantime, any angler who makes contact with a fish which is bleeding from the vent should disinfect their hands as soon as possible.

5th August 2007

Grilse arrive

[Pop up picture]    At long last, numbers of fish arrived in the Inverness Angling Club waters of the Ness on Friday and several fish were taken, lost and returned from most pools on the beat. Willie Clark had a grilse of around three pounds from the top of the Bught beat of the Mill Stream which fellow angler Brian MacBride helped him land and return.

[Pop up picture]    The arrival of what is hoped will be a sustained grilse run, and – hopefully – the start of the season in earnest – pleased most anglers on the river. But the loyal and hard working team manning the club-run Fisherman’s Corner at the annual Highland Field Sports Fair at Moy on Friday and Saturday could be forgiven for feeling just a little disappointed that they could not join the action.

1st August 2007

Another new record

The month of July saw a new record set for visits to the IAC web site. Previous highs were 1,039 (April) and 1,195 (June) but July saw a total of 1,683. Again, web browsers’ hunger for news made that section the most popular part of the site! Remember to pass on any news you have to Alan Scott (alanj.scott@tiscali.co.uk) who will write it up for the site. The forum which Lawrence Deans has made available for us also seems to be attracting interest – and helping visiting anglers with their choice of flies and tackle.

Unconfirmed catches

There are unconfirmed reports of two salmon taken from the club water on Tuesday (July 31) - a 15 pound fish from the MacIntyre and one of unknown weight from the Little Isle. The names of the successful anglers are awaited. More fish are showing in the club beats, perhaps indicating an increase in fortunes for the members putting in the hours on the river.

31st July 2007

Fish for three

Local anglers continue to wonder whether fish are going to arrive in the Ness in any numbers. A fish a day was taken from Friday (July 27) to Monday (July 30) but that’s considered pretty drastic for the time of year when fish, particularly grilse, should be showing in healthy numbers. Anglers are lucky if they see one fish for a day on the beats.

John Kaka increased his tally with a five pounder taken spinning The Trenches on Friday. A traditional Hairy Mary was the successful fly for Colin Munro when he took a sea liced grilse of five pounds from the Little Isle on Saturday. Kevin Macdonald, fishing a favoured spot at the tail of the MacIntyre on Monday, landed and returned the smallest fish of the season so far – a 1.5 pound grilse.

30th July 2007

Volunteers for Braes

Volunteers are required for cutting the undergrowth on the remaining section of the Braes, between the iron steps and the spout. Members who can come along on Sunday, August 12, should call president Mike Campbell on 01463 751324 or 07788 828999 (mobile).

Works Planned

The long-awaited improvements to The Trenches and the Mill Stream are scheduled to take place on Monday and Tuesday, August 13 and 14, when contractor J F Job is booked for the works. There is some concern, however, that current water levels may prevent the works taking place. High water makes it difficult to place individual blocks so that the whole of the block remains below the surface in low water conditions.

Seal Sightings

Members are reminded that the club is collecting information on all sightings of seals within the river. These can be passed on to river watcher Louise Lisle for posting in the Little Isle Hut. The latest sighting was in the Little Isle around 9 pm on Thursday (July 26) by Lawrence Deans.

Measures guard against Gs

Further measures have been put in place to guard against the introduction of the salmon parasite Gyrodactylus Salaris (Gs) to the waters of the Ness System. Keith Williams, biologist with the Ness and Beauly Fisheries Trust, has distributed supplies of Virkon disinfectant for use in treating angling equipment and clothing used in affected countries. Sachets of Virkon are available for use by any anglers – visitors from an affected country or locals who have fished abroad – from Grahams, the Inverness tackle dealers. All anglers should brief themselves on Gs by reading the information at the top of this news section. And spread the word – increased awareness of Gs is vital if we are to avoid its disastrous potential.

26th July 2007

Loch Ness monster
Reports confirmed of a big fish from the loch

      The big fish from Loch Ness is now confirmed as a 37 pounder taken by Dave Kirkham of Inverness. The slightly coloured fish put up a mammoth struggle and it took Dave around four hours to land it.

