Good start to the season on the Northie
A 'good start' is the consensus over the new salmon fishing season on the North Esk, but the South Esk has been a little disappointing so far.
All beats from the estuary at Kinnaber right up to the meetings of the waters at Stracathro have had some success on the Northie, a feature of which was a fresh run seatrout caught at Stracathro.
However the Fisheries Board has issued a strongly worded warning. Already three anglers have been found fishing with illegal tackle, all of whom have pled ignorance of the current regulations.
They have all been warned, but from now on the Bailliffs will proceed with charges against any angler fishing with more than two hooks and any found with barbs on hooks.
Last Monday was a good day on Upper Kinnaird when Charles McKerracher from Helensburgh had four fish to 18 lbs. The big fish fell to his friend Dave Fowler.
They were dogged for the next two days by very high water but when I visited them on Thursday morning they were fishing a falling river and I am in no doubt fish were to come from that tempting water.
Charles is in his fourth year at Kinnaird and is in his words falling in love with this most beautiful part of Scotland and the river South Esk.
Why do I agree with him? Well to me it will always be home, being raised as a lad on these banks.
It was so good to hear someone praising Kinnaird again and I am sure that we will continue to get better reports as the period of catch and release of spring salmon serves its purpose and stocks continue to recover.
Meantime on the Dalgetty beat above the dam, local angler Billy Paton continued his affair with that angling club beat by landing a springer of 8 lbs and two kelts on his first day on the river this year.
The only other fish I have reported fell to Murray McFarlane at Fort Esk on the second day, however the owner Martin Stansfeld has intimated that until the end of the present regulations his Kinnaber beat on the North Esk will not be let for the first six weeks of the season.
Local angler Bill Robertson came to tell me of a fish skeleton he found on the South Esk at Careston which measured just over 36 inches.
This fish when alive would have been in the 25/26 lb mark going to prove that the big fish still run the river.
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Weather for Brechin
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 3 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South west
