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Spey Fishery Board 2004 policy

4K views 18 replies 5 participants last post by  mickgbell 
#1 ·
I am in receipt of the Spey Fishery Board salmon conservation fishery policy and would like to open a thread on Board Rule No: 3 which states ; " Where possible the numbers of hours and rods fished should be limited. " I have written to the Fishery Board to ask for a guidline on this policy as it seems rather loose to say the least. Does this mean that the Ghillies will rest the pools overnight or conduct the usual practice of fishing for seatrout all night ?
 
#3 ·
mickgbell said:
Does this mean that the Ghillies will rest the pools overnight or conduct the usual practice of fishing for seatrout all night ?
Rather a bold statement,I fish the Spey probably more than most, the gillies I know do not fish for seatrout all night as you suggest, many would be deeply hurt that anyone would make such a statement on an open forum, unless they could back it up with some evidence.

As I undestand it the guests who let the water have the final say in who fishes no gillie I know would dream of fishing in the evenings or at night unless invited to do so by the guests.
 
#4 ·
Speaking as a member of the Spey Fishery Board & Chairman of its Research Trust, I can verify what Wilie Gunn says.

There is more than one way of exercising catch restraint & even if the Scottish Executive's & my own favoured method is catch & release, this recommendation re reduced fishing effort is an acknowledgement that some beats choose to exercise restraint in this way. It is not meant to be precise. Some for example do not fish at all until April. Others have reduced the no of rods or the no of hours fished.

We consider catch & release at 70% was a great success last year and as a result are continuing the same policy unchanged for 2004 rather than tinker with it.
 
#5 ·
I am sorry if I have offended anyone , I am not saying ALL ghillies fish all or every night, but it has been known for Ghillies and friends( and customers I suspect) to fish for sea trout at night. I note the catch of sea trout is significantly down in 03 , maybe as a result of reduced effort, does anyone know where or when the 2700 were caught last year ?
 
#6 ·
You are restricted in the hours you fish in any given 24 hour period, so if you fish at night for sea trout then you will have to reduce the amount of time before nightfall that you fish for salmon. So in this case the pressure on the salmon will be further reduced. In response to your question as to where the sea trout were caught, I believe they did reasonably well at Grantown association last season considering the reduction on rod numbers. By the way Happy birthday.
 
#13 ·
spey board policy-fishing effort

to return to mickgbell's original point, i dont think he has had an answer. is there a definite so many hours only, day v night, from the board's policy? i know each estate may have different rules but what is the overall position? and are estates fishing in the time customers are foregoing? crawford little in 'success with salmon' page36, 1st paragraph says 'certainly if i had access to a spey beat in the main summer months, i would be strongly tempted to fish the last hours of daylight for salmon and grilse, then take my sea trout rod until the first light of dawn returned the colour to the monochrome river, when i would switch my attentions back to salmon and grilse. do people realise why their ghillies are bleary eyed when their guests arrive on the beat at 10 o'clock, or do they simply put it down to drink?' hugh falkus in his great book 'salmon fishing' page 81 3rd para from bottom says [ not about any particular river ] 'it is not by chance that, according to the terms of the lease, the ghillies themselves so often fish in the evening for their estates'.
 
#14 ·
actinsley said:
Speaking as a member of the Spey Fishery Board & Chairman of its Research Trust,
We consider catch & release at 70% was a great success last year and as a result are continuing the same policy unchanged for 2004 rather than tinker with it.this recommendation re reduced fishing effort is an acknowledgement that some beats choose to exercise restraint in this way. It is not meant to be precise. Some for example do not fish at all until April. Others have reduced the no of rods or the no of hours fished.
I thought that the section I have copied from Mr Tinsley's post is clear enough. But to make things clearer.

Restraint can be carried out in a number of ways.

Starting the season earlier

Stopping the season earlier.

Reducing the number of fishers

Reducing the numbers of hours fished.

To give a few examples.

Gillies will only fish if they have the express permission of the people that let the beats and they are aware this is eating into their fishing time.
Both books you mention were written long before the Spey board asked for restraint.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Graham. Arrived to a river full of grue. Monday morning spent chatting, settled down to a serious lunch of foie gras and quails eggs supported by a rather super bottle of d' Yqeum 1986. Afternoon no better fishing wise so we waded into magnums of Bollinger to keep our spirits up. A very sunny afternoon complimented with good company. We raided the Banchory chinese Restaurant in the evening and drowned ourselves in Sake.
Waders arrived by post on tuesday morning courtesy of long suffering wife back in Surrey ! River full of grue so we got the clay pigeon trap out and blasted away, probably not the best of ideas to position the trap under the telephone cables running to Martin Haywards house (head Ghillie) but I think he will get a couple of weeks use out of them before he has to ring the telephone board. Lord Bagnall provided lunch of roast pork and apple sarnies washed down with bottles of superb Grand Cru Chablis, the year escapes me, ran low on KRUG so had to pop into Banchory for supplies...Safeways wine selection is actually rather good..made a bit of a tit of myself walking around the supermarket in an RAF flying suit and donkey boots but kept the till staff amused. returned back to river , looking a little better and carried on drinking... three hours later the ghillies and invited guests persuaded me to demonstrate the snake roll which I did and enjoyed showing off.....right up to the point I got ran over by an iceburg and went swimming..good job the air temperature had risen to -2 otherwise I would have frozen. Had to be carried to the fishing lodge and stripped naked..the violent shakes were only calmed by large tots of Pursers Rum. Ghillies left and arrived back with cameras and new kit. Rest of that evening is a bit of a blur...I was however made an Honourary member of the Cambridge University Naval Troop. (!) ......TBC.........
 
#17 ·
..........continued........

Head rather sore on wednesday morning but cleared at the sight of a clean river, fished The Fawn with the new Mosquito flies Paul Locke kindly sent down and had a kelt third cast...one other fish taken for the day( another kelt)..Left for the airport at 1400 and arrived three hours early due to Mr Everett not being able to read properly. All in all a lovely three days but rubbish fishing. Team 2 arrived Thursday morning and Mr Everett junior surpassed himself by catching a 22 pounder, when he wasn't shaking kelts off the hook.........I can't bring myself to ring him again so I don't know what happened Friday and Saturday.... he keeps ringing me on my mobile and leaving messages but stuff him. Tweed over Easter should be interesting !!
How are things your end ?!
Kind regards.
Mick.
 
#18 ·
Had 4 fresh fish during February, 2 from the Dee and 2 from the Spey. Things have been quieter since that last heavy snowfall. Fished Aboyne Castle on the Dee on monday, caught 8 kelts but no fresh fish. Fishing with 'Willie Gunn' tomorrow on the Spey.
On the Dee just above where you were fishing they had 9 fresh fish at Woodend on Friday including a 25 pounder and on monday they had 8 fresh fish off Ballogie.
 
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