      Further reports have been confirmed of big fish coming from Loch Ness in particular the one at 37lbs and another estimated at 36lbs. A picture of the 37lber and full reports are found at the Highland News website angling section, link below. There was also a report of one at 32lbs from Loch Ness on another angling forum, however we have no futher detail on this one.

http://www.highland-news.co.uk/.../Monster_caught_on_Loch_Ness.html

24th July 2007

New online service for anglers
Swap or sell tackle, and participate in an angler's forum

     With the help of Lawrence Deans, we have introduced a new service – a tackle exchange/sale section which you can access on the Aquatyer site at www.aquatyer.com/cms/punbb/index.php You must register for the service through a simple process. If you have any difficulty, you can email Lawrence at lawrence@f-deans.freeserve.co.uk

      This service is not restricted to IAC members and the club and Lawrence cannot accept any responsibility for deals made through the site. Any such deals are the sole responsibility of the parties involved.

     Apart from swapping or selling tackle, the site also gives you access to a fishing forum where you can discuss all sorts of aspects of angling. Try it – you’ll find it informative and fun!

Big fish from Loch Ness?

There are reports today (Tuesday, July 24) of a 37 pound salmon taken from Loch Ness by a Mr Kirkham of Inverness. If verified, this will be one of the biggest fish from the Ness system for many a long year.

According to the late John Cathcart, in his recently published book ‘On the Beat’, the heaviest fish taken from the area in the last 30 or 40 years was a 38 pounder caught in the loch by Torry MacKenzie. It is most likely this fish was taken in the mid 1970s when several very large fish were taken and many, reportedly much bigger, lost in the loch and the River Moriston.

‘On the Beat’ can be purchased online from www.grahamsonline.co.uk, priced £9.99. It comes highly recommended by local anglers who have read it so far.

23rd July 2007

Willie strikes it lucky

Club anglers continue to take the odd grilse from the association water. The latest catch, a four pound fish, was taken from the Mill Stream on Saturday by Willie Clark – and duly returned.

17th July 2007

Volunteers still needed for Moy

Inverness Angling Club is still looking for volunteers to man club activities at the Highland Field Sports Fair at Moy on Friday, August 3. While there has been a very good response for the Saturday (August 4), there are insufficient volunteers to look after the Friday activities. Anyone who can help, for the full day or a half day, should call Donnie MacKay, Mike Campbell or Alan Scott (contact telephone numbers are listed in the membership card).

First grilse taken

[Pop up picture]   The first grilse of the season have come off Inverness Angling Club’s water. Spinning the Little Isle on Monday evening, Davey Stewart took a fish of five pounds. On Tuesday morning, around 10 am, Steven Graham took a lovely six pound grilse – his very first salmon – from the Trenches.

A small Red Ally’s double did the business. Steven played the fish for about 10 minutes before beaching it carefully. After a couple of shots for posterity, the fish was returned to fight another day. The fish were a little bit bigger at the other end of the system with reports of a 43 pound fish taken on the fly from the River Lochy.

12th July 2007

More success for the fly

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Another of Inverness Angling Club’s regular fly fishers was rewarded for his persistence on Wednesday night(July 11th) with an eight pound fish from the Little Isle Pool. Fishing a Cascade, Chris Bruce hooked the fish just after 10 pm and it gave him a good fight before being brought into the beach where Steve Watt lent a hand to get it safely onshore. Chris had planned to return the fish but it had a deep seal claw wound just in front of the dorsal fin.

10th July 2007

John scores again

Things are beginning to get interesting. After two fish landed by Findlay and Ian last week, John Kaka – who has already scored this season in his favourite pools just below the Weir – took another fish from the Weir on Monday (July 9), this time on the fly. This should give fly fishers some further encouragement to take to the water.

