Great expectations for first day on Tay
WOW! The new seasons are facing us already.
First as usual will be the Tay. It's only days away, and if you are lucky enough to be there on the first day I have the feeling that it will be good.
There has never in living memory been such a mild winter and such good water levels for the time of year - indeed what else could you wish for? There is the chance that things could change as we all well know in the unpredictable climate of Scotland, but I just have the feeling we will see these conditions carry into the Tay's opening.
I walked the length of the Kinnaird beats last week with local anglers Ken Mackie and Alistair Fraser hoping to get an inkling of the spring sport, but the river was high and coloured and it was impossible to see a thing.
What we did see was unseasonably green banks and signs of spring months ahead of their time. Even the birds seemed to be dashing about as if it was time for nesting; oh yes, and Cormorants.
I have mentioned before the seals on the Bridge of Dun beat. Well I met one of the city's great countrymen who had not seen my article and he went on to describe an event of just before Christmas. Stopping on the Brig O' Dun he was pleased to see a small shoal (thirty fish) of Finnock in the pool below the bridge. Suddenly they sped off across the river at high speed and drove themselves into the far bank, jumping in all directions. Yes, there then appeared the very large head of a common seal, which was devastating the shoal. He drove the fish from side to side, killing as he went and, after a feast of around half of the shoal, he headed upstream on to the House of Dun water to do... well use your imagination.
I have been asking for the last few years where our famous South Esk Sea trout are going? My answer - straight down the throats of these migrants from the North Sea, where they never have the chance to grow up into the shining wild fish for which our area was once famed. I have reported this to the authorities and am awaiting some research and answers to the accelerating problem.
One quote I was given was that the common seal population is falling, but let me tell you again, the Sea Trout population of the South Esk is in a critical state and needs conservation far more than the invaders from the marine environment. Let's get our priorities right; we cannot go on ignoring what is happening to our freshwater heritage as it is invaded from a marine environment which has been over-fished for decades.
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Weather for Brechin
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
