The traditional toast of “tight lines” was made by anglers up and down the River Tay today as they celebrated the opening of the salmon fishing season.
Fortified with a dram and to the sound of bagpipes, fishermen turned out at ceremonies at Kenmore, Dunkeld and Meikleour despite atrocious weather conditions.
At Kenmore, Provost Liz Grant led the march of the Vale of Atholl Junior Pipe Band down to the banks of the Tay for the first cast of the day while at Dunkeld angling broadcaster and actor Paul Young had that honour.
At Meikleour the opening of the fishing included the christening of a new boat, Lady Violet, which was built by John Ferguson, a master craftsman from Stanley.
The Tay is Scotland’s longest river at 119 miles and is one of the country’s five big Scottish salmon rivers. In an effort to preserve new fish stocks anglers are now required to return any catches to the river before April, a conservation move that has been widely welcomed.
For full coverage of the opening day, see Friday’s Courier or try our digital edition.