River Tay Opening day 2016
The 15th of January has been a famous date firmly etched in the Scottish salmon fishing calendar for decades. It is of course the day on which the mighty River Tay opens its banks to anglers. Many people travel from all over the country to Perthshire to celebrate this special day on the banks of one of Scotland’s most prolific salmon rivers and this year was no different.
The River Tay had been in flood through much of the close season
Opening day dawned bright, cold and frosty. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground and the river looked in good condition. This was a welcome relief to ghillies and anglers alike after the horrendous weather that affected much of Perthshire during the close season. The River Tay had been running so high that Perth had been flooded only a few days prior. River levels on the Tay had reached record heights through the close season and many homes and businesses were flooded. Thankfully a week prior to opening day the weather gods came to the rescue and we had some prolonged settled weather. Hard night time frosts coupled with cold, dry days meant by opening day the river was at a reasonable level.
The usual opening day ceremonies took place up and down the river. At Kenmore Scott Mackenzie officially opened the river. There was a smaller ceremony at Dunkeld where the Scottish Environment Minister Dr Aileen Mcleod had the symbolic first cast. Both ceremonies were well attended and brought valuable publicity to one of Scotland’s premier salmon rivers.
This wee man enjoyed his first opening day on the Tay
We were lucky enough to be fishing the Dalmarnock beat again on opening day. We invited friends from far and wide and it proved to be a fantastic day. Our piper led us down to the river and after a short speech; the beat was officially opened by Tom Davies, Head Ghillie on the Lower Birgham beat of the River Tweed. The water looked in great condition and with Colin Mcfadyen and Lee Fisher our ghillies for the day; prospects were looking good. Having two boats at our disposal meant that the beat would not only be covered well from the bank but also every inch would be combed in the boat harling. Everyone was allocated a pool and fishing commenced.
The opening ceremony
By mid-morning, the sun was beating down from a sparkling blue sky. There was little wind and it was feeling very pleasant for mid-January. Unfortunately, apart from one fish being lost on the bottom half of the beat, no one had made contact by lunch time. This did not matter, as the craic was brilliant. Lunch itself was a jovial affair. Homemade beef stew with crusty bread was the order of the day and this definitely hit the spot on such a cold day. There were also some lovely locally smoked meats and cheeses on offer. Of course, this was washed down with a nice dram and a fine glass of claret.
Refreshments!
Being fishless in the morning had not dampened our spirits and by half past two most people were back on the banks of the river fishing again. The afternoon was short as the temperature started to drop rapidly and guests arrived back at the hut around four o clock. I am not sure whether this was because they were genuinely cold or whether the calling of a fine malt whisky was just too irresistible!
After all our guests had returned to the hut we quickly realised that there had been no fish caught from the beat but this did not matter as the party was now just getting started! The fun and laughter continued in the hut. Many new friends were made and old friendships rekindled on what was a fantastic day. Our two ghillies Colin and Lee made the day very special for everyone involved.
The full party on opening day at Dalmarnock
It was great to hear from my good friend and Head Ghillie on the Kercock beat Gary Harkin who informed me that one of his guests managed to land an opening day springer. In addition, to this, there were three other fresh fish reported, two from Taymount and a cracking twenty-four pounder from the Findynate beat which won the Redford trophy.
We all went to our local pub after leaving the hut and enjoyed a fabulous dinner. A great night was had by all, with one or two in our party a bit worse for wear the following morning!
The unpredictability of salmon fishing is sometimes astounding. Last year on opening day we had the worst possible weather and water conditions imaginable. The river was running at six feet and rising and there were frequent snow showers combined with gale force winds. In spite of this, my wife caught a springer within the first half an hour of starting fishing and this turned out to be the first salmon caught in the UK in 2015. This year, the weather was stunning and the water was perfect but our party ended up fishless. That’s salmon fishing and it’s the sheer unpredictability of our sport, which makes us want to pick up a rod again and again.
An opening day cracker caught from the Kercock beat
Opening day 2016 was one to remember for us for very different reasons to last year. Everyone had a great day and the River Tay was duly blessed. Let’s hope this mighty river has a memorable season and plenty of salmon are landed on its banks over the next eleven months. Good luck to everyone that will be fishing the River Tay this season, may your rods be buckled!