Fishing champ to open fishing season

Three Times Spey Casting World Champion Scott MacKenzie will officially open Stirling Council Fisheries 2012 Salmon Fishing season on the River Teith in Callander and the River Forth in Stirling on Wednesday 1st February.

Scott will join Stirling Provost Fergus Wood and fellow anglers in Callander on 1st February to lead a parade from Ancaster Square to the banks of the River Teith to get the 2012 season underway.

The parade will leave the Square at 9.15am led by Central Scotland Police Pipers and will proceed along Callander’s Main Street to The Meadows Car Park for the official toasting ceremony and opening day competitions.  Deanston Distillery will be providing prizes for the first salmon and heaviest salmon caught.  

Scott will demonstrate the art of casting with a double-handed rod and there will also be the opportunity for some free tuition for anglers attending the event.  Scott said: “It gives me great pleasure to open Stirling Council’s Fisheries for the 2012 season. The Teith in particular is renowned for its spring run so here’s hoping one or two nice fish are caught on the day. I’m looking forward to meeting those who attend and I will be available throughout the day to give some advice and tuition in spey casting as well as demonstrating my MacKenzie DTX rods and lines.”

This year anglers will have to adhere the Council’s strict new catch-and-release rules for all salmon and sea trout caught on the Rivers Forth and Teith before June 1st, 2012. The new rules were agreed last year in an effort to stop the decline of spring salmon and sea trout on the strong recommendations for the Forth District Salmon Fisheries Board.                                

Provost Fergus Wood said:  “I’m delighted that Scott MacKenzie will be joining us to officially start the 2012 salmon fishing season.  It promises to be a great day and everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy the event.  The conservation of salmon and sea-trout is vitally important to protect stocks and I’m sure anglers will respect the new fishing rules so the great sport of fishing can be enjoyed by everyone now and future generations”.

"The Stirling area is becoming a international mecca for anglers thanks to the conservation work by our Fisheries team.  In addition to the celebrations planned for 2014 – the year of the Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup, and the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn- it is our aspiration to run an international angling event featuring all the disciplines of fishing. Watch this space!"

Stirling Council owns the fishing rights and manages salmon and sea trout on the River Forth between Cambuskenneth and Craigforth and on two separate stretches of the river Teith at Callander.  Both rivers allow fly-fishing, spinning and also bait fishing.

Last year the Council also agreed to ban bait fishing during the hours of darkness from sunset and sunrise.  This is to protect sea trout against setline fishing, which is against fishing rules and legislation. Anglers must also use barbless or debarbed hooks once they have used their allocated tags.  Fish caught using barbed hooks can be severely damaged and therefore cannot be safely returned to the water.  Barbless or debarbed hooks will greatly reduce damage done to the fish and therefore ensure greater numbers are returned to the river.  

Last year anglers caught over 750 salmon on the Councils fisheries with almost 60% being returned safely to the water. A total of 340 sea trout were caught with almost 80% being returned safely.

Stirling Council would like to thank local sponsors for making the event possible, these are: Deanston Distillery and The Angling Centre, Stirling.

For more information on fishing in Stirling please contact the Fisheries Service by calling the Council’s Contact Centre on 0845 277 7000.

Photo of Scott MacKenzie who will officially open Stirling Council Fisheries 2012 fishing season
on the Rivers Forth and Teith.