Items filtered by date: September 2020

Fresh salmon are still entering the River Ness and the odd one is being picked up by dedicated IAC members. It was the turn of Donnie Urquhart this afternoon. He caught and released a fresh cock fish of 10 pounds on a three and a half inch Devon minnow.

High water continued on the River Ness today but club members continued their search for a salmon. Just one has been reported so far. Around seven pm this evening, Davie Dyce caught and released a five pound grilse from the Little Isle Pool on the fly.

Inverness Angling Club has decided to cancel its popular end-of-season barbecue, usually held in the early part of October. Even if current regulations prohibiting large gatherings were relaxed, it is felt that staging the event would be too much of a risk as Covid-19 continues to pose a potential threat to health.

As the River Ness rose by almost a metre over the weekend, it took brave anglers to venture out on Monday morning. But some did and for James Emery it paid off. Fishing a Devon minnow, he landed and released a bright hen salmon of some eight pounds from the MacIntyre Pool.

In the net: Success for James

Organisers had decided to cancel two annual events run over the winter months in association with Inverness Angling Club.

The Cascade Fly Tying Group, run from mid October to the end of February, has increased in popularity over the last three seasons and regularly attracts from 15 to 20 club members and friends each week. But it has been decided that the classes present a clear health risk - even if government regulations allowed.

Organiser Alan Scott explained: “The nature of coaching fly tying skills makes it impossible to meet social distancing regulations. We will keep the situation under review and look to re-starting the classes if regulations permit.”

Also cancelled is the annual Winter Trout League, which has been held at the Achagour Trout Fishery for the last 11 years. But cancellation is not related to Covid-19.

IAC president and league organiser Alex Elliott said: “It is extremely disappointing but participation in the league has fallen over the last couple of years. Having taken soundings from previous participants it seems that interest continues to fall. Anyone who facies continuing competitive fishing may wish to enter the league run by the team at Achagour.”

With salmon and grilse in short supply, maybe it’s time to have a cast for the sea trout which migrate into the River Ness. IAC member John Benson did just that last night and was rewarded with a two and a half pound specimen from the Friar’s Shott. It was taken at nine pm on a size six version of the popular teal, blue and silver fly.

Jordon Grant and Davie Dyce were out and about on the east bank of the Red Braes today where their persistence brought results - grilse of five pounds for each of them. Jordon’s fish was taken on a Red Francis tube, a fly that has become increasingly popular on the Ness as its catch reputation increases. Meanwhile, Kevo Macdonald was back on the MacIntyre to take his second fish in two days - a grilse of three pounds. The Mac also delivered a grilse of four pounds for Patrick Kerr.

Salmon anglers believe that their quarry appears less willing to take in fluctuating water levels. Consequently, significant fluctuations in recent levels of the River Ness have been a hot topic in river bank discussions. Hydro schemes throughout the Ness System are seen as the usual culprits. But experts indicate that there are a series of natural reasons for such conditions, apart from the expected normal run-off from an extensive river and loch system. They include:

1  Seiches - A recognised phenomena caused when strong winds and rapid changes in atmospheric pressure push water from one end of Loch Ness to the other. These can result in measurable differences in water level from one end of the loch to the other, pulsing up and down the loch.

2  Winds - The predominant south-westerly winds through the Great Glen mean that such conditions will have a particular impact to the north-east - and the River Ness.

3  Weir spill - A slight increase in the level of Loch Dochfour can result in significant amounts of water running over the long Dochfour Weir, causing a substantial rise in the level of the River Ness.

The gate installed at the top of the Dochfour Weir has no bearing on the type of fluctuations seen recently. It is designed to maintain he height of the River Ness in low water conditions, ie when Loch Dochfour falls below the level of the weir.

Two strange fish discovered at the Little Isle Pool of the River Ness on Monday evening are thought to be cichlids, more common to areas like Lake Tanganyika in Africa. They are popular among aquarists as pets and it is believed that someone has decided to release them into the wild.

Chris Conroy, CEO of the Ness District Salmon Fishery Board, said such releases into the wild can have a devastating impact on native species and ecosystems. He urged anyone thinking about releasing unwanted pet fish into local rivers and lochs to find alternatives.

Monsters?: The warm water aquarium fish found in the Ness

Monday got off to a reasonable start with two fish from the Ness club water, but seems to have failed that early promise with no further reports so far. The fortunate anglers were Davie Dyce, with a seven pounder from the Little Isle, and Kevo Macdonald, who landed an eight pounder from the MacIntyre.