Details have been confirmed for this years Annual General Meeting. Due to unforeseen circumstances the date of the AGM has been changed from Wednesday 10th January 2024 to Monday 8th January 2024
The Devon Angling Association’s Annual General Meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 8th January 2024 in the church halls of Tillicoultry Baptist Church [163 High St, Tillicoultry FK13 6DU]
The 2023 season finally came to an end on Tuesday 31st October with the close of the salmon and sea trout season. The final three weeks after the end of the trout season, was pretty much more of the same, with prolonged wet weather and large spates. This brought a lot of fish into the river, often at times when the river was all but unfishable, that said 17 salmon, 1 grilse and 4 sea trout were landed. Ally Crawford put in the hard work and long miles, to land 7 salmon, the best being a cracking fresh fish of about 13lb [see below].
An encouraging improvement over the last couple of years, but still a long way the number of fish caught a few decades ago. Hopefully a few more traditional wet summers alongside some of the proposed improvements, will further improve the condition of the river.
Talking of improvements, the scoping surveys for removal of Dollar Weir has now being completed, and the Forth Rivers Trust begin the difficult task of seeking the approvals of SEPA, Clackmannanshire Council and NatureScot, and raising the funding for the works. The team at the Trust are very experienced having completed a number of similar projects, most recently at Seafield Weir on the West Lothian Almond:
https://forthriverstrust.org/project/seafield-weir-removal/
As part of a separate but related project the Trust are looking at how the step weir on Dollar Burn could be improved:
https://forthriverstrust.org/project/lost-wee-weirs-of-the-forth/
The Trust are currently working on a number of other projects on the Devon to further improve the riparian habitat, which we will share in the Newsletter.
At Glenquey the final count was complete. We sold 338 tickets and we are very grateful for the very good rate of return of catch returns (74%). Numbers were a wee bit down on last year (mostly in March and April, so the weather was the probable cause). A total of 554 fish were caught, the largest being 4lb but the typical weight was 0.5lb
The Annual General Meeting has provisionally been booked for Wednesday 10th January 2024 at 7.30PM . Details will be posted here shortly.
A gentle reminder, can all members with an All Species Permit (Salmon/Sea Trout) please complete their catch returns and send to the Hon Secretory by Monday 20th November 2023
Forms and details of requirements here https://devonanglingassociation.org.uk/catch-returns/
So that’s it for the 2023 Brown Trout season.
River Devon
It’s been a far from classic season; for the second summer on the trot the Devon suffered from a prolonged drought making fishing on the river very frustrating for many anglers. Thankfully the rains and periodic spates of August and September flushed the river and brought it back to life. Anglers were reporting numerous catches (20+) last Saturday including some decent catches.
A couple of weeks ago Stevie Hodge caught his best trout on the season on the Devon, while fishing with a self-tied micro jig streamer in fairly murky water:
A clearly happy (and slightly shocked) angler though the hook of his streamer showed the signs of hard fight!
Despite the high water in recent there are little sign of salmon entering the river and as of Monday evening no reports of any catches. Hopefully the spate during the week, the predicted rain for the weekend and the very high tides will encourage salmon into the river. There has been a pattern for the last couple of years of our salmon running very late in the season and into the closed season. The committee are monitoring the situation and we will wait with interest for the results of the annual Forth Rivers Trust electro-fishing surveys in the spawning burns. Certainly in late August we were aware of sea trout being caught.
Glenquey
At Glenquey had a pretty good summer considering the conditions:
June – 45 permits returned, 123 trout caught at an average of 8oz and largest being 1lb
July – 28 permits returned, 50 trout caught at an average of 12oz and largest being 4lb (caught by David Hartley and confirmed by a number of witness as a whopper!)
August – 45 permits returned, 72 trout caught at an average of 8oz and largest being 1.5lb
The lucky anglers winning a free day’s permit for submitting a Glenquey catch return were:
June – Robert King, Kinross
July – Peter White, Edinburgh
August – Gordon Dow, Powmill
Other news
Throughout the summer the work parties have been out and about strimming paths, supporting the Forth Rivers Trust by undertaking invasive species surveys, repairing stiles/gates etc. More recently they have being clearing fallen lumber and making sure that the river and burns are clear of any blockages preventing trout and salmon reaching their spawning grounds.
There are a number of projects underway being promoted by our partners the Forth Rivers Trust and The Crown Estate and supported by the Association. They are in various stages of development but include:
> Detailed feasibility studies on removing the weir at Dollar
> Discussions with Diaego and regulators on removing the weir at Cambus
> Working with landowners/tenants to prevent cattle getting in to the river around Taits Tomb
> Control of Invasive Non-Native Species (particularly Japanese Knotweed) – this project is funded and the Trust staff have been busy identifying and mapping invasive species.
Details of the Annual General Meeting will be published on the website as soon as arrangements are confirmed
Last summer Brian Sawers came across a rod tip at Glenquey and we put a notice on the website to try and reunite with its owner to no avail.
While recently out at Glenquey, a fellow angler mentioned that the owner had been actively looking for it. Brian reports that he still has it, that the tip is green and may be part of 4-piece rod. If you are missing the tip drop a line to thedaa@talktalk.net and will put you in touch with Brian. I would be grateful if regulars up there mention to this to any anglers they come across!
