Items filtered by date: November 2018

A lady member who caught her first salmon from the Little Isle Pool of the River Ness this season was awarded Inverness Angling Club’s Angler of the Year Trophy at the club’s AGM. On receiving the trophy from president Graham MacKenzie, Geraldine Connah told the gathering that her success was largely down to all the help and advice she had received from fellow club members. The Corie Horne Trophy for the first spring salmon went to veteran angler Lawrence Deans.

Delighted: Trophy winners Lawrence Deans and Geraldine Connah with Graham MacKenzie

IAC members attending the club’s AGM last night (November 22) re-elected Graham MacKenzie as president and Steve Black as secretary for further two-year terms. Vice president Alex Elliott and treasurer Gordon Smith have another year of their terms to serve. Committee members elected were Neil Fraser, Paul Owen, Bill Byers, Harry Fraser, Tony Quinn, Lawrence Deans, Walter Mackay, Donnie Allan, John Ralph, Steve Watt, Graham Forbes and Tracy Stronach, believed to be the first lady to serve on the committee. John Ralph will serve as membership secretary.

Two issues raised at the AGM concerned catches. Worming is currently restricted to the period from July 1 to August 31. Jim McDowall’s proposal, extending the period to September 30, was approved by 14 votes against 11 for the status quo.

Sales of visitor permits for the IAC’s town fishings were expected to be high this year as very low water conditions affected fishing on so many other rivers. And so it proved. The AGM heard that day permit sales hit a five year high at 353, well over the 329 sold in 2017 and 177 in 2014. Such sales are important for club finances and help avoid any increases in membership fees. Sales of weekly permits fell to one, three down on 2017.

In a season when Category 2 applied from July 1, allowing the retention of two cock fish under eight pounds, club members achieved a creditable 87 per cent release rate of salmon and grilse. The total catch of salmon and grilse for the season was 233, up 29 on the previous year. 192 salmon and grilse were released and 41 retained. Predictably, August and September were the most successful months.