8th July 2007

Club fishing activity gears up

Two fish came off the club water this week (week ending Saturday July 7). Findlay MacGillivray took a nice 15 pounder from the Weir Pool on Monday and Ian Knox, fishing the Trenches, landed a 10 pound fish. Both were taken on the spinner.

More anglers are being seen on the water and the dedicated Little Isle ‘crew’ have started their dawn shifts. While a few fish are being seen, especially in the Little Isle and Weir pools, there is still no sign – in the river at least – of the first runs of grilse. On Loch Ness, however, three grilse were taken recently – reportedly all three weighing a total of around seven pounds.

1st July 2007

Website attracts visitors

The popularity of Inverness Angling Club’s web site continues to rise with the news section attracting the greatest number of hits. June broke all previous highs.
Monthly visits since March of last year were: March – 317; April – 421; May – 332; June – 293; July – 411; August – 363; September – 334; October – 312; November – 294; December – 567; January – 803; February 815; March – 867; April – 1039; May – 985; June – 1195.

As we enter July, the main part of the local season gets closer by the day – hopefully generating plenty of news and pictures about salmon and trout hooked, lost or landed, and returned to fight another day. Give your news to club river watcher Louis Lisle, who will pass it to me for writing up for the site, or pass it directly to me by email at alanj.scott@tiscali.co.uk Remember that we are looking for plenty of pictures of fish being returned to freshen up the picture gallery.

Although our web site provides a useful service for members, it also serves an important role in helping visiting anglers. This in turn boosts the local tourist trade, supporting jobs in transport, hotels and restaurants, fishing tackle dealers, many other local services and, of course, the club’s finances. So let’s have plenty of interesting news and pictures from the river to attract anglers from far and wide.

28th June 2007

Casting Clinics end successful run

Inverness Angling Club’s series of Casting Clinics reached the end of its four-session run on June 27 with yet another strong attendance of novices and more experienced anglers seeking instruction in Speycasting, and spectators looking for a few tips on how to improve their casting performances.

Scottie Mackenzie gave another extraordinary demonstration of his skills and later joined world champion and record holder Gordon Armstrong to pass on the elements of their craft to a number of young and not-so-young club members. [Pop up picture]

The club would like to record its sincere appreciation for the time Scottie and Gordon freely invested in the clinics, and for their efforts in passing on their skills to a new generation of anglers and Speycasters.

27th June 2007

Black Shrimp’s book goes on sale

A book by Inverness Angling Club honorary member, the late John Cathcart, written in the last months of his life, is now on sale from local tackle dealers John Graham and Company in Castle Street, Inverness.

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Priced at £9.99, the book is available either at the shop or through Graham’s online shopping service – www.grahamsonline.co.uk - for which a post and packing charge will be applied. Buy online Here directly from Grahams tackle shop Inverness.

‘On the Beat with Black Shrimp’ records over half a century of Highland angling history and reflects John’s enduring passion for the sport and his unique understanding of the freshwater environment.

It was John’s hope that the book would stimulate the interest of the next generation and inspire them to develop the skills and enthusiasm for angling for which Inverness exponents of the noble art are renowned.

22nd June 2007

Black Shrimp passes away

John Cathcart, honorary member of Inverness Angling Club and one of the best known and respected anglers of his generation, died on Thursday (June 21) with his family at his side. Aged 73, John had a long and bravely fought battle with cancer. His funeral service will be held at the Old High Church, Inverness, on Tuesday, June 26, at 12.15 pm.      [Pop up picture]

John – inventor of the Black Shrimp, a name by which he was still known to many – was a familiar figure on the River Ness from 1947, when he moved with his family from Blairgowrie, right up to last year when he enjoyed regular and successful outings on the Mill Stream. He will be sadly missed by all his friends in the club and anglers throughout the length and breadth of the country.