Please note that the car park at Marchglen has been temporarily closed by the landowner due to some recent issues, unrelated to the DAA and angling. He has assured the DAA that it will be made available for parking again at the earliest opportunity
A gentle reminder to members and visitors of the Devon Angling Association’s Code of Practice which states:
Members are expected to comply with The Country Code, and respect the privacy, property and interests of the riparian owners who kindly allow the DAA access through their land. Anglers should be considerate to other persons who live by or enjoy the river or loch side environments
See https://devonanglingassociation.org.uk/about-3/rules/
Unfortunately anglers on the river this weekend failed to provide that courtesy and caused considerable disturbance to a neighboring property, by their repeated shouting into the night causing disturbance and a complaint to the DAA. This is not acceptable.
Members are also reminded that as frustrating they may find it, fishing is not permitted on the River Devon at anytime on a Sunday
Jonathan has reported finding a Renault car key between Rack Mill and Vicars Bridge. If you are missing a car key, please get in touch [ thedaa@talktalk.net ] and we can put you in touch with Jonathan.
AS reported in the last update the Forth Rivers Trust are engaged in a project to eradicate vegetative invasive non-native species (INNS) in the whole catchment of the River Devon.
Japanese Knotweed and Giant Hogweed are best treated by the targeted use of herbicides. The most populous species in the catchment is Himalayan Balsam. The best means of eradicate this species is simply be pulling up the whole plant before it has time to seed.
Eradication of Hamalyan Balsam is beyond the resources of the funded INNS programme To this end Mario Palomo (Project Officer), and Charlotte Neary (Senior Project Officer ) are looking for an army of volunteers that are willing to help us control Himalayan Balsam on the Devon.
They will be delivering a volunteer training induction to Himalayan Balsam pulling on The Devon Way, between Tillicoultry and Dollar on Friday the 23rd of June between 10:30am – 1pm.
Its very therapeutic!
Details in the FRT poster below:
Yet again we have suffered another exceptionally dry and generally cool (at least till earlier in the week). The Devon is already running on bare bleached rocks, the level of Glenquey is steadily dropping and the undergrowth growing rapidly.
Quite a lot to report to members!
Fishing
Fishing on the Devon with the initially (very) cold and then the progressively lower water has been hard work. I have only had success fishing pocket water in the rifles just after dawn and in the late evenings. A number of anglers using upstream nymphing have had some success but nothing to get too excited about. At Glenquey the early cold weather impacted the number of anglers heading there and many struggled [38 permits returned with 30 fish caught with a mean weight of 6oz, more notably 58% of permit returns were zero!]. I happy to report that things have steadily improved with one angler making his first visit caught three fish of about 3/4lb, loved the experience and promised to return!
Glenquey Access Road
We are advised that there will be felling work undertaken in plantations shortly on the east side of the reservoir. Once processed on site it will be hauled from site down the reservoir access road, probably for months after felling is complete. When details become available we will update members and visitors via the website
Dollar Weir
The Association have recognised that the Dollar Weir, that formally was used by the Dollar Bleachworks and associated mills, was a significant barrier to the upstream migration of spawning trout and salmon. The original and subsequently improved fish pass does allow some fish to clear the weir but many fail. Removal would significantly improve access for spawning fish to reach the upper river and tributaries.
The Forth Rivers Trust have been awarded a significant grant by The Open Rivers Programme to support the initial assessment of the Dollar Weir Removal Project. This is the most important and difficult part of the whole process. Work has already underway with Trust staff completing Stage 1 [Scoping & Prefeasibility] of the programme which has included :
This will lead onto:
This work is scheduled to be completed by September 2023 and then the Trust will seek funding for its removal
The Trust have developed considerable experience in managing, funding and delivering weir removal projects most notably on the River Almond in West Lothian.
The Open Rivers Programme is a fund specifically to help restore European rivers by funding and supporting dam removal projects throughout the continent. Thanks to a €42.5 million investment over six years by the charitable fund Arcadia, the Programme will scale up dam removal and help Europe’s endangered rivers run free once again
Cambus Weir
The Forth Rivers Trust and Forth District Salmon Fishery Board have had a number of positive meetings in the last year with the weir’s owners Diageo about reducing the impact of the weir on migratory fish. The existing fish pass is of little value and fish rely on either a spate and/or spring tide to enter the river. Fish sitting in the basin waiting for an opportunity to get over the weir, are vunerable to being preyed upon by seals (or even porpoise) and are at risk from poachers. Hopefully we will have some more positive news report soon!
Invasive Weeds
Through support from a grant from the Crown Estate Scotland to the DAA, the Forth Rivers Trust has been engaged to begin a campaign of eradication of invasive weeds (mostly Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsa) over the entire catchment. The Trust staff began surveys in Upper Glendevon where Japanese Knotweed is endemic. Once the extent of the weeds is mapped and known, then a programme of spraying/injection will begin.
There will be opportunities for members to volunteer to support the work of the Trust in due course
River Streamers
You may have noticed some streamers placed in the river above and below Dollar Weir during May. These were installed to discourage Goosanders from preying on smolts gathering in the pools above and below the weir. Appparently Goosanders and Mergansers do not like diving below floating objects.
This is an initiative promoted by Lee Fisher the FDSFB’s Crown Bailiff, who has trialed this technique very successfully on the Allan Water (at the weir at the bridge at Bridge of Allan). Lee has worked hard this winter encouraging clubs, associations and proprietors to use the technique.
Finally somewhere to rest your weary bones
The DAA work parties have been hard at it as usual along the river and at Glenquey.
Now at least they have somewhere to rest and enjoy the peace!
The DAA are in the process of installing a pair of benches on the south bank. The first one was installed on Wednesday requiring a monumental effort to get the bench and materials to site because of the huge weight of the bench:
The lads hard work has really paid off as witnessed by Chris Ward’s photo from Saturday morning
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