One of Scotland’s oldest angling clubs is celebrating its centenary with the purchase of the waters it has fished for generations.
The Blairgowrie, Rattray and District Angling Association has taken on the salmon fishing rights for a four-mile stretch of the Ericht.
Their section, on the Blairgowrie side of the river, will be named Macpherson Fishings after the family who sold it to them.
The late Sir William Macpherson – the clan chief and judge who led the Stephen Lawrence inquiry – was a lifelong supporter of the association.
And his children Jamie and Annie were determined that the river should belong to the people who love it most.
Jamie, the association’s honorary president, made the first cast on Saturday.
And a new Macpherson of Cluny salmon fly has been created by club president Sean Dornan to mark the occasion.
Jamie admitted neither he, nor his father, had ever landed a salmon on the Ericht.
But he said the family were honoured to pass the Blairgowrie fishing rights into the association’s safe hands.
“The fact that it coincided with the centenary year is a wonderful bonus,” he added.
Blairgowrie fishing has proud history and bright future
Next Monday, June 24, is the 100th anniversary of the Blairgowrie, Rattray and District Angling Association.
However, its roots go much deeper.
It grew out of an older gentlemen’s fishing club which started in 1840.
And the centenary year finds it in good health with around 300 members.
“We’re one of the few with a growing membership,” said committee member Peter Lock, 70.
“We offer free membership for juniors to try and encourage the younger ones to take it up.”
Sadly – in common with rivers everywhere – salmon numbers are heading in the opposite direction.
Former president David Hogg, 75, joined as a junior in 1962 and remembers “salmon streaming through” Blairgowrie when the river was in spate.
“They reckon 10,000 salmon went up the river one year,” he added.
The Blairgowrie and Rattray Angling Association is doing its bit.
It has operated a strict catch and release policy for some time to give species the best chance of flourishing.
But there are still decent sized specimens coming through – and plenty of other fish too.
One of the lady members landed a 4lb rainbow trout just the other day.
And as most anglers will tell you, catching a fish is only a tiny part of the experience.
‘This is our stress relief, our mental health’
River convener Robert Kellie regularly encounters otters, dippers and all kinds of birds and animals while he’s fishing at Blairgowrie.
But the Ericht holds a deeper magic.
“I’ve had a few hard patches in my life,” said Robert, 64.
“If didn’t have the fishing I don’t know what I would have done.
“A lot of us work hard all week and this is our stress relief, our mental health.”
The move will allow the association to safeguard the health of the Ericht by keeping it clean and doing work along the banks, including planting trees.
And Robert says he and his friends are thrilled to become the river’s newest caretakers.
“It’s something for the whole of Blairgowrie to be proud of,” he said.
“We all want to make sure there’s a future for the river.”
Conversation