Some weeks ago, he completed the last chapter of a book on his lifetime of angling experiences but, sadly, did not survive to hold the finished book in his hand. ‘On the Beat with Black Shrimp’ will be published soon and serve as a fitting memorial to a man who made a substantial mark on the Highland community. For a full pop up tribute please [ Click Here ]

21st June 2007

Casting clinics near close of run

     Scott Mackenzie Spey Casting Tutorial Video 20 mins

     The third of Inverness Angling Club’s Casting Clinics attracted another excellent turnout of young people seeking tuition, along with club members and visitors, on Wednesday (June 20). World Speycasting champion and record holder Gordon Armstrong demonstrated the intricacies of the art and was kept very busy helping young and not-so-young refine their skills.

     The final event will be held on Wednesday, June 27, when Scott Mackenzie will give a demonstration and join Gordon to give one-to-one casting tuition. Don’t miss this last opportunity to see the top two Speycasters in the world – both from the Ness – in action!

19th June 2007

Deep wading can kill fish!

The conservation of salmon is taking a very high priority as fears continue over the health of stocks in our river and loch systems. Returning fish is a proven way of maintaining and enhancing stocks, but other simple measures can be just as important. With salmon spawning later and later, deep wading could have a very serious impact on young fish still on the redds. So think about the future of our salmon. Try not to deep wade until well into the Ness season in August. Even then, ask yourself if you really have to wade so deep. All the fish are not necessarily on the other side of the river!

Tough tussle for Jimmy

The talk on the club water this week is about the struggle Jimmy Findlay had with a fish he hooked on the Little Isle on Monday. For fully 40 minutes Jimmy, George Skinner and a visiting angler from Fife took turns to hold on to an estimated 20 pound plus fish which at one point refused to budge from one of the holes near the tail of the Little Isle. Apparently, a few well placed stones finally got it to move but it took off out of the Little Isle into the rough water above the Infirmary Bridge where the hook came out. Tough luck, Jimmy – but keep trying!

14th June 2007

Spey Casting Champion shows his skills

The second of Inverness Angling Club’s Casting Clinics attracted another large crowd of members and visitors to the Little Isle Pool on Wednesday night (June 13) when world champion and record holder Gordon Armstrong gave a fascinating demonstration of his skills. [Pop up picture]

     Despite a biting upstream wind, the Ness Castle ghillie demonstrated a variety of techniques, from the traditional Speycast to the Ness style, the snake roll and the jump T. Gordon and former title holder Scott Mackenzie of Ness Side, assisted by club experts, gave tuition to young club members and visitors, and helped more experienced members to learn some of the new casting styles.

Gordon will repeat his demonstration and provide tuition at a third clinic on June 20. Scott will give a demonstration at the final clinic on June 27 and join Gordon to provide further tuition, which is freely available to members and non-members.

8th June 2007

Champions attract the crowds

Club members, local residents and visitors formed a large gathering at the Little Isle Pool on Wednesday evening (June 6) for the first of Inverness Angling Club’s four Casting Clinics at which Speycasting champions Gordon Armstrong and Scott MacKenzie are demonstrating casting techniques and giving individual tuition.

     [Pop up picture] President Mike Campbell welcomed the champions and thanked them for giving their time to help ensure that Ness anglers maintained and enhanced their international reputation for Speycasting skills. After a very polished demonstration of Speycasting techniques by Scott, he and Gordon spent an hour with young, novice and experienced anglers, helping them to develop their casting or sort out any problems they were experiencing.

Gordon, who took the world championship last year and set a new world record at the beginning of May with a cast of 73 yards, will give the demonstrations at the casting clinics on June 13 and 20. Former world champion and record holder Scott will give the demonstration at the final clinic on June 27. The demonstrations begin at 7.30 pm and both champions will continue to offer individual tuition from 8 to 9 pm. They will be assisted by experts from the club.

Club News
      Members of Inverness Angling Club, and visitors to our waters and the web site, are encouraged to pass on any interesting information for posting to the web site. Please note, too, that we will be keen to get reports on catches throughout the season with a view to publishing weekly reports on the web site, at least in the main part of the season from June to October. All news should be passed to Alan Scott, preferably by email at alanj.scott@tiscali.co.uk or by telephoning Alan on 01463 235287 or 07785 287995 (mobile).