Season 2014 News Update.

The Annual general Meeting of the Loch Lomond Angling Improvement Association was held on Sunday 23 February in the Partick Burgh Halls, Glasgow, with around 120 members in attendance.  The key decisions made were as follows:

1)  Annual subscription 2014 Proposal

Members voted to retain the annual membership at the current levels in 2015 i.e. £185 for a full membership and £78 for an OAP concession, £50 for a student and £20 for a junior membership.

There was no increase in the cost of the River Leven annual permits which remain priced at £106 for local permits and £116 for visitors, OAP concessions will remain the same.  Likewise there is no increase in River Leven day permits and Loch Lomond day permits which will remain priced at £20.  There will be no increase in the cost of the coarse tickets issued by the Association which will remain priced at £35 for the season and £5 for a day ticket.

The committee are delighted that since taking office in 2012 we have been able to keep the price of memberships and Leven season tickets at the same level, rewarding the loyalty of our members for what has been for some difficult economic times.

2)  Audit of accounts and finances

Prior to the AGM the committee made arrangements to have the accounts of the Association audited for the period November 2011 to October 2013.  The accounts were audited by Ensors, Chartered Accountants, who concluded that the accounts showed a true and fair view of the financial position of the Association at 30 November 2012 and 30 November 2013.  Copies of both audit reports are available for inspection and should members wish to receive a copy of either of these documents they should write in the first instance to the secretary.

3)  Election of Committee members

There were no nominations for appointment to the Committee prior to 31 December 2013. Mr David Watt and Mr Angus Soutter were co-opted on to the committee.  Mr James Muir was re-elected for the purposes of defining longest served members.

4)   Notification of VOLDAC representative

The VOLDAC representative for 2014 is Mr Alan Millar.

5) Constitutional Changes

The proposed revised constitution that was distributed with the 2014 AGM papers was passed by the membership at the AGM.  With over 2/3rds of members voting in favour of the new constitution this document has now replaced the previous constitution dated February 1998.  Members who wish to receive a copy of the new constitution should write in the first instance to the secretary.

6)   Amendments to bye-laws

There were no amendments made to any of the bye laws governing the management of the Lomond system.

April 2014 Committee Update

Appointment of new Secretary

It gives the committee great pleasure to announce that Mr Angus Soutter has been appointed secretary of the Association.

Continuation of Glasgow Angling Centre Sponsorship Deal

It is with great pleasure that we can announce that Mr Paul Devlin of Glasgow Angling Centre has once again agreed to sponsor our springer conservation scheme.  Last year members released in the region of 50% of all spring fish they caught.  This is a fantastic achievement when compared to even just a few years back and we would like to encourage all members who are lucky enough to catch one of these wonderful fish to consider returning it.

The idea behind the springer conservation scheme is straight forward – any angler who catches and releases a spring salmon before 1 June will be entitled to claim a reward.  Glasgow Angling Centre have agreed to provide the angler with a £20 tackle voucher this will be matched by the Association providing the captor an opportunity to claim £40 worth of vouchers.  The rules are simple – the release of the fish must be witnessed and where possible photographic / video evidence submitted.  All claims must be with the Committee by 7 June who will have the final say regarding verification.

The committee would like to remind members that the following conservation measures are in force throughout 2014:

·         All sea trout must be returned before 1 May

·         No bait fishing before 1 May

·         From 1 May to 31 May worm fishing on the River Leven will be by circle hook only

·         No more than 2 sea trout can be taken on any day

·         Minimum worm hook size remains size 8 in order to protect juvenile fish

·         Use of fish roe including power bait is banned.

·        Hen sea trout over 3 Lb in weight must be returned after 31 August

·         salmon and sea trout must be returned in the month of October

·         All coloured or unseasonable fish must be returned, irrespective of the time of year when caught

Coarse Fish

1.         All coarse fish must be returned to the water alive.

Committee Recommendations

1.         Anglers are requested to return as many salmon and sea trout as possible given the fragile state of the stock in the recent past.  Where an angler returns a salmon before 31 May they will be eligible for a reward. (see above)

2.     We strongly recommend that circle hooks should be the only type of hook used when fishing with the worm given that they rarely lead to a fish being hooked down the back of the throat.   Please view the link listed below to access further information about circle hooks and the way they should be fished.  www.youtube.com/watch?v=00dWJ4YRRSI

Fishery Improvements

Your bailiffs have been busy over the winter on the top end of the River Endrick installing foot bridges and stiles.  We are now looking at work parties for the Leven, Fruin and the Endrick.  Provisional dates for these work parties will be updated on the Association calendar, however, at this time we are anticipating our first Endrick work party will be on Sunday 27 April.

Anyone who wishes to take part in this work party should email the Association direct or contact the office on 0141 353 5004.  Tools, gloves and refreshments will be provided.  A River Leven clean up will take place in May depending on weather / water conditions and we also hope to be on the Fruin as well.

Fish Eating Duck Count

Thanks to the Spey Salmon fishery board we have received some excellent advice regarding the ongoing issue with fish eating birds which can do significant damage to juvenile fish stocks on our tributaries.  As a result of the information obtained we will conduct a survey of the river Endrick in April and September with a view to applying for a control licence in 2015.  Members are therefore requested to volunteer for a fish eating duck count on the Endrick on Saturday 12 April.

This exercise will see members walking the Endrick from top to bottom in a coordinated fashion counting the number of mergansers and gooseanders on the river.  The meeting point will be at Kilearn village hall car park at 11pm and given sufficient volunteers we should have completed the task within a couple of hours.

Anyone who wishes to take part in this activity should email the Association secretary direct or contact the office on 0141 353 5004.

River Web Cams

It is hoped that the river web cams will be connected back up in early May.  Perhaps a bit early for the Fruin but given the water could we see a repeat of the early salmon and sea trout of the Endrick last year?

Smolt Trapping Begins

In late March the Loch Lomond Fisheries Trust installed their smolt trap on the River Endrick and in the first week of April began to pick up smolts which appeared to be in excellent condition.  We will hopefully be able to provide you with more news in the coming weeks.

Trout Seminar Glasgow University Saturday 10 May 2014

All members are invited to attend a trout seminar which will take place at Glasgow University on Saturday 10 May 2014.  This is a free event and will mainly but not exclusively look at ferox trout, touching on research undertaken in Loch Lomond.  To attend members should register at:

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-ibis-ferox-project-seminar-current-research-and-management-strategies-registration-10923748225#Itwould

Committee Comment

It has been a very quiet start to the season with water levels remaining consistently high on the Leven and the Loch and until recently very few anglers venturing out.  To date a few fresh sea trout and a handful of kelts have been reported, it is hoped that the majority of our spent fish took the opportunity to make a quick return to sea given the water conditions and with any luck will be back again to potentially provide us with more sport in the future.  With water levels still on the high side there is every chance we will have reasonable water conditions through to May just in time for our spring run, fingers crossed!

Once again we are grateful to Mr Paul Devlin of Glasgow Angling Centre for supporting our springer conservation scheme.  Last year saw the best every catch and release figures for spring fish with out of a recorded fish returned by members.  We know there were more spring fish caught, and it is pleasing to note that the catch and return rates were about the same for non-members also.  The committee would encourage everyone to do their bit to preserve this key component of our stock and build on the successes of the last 2 years.

LLAIA Committee