News

District Salmon Fishery Board

Promoting the Conservation and Management of the River Stinchar

September 2008

Out of August & into September and no let up of the rain. Good numbers of fish are being caught all throughout the length of the river. The majority of these are in the 5 - 6lb class, spanking fresh. These are the fish we used to get in mid July but now seem to arrive 4 - 6 weeks later. There has been the odd big fish encountered during August but not many; however yesterday (Sept 15th) Knockdolian had fish of 20lb & 15lb.

Today on Balnowlart Stuart Laing had a brief encounter with a fish well into the teens, then a few hours later Jimmy Blane lost a huge fish after a long dour struggle. The fish was nearly beat and on its side when the Toby parted company. Jimmy was with his brother Willie during the tussle and they both put the fish in the high teens or more.

Robert Dalrymple tells me they were counting 65 fish to the end of August at Ballantrae, compared to 90 last year, obviously the high water not encouraging them to hang around.

Balnowlart rods have had good sport with the grilse with the odd better fish among them. Jim Gruggan had a nice one at 12lb and on his next visit he hooked another good fish only for it to disappear with the fly, leader and the braided loop he had attached the previous evening. (suggest a dab of superglue next time Jim).

Knockdolian had 40 fish up to the beginning of September but I am sure this figure could have been trebled had it been fished more. There is no better month than August to fish the Stinchar if it gets water.

On the club water at Colmonell best fish fell to Sandy Wilson 12lb which he returned. A first salmon for Stuart Walker (8lb )on a rapala.

Kirkhill seemed to be well fished with most rods being successful.

Dalreoch and Almont and Hallowchapel all are doing well; best 17.5lb off Dalreoch.

Anglers coming to the Stinchar can now access river levels at www.fishayrshire.co.uk where it shows the Stinchar at Ballantrae. This is a SEPA station at Balnowlart and is updated twice daily. For those of you familiar with the marker on Colmonell bridge the SEPA gauge is one foot lower. ie. 2ft on SEPA is 3ft on Colmonell bridge. Hope you find this useful.

Finally any angler who would like to contribute to the site can inform me of catches and can include photos by e-mail or mobile.

Gordon Hyslop
email: wmhyslopandsons@fsmail.net tel: 07767332800

August 2008

August 1st and the river rose to 6 1/2ft on the gauge at Colmonell Bridge. I went down to the bottom pool of the club water on the Friday evening with the gauge still above 4ft at the bridge and hung a plastic tube fly down the edge.

I was rewarded with a lovely fish of 7lb which was donated to the local Church Fair.

At Ballantrae the Mulhollands, who normally do well at this time of the year, struggled with fish running hard and not keen to hang around the bridge pools. Although in the 2nd week, with the river dropped to a nice height, they started to put quite a few on the bank.

Curtis Munrowd with his first salmon at Balnowlart

At Balnowlart the syndicate rods were mostly getting a fish each but no great catches recorded - although it must be said the quality of the fish was exceptional, with a good number of double figure fish covered in sea-lice. Kirkholm said they had a fish most days but felt it was dour for the time of year. Best so far was a sea-liced 13 pounder by Kenny Gibson. Knockdolian is suffering from a lack of anglers. Mr Edwards fishing the Twins and Bankweil on Monday 11th August had a great day landing 6 fish up to 14lb - 5 of these were returned.

The Club Water has had a few but on Saturday the 2nd August, in a perfect water, 10 anglers never seen or touched a fish, while 500yds up the river on the Kirkhill beat Gilbert Brown fishing by himself told me he had his best day ever - landing and releasing 9 salmon.

On Bardrochat, Dalreoch and Almont stretches Paul Mottram told me since the last week of July, they had 16 salmon up to 12lbs and 4 grilse but he too is lamenting about the lack of anglers. Hallowchapel has also been very lightly fished with only a couple caught. Up on the Wee Stinchar Phil Haughton landed 3 fish of 9, 10 and 12lbs on August 8th. I have an e-report of a fish caught on the Nether Barr stretch right at the top of the river.

I fished Balnowlart all day yesterday (16th August) and there were a lot of fish coming in. I landed 2 nice fish around 8 1/2 and 6 1/2lbs and a smaller grilse around 3 1/2lb. The forecast for the coming week remains unsettled and I believe the Stinchar is the place to be as long as we keep getting the water.

July 2008

Into July and on the night of the 9th and during the day of the 10th we had local torrential downpours, which sent the river raging into a 7ft flood.

By Friday 11th it was 4ft on the marker at Colmonell. Expectations were high as the river dropped and by the afternoon it was a perfect height. However the only fish reported that day was a good fish of 10lb caught by Sandy Wilson fishing Colmonell Club water.

Saturday was a little better with a 6lb fish at Kirkholm. My trusty friend George Falls had a 81/2 pounder off of Balnowlart.

81 y/o Jimmy Blane enjoying a cast at Balnowlart

Above Colmonell David Bover fishing the Kirkhill Fishings had a fish of 11-12lbs on the fly, which he returned. Dalreoch had a fish of 12lb caught by J McConway from the Smiddy on the fly and apart from a small number of sea trout caught and returned it has to be said everyone gets the feeling that there is not a lot of fish about yet.

Here's hoping they come in more numbers on the next spate. (G Hyslop).

George Falls prepares to beach a fish....

George returning his fish
....and then he returns it.

June 2008

The season on the Stinchar is now finally under way. The only fish up until now was a very small spring fish around the 5lb mark caught in mid April by Jim Bryson fishing at the Old Bridge at Ballantrae. Jim took a few scales for the Pitlochry lab before returning it. The lab confirmed it to be a spring fish.

May and June were non events as the river dropped to the lowest level seen for a number of years. On Sunday 29th June the river crept up 18" after overnight rain and a few fish, mostly sea trout were seen. Kirkhill caught and returned a beauty of 4lbs.

May 2008

It is heartening to report that the river Stinchar is steadily regaining its reputation of being South West Scotland’s premier spate river. There was and is evidence of the beginning of a Spring Run returning. Given the right conditions there are Stinchar fish ready to run the river in this early part of the season. However these fish are not ‘Bars of Silver’ but rather, ‘White Gold’, and deserve the highest conservation priority. The Board stresses to all Anglers to abide by our new Angling Guide Lines and to return these fish.

See the Chairman's full Report here.

Under Derek McWilliam’s conscientious management the Hatchery on the river goes from strength to strength and has had its best production yet.

Over 100,000 fry have been bred and released into the head waters of the river and once again this Christmas it is anticipated there being ‘No more room at the Inn’.

Stocking in this part of the catchment should help to increase salmon numbers in the upper Stinchar.

Stocking the River Stinchar
Stocking the river above Stinchar Falls

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