The 2016 season will probably be one to forget. River conditions for most of the year were pretty poor with the River at a summer low for most of the season. The sea trout fishing was a bit patchy but there were some good catches recorded. A seven pounder caught on the fly was one notable achievement.
The Brown trout, as ever, gave some good sport, although they also proved difficult to locate at times and to tempt. As yet we are not sure what the stocking policy will be next year. There seems to be plenty of juvenile fish in the River at the moment.
With the total ban on killing salmon, not many anglers fished for them, and even fewer were caught.The constantly low water kept most of the salmon in the lower reaches of the River. A small spate in the last fortnight allowed a few fish to run upstream, but most congregated below Dairsie bridge where they quickly coloured up and became very difficult to catch.With a bit of luck, next year when we revert to a category two River, things will improve. We can only hope for a decent wet September and October.
Please make sure that all catch returns reach the secretary the for the end of December. Never before has it been so vital to have accurate catch returns even if they are nil returns.