This summer has not been the best for some local fisheries, with warm weather and weed problems, but there has been a plus for Iona Allan, owner of Allandale Tarn trout fishery, near West Calder.
She discovered a passion for sea fishing during a trip up North during her recent temporary closure.
The Tarn closed after temperatures stayed high for multiple days, and she said: “We’ve had a long, dry summer all over Scotland and the water temperatures were just getting up there. I made the decision to shut.”
This summer, she said, has been tough but Iona said: “We just plug away. You tell anglers what the situation is, that it is hard fishing, but they know the script. Many say I will come out anyway.
Looking ahead, she has not been able to build cash reserves during what has been a cash slack summer, and she said: “We have already seen numerous fisheries going out of the game permanently, I think that momentum will continue, unfortunately.
You don’t, she said, run a fishery to make money. It is a lifestyle choice, and her accountant says every year: “’You do realise what you pay yourself as an hourly rate?’”.
Allandale now stays open in the winter in a bid to make up for losses. Some bigger waters are doing the same, but she said: “You get value for money fishing in Scotland. There has been an increase in prices for everything.
“It is not just the fish, it is the maintenance costs, the fuel, machinery, insurance and, for example, I’ve had to buy new chain saws and a strimmer, new grass cutter.
“You are not talking about a couple of hundred quid. I am talking about tens of thousands for maintenance costs alone, never mind JCB repairs on top of everything else.”
She is also doing a lot of the maintenance work themselves.
The popular Tarn, next to the zoo, has been gin clear all summer and, thankfully, she has not, unlike other waters, suffered fish casualties. Yes, she suffered “normal” casualties, but they are not due to heat stress.
Why? Because the sheltered Tarn is fed by a spring and that keeps the water temperature lower.
However, the experienced fishery boss has noted that some anglers don’t degrease their leader and wondered why they are not catching.
She said: “I can see their line, so can the fish. It does make a big difference. Degreasing takes seconds and it is worth re-applying after a 30 minutes or an hour, especially on flat calm days.
“Fishing has not been easy, and you need to keep on the move, as well as degreasing, but the fish are there.
During her closure, Iona and her partner, Ian, went sea fishing and she explained: “I started going abroad with Ian and we had a sea fishing boat trips.
“This year, we made a last minute choice when we closed temporarily and managed to book into accommodation in Cromarty where I knew we could fish off the pier.
“I dug out some mackerel feathers, two rods and whatever we could find in the shed, nipped into a local shop and bought some stuff, and bought a packet of king prawns on the road up. That did the job.
“A few fish were caught and I even landed 2lb of muscles. We came home and bought proper gear and we have had some casts after closing at the fishery.”
She then decided to stay in Scotland for their proper holiday and went back to Cromarty as it was so enjoyable and so peaceful, and then travelled on to Lewis. She is now hooked on fishing.
PICTURE: Ian and Iona at The Tarn. Picture Nigel Duncan
