The Devon Angling Association

The Annual General Meeting of the Devon Angling Association was held at the Royal Arms, Tillicoultry on Tuesday 12th January 2016.

20 Members attended and contributed to a lively interesting meeting.

David Mudie, the association’s Honorary Secretary reported to the meeting on the activities of and issues effecting the Association during the 2015:

• Membership of the associations remained steady at 449 (compared to 453 in 2014) with a drop in adult trout season tickets being off-set by a modest increase in junior members (£5/season) and salmon/sea trout season permits
• No Salmon/Sea Trout were caught on the Devon in 2015 due to prolonged dry period during the late summer. The only spate came in the closing days of the season (and the rain has pretty much not stopped since!)
• Glenquey had 424 visitors (284 members and 140 visitors). From the catch information on the 62% of tickets returned, 931 fish were caught with an average weight of 11oz.
• River and Glenquey were stocked twice during the season. The committee have debated at length the issues around stocking and are committed to improving the spawning opportunities for trout and salmon on the river. In line with the requirements of the Scottish Government trout will be triploid (ie non-fertile fish)
• The impact and issues relating to the Scottish Government’s Wild Fishing Review. We have been advised by the Forth District Salmon Board that all salmon and sea trout caught must be returned. The DAA rules will be amended to reflect these changes
• DAA work parties have been busy on the river clearing obstructions, fallen trees, repairing stiles, installing bridges, cutting back vegetation to allow access. More recently a big effort has been put in to clearing vegetation on the north bank of Glenquey to open more access for fishing (this has been physically very demanding work)
• The DAA fulfilled our obligations under our lease from Scottish Water and completed extensive repairs/maintenance to the boat house at Glenquey.
• No changes to permits/ticket prices in 2016.

Officers of the association were appointed for 2016 and the committee appointed (I will explain how the DAA operates in a post before the start of the season)

The meeting was then opened to the floor.

• There was an interesting discussion on the impact of the Wild Fishing Review on fishing practice on the River Devon. Some of the issues discussed included revisions to permitted fishing practice to allow safe return of fish and the whole range of conservation issues relating to Salmon in the river and in the Forth (smolt migration, Cambus weir, scientific measuring of fish migration, Scottish Governments classification of rivers etc)
• The Hydro-electric scheme currently under construction downstream of Crook Of Devon was discussed. There was some concern expressed particularly about the level of abstraction but it is understood that abstraction can only begin at a level greater than the current permitted compensation flow from Castlehill Reservoir.
• There was proposal made from the floor by Mr Alan Armstrong that the season at Glenquey be extended to align with the Brown Trout season. This was approved by the meeting and it is now intended that the Glenquey season will operated from 15th March until 6th October for the 2016